Roar!
I tried to stop, but my body slammed into the down and charging shoulder of the HowlSage. It’d come back. The blood bombs had worked.
I bounced off the beast and my right shoulder hit the nearby cave wall. A yell ripped from my mouth. The HowlSage tumbled forward into a somersault; the sarcophagus was nowhere in sight.
I clambered to my feet and took off down the tunnel. Had the demon been so dumb as to leave the coffin behind? Maybe its bestial desires had taken over.
I charged forward through the mine.
The angry call of the HowlSage behind me told me it’d discovered the ruse.
I’d not gone that far, so I only had a minute at most before it’d catch me. But that minute was all I needed. I came to the end of the tunnel and saw something that incited both anger and hope. I was at the edge of the Etherpit.
A frigid wind rose out from the gaping mouth of the hole. The void wasn’t just black, it was empty, the absence of anything.
This is where I’d planned on coming later. This was where I would descend and free my dad.
Another cry from the HowlSage, louder this time, told me the beast was closing on my position.
I saw the sarcophagus sitting next to the Etherpit. Why was it there?
The furry, wolf-like demon burst into view. It instantly leapt at me and I raised my sword to meet it. It flew over me, but its chest was exposed. I jumped up and rammed my sword into the beast’s chest.
It was dead before it hit the ground. Its limp body landed just on the other side of me, rolling to the edge of the pit. Its arm twitched, bumping the sarcophagus. The coffin teetered and began to slide toward the pit.
“No!” I screamed aloud and dashed to stop it. The tips of my fingers brushed against it just as gravity took hold.
It was too late and I stood helpless as the sarcophagus, jinn inside, disappeared into the darkness of the Etherpit.
My knees felt weak and I dropped to the ground. I bent over on all fours. I’d lost the jinn and the BloodSage’s body. What would happen now?
The air became freezing cold and a blast of air hit me like a ton of bricks. I rolled to my side. I watched as a cloud of gray mist rushed down the tunnel and then flew into the Etherpit like it was being sucked through a vacuum.
I let out a deep breath. I had no idea what would happen now. I turned around and saw the oversized wolf body of the HowlSage. It was dead, but it was not yet banished. I knew what I had to do as I pulled my mom’s cross from my pocket. This would finally send the magician of the moon, as it was also called, back to the underworld.
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
November 1st—Wednesday
It was still dark out. The sun hadn’t risen and everyone at the inn was asleep. Jesse was resting in the infirmary under the guard of my aunt and uncle. Somehow, although I hadn’t killed the jinn, the curse it held over Jesse had been lifted. My cousin would recover, but he needed healing, both spiritual and physical.
Melanie had been taken home to her parents by Mr. and Mrs. Swigart, and they discovered that Melanie’s parents had been under the influence of the jinn as well. They had no recollection of the last month and a half, nor did they know how they’d come to Ashley Meadows. The next few weeks would require a lot of discussion and explanation.
McGarrett was awake and recovering under Mrs. Riley’s careful nursing. I snuck in and saw him. He was asleep, as was Mrs. Riley. But I took his hand and told him what I was about to do. I knew if he was awake he might try to stop me; I’d realized that he loved me as a father would love his son.
Everyone was back with their loved ones—everyone but me. But I was about to change that. Now that I knew exactly where the Etherpit was; I could start my journey immediately.
In my room I tossed an extra black shirt into my pack. I was going to head into the pit. No hunter had ever attempted this before. I’d believed that the Etherpit was a portal of sorts, not one we could choose to enter and exit at will. Only God controlled life and death. Albert had revealed a chamber at the bottom of this pit, one that was still within our physical world, one that I could get to. And that was what I was going to do.
My heart felt hopeful now. I knew that God would provide the support needed to fight the host of hell and his minion army. Not all was lost. It was true that demons were everywhere, lurking, waiting to make us slip up, to take advantage of our weaknesses. I’d always known that, but I’d been neglectful. I hadn’t been living in Truth.
Not anymore.
I’d gathered all of my gear in secret and I was nearly ready. I wasn’t abandoning my post; instead I was taking the battle to the enemy. They would not be expecting me, and I hoped that I could find my dad and free him. Together we would be stronger than myself alone.
No matter what I’d find and face below, the emotional drive to find my dad would be all I needed.
I snuck through the lobby, glancing left and right. The inn looked normal; you’d never guess that a daily war was being fought from here, that this old building housed a high-tech group of demon-hunting Christians.
The large entry doors of The Pink Hippo creaked as I exited. The next time I crossed that threshold, it would be with my dad, I was sure of it.
I walked across the rotunda and stood near the fountain. I knew where one of Ike’s secret cameras was. He deserved more than just a note.
I looked directly into the largest hippo’s right eye. “Ike, I know you’re going to be upset that I left without saying goodbye in person. But honestly,” I paused and took a breath. “I know you’d want to come with and I’m afraid I wouldn’t have the willpower to turn you down. But this journey is going to be dangerous, and I could never ask anyone to join me. You have been the best friend anyone could have.”
“Ditto,” said a voice behind me.
I turned to see Ike standing there. He was dressed in black and had a jet pack strapped to his back.
“Ike? What are you doing?” I asked.
“I’m coming with you,” was his simple reply.
About
Brock D. Eastman
Brock D. Eastman likes to write, but his focus is on his wonderful wife and two daughters. They reside at the base of America’s mountain and are learning to call Colorado home, but sometimes need a visit to the comfortable cornfields and hospitality of the Midwest. Especially during spring and harvest.
Brock is product marketing manager at Focus on the Family, where he has the privilege to work on the world-renowned Adventures in Odyssey brand, a show his dad got him hooked on when he was a little boy. He also makes frequent appearances on the official Adventures in Odyssey podcast and has written an article for Thriving Family magazine.
Brock’s publishing journey started with the writing of the Quest for Truth series in 2005, and with his wife’s encouragement he sought and found a publisher in 2010. Shortly after he signed to write the Sages of Darkness trilogy as well as a book for Adventures in Odyssey’s, the Imagination Station series. He is always thinking of his next story and totes a thumb drive full of ideas.
To keep track of what Brock is working on, visit:
www.BrockEastman.com.
Other books Brock has written or are coming out soon:
The Quest for Truth: (P&R Publishing)
Taken (2011)
Risk (2012)
Unleash (2012)
Tangle (2013)
Hope (2013)
The Imagination Station (Adventures in Odyssey):
(Tyndale/Focus on the Family)
Showdown with the Shepherd (2011)
Sages of Darkness: (Destiny Image)
HowlSage (2011)
BlizzardSage (2012)
BloodSage (2013)
HowlSage Page 24