Horde of the Demon Priest
DEMONA SERIES
BOOK THREE
Megan A. Hepler
Copyright © 2016 by Megan A. Hepler
All rights reserved. No part of this novel may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic, physical, or otherwise, without written permission from the author.
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, dialogues, locales, religions, or cultures is entirely coincidental and unintentional.
First Edition, 2016
Megan A. Hepler
www.meganhepler.com
[email protected]
Cover Art by K. C. Designs
Back Cover Blurb by Mary Clayton
To my son, Saxon, who was born during the process of writing this book.
Chapter 1:
Return to Terra Hollow
Demona, Felix, and Ileana quietly made their way down the darkened stairway farther into the cavern below. A familiar musky smell met Demona’s nose, though it was not as strong as she remembered. Her hand brushed against the dampened earth walls as she used them to steady herself with each step she took downward. It reminded her of the first time she descended another set of stairs on her first visit to Terra Hollow, an underground city, where many dark and neutral beings roamed.
The three friends had not found the entrance to this set of stairs in The Grier Hemo Co., TGHC, headquarters, as Demona had the first time she ventured into cavernous city. Instead, Ileana had shown them the secret stairway that she, and other neutral beings, accessed from within town. Ileana, who was a phoenix, now took her human form. She had frequently traveled down the mysterious passageway to Bazaar Hall, the market district, in order to acquire Demona’s blood rations.
Ileana’s trips to Terra Hollow had been carefree in the past, but things in Melville, Pennsylvania had changed since her last visit. The town and the underground city had seemed to become a battle ground for dark, neutral, and light beings against the demon horde that invaded their once relatively peaceful town. This trip was filled with caution as they quickly descended the dark stairs. They watched and waited to meet those that would hinder their goal: field-agents, dark beings, possibly even a demon or possessed.
Terra Hollow had been known to be a boisterous city with thumping music, the ruckus from drawls, and merchants shouting. The unnatural quietness that met them on their descent made both of the previous visitors nervous. Demona’s heightened senses put her on high alert with each step she took toward their destination. The lack of sound from within the city made the silence hum in her ears.
Ileana stopped a moment and turned her head slightly in Demona and Felix’s direction without taking her eyes off of the stairway ahead. “We’re almost at the bottom. Stick to the walls; keep your head down if we pass anyone. We don’t need to be identified. Definitely don’t talk.” Then, she stepped forward into a dimly lit passage.
Demona followed Ileana closely, with Felix coming just behind. They followed Ileana through several narrow tunnels with a grated floor situated below. It was hard for them to keep their footsteps silent as their feet clanked on the metal surface. The noise that their steps made seemed a hundred times louder in the quiet city, as the sound ricocheted off the passage walls. Demona knew the tunnels that they now walked through must have been a portion of the residential district that she had never visited before. Every door they passed was closed and locked tight, with the city’s residents hidden securely behind them.
“Are you sure he’s going to be in Club Chamber?” Ileana whispered to Demona.
Demona watched as a figure disappeared down one of the branching passages ahead of them. “Yeah, Darius said he would.”
“I don’t trust anything he says,” Ileana said with concern.
“Neither do I, but this is part of our deal. And if he wants our help in defeating the demon priest, he’d better keep his word,” Demona said.
Felix stood with his arms folded across his chest and nodded in agreement with Demona. Of course Felix agreed with Demona, after all, he was the one person who knew every detail of her history with Darius. Ileana gave them both a disapproving look and stepped back into the passageway. Demona and Felix understood Ileana’s apprehension. Darius Grier was continuously manipulating those around him and plotting something, though Demona was not sure what his game really was.
Darius was Demona’s former boss and archenemy. He had been the cause of all of the grief in Demona’s life. He had her parents killed, wiped away her memory of her former life, and turned her into a vampire. Demona had only recently found out the circumstances of her parents’ death and every time she thought about her former boss, owner of TGHC, and leader of the dark beings, it left a bitter taste in her mouth. She had to push her feelings aside, for now, in order to help save the light and neutral beings that had been so accepting of her.
The three entered into a cavern where water dripped steadily from stalactites that hung high above them. Demona recognized the cavern as the one she had entered on her previous visits to Terra Hollow. It was the main hub where visitors could go to in order to gain access to every section of the city. She looked to the left in the direction of Club Chamber. She expected to hear the thumping bass of music flowing from the club’s entrance, a line of beings waiting for permission to enter, or possibly the cyclops bouncer named Golias standing outside. There was nothing, not even the merchant stands that were once situated within the cavern.
They cautiously made their way toward the club entrance and glanced over their shoulders with every step. Ileana peeked around the corner into Club Chamber’s entrance and surveyed the area. She stepped into the darkness ahead and motioned for Demona and Felix to follow. Felix and Demona stepped into the passageway that had been carved in the cavern wall and entered into the club.
Demona followed Ileana into the dark cavernous club. She was used to its brightly lit neon lights, strobe lights, and spotlights. Now, only several dim lights hung sporadically over sections of the club casting a soft light on a small area below. A bartender stood at the bar on the left side of the club where a few patrons sat quietly. The dance floor was empty, except for a drunken dwarf that staggered around to his own imaginary music. On the far side of the cavern tables held a few couples huddled in hushed conversation while one person sat alone.
Ileana walked toward the bartender. “Have you seen a man come through here?” Her red eyes were piercing under the glow of the light above.
Demona stood facing away from the bar while they waited for the bartender to respond. She surveyed the club for changes since she had last been there. She noticed that parts of the cavernous club were still in ruins after it had been attacked by the demons during the Masquerade Ball several months ago. Part of the destruction was most likely her own fault as she had emitted sonic blasts when her emotional response to the vision the demon priest had given her became uncontrollable. The club was clearly being renovated in areas due to the heavy damage. The monumental stalactites that had been destroyed would never return to their former glory.
Felix nudged her with his elbow. “Mona, are you okay?” Mona was his term of endearment for her, and it had somehow become a nickname among her friends.
“Yeah,” Demona sighed, “just remembering the last time I was here.” Demona could picture the chaos that had erupted in the cavern as the demons had swirled around. She could still see the stalactites that once hung beautifully from the ceiling come crashing to the floor and the fairies that had fluttered above as they tumbled downward. She remembered the bodies that had been strewn across the floor and the witches f
orming circles to cast spells against their attackers. Demona tried to shake the memory from her mind. She returned her attention to Ileana and the bartender and realized she had missed his response.
“Thanks. By the way, why’s it so quiet in here tonight?” Ileana asked.
“Not from here are you? Mr. Grier has issued a martial law of sorts. Terra Hollow has been a complete nightmare lately,” the bartender replied.
“Why has it been so bad?” Felix asked.
“Ever since that demon priest came into the area things have been crazy, to put it lightly. And when people found out that the Mythos was here too, you either had people panicking about the end of the world or people wanting to hunt her down out of fear…”
Demona listened intently to the conversation. Why does it always come back to me? Demona had begun to hate the word Mythos, the term dark beings used for her, the chosen one of the prophecy.
“Then the demon started bringing in more demons and when the attacks began in the city we had riots, looting, people fighting over everything,” the bartender said. “The residents have lost their minds. So, he put martial law into effect to keep people from destroying the city and themselves. Mr. Grier knows what he’s doing,” the bartender shook his finger at them, “and it’s only a matter of time before this demon is destroyed. Word has it that he is already making plans to attack the creature.”
“Hmm…Interesting…” Ileana said. “Thanks.” She slapped her open hand on top of the bar. Then, the three of them turned away.
The bartender placed a hand on Ileana’s shoulder to stop her. “Just a word of caution before you go, get to where you are going fast. The field-agents are on patrol in Terra Hollow these days. If you get caught wandering around you are most likely going to be seeing the inside of the dungeon for a while.”
Ileana nodded. “Thanks again.”
Ileana made her way to the tables at the back of the room, with Demona and Felix following behind. Demona and Ileana spotted Kearne at that same moment and hastened their steps in his direction. Kearne was slumped over in his seat against the cavern wall. Demona noticed the empty whisky glass, which had toppled over on the table. The faint sound of snoring flowed in their direction as they approached.
“Great, now what’re we going to do with this lush? We’re going to have to carry him out of here.” Ileana made a step forward.
“Wait!” Demona held up her hand in protest. “Remember his skin is poisonous to us…women.” Demona turned to Felix.
“I can manage him myself,” Felix said. Felix moved to lift Kearne from his seat; he yanked on an arm and threw it over his shoulder. Then, he pulled the disheveled form to his feet and braced his other arm around the limp body. Kearne stirred and said something that came out in a jumble of words. Felix almost lost his grip, but managed to grab a tight hold on the mass of dead weight before Kearne could fall back to his seat.
“Come on, wake up. I can’t carry you the whole way. You at least have to support some of your own weight,” Felix said.
Kearne’s eyes opened slightly and he nodded at Felix’s words. Kearne mumbled something indistinguishable again, but Demona thought she caught the word sacrifice among his ramblings. Ileana once again led the way out of the passage and back in the direction they had come. This time the group moved slowly, while Felix managed to half drag, half carry Kearne along.
Demona followed the other three and wondered if she had heard Kearne right. Sacrifice. Could he mean the sacrifices we had to make in order to get the artifact from Dissium? Demona thought back to the recent events that took place in the magical realm, Dissium, which she, Felix, Ileana, Kearne, and their guide Aero, the unicorn, had journeyed through. Their journey was all in an effort to get an artifact that would help them defeat the demon priest. Felix, Kearne, and Demona had to make a sacrifice of themselves in order to leave the Tomb of Beginning with the artifact. Each was a representative of the three types of beings: light, neutral, and dark.
Demona knew now that Felix’s sacrifice had been to suffer a mortal wound in order to protect Demona. In exchange, he was granted abilities that allowed him to be where he needed at the moment she would face death. Thankfully, Aero’s horn, which happened to be the horn of the last living unicorn, had healing powers. When it was crushed and made into a poultice it helped to keep Felix from dying after having had a sword plunged through his body. Demona was certain that Felix would die, but the light beings helped them escape Dissium and the minions of the dark Queen Yuriko. They went back to Gleannbroch, the main headquarters of the Good Light Council, also known as GLC, where the faith healers could continue to heal Felix.
Demona looked at Felix appreciatively as he walked ahead of her. His dark outline seemed so brave and strong as he hauled Kearne along. He would never understand how grateful she was for his sacrifice. It had been the ultimate expression of love and Demona was now certain that she felt the same in return. Her stomach fluttered as she thought about how much she had grown to love him in such a short time.
Demona’s sacrifice had not been so perilous, but more of an emotional sacrifice. She had chosen to learn about her past and what had happened to her parents rather than being freed of the prophecy. Her choice allowed her to discover her forgotten past, that Darius had taken from her, including some very painful memories. She was not sorry about the choice she had made, because it answered many questions she had and taught her that Darius’ motives were truly evil. The prophecy she decided to keep, was something she had learned to accept; she knew that she was destined to determine the fate of all beings. The other option of a sacrifice would have allowed her to no longer bear the weight of being the chosen one. Demona had decided that despite how much she hated to be the chosen one, she knew it was her destiny.
She will come as half of one and half the other, born from both death and life. A power of great strength will rise within to conquer all who oppose her. Love and hate decides her course. No two outcomes are there, but one. She will change the world for one and the other she will smother. The words of the prophecy flowed through Demona’s mind every time the topic was mentioned.
Demona was certain that part of the prophecy had already come true. When she made her sacrifice for the artifact she had discovered that her mother was a light being, a defender of GLC, and her father was a neutral being, more specifically a Ljosalfar Elvin Lord. She had been transformed into a vampire by Darius, but reborn into a whole new kind of being when she accepted the prophecy as her fate. The god, Aleph, had sent his archangel, Fotos, to transform her from a vampire into a mysterious powerful being never seen before.
She knew that she was not entirely a light being now, but a combination of all types. She still had her elemental magic that came from her father, a neutral being. She still had the fangs of a vampire, and the kataphraktos skin of a field-agent. The kataphraktos had changed with her transformation, but it was still something she had originally obtained as a dark being. Now, she was also an initiated member of the GLC, because of her mother’s position as a defender and a light being. The transformation she had gone through, as a light being, now allowed her unlimited power from Aleph. She was certain that there were still things about herself that she would continue to discover.
They continued down the seemingly unending passageway toward their destination. Demona caught the glimpse of a dark figure approaching from the opposite direction. The figure kept to the opposite side of the passage as they continued to walk in each other’s direction. Ileana motioned for them to move into another darker passage and wait until the mysterious figure was gone. They hid silently against the walls in the shadows.
“Think you’re sneaky?” a voice said from the passage they had just exited. The figure that had been walking in their direction stepped into the shadows where they hid. Demona instantly recognized the man.
Oh great!
“You’re lucky I’m the one that found you. If it had been Salina or any of the new recruits, they would no
t be so willing to listen to your reason for being here.” Kerrick said. “Well, what is your reason?”
Demona huffed and was reluctant to provide him with any answer. “We came to get Kearne after Darius released him.”
Felix and Ileana nodded in agreement. Demona knew that Felix was scowling on the inside.
Demona studied Kerrick’s muscular outline as he stood in the dimly lit passage. He had not changed since she saw him back at TGHC almost three months ago, before her journey to Dissium. There was silence and the group waited for Kerrick to respond.
“Get going,” Kerrick replied.
Demona was expecting more resistance on Kerrick’s part. Ileana was the first to step back onto the path towards the surface, she wasn’t about to extend their stay in the underground city any longer than needed. Felix followed, supporting a half conscious Kearne. Demona was about to follow when Kerrick grabbed her around the waist in an all too familiar move. Demona’s breath caught with Kerrick’s unexpected embrace. She guiltily glanced at Felix who was only a few feet from her and unaware of what had just occurred. Of course this was too easy.
Horde of the Demon Priest (Demona Book 3) Page 1