Horde of the Demon Priest (Demona Book 3) (20 page)

Chapter 20:

Death

Demona dug into her jacket pocket for the artifact and pulled it out. Felix and Kearne gathered around her and they looked up into the diamond shaped eyes of the demon priest in his serpent form. They steadied themselves as Felix and Kearne placed a hand on the other sides of the object simultaneously. With each of the three wielders holding onto the artifact the etchings began to glow instantly under the grey sky. They once again returned their attention to the massive snake-like form and waited for the artifact to activate. They centered the artifact in front of the demon priest so that the light could reach outward towards its scaled body.

Almost instantaneously they heard the hissing response from the demon as the light extended outward and touched the serpent’s underbelly. The demon priest thrashed around wildly as the artifact’s glow impacted his scaled belly, but the group that accompanied the wielders held him back. He flung his slender tail from side to side, while continuing to project his hissing scream. The artifact was clearly having an effect on him and he continued to writhe in agony as the glow from the artifact seemed to stretch farther in his direction.

The field-agents and defenders that guarded Demona and the other two wielders scattered, as the demon priest continued thrashing and they tried to avoid his flailing serpentine body. The defenders and agents that had stood guard were now useless in protecting the trio of wielders from the serpent, which now reared into striking position.

With their defenses weakened the demon saw his opening and lunged downward with his massive fangs. The trio leapt out of the way moments before the serpent’s attack. Their quick decisions allowed them to dodge the fangs that almost impaled them. As they leapt out of the way their bond with the artifact was momentarily broken and what little progress they had made became undone.

Demona, Felix, and Kearne scrambled back to one another and hastily regained their hold on the artifact and prepared for it to works its magic. Just as the artifact began to glow once more three demons spiraled towards them from the wilderness that surrounded them. The defenders and field-agents that had accompanied them were now faced with a new challenge as they battled the demons, whether they were prepared for it or not.

As the demons hurled their shapeless forms toward the wielders and their guardians, the demon priest slithered away to recover from the damage that the artifact had done. The guardians quickly dispelled the three demons and followed the demon priest. Demona, Felix, and Kearne followed their guardians closely as they made their way around towering Elephant Ear plants in search of the fleeing demon priest.

The demon snake rose into the air and swayed from side to side. He was preparing to strike at the group from a long distance. The look in the demon’s yellow eyes made Demona certain that he would be able to clear the space without a problem. He flung himself forward and struck directly towards Demona, which sent her and the other two wielders sprawling out of its way as their guardians attempted to injure it.

“We’ve got to find a way to keep him off of us, so we can get the artifact working again,” Felix shouted.

Demona nodded and held out her hand. The elemental magic that flowed through the earth went to her freely and she commanded the ground to buckle. The asphalt under the snake seemed to ripple beneath it and suddenly cracks spread like an eggshell through the darkened surface. The tiny web-like cracks dropped into gaping holes in the ground. The demon priest’s reptilian form was unable to prevent itself from falling into the deep pits. He let out an ear piercing, screaming hiss as he struggled to slither back up the jagged broken earth.

“You will fail!” Abd al-Malik yelled from within the cracked surface.

Demona was not finished with him yet. From within the gaping pits in the asphalt, flames burst upwards above the ground. The demon priest hissed in agony as the fire scorched his thick scales. He coiled in pain and lunged out of the crevice in the surface. Smoke rose from the fiery pit as the smoldering serpent emerged. Demona sent one final ripple through the ground creating the asphalt to rise and fall. Large chunks splintered and fell into the pit creating a ring around the demon priest’s body. The flames decreased in size as molten lava flowed into the cracks. The serpent turned in circles searching for a way to escape, but found none.

“We won’t fail in defeating you!” Demona replied.

Felix and Kearne had rejoined Demona where she faced the seething demon priest. They each placed their hands once more onto the artifact and waited for it to exert its glowing light. The demon priest once again screamed with panic as the object began to work its way toward him. The glow from the etchings once again emanated beams of light that wrapped around the serpent’s scaly skin and he writhed in agony.

Through the demon priest’s pain, he managed to barely speak. “You will…not…fail in defeating…me. Master will make…sure you fail in defeating…evil.”

He’s talking about the prophecy!

The wielders felt the power coursing through them. Abd al-Malik writhed as he was wrapped in the brilliant glow from the artifact. Suddenly the demon priest reared.

“Shit, he’s going to fling himself over the cracks in the road,” Kearne said.

“We have to stop him. If he gets away we may never get this close to finishing this as we are right now!” Demona yelled.

They tried to think of a way to stop the demon from escaping, while they watched the serpent preparing itself to make the jump across the twenty foot lava filled gap to the clearing on the other side of the ring. Some of the field-agents and defenders that they had left behind to battle the horde now filed into the road around them when they saw what the demon priest was planning. The three wielders looked to see their friends Ileana, Kaleb, and even Kerrick were still among them. Ileana gave a relieved smile when she saw that Kearne was still alive and well. He returned her smile with a smug look when their eyes met.

Upon seeing the newcomers, the serpent hesitated in his task to fling himself across the gap. It gave the group just enough time to resume their positions, only this time they walked around to the other side of the lava ring. They stood guard around the demon and blocked his path. He slithered in a circle looking for another escape route, but he was trapped. The delay in his escape provided enough time for the glowing light to completely envelope his body. Some of their guardians took their defensive positions around the three wielders and the artifact.

The demon priest was still injured from his fall into the flaming pit and his blackened scales continued to smolder. Despite that, he still thrashed around with an abundance of energy that was supplied to him by the connection from his host to
Aleph
. Suddenly power surged through Demona and her cowielders. It seemed as if somehow the artifact had picked up on the demon priest’s connection and rerouted the energy flow to the artifact.

Felix grinned. “It blocked the energy that was going to him!”

They watched as the demon priest grew weary with the lack of an energy supply to sustain his manifestation as a giant serpent. Soon the snake curled in on itself on the ground and began to transform back into the form of the possessed priest. They watched as the artifact continued to envelope him in the light that wrapped around the priest’s body.

“You will fail, Demona!” Abd al-Malik yelled. The demon priest’s head flung back. A scream echoed around them and a dark misty form burst from the priest’s mouth. The demon, now without its host, was not limited by a physical form. He charged at Demona in a last effort to take her powers. Instead, the artifact with all of its spiritual energy from
Aleph
now being channeled to it sucked the last bit of energy from the demon. Abd al-Malik stopped in mid air and the mist scattered into wispy swirls and then dissipated all together.

“He’s dead!” Demona shouted. A grin spread across her face with triumph. She used her elemental powers to reform the ground where the lava ring and cracked earth had once been.

Their small group walked to the seemingly lifeless form of the priest. As they grew nearer they could hear his ragged breathing and gasps of air between coughs. Demona and Felix knelt beside the priest.

The priest’s eyes were merely slits on his head. He barely had the energy to breathe. They noticed the priest’s mouth moved and Demona leaned down to hear his words.

“Is it gone?” the priest asked in just barely a whisper.

Demona nodded. “Yes, you can rest now.”

The priest closed his eyes and entered into eternal rest.

Demona watched as his chest stilled and he ceased to cough and gasp. “He’s with
Aleph
now.” She had a sense of sorrow for the loss of the priest, but joy that Abd al-Malik was no longer a threat. She sighed with relief, until she heard the sounds of battle still coming from the direction of the horde.

There was still much to do and many demons and possessed to defeat. Their group ran back towards the battle to assist their friends. Demona, Felix, and Kearne once again took their positions around the artifact and fueled the object to dispel the demons. Suddenly, the battle ceased. All of the demons in their smoky mist-like form burst into the air. The possessed, both living and dead, were expelled from their hosts. The host bodies crumpled to the ground. One by one the three used the artifact to eliminate the demonic presences as they made their way across the battle ground. The TGHC, GLC, refugees, volunteers, and reinforcements that were still able to fight worked to help eliminate the remaining demons.

As the last of the demons were banished everyone stood and breathed a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, the already long and tiring day was not over. They looked at the carnage around them. On the ground lay dozens of bodies, of those who had been possessed, both living and dead, and those who had been injured or killed during battle. The dead and decaying hosts seemed to crumple in on themselves, leaving a pile of stinking flesh and bones. The hosts that were still alive seemed to be in a state of unconsciousness. When they would wake was anyone’s guess. Demona wondered if they would remember what had occurred while their bodies were possessed, or would they only remember what took place before.

Molony and the other faith healers were brought in to assess the situation and tend to the injured. The faith healers worked their way through the bodies and indicated which ones were living and which were dead; which needed immediate attention and those that could survive until they returned to wherever they needed to be. The members of the groups of militia that were gathered began to move the injured to the side where they could be tended to or placed the bodies of the deceased along the side of the road in rows. The hosts that were in comas were left where they lay so that they would not cause any more trauma.

Demona looked down with sorrow upon one lifeless form of a man she knew. Oakley. Demona was overcome with sadness not only for the brave defender, but for the little boy, Benen, that Oakley had cared for. What would become of Benen? The boy had already lost his parents and now his guardian. She brushed the thought from her mind; she knew that there was nothing she could do. She watched as two defenders solemnly lifted and carried Oakley’s bloody corpse to an area where the fallen GLC members waited to be returned home to their loved ones and put to rest.

She stood solemnly looking down at the numerous losses. The losses were from the dark, neutral, and light beings. Her eyes passed over a few familiar faces from her time at TGHC and when she was in Gleannbroch. One of the faces that she was surprised to see was that of Claudia, the werewolf that had bullied her when she worked in the office at TGHC. Claudia’s friend Persephone looked down at her without expression.

Demona turned and hugged Felix when he approached and she buried her head into his shoulder. They held each other for several minutes, both relieved to be alive. They were overjoyed that the other was alive and happy that this long difficult journey was finally at an end. Demona allowed tears to freely flow from her eyes. She cried for the loss of Oakley, for Benen’s situation, for all of the lives lost, and in relief that they had defeated the enemy. As the tears fell down her cheek Demona looked into Felix’s eyes and in that moment she was thankful that
Aleph
had kept him safe.

Chapter 21:

Returning To Normal

Several large white vans made their way through the sea of people who were busy clearing up the mess from battle. The crowd parted as the vehicles pushed forward. Once they had arrived just on the edge of where the battle had occurred they pulled off the road to a stop. Kerrick directed several of the field-agents to load up the bodies of their dead into two of the vans.

Demona watched Kerrick carefully. He had definitely become even more of a leader in the past few months since she had left TGHC. Kerrick was satisfied that the field-agents were doing their job and walked over to where Demona and Felix stood with their arms linked and waited to be of help.

Kerrick stopped in front of them and studied them with scrutiny. He remained silent then nodded to himself.

What is going on in that head?

“Darius sent us vans to transport the bodies back to TGHC. He said that two of the vans were for your people to use,” Kerrick said.

Demona nodded.

“Thank him for us when you see him,” Felix said.

Demona stepped forward as Kerrick prepared to turn around. “Wait, Kerrick. I thought I saw Lobo Blake among the field-agents. Please tell me I’m wrong.”

Kerrick grimaced. “You did.”

“What was Darius thinking?” Demona asked.

Kerrick frowned. “I tried to tell him it was a bad idea, as you know my history with Lobo has not been pleasant. When he told me he released him with the condition that Lobo forever more works for him, I told him he was insane.”

“I’m sure he took that well,” Felix said.

“Where is Blake now?” Demona asked as she scanned the crowd.

Kerrick winced at the question. “Salina said she saw him slip away just before the last of the demons was dispersed.”

Demona’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious? Please tell me you’re joking.”

“Sorry, I can’t.” Kerrick shook his head and turned back to the field-agents. “Come on, be gentle with them!” He yelled when he caught sight of one of the agents tossing a body into the back of a van. After that he went to supervise their work in order to make sure that the bodies were being placed into the vehicles with respect.

Felix went to inform the other defenders that they could load their fallen into the remaining white vans. With the news one of the volunteers, an ordained pastor among the Gleannbroch volunteers, knelt beside each body and said a small prayer for their soul’s safe journey to be with
Aleph
. After the prayers were muttered the others lifted the bodies one by one into the back of the vehicles.

After all of the bodies had been dealt with, Molony sent them on their way back to GLC, where they could then be transported to their respective headquarters or Gleannbroch. In total, about twenty-three people had been lost between the groups. The number also included the hosts that were dead before possession occurred, though they did not count the ones that had been discarded by the demons before the battle. The number of the discarded hosts that had been piled to the side since the first possession numbered over fifty-five.

When the last of the fallen had been transported away from the battle ground, Demona reached into her pocket once more, pulled out her phone, and dialed Itzig.

“What’s the news,” Itzig asked when he answered.

“It’s done, but we’ve had casualties,” Demona replied. She gave him the location of the battle. “There are still a number of decaying bodies here. It would be a good idea for you to send a team in to properly dispose of them. We don’t need a real epidemic on our hands.”

“How did everything else go?”

“The possessed that made it through are now in comas. Molony worked with several of the witches to create a spell to keep the living hosts from remembering anything, because we just don’t know what to expect when they wake up from their comas. You may have some very confused people wandering around the area,” Demona replied. “You might want to send out some EMTs and maybe even some trauma counselors just in case.”

“All right. The CDC still won’t lift the quarantine until they finish their investigation. I’ll try to get in touch with a neighboring town’s department and get them to check on the situation,” Itzig said.

“Hmm. My guess is that now that we have disposed of the demons and the possessed the CDC isn’t going to find much of anything.”

“Have my Aunt Anne and Uncle Barty check in with me, will you?” Itzig asked.

“No problem.” Demona ended the call.

The remaining people packed up any evidence of their presence and made certain that they did not leave anything behind. TGHC had kept Darius’ promise to leave the GLC members alone following the battle. In fact, the TGHC group was the first to leave the site. After Demona, Felix and their friends did one last run through of the area they returned to the RVs and made their way back to headquarters.

****

Later that evening the GLC members that had fallen were prepared and sent on to Gleannbroch. They were to hold a ceremony to acknowledge their bravery in the face of evil. From there, they would be returned to their individual home headquarters. In the case of Oakley and other Gleannbroch residents, they were going to be put to rest in the catacombs hidden in the mountains that surrounded the lake town.

Leon had come to say goodbye to Demona before leaving with his fellow GLC members from the northern headquarters. They exchanged phone numbers and a promise to keep in touch. Demona also made a point to say she would visit Uriel. She planned to as soon as she could find time to travel to Gleannbroch again, which she had already considered doing in order to visit Benen.

Demona had also received a return call from Itzig to update her on the situation at the battle ground. Itzig had told his superiors that an anonymous tip gave him the location of bodies that had been found outside of town. The CDC had gone to investigate the call and found a multitude of cadavers that had been suspected of carrying a contagion, but it was just the bodies of the possessed that had died. The living hosts had woken up in confusion, the CDC personnel were examining each subject, since almost every person had been reported missing from Melville after the supposed outbreak. After farther investigation, the CDC determined that there had been no epidemic in town, or at least that the threat had passed since there had not been any new cases of the illness for several hours. The health officers planned to continue to monitor the situation closely, just in case.

With the demon priest and his horde gone, things began to return to normal, at least in the respect that they no longer had to devote their every waking moment to thinking about how to destroy them. Demona stood among her friends, while they waved goodbye to the motorcade that crept down the bumpy dirt road. Dust kicked up as they drove away and the drivers honked their horns in farewell. They watched as the last of the GLC volunteers and defenders drove away from them. It was time for them all to return home. She stood in front of Felix who had his arm around her shoulder.

Most of the headquarters had returned to normal. Those returning to Gleannbroch had taken most of the remaining supplies back with them. The headquarters no longer resembled an operating base. The fence and barbed wire had been removed from around the perimeter. Most of the canvas tents were gone. The last remaining people were neutral refugees and GLC members from Melville. They were wrapping up their tasks and preparing to return to their homes.

Itzig had turned up as the sky drew darker. He helped his Uncle Barty and Aunt Anne pack up their belongings. He thanked the remaining GLC members for looking after his aunt and uncle. Barty and Anne had grown attached to Ezekiel and Molony during their time at the headquarters. They promised to get together for tea sometime soon.

Barty pointed at Demona and then at Felix. “Now, you two,” he said. “Next time I see you I expect it to be for something good.”

Demona smiled at the older man. She held Anne’s hand tightly and the woman placed a delicate kiss on her cheek and then Felix’s. Itzig helped them into his car and they drove off in the direction that the motorcade had gone only a couple hours before.

All that was left was to park the RVs in the spots where they had been what seemed like ages ago. Then, of course the headquarters still needed some repairs from the serpent’s attack, as well as the pews to be placed back in their proper locations. Those things could be completed over time.

The headquarters felt empty with the lack of noise and people busying themselves around Roost Haven. That was, until Grantly came bounding through the maple grove barking in excitement to see Demona and Felix. They had wondered if the dog had disappeared, but it seems that that was not the case. Grantly sat beside Demona and looked lovingly up at her with his big brown eyes.

“Good boy,” Demona said as she patted his head.
What are we going to do now that the demons are all gone?

Ezekiel and Molony sat beside one another in the sanctuary on the old wooden pews, grieving for those they had lost. Ezekiel had not found time to properly mourn his wife, since the events that took place happened so quickly. Molony grieved for his friend Oakley. He had had a chance to say goodbye to Oakley’s body before it was transported back to Gleannbroch, but it still did not feel real to him, since the events of the past day had happened so rapidly.

“What will happen to Benen?” Demona asked.

“I’m not sure. I suppose the couple that Oakley left him with will watch out for him for a while. Maybe someone else from Gleannbroch will take him in, but I really don’t know. We can only hope and pray that the best situation for him occurs,” Molony replied.

Demona nodded, though she was not satisfied with the answer. Benen had become a pseudo-brother to her in the short time she had been at Gleannbroch. She wanted to make sure he was cared for in the way that Oakley had been taking care of him.

That night the remainder of the group had gathered around for a victory dinner. Kaleb and Hannah manned the grill. Felix played a happy tune on his guitar. The rest of the GLC members, such as Rowena and Preet, had gathered around and talked about their success. Mostly those who had not been at the battle wanted to know how they defeated the demon priest. Kearne reiterated the story dramatically for his audience. Ileana sat cross legged near him and giggled at his enthusiasm.

“Demona tore open the ground with her magic and then the demon tried to run away,” Kearne reported.

Eyes darted in Demona’s direction. The few GLC members that did not know her well marveled at her bravery and power. Felix looked at her with pride. After the victory dinner was over most of the remaining GLC members would finally be returning to their homes in Melville after weeks of being in the headquarters’ safe haven. Rowena, Felix’s sister, was one of those people.

“I’ll see you at home little brother,” Rowena said.

Felix rolled his eyes, “Yeah I’ll be there, later.”

Kaleb and Hannah said goodnight to their friends and made way to their tent. The newly married couple had decided to remain at the headquarters until they could make arrangements for their first apartment together. Kearne and Ileana had gone to their own respective tents to rest. Molony decided to leave for his home, because he was exhausted from all of the healings he had performed over the past several days. Ezekiel decided to remain at headquarters and made a bed to sleep in inside his office, because returning home would only make him more distraught with the memories of his wife.

The sun had set and Demona and Felix were on their own, except for Demona’s new sidekick Grantly. The animal guide seemed to never leave her side. Demona found it annoying, but at the same time the dog’s boisterous personality was growing on her.

Demona and Felix returned to Demona’s RV. She entered the vehicle and sighed. It was the first time she had been inside it since they had transformed it back into a working, moving RV. She would have to make it feel like home once again. She placed the black trash bag of her belongings on the bunk bed and sighed.