by Jason Wilcox
“What are people doing out this late?” the lead demon barked. “Let’s move.” He waved a hand, and they started towards the street, which worried Bridget. People were going to see them. As they moved closer, there was one thing in their favor, there were no street lamps on the road. Except for people turning on their lights, the street was dark. Unfortunately, she wasn’t thinking about her skin that gave off a light glow.
The street was barren except for a few people beginning to step out to see what was going on. Sweat rolled off Bridget’s brow.
“Hey!” someone yelled as Bridget came out of the alley. Shouts followed, but she didn’t want to stop or see who it was. She sped up to be closer to the demons, but they stopped as a spotlight lit them.
As far as Bridget could tell, the spotlight came from a patrol car, maybe a police officer. One of the black demons dove into the air, wings spread, and disappeared above the spotlight’s reach.
With a loud crash, the demon in the air slammed his sword into the car, splitting it in half. The spotlight shattered into pieces, and glass scattered across the road. Bridget believed whoever was inside was now probably dead.
More spotlights flicked on behind them. Bridget was amazed that she didn’t hear the vehicles pull up. The lights blinded her. Opening his wings, the dark brown demon was just about to dive into the air when a sound like a gun rang out. Before the demon got a foot off the ground, a mass of blackness slammed into him. It was about the size of a small ball and melted a hole through his chest. Three more shots rang out pelting him in the face and abdomen.
The demon dropped to the ground as four holes melted through him and grew rapidly. All but the lead demon dove into the air, wings outstretched. A tug pulled Bridget into the alley. She watched in shock as the brown demon died in front of her. His body dissipated, and he was gone.
“You need to stay here, and out of sight,” the lead demon said to her, but she struggled to focus. She didn’t know they could die. More gunshots, screaming, and crashing were heard.
“Bridget!” the demon’s voice was sharp. She finally looked at him. His white tattoos seemed to glow in the darkness. “Do you understand? Stay here!” He pointed his finger at her. She nodded and he was gone, diving into the street.
She could hear the battle’s crashing and gunshots. Her stomach knotted from fear that the demons were going to die and she would be left alone. Clenching her fists, she tried to get her hands to stop trembling. A short scream rang out close to the opening of the alley. Something rolled past the opening. As she saw it, she felt like she was going to throw up. It was a human head.
A roar seemed to quiet everything for a moment, and then the lead demon flew back into the alley. He had a human in uniform clutched in his hands. Blood seeped down the human’s white jacket and shirt.
“Stegmar Mauldrin the?!” the demon growled as he slammed the man against the wall of the building. Bridget only understood the Mauldrin part, but guessed that the demon was asking where Mauldrin was. Her heart filled with possible hope.
“I don’t know what you’re saying,” the man said with a soft voice and thick accent. He was quickly bleeding to death.
The demon looked confused for a moment at the man speaking their language. “Where’s Mauldrin?”
Furrowing his brow, the man looked confused. “Mauldrin? The Mauldrin? He’s been dead for a long time.”
Bridget tried to hold back tears, but they flowed down her cheeks as the demon looked back at her. His grip loosened on the man allowing him to drop to the ground. Without strength to hold himself up, the man collapsed to the alley floor.
“I’m sorry Bridget.” The demon was kind, but she knew there was no time to mourn. There was still fighting in the streets.
“It’s okay. What do we do now?” She wiped away tears and tried to make the tearing pain go away, but it was too strong.
The demon gave her an approving nod and turned back to the man. “The sword he carried. Where is it?”
Blood dribbled from the man’s mouth and he was unable to speak. The demon put his sword to the man’s neck, but he still didn’t speak. Instead, he shook his head and made one last gasp for air before he died.
“Raestal, their numbers are doubling by the minute. We have to get out of here,” the dark blue demon spoke as he came around the corner. One of his wings was torn off, leaving a bleeding stub. “We just lost another one.”
One of the other black demons came diving from the air into the alley. “Let’s move!” he barked. The lead demon grabbed Bridget, and they began running. As they came to a T, they ran to the right, away from the castle. Bridget knew at that moment she wasn’t going home. She looked back and watched as they kept running in the opposite direction of the portal.
Without warning, a blast knocked them backwards and knocked out walls to the buildings nearby. Brick and debris flew on top of them. Bridget blinked, as the world around her seemed to be void of sound. Some type of flying vehicle was above them, hovering in the blackness.
“Get up!” a familiar voice echoed in her mind. Then the lead demon’s face was over her. “Get up! We have to keep moving.”
As she stood, she could see that the other black demon that had been leading them was in pieces, blown apart by the blast. The dark blue demon appeared hurt, but she didn’t think it was from the blast. It appeared to be his wound from where his wing had been.
“I don’t think I’m getting out of this one,” the blue demon spoke while pushing himself up. “You two run, and I’ll try to hold them off.”
“Not a chance,” the lead demon snapped. “We’re all leaving, or none of us.”
The chaos along with the emotion flowing through Bridget was becoming overwhelming. Her ears were ringing and her vision wasn’t clear yet.
Troops piled in around them, guns ready to fire. Bridget wasn’t sure why they weren’t firing, unless they wanted them for questioning. Overwhelmed, she closed her eyes and envisioned Maselda. “Let the power flow through you. You keep trying to control it instead of allowing it to release from within. You have to let go of all that you know from your previous life,” Maselda’s voice echoed through her mind, and as it did, a fire ignited with in.
A gunshot rang out, and Bridget could hear the dark blue demon get hit by a bullet as he grunted in pain. She couldn’t take anymore. Bridget let go of everything, readying herself for death. Just then, something within her broke loose, like an enormous dam releasing the rushing water.
Unable to keep her eyes closed, Bridget watched as a ball of white light blasted outwards, devouring everything around them. Buildings, hovercraft, and troops dissolved in the white light, leaving only the demons behind. As the blast subsided, dust particles seemed frozen in the air. Everything was silent for the moment, life seemed to stand still. Bridget brought her hand up, moving it through the particles. She was still in shock that the blast came from her. As she moved her hand, she noticed her brown robe was gone, somehow torn off in the blast.
Forcefully, a demon grabbed her from behind. It took her breath away as he ascended above the buildings. She grabbed his wrist, frightened by how high they were. In his other hand, he had the dark blue demon by his arm. Bridget watched as they flew up, in awe of the destruction area she had caused. The Witch told her she held great power, but she never thought it was anything like that.
“We have to get far from here, and quickly,” the lead demon spoke. Bridget couldn’t tell if he was speaking to her or saying it aloud for himself, so she kept quiet. The blue demon didn’t look like he was doing well, his limbs hung lifelessly.
They flew over many buildings and roads. She could hear sirens, which she figured had to do with their presence. Out of nowhere, a small missile flew past them, barely missing, and falling to the ground with a large explosion. The demon dove downward at an incredible speed. Bridget hung on with all of her might. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes from the pressure of the dive.
She heard another ex
plosion from behind and could see the light it produced on the passing buildings. In the distance, it appeared that the city had ended, but it was hard to make out in the darkness. With great speed, they approached some type of a barrier. Light from houses and buildings seemed to reflect off something at the border, almost as if they were heading for a glass wall. The closer they got, the clearer it became. It was definitely a wall.
“Brace yourself,” the demon exclaimed as they prepared to try to fly through it. His speed didn’t slow. Instead, he went faster, making it hard for Bridget to keep her eyes open. She kept blinking away tears so she could watch as they headed in. Behind the wall, it looked like a vast ocean, but it was too hard to tell in the darkness what it truly was.
Another missile flew past them and hit a building close by pushing them to the left, but the demon kept going. With one last burst, they slammed through the wall. Bridget braced herself, but to her surprise, the wall wasn’t solid; it was more like going through a bubble. She looked back to see five hovercrafts stopping at the wall. Now that she was out, she could see more clearly. The wall was a clear bubble dome over the entire city.
Outside the bubble, a strong sandy wind blew causing the demon to struggle to stay up.
“I have to land,” he yelled over the noise of wind and sand. The blasts of sand hurt Bridget’s face and hands.
Their landing was gentle. She could feel the soft, sandy ground beneath her and became aware they were in a desert. More sand blasted at her and she turned away. Surprisingly it stopped hitting her, not the sounds of the wind, but the sand. Turning around, she could see that the large demon brought his wings around to make a cover for the blue demon and her.
The black demon laid his large hands on his hurting friend. “Degnar mekna,” he spoke with words that carried power and silenced the wind for a moment.
“It’s too late, the wounds are severe,” the dark blue demon spoke softly. “Their weapons were too powerful,” as he spoke, he lifted an arm into the air and the other demon took hold of his hand with both of his.
“Thoraden, be at peace,” the black demon spoke as the dark blue demon went limp and his body faded away. Only an indentation in the sand remained.
“Thoraden…” Bridget spoke under her breath. She looked up at the demon. “I’m sorry.” He showed no acknowledgement of her words, instead his black eyes stared at where his comrade died. “Raestal. Is that your name?” she politely asked while placing a hand on his arm.
Taking a deep breath he looked at her, his white tattoos no longer glowed. “Yes, that is my name.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t ask your names before.” She lowered her head and moved to get closer to the demon since the wind carried a chill. He pulled his wings closer, which gave her better shelter. The night was long, and she needed to stay warm. She knew they would need to get going.
“Their names were Thoraden, Tig the short black one, Fistual the tall black one, and Cozine the dark brown.”
“May they rest in peace,” she added.
CHAPTER 9
A rooster crowed in the distance as Tagen woke in his small shack. He looked around at the dirt floor and the poorly built walls and ceiling, which were pieced from scraps of metal and wood. Though it wasn’t much, it was nice to have his own place, but he knew there was a price. Hermue already informed him he would be given errands, which meant once again being controlled. Laht was evidence of that, since he would kiss Hermue’s feet.
Tagen needed to find Mauldrin and get out of this place before he was under the control of Hermue. It was time to find Laht and move on. He jumped up and headed out. Two dark souls sat outside and stared at him; they had been watching the place.
“Where’s Laht?” Tagen asked as he approached, showing he didn’t care that they were watching him.
One of them kept looking at Tagen, the other pointed to a house next door. Not wanting to waste time, he stepped in, walking through the wall in shadow form. Laht was sitting with two humans, one which had been with him last night.
“Nice of you to walk in, but you’re not welcome,” Zack snapped. Laht didn’t say a word, just kept an eye on Tagen.
“I don’t mean to intrude,” he tried to sound apologetic though he really wasn’t.
“You are. So leave.” Zack turned to Laht and was getting ready to talk again.
“I need to know where the guy is, that used to be my master,” Tagen rudely interrupted.
“Let it go,” Laht decided to speak. “You don’t want to go down there.”
“I want revenge,” Tagen growled.
“Get over it,” Zack spoke without looking at him. “He belongs to Hermue now.”
“At least allow me to give him a cut he won’t forget. Laht, you can understand.” Tagen knew it was a wild guess, but it was worth a try. Dark souls didn’t normally care about emotion or feelings.
Laht looked at Zack with a subservient look. Tagen felt disgust of Laht’s continual checking in. Ever since the scars had appeared, his emotions had become more evident and pronounced.
“I’ll take you to see him,” Laht said as he stood up. Tagen was shocked. It was odd that Laht responded that way, but he wasn’t going to question it.
Zack stood up as well. “No, you won’t!”
“I’ll take him to Hermue after we go to the cells,” Laht explained.
Looking back and forth between them, Zack tightened his lips. “Fine, but make it quick. Hermue wants to speak to him soon.”
“Understood,” Laht said as they left. Tagen followed behind him. As they made their way down a few streets, a large cylindrical building emerged, rising above the rooftops.
“You’re enslaved here, aren’t you?” Tagen asked as they approached the building.
Laht stopped and looked at him. “I see your distain, but it’s better than what we had before. Hermue and the humans get final say, but they give us a lot. It’s better than with Snyp.”
“But they’re weak, pathetic humans. I could kill them all without a second thought.” Tagen moved closer to the cylindrical building, wanting to go in if Mauldrin was there.
“The humans, sure, but Hermue, he would destroy you. I don’t know what he is, but he’s powerful. Powerful enough to bring the dark matter here and start the creation of new dark souls. Besides, I saw a dark soul go against him, it wasn’t pretty.” Laht moved towards a large metal door.
Tagen looked at him as Laht went into shadow form and moved partially through the door, stopping part way and looking back as Tagen spoke. “Why did you decide to take me to Mauldrin?” His curiosity, or possibly suspicions, got the best of him.
“You’re the oldest living dark soul alive.” Laht stopped talking and finished going through the door, Tagen following. The comment helped Tagen began to understand. Laht’s decision had nothing to do with emotion but had everything to do with Laht hearing the oldest dark soul wanting something. It was obviously a calculated move. It made Tagen feel important.
Darkness enveloped the tower. Laht headed to a metal staircase in front of them and started down. They slowly descended, going around and around. After two stories, they finally came to a dirt floor. A foul stench filled the air, and a set of lights ran along the ceiling leading down a long tunnel.
As they headed down the tunnel, Tagen realized he needed a plan. Possibly, Laht might help him. If he thought highly enough of Tagen to want to impress him, he might follow Tagen to go against Hermue. “What would you do if I decided to break this human out, instead of getting revenge?”
Laht almost stumbled. “What do you mean? I would have to kill you if you tried something that stupid.”
“Do you think you could?” Tagen said with a chuckle.
No longer moving, Laht looked at Tagen. “What are you doing?”
With a smile, Tagen moved fast, grabbing his neck and slamming him against the wall. “I don’t want to kill you, but if I must I will,” Tagen hissed while digging his claws into Laht’s neck. Laht tried
to attack, but wasn’t strong enough. “Listen to me. Have you heard the name Mauldrin?”
“No,” Laht could barely speak with Tagen’s claws choking him.
“He used to be the most powerful person on all the planets. He was brought back and is the person we are about to see. Hermue’s power would be miniscule to Mauldrin’s once he gets it back. Give up Hermue and join us.” Tagen released his grip, but stayed ready to attack.
“I think you have the wrong guy,” Laht spoke with an irritable tone, but he stopped fighting and was willing to talk. “A couple of younglings took him down without any trouble. The only reason we kept him was a strange darkness that looms in him, and of course, Hermue wants that sword.”
“He’s the right guy alright. He’s the one that killed Snyp and the other dark souls. He’s the one that destroyed the gate,” Tagen exclaimed. “Listen to me. Hermue won’t be around long. The Witch is moving her troops. The gate is fixed, so it’s only a matter of time before Triaad returns, and Mauldrin is tougher than all of them. It’s just a matter of time before he lets out his power. When he does, you better make sure you’re on the right team.”
Pushing Tagen’s hand away, Laht narrowed his eyes, studying Tagen. “The Witch is on the move?”
“Yes, and you know she’ll wipe Hermue off the map. What does he have, some dark souls and a bunch of humans? She’ll slaughter you.”
“And Triaad?” Laht stumbled over the name.
“Only a matter of time before he comes, and you know how vast his armies are. He’s the reason the Witch always stayed in her territory.” Tagen could see he was making headway. Laht was staring at the ground, his shoulders hunched forward.
“Hermue will be annihilated.” Laht looked back at Tagen, his red eyes ablaze.
“Exactly,” he took a breath knowing he’d won the argument. “It’s just a matter of time.”