Seventh

by Ray Chilensky

  Having just completed another swooping attack that had left Cai with a laceration from mid-back up to the base of his skull, Azazel made a wide, looping turn when he heard Cadell’s challenge and saw the Blessed Warrior’s trueblade strike a final, fatal blow to his offspring. It screamed its rage as it dove toward Cadell and Evelyn in a vengeance-induced rage.

  Christian fell, face first, into the blood-covered snow. The bone of his right cheek was shattered and his eye was swollen shut. He rolled to the left and a demon’s claw sank into the ground where his head had just been. Now on his back, Christian brought his saber up barely in time to keep the demon’s venom-dripping claw away from his neck. The blade bit into his enemy’s wrist as it reached downward for Christian’s throat, sending a spray of blood into Christian’s face. Christian supported the spine of his saber with his left hand and drove the edge upward into the demon’s protruding snout, forcing the creature back. Then the point of a rune-blade came out the front of the monster’s chest. It fell sideways, making labored, gurgling sounds as it tried to draw breath. Christian looked up to see Josh offer him a hand, his rune-blade still dripping with demon blood.

  “I have the vessel,” he said, pulling Christian to his feet.

  He turned his good eye to see Azazel making a screaming dive at Cadell and Evelyn. “We have to get that ring. Just keep killing demons until we get a shot at Azazel!” The two men fought their way back to stand with Cai and Colm. Both had already been wounded several times and the demons were continuing to attack in waves. Drawing from the dark energy that permeated Hockomock Swamp, they grew stronger while the Selkirks’ strength waned. But the Blessed family continued to stand.

  Colm had just been impaled by the claw of a demon that resembling a man-sized ant when lightning came from the sky, striking the demons as they closed in on Cai and the others. While unable to destroy them, it caused enough harm to halt their attack, providing the Selkirks with a badly needed respite. Callum appeared from amongst the trees. He ran to join his brothers, delivering slashing cuts from his greatsword to the demons as they recovered from the lightning strikes. “Chepi’s with us again and Eve is helping her,” he reported as he reached his brothers. “She’s channeling mom’s power to bring down the lightning.”

  He knelt beside the wounded Colm and helped him drink a healing tincture. “I have one left, who wants it?” he asked, holding up vial of the magic draught. “Give it to Colm,” Christian said. “I’m standing, he’s not.” Cai nodded his agreement.

  Another volley of lightning assailed the demons. “Let’s get ‘em while we can, guys.” Cai said, moving into a new attack. Callum, Christian and Josh followed close behind him.

  Azazel weaved through the trees only ten feet from the ground, making raking attacks and giving Evelyn and Cadell no chance to strike back. After enduring several such attacks, Evelyn and Cadell had both been cut many times by the creature’s talons. Evelyn’s left shoulder had been cut and dislocated by the impact of one such assault and was now all but useless. Astrid’s lightning had ceased and Cadell could see his brothers continuing to struggle against what were still superior numbers of demons.

  “This has to stop!” he said. He stood, fully upright in front of Evelyn, and lowered his sword, daring Azazel to attack again.

  Cadell allowed the demon to strike. He deliberately absorbed a bone-deep laceration on his left forearm to create an opening that he used to impale Azazel through the belly. His broadsword’s point emerged out the demon’s back and Cadell threw his bleeding left arm around Azazel’s neck, preventing the demon from pulling itself off his blade. Evelyn, wielding her longsword one-handed, hacked off the demon lord’s left wing. Azazel broke away from Cadell’s hold and smashed a backhanded blow into her nose, spinning her about. She landed on her face with her nose producing a steady flow of blood. Only Uriel’s power surging through her allowed to remain conscious.

  Azazel’s hoofed foot slammed into Cadell’s face, and his left cheek was flayed open by the demon’s clawed hand. Still infused with the strength of Uriel, Cadell blocked an attack that would had ripped open his chest and drove his sword’s handguard into Azazel’s nose, severely deforming its goat-like snout. The demon fell backward and landed near Blackwell’s body. When it rose, it held Blackwell’s crystal scimitar and its eyes glowed red with magic.

  The belly wound Cadell had inflicted began to close and its severed wing was slowly regenerating. Its eyes were glowing brightly with the same color as the agitated ley lines that still crisscrossed the sky.

  Uriel’s power flared around Cadell once more as he charged at the demon again. The opposing light and dark auras crackled against each other as Cadell and Azazel clashed. Azazel was drawing power from the supercharged ley lines and Cadell was awash with the archangel’s strength. Shockwaves of magical force visibly distorted the air as their swords clashed together. The sound of clashing swords was amplified to thunderous levels. The surrogates of Heaven and Hell were giving each other battle on Earth.

  Moving through the trees, Eve and Chepi could feel the impact in their bodies each time Cadell’s blade collided with Azazel’s. The magic of the ley lines was flowing toward Azazel like an invisible but almost tangible river.

  “Azazel is growing stronger,” Chepi said, “He’ll be able to cast soon. Once he’s able to use magic, he’ll wipe us out.” “You have to help Cadell,” Eve replied. “You have to keep hurting Azazel so he has to use his power to heal his body instead of casting.”

  “I’ll do what I can,” Chepi said. “You go tell Callum and the others. Be ready with the vessel. If we do get the ring away from Azazel, we have the vessel ready to contain him.”

  Eve nodded and then made her way toward Cai and the others. Chepi knelt and held her hands upwards and began to chant: “Honored ancestors, hear my plea…”

  Fighting in a square, Cai, Christian, Callum and Josh defended the stricken Colm. The demons had largely recovered from Astrid’s lightning attack and were again throwing themselves at the Blessed Warriors. A pile of demon corpses formed a circle around the Selkirks and still the demons maintained a relentless assault. Over a dozen of the demons had been slain, but dozens more remained. “Josh, grab Colm and get out of here,” Cai ordered, cutting the throat of a demon. “We can’t hold on here. These things are getting stronger. We’ll cover you! Get Colm out of here if you can.” Josh obeyed and bent to take Colm over his shoulders.

  “Not leaving,” Colm rasped in protest.

  “I’m not asking, buddy,” Josh said, hoisting Colm into a fireman’s carry.

  Then Callum pointed to the north. “Something new,” he announced.

  Twenty or more sword-carrying men had attacked the demons from the rear. Their faces were hidden by hoods, they wore stab-resistant body armor and had sub-machineguns slung on their backs. Etched with magical symbols, the swords had mirror finishes and left smoking lacerations in the demons’ bodies as they burned their way through the demons as much as they sliced through them. Several demons were slain before they even saw the newly arrived warriors. The rest turned their attention to fighting their new enemies.

  “The Unseen,” Cai said, “here to get the ring and vessel.”

  “Whatever,” Christian said. “Right now, they’re saving our asses.”

  Using the surprise caused by the masked men’s arrival, Eve managed to make her way to Cai. “Josh, you have to get the vessel over to Cadell,” she said, taking a vial of healing tincture from her pocket. “Cai, Evelyn’s down and Cadell’s fighting Azazel alone,” she reported. “Chepi’s preparing a spell, but she needs time!” Cai ran toward Cadell, seeing the flashes of power and hearing the ringing of sword against sword. His brothers followed.

  “Take care of him,” Josh said, lowering Colm to the ground. “I have to help the guys.”

  “Both of you go,” Colm said weakly. “They’ll need you both. I’m in God’s hands. It is the way of things.”

  “God and angels keep you,
Blessed Warrior,” Eve said, touching Colm’s face before moving to join the Selkirks with Josh beside her.

  Through blurred vision, Evelyn saw Cadell take a cut across his left shoulder. She fought to rise but her legs continued to fail her. She became enraged at herself and crawled toward Cadell and Azazel as they dueled, dragging her sword with her one good arm as she forced her body to move. Her rage seemed to breathe more life into the ember of Uriel’s power still within her. That power flared up again. “I’m with you, Uriel,” she said as she got to her feet. She could no longer feel the wound in her shoulder. Once again wielding her sword with both hands, she threw herself back into battle just as Cai came to Cadell’s aid.

  Cai drew the length of his blade across Azazel’s spine without breaking stride. As Azazel turned to face Cai, Evelyn struck from the opposite side, cleaving into the demon’s right side. Just behind Cai came Callum, whose great, heavy blade chopped bone-deep into Azazel’s right thigh. Christian struck next, running his saber between their foe’s ribs and piercing a lung in a running charge. Josh’s Sansibar slashed at Azazel’s throat but succeeded only in slashing open the side of his face.

  Eve followed behind Josh’s attack, hoping to hack the hand bearing Solomon’s ring away from the arm. Her cut gashed the flesh of the forearm but failed to sever the limb. Azazel’s scimitar arched across her midsection, leaving a deep, long gash in her right side. She crumpled to the ground at the demon’s feet.

  Evelyn’s sword stopped Azazel’s scimitar as it plunged toward Eve’s heart, and Cadell seized Eve by the collar of her jacket and dragged her away from the demon. Cai cut the demon across the right bicep and Christian, Callum and Josh launched new attacks from all sides. The demon continued to fight, its wounds healing almost instantly as it tapped more and more power from the ley lines. Cai and the others continued to inflict fresh injuries as Azazel’s scimitar flailed in all directions, trying to fend off his attackers. Cadell and Evelyn rejoined the fight, but the ley line energy continued to pour into Azazel’s body; the lines were now so low that they were nearly in arm’s reach.

  Azazel stretched out his left hand and the ley lines curved downward to meet his hand. When his hand touched the glowing line of energy, a wave of force and heat surged from his demon’s body. The attacking Selkirks were blasted off their feet, their clothing singed and exposed skin burned red. Azazel now stood bathed in power-bringing light at the center of converging ley lines that had been bent downward to feed him. He basked in the power, lost in magic-induced euphoria.

  Cai regained his feet and renewed his attack on the power-drunk demon. A laser-like beam of magic shot from Azazel’s body, driving him back and off his feet. The beam did not cease; it held him and enveloped him in a soul searing white light. His body contorted with convulsions and a scream was ripped from his throat. More beams struck everyone in close proximity, holding them in a grip of pain that was beyond agony. Azazel now seemed only vaguely aware of their presence. On his knees beside Evelyn, Cadell took her hand.

  Their auras joined and she turned to face him. The pain lessened as their combined auras offered some protection from Azazel’s agony-inducing magic. Cadell struggled to his feet, bringing Evelyn with him. “We’re stronger together!” he said to Evelyn, “More than the sum of our parts!” Evelyn nodded her understanding. “Uriel,” Cadell said. “We are ready.” Again their auras flared as the archangel sent more of his power to them, far more than either of them could have withstood alone. They got to their feet and faced Azazel, their wounds completely healed. Shaken from his euphoria by their renewed angelic power, the demon opened its eyes and turned to face them. The pain-giving beams of magic still held Josh, Eve and Cadell’s brothers.

  Cadell and Evelyn charged, a visible globe of Uriel’s power surrounding them and dissipating any of Azazel’s magic beams that he directed at them. Their eyes not only glowed with Uriel’s power; sparks of angelic fire crackled from them. Regarding the magic-saturated Blessed Warriors, Azazel’s resolve faded from his face. His wings now fully regenerated, he took flight, wanting no part of further conflict with the reinvigorated Sevenths.

  Before he could escape, hundreds of ethereal figures appeared around him. Glowing with a pale, translucent white light, some wore contemporary clothing, while others were clad in attire from other eras, including the traditional garb of the Wampanoag people. “It’s Chepi,” Cadell realized. “She’s called her ancestors’ spirits to help us.” Now it was the ghostly powers who tapped the power of the ley lines. They swooped around and through the streams of magic, draining power not only from the ley lines but from Azazel himself. The spirits assailed him from all sides, passing their ethereal bodies through him and draining him of more and more power. Finally some of the apparitions absorbed enough power to become at least temporarily solid. Eight of them grappled the master demon to the ground. The spirits then disappeared, but Evelyn and Cadell closed in.

  Hurt but not defeated, Azazel parried a longsword thrust from Evelyn, deflecting to the left, and drove his sword’s pommel into her face. Still charged with Uriel’s power, the blow merely forced her back a few steps as Cadell pressed his own attack. His broadsword cleaved a diagonal gash from the demon’s groin to its shoulder. Azazel’s claw raked across Cadell’s face in response. “Get the ring!” Eve shouted, as Cai tried to slow the bleeding from her wounded side.

  In that instant, Evelyn’s sword bisected Azazel’s collarbone and hacked off the clawed hand where the demon wore the ring. While Cadell drove the demon back with a series of inhumanly fast slashes and thrusts, Evelyn scooped up the ring-bearing arm and tossed it toward Eve.

  Azazel managed to land a hoofed kick to Cadell’s jaw, knocking him to the ground. Seeing an opportunity, the Demon Prince tried again to flee. He rose into the air and over the treetops. Cadell drew a rune knife and prepared to hurl it in a last, desperate attempt to prevent the demon’s escape.

  Then Eve’s voice reverberated through the air, carried on a wave of magic. “STOP!” she said, her words amplified by the power of Solomon’s ring. Azazel stopped his flight and hovered in mid-air. Twenty yards away, the demons fighting the warrior-monks from the Unseen stopped what they were doing as well. Josh joined Eve and handed her the vessel.

  Eve was on the ground, laying on her side and supporting herself on one elbow. Her right middle finger bore Solomon’s ring as it shined brilliantly with power. She pointed it at Azazel. “By the power of God, I order you to return to the prison he bound you to!” Eve’s voice thundered. “Shed your flesh, return and be bound!” Azazel landed and took a halting step toward Eve, his eyes fixed on hers. Knowing the ring’s power was linked to Eve’s will, he challenged her resolve. Twenty yards away, the other demons’ physical forms faded into formless, mist-like specters and entered the vessel as Eve held it in a shaking hand. Azazel, though, continued to resist.

  Cadell and Evelyn raised their hands before them, showing the angelic marks on their palms to the defiant Azazel. “You will obey!” Cadell and Evelyn commanded in unison.

  Azazel roared again, this time in desperation. His physical body did not simply fade; it was consumed in holy, angelic brilliance. A scream akin to the sound of a thousand fingernails on giant chalkboard burst from his throat. Then the demon lord’s body became a translucent red ball of light that was drawn into and absorbed by Solomon’s vessel. Eve quickly inserted the ring into the matching slot in the vessel and sealed it. Then the old woman collapsed into a pool of her own blood, the last of her strength spent.

  Evelyn held Eve’s body in her arms and sobbed. Uriel’s power had left her and she barely had the strength to cry. On his knees beside her and equally exhausted from channeling so much of Uriel’s power for so long, Cadell tried to comfort her while also grieving for the loss of his longtime friend. Callum had found Chepi, unconscious from her massive exertions, and carried her to where he and his brothers had assembled. Cai and Christian retrieved the barely-living Colm. The remaining fift
een members of the Unseen were some distance away, regrouping and tending their injured.

  “Does anyone have any tincture left?” Christian asked, looking to Colm. “I know he’s already had two, but we have to take a chance. I don’t think he’ll make out of here without another one.” Cadell quickly checked Eve’s body and produced a bottle of the precious drug. He passed it to Christian.

  Christian supported his brother’s head with one hand, and dripped the tincture into his mouth. “He’s still in bad shape.”

  “I’ll carry him, if you take Chepi,” Callum said to Cai, knowing that he could more easily carry the larger of his fallen comrades.

  Cai turned to his other brother. “Cadell, can you take Eve’s body?” he asked.

  “I’m damn sure not leaving her here,” he said, rising slowly from his knees.

  “Cai,” Josh interjected. “We have company.”

  Cai turned to see the surviving members of the Unseen order approaching and circling the Selkirks. Many had their guns drawn. Cai and his brothers drew their own pistols. Evelyn and Josh followed their example.

  The man, who was apparently their leader, removed his hood to reveal the hardship-marked face of a middle-aged man with coal-black hair. His eyes were an almost black shade of blue and pitiless. “I am Francis Parisi, knight of the Unseen Order. I will have the ring and vessel,” he declared, facing Cai. Enforcing his statement, his men trained their weapons on the Selkirk party.

  Cai and the others raised their weapons in response. “No, you won’t,” he replied.You fought valiantly and well,” Parisi observed,

  “But you are spent. I have enough men to take the holy relics from you.”