Chapter Two
It became a race across the church for the life of one tiny boy. Blood pumped through my veins like tiny shards of ice. The blur of movement to my right told me the demon and I were neck-and-neck, both reaching out toward the child. His mouth fell open as he watched the race toward him. Drawing closer, I could see the specks of gold in his wide brown eyes. Fear and uncertainty clouded them. He had no idea how fragile he was - how a demon like this could snap him in two without blinking.
I had to reach him first. His life depended on me.
My fingers clasped the front of his white cotton robe and my arm encircled his back. Without thinking, I threw him over my shoulder and sprinted down the nearest pew. Claws grazed against the back of my t-shirt. Snatching a silver dagger from my belt, I tossed it behind me and smiled when I heard a satisfying demonic roar of anger.
“Shh, shh, you’ll be okay.” I pressed the little boy to my chest as he began to wail.
His little fists beat against my arms, but I kept him in my protective grasp as I glanced over my shoulder. Gabe and my friends had caught up to our demon target and engaged him in battle once again. Loosening my grip on the little boy, he dropped his arms in defeat, giant crocodile tears glistening on his round cheeks.
“Come,” I said, taking his tiny hand in mine. It was hot and sweaty. “Let’s get you out of here.”
The tears clearing from his eyes, he gazed up at me, suddenly the image of tiny strength. With a nod of his head, he followed me up the side of the pews and to the front of the church where the priest still stood. I deposited the boy into his arms and they hugged tightly.
“Aaron,” the priest breathed. He sobbed into his hair. “You weren’t supposed to come in today. I told your mom you could have the day off from altar training.”
“She thought you needed some company,” the boy said between sniffles. His little voice made me want to cry. “That you sounded sad. And I could cheer you up.”
The priest smiled through his tears. “She’s right. But I’m afraid I put you in extreme danger.”
“We’ve got to go,” I told them. Although I hated to interrupt this beautiful reunion, a demon was still rampaging through the pews. “Let’s get you somewhere safe.”
As if on cue, the battle returned to the front of the church. Cries of anger and demonic growls filled the air. I crouched in front of the priest and the altar boy, shielding them with my arms. Gabe struck out with his sword, driving the demon to seek shelter behind the pulpit.
“Go, go, go,” I whispered, waving my arms. “Get out of here.”
Before they could move, a terrible scream shattered the air. It had come from the demon. He was staring at the warriors, fear burning in his red eyes, and backing himself into a corner.
“We’ve got him,” Raquel cried drawing my attention. Her hair had fallen loose from its braid and blood had smeared on her cheek.
The team surrounded the pulpit, and slowly moved in on the demon hissing behind it. They all looked like they’d been put through the ringer. This was definitely one of our tougher exorcisms. My father wasn’t going to be happy to hear the details.
Ashley pointed at Raquel. “Go around back. We’ve got him cornered.”
Before anyone could move, the pulpit burst into a million tiny wooden shards in front of our faces. Shielding the two humans from the debris, I felt a strong force of energy pass in front of me. Like a strong wind, it caused devastation and ruin, throwing us all to the floor. I searched over my charges, but no harm done. Aaron clung to the priest’s robes, but he didn’t cry out in pain. He was such a strong little boy.
With a growl, Adam managed to get back to his feet the quickest of all of us. The demon was moving so fast, I could hardly see him. But that didn’t stop Adam from taking a swing with his wicked sword and stopping the demon in its tracks, the blade just a hairbreadth shy from cleaving his chest in two.
“Move again, scum, and you’re worm food,” he snarled. His lips curled back to reveal his perfectly straight white teeth, bloody from the battle.
“Get him out of here,” I whispered to the priest, gazing intently at Aaron.
No more taking any chances. This demon had proved to be the most powerful we’d come up against yet. There was no telling if the exorcism would have any effect on him. We needed to clear the room.
“Of course.” He struggled to his feet, the boy’s hand in his. “Come on, Aaron.”
I watched the little boy run after him with quiet mourning in my heart. What he saw today could never be erased. Most humans lived their lives totally clueless of the dark underbelly of hell walking among them. And they were happy that way. Little Aaron now had a glimpse of that world and he’d always be left wondering. Afraid of the dark and afraid of the unknown. It was a grim outlook.
“You struggle in vain,” the demon cried, throwing his hands up in mock surrender as the warriors closed in on him. “For you shall all die by the darkness of the next eclipse. It has been written.”
“No one but me decides my fate,” Ashley shot back, wiping the wood splinters off her shoulder and tossing her head.
She reached for his arm and when he shied away, delivered a shift punch to the kidneys. He wilted and retched again, his eyes burning bright red as he glared up at her.
Reaching to my belt, I pulled a lengthy piece of rope off my back and tossed it her way. “Here, use this. It’s Luke’s newest invention.”
Our newest toy was a rope with silver fibers interwoven throughout the threads. Although no thicker than my pinky finger, a demon would have a hard time breaking free. It would come in handy as we hunted down the remaining demonic forces.
She tied his hands roughly behind his back and marched him to where Gabe sat rubbing his head, and pushed it to its knees. “I believe you weren’t finished.”
Gabe nodded gratefully to the rest of us, his gaze lingering especially long on mine. A small smile tugged at my lips as I waited for him to scan me over for injuries. Despite the fact that we’d been fighting together for over a year, he’d never lost that protective side of him. I felt grateful for it now more than ever.
“What are you going to do?”
The priest had reentered from a door on the altar without Aaron. He wrung his hands, his voice quivering. He eyed the smashed remains of his pulpit, no doubt wondering how he was going to explain that to his congregation.
“His last rites,” Gabe said in a low voice. He pulled a vile of yellow liquid from his pocket and uncorked it. “It’s very important we do this.”
“Last rites?” The priest’s jaw dropped. “But wait. We need to perform an exorcism. I have the tools right here.”
He held up his worn bible and the wooden box. At this distance, I could tell the box was very old, perhaps even from a different millennium. About the length of his forearm, it’d been worn throughout the ages. Unfamiliar faint symbols covered the lid and a latch in the shape of a jagged circle took up one side. Power emanated from the thing - dark and heavy.
“We’ll take that.” Raquel snatched the box from his hand and tucked it under her arm. “I think this is safer in the hands of the Nephilim.”
He opened his mouth to protest, but fell silent at the sight of Gabe rubbing droplets of the yellow liquid on the demon’s forehead and hands. The tangy scent of olive oil reached my nostrils. We’d been using it to anoint demons this summer.
It had been blessed and mixed with a concoction similar to the disgusting drink they’d forced on me when Gabe first brought me to the manor. Luke’s assistants had refined the formula to exorcise demons from the possessed. Sometimes, it worked. Sometimes, it didn’t. But the process was never pretty.
The demon hissed and squirmed as the skin where Gabe anointed began to sizzle. The priest fell back, his mouth open wide. With a silent prayer, he crossed himself, and snapped his jaw shut.
“May you find peace,” Gabe said, pressing the symbol of the cross into its forehead. “And may God have m
ercy on you.”
“Now, wait...” The priest lunged forward, his arms flailing. “Just you wait.”
“This is the hard part,” Gabe warned in a low voice. “We have to be ready.”
The demon glared at him, his eyes glowing. “You’ll be sorry, you...”
The vile stream of curses that flowed from his mouth were cut short when Gabe forced the rest of the liquid from the vile down the demon’s throat. He sputtered and cursed enough to make even the toughest of sailors blush. None of us stirred. We had become used to this. It was part of the job.
The demon opened its mouth in a silent scream, its jaw popping out of the socket and dropping down to his chest. Ashley let go of the ropes and backed away as it flopped and struggled. It was as if the two entities inside it were grappling for control. A battle of the utmost importance. Silently, I urged the human soul inside him to fight harder. To overcome his demon. To win.
Slowly, its face grew waxen and pale. The jerky movements of its body calmed. I squeezed my eyes shut, holding back the tears. He was losing the battle. I’d seen it a dozen times before. The demon was going to claim this body, dragging it to its grave. My heart broke for the man’s family.
“What’s happening?” The priest looked wildly at each of us.
No one responded.
“What’s happening?” he demanded again. “Can you save him?”
“This man is a goner,” Adam answered. There was no venom in his voice, yet, his answer still stung. “He’s dying.”
The priest began to struggle for breath, his chest rising and falling with desperation. Raquel took him by the arm and led him away. The remainder of us circled tightly around the dying demon, our hands on our weapons until the job was done. We couldn’t be too careful.
“My master...” the demon croaked. His eyes stared into empty space as he laid prone on his chest. “My Prince.”
I leaned down to watch the light go from his eyes. Despite the fact that we’d just fought this demon for our lives, we couldn’t forget there was a human soul within. He didn’t deserve to die alone.
With a surprising burst of speed, his arm reached out and grabbed my wrist in a clammy vice, searing my skin with an unbearable heat. I gasped and fell backwards, landing hard on my rear end. My ears rang as a result of the fall. Shaking my head, I waved off Gabe’s move to help me up. No harm done. By the time I glanced back at the demon, he’d breathed his last and gone rigid.
Another one dead.
It was at that moment that an explosive pain filled my head and threw me backwards. Darkness fell on me hard, like the weight of a large boulder. The sound of blood rushing through my ears was deafening.
Not again. It couldn’t be happening again.
“Death of a Demon” will be available May 16, 2018
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About the Author
Lacy Andersen is the author of several novels, including the Aya Harris Collection and Heart of a Demon series. When not writing or dreaming up stories to tell, Lacy is busy playing with her daughter, watching Netflix with her husband, or reading the latest releases. She has a serious addiction to cotton candy, loves to compete in any type of game, and is currently planning her next trip around the world.
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