Horde of the Demon Priest (Demona Book 3) (5 page)

“Yes, it sounds adequate,” Barty said, “especially considering the health inspector and police department are probably going to implement a quarantine throughout the town.”

Demona gave a mental sigh of relief at his answer. “Wait. Quarantine? Why?”

“Well with all of the people becoming crazy or deathly ill and the constant murders throughout town, the health inspector is concerned that there is some sort of epidemic breaking out. Now, I see that this is caused by demons I understand, but otherwise people are afraid of what’s happening.”

Demona chewed on her lip again. “I guess the possessions could look like some type of illness with psychotic symptoms. I can see why they might think there’s an epidemic. This is exactly why we need to take care of this demon problem. If we don’t get it under control they won’t need to quarantine, because everyone, dead or alive, will be possessed.”

Barty paced around the room, but his path was not easy. He weaved his way in and out of the furniture and circled back.

Anne stood and placed her hand calmly on her husband’s shoulder. “Dear, we should tell Eli, he might be able to help,” Anne’s concern for this Eli shone across her face.

“Who’s Eli?” Felix asked.

“He’s my nephew, Eli Itzig. He’s a detective for the local police department. He’s been working closely with the health inspector on this issue,” Barty replied. “That’s how we know about the quarantine. That’s not something the police department would advertise freely to the public. It would create panic and the situation would become even worse.”

Felix nodded in their direction. “For now, please keep this between the two of you. It might be good to have someone in the human world, who has authority, as an ally. We’ll discuss it with our elder and pastor when we return to the headquarters,” he said.

“For now, why don’t you two get some things together that you’d like to take with you? We’d prefer that you leave with us, today, because of the growing danger in town,” Demona said. “We can take you back to GLC headquarters tonight; it’ll be safer.”

“Thank you,” Anne said. “I would prefer to leave tonight as well.”

“No, it’s us that should thank you. Your aid is going to help save many lives,” Demona said as she glanced between Anne and Barty.

Anne shook her head. “I’m not certain that I can be of any help.”

“You will. There’s always something that needs to be done. It might be something as simple as talking with someone over tea. We have a lot of refugees that could use a friendly ear,” Demona replied.

Barty had already begun grabbing items off of his desk and books from his shelves. He threw them into a pile on the sofa. “Anne, pack the necessities. I’ll need to box up my books and documents to take along.” Barty turned to Felix. “Now, while I busy myself packing up, you can tell me about the light beings.”

Demona and Felix exchanged a smile at Barty’s comment. Barty would not be a problem for them. He was too eager to learn what he could about the hidden world around him. So much so, that more questions continued to follow Felix’s answers.

Chapter 5:

Answers

Demona sank her teeth into a chunk of grilled teriyaki chicken.
Mmm
…
I love food!
She took another large bite and savored the flavor as the juices filled her mouth. “I can’t remember the last time I had grilled chicken.”

Felix looked over at her with a smile as he chewed on his piece of chicken. Demona looked back into his sparkling blue eyes. She never would have thought that by simply looking at someone her heart would flutter. Her love for him was overwhelming at times, especially moments like this when she felt love, excitement, and desire being so near to him.

Demona had been frustrated lately. It seemed that the only time she spent with Felix, were moments when other people were nearby. She wanted him to herself, without any interruptions. The idea of being alone with him seemed to consume her thoughts. She blushed when she realized she had been daydreaming as her imagination ran wild thinking of what could happen. She shook the thoughts from her head and returned her attention to those around her.

Hannah looked up at Demona with her lips scrunched together as if she knew what the far away daze in Demona’s eyes meant.

Demona shook her head to clear her thoughts. “I think being able to eat real food has to be my favorite part of being human again…or whatever
Aleph
made me, whatever it is that makes me alive again,” Demona said.

Barty quickly swallowed the food in his mouth. “Is it true you were once a vampire?” He and his wife, Anne, were seated on the opposite side of the picnic table.

“Yeah.” Demona said between bites.

“How did this come to be, that you’re a living, breathing being again?” Barty asked.

Demona shrugged. She was still trying to figure out how
Aleph
had changed her into what she was now. A miracle was what she chalked it up to. “I’m not entirely sure how it happened. An archangel, Fotos, delivered a message to me…us, during my initiation as a GLC member. Afterwards, he placed his hand on me and I went through some sort of transformation.”

“It was pretty intense,” Hannah said. “She was wrapped in this brilliant white light and it became like a cocoon around her. Then, after it was gone you could see her
kataphraktos
change. It was amazing, beautiful.” She played with the end of a strand of her long blonde hair.

“What’s a
kataphraktos
?” Anne asked as she scooped up a fork full of potato salad.

Demona tried to figure out the best way to describe it. She decided she better give a quick run through of how and what a
kataphraktos
was. “Agents of TGHC, vampires specifically, go through this ritual that invokes a warrior spirit to help protect them. After the spell was completed it makes their skin as tough as armor when danger is imminent,” Demona said. “My
kataphraktos
used to remind me of a scale-like texture and would protect me against any superficial wounds during a fight. After my transformation it took on an ivy-like appearance. I haven’t really tested it out yet, to see if it’s changed in any other ways.”

Barty’s chin rested on his thumb and pointer finger. “Intriguing.” He stared blankly as he absorbed the new information.

“That’s not all that changed though, your other abilities have changed,” Felix added.

Demona nodded and swallowed her food. “Yeah, my
mageia
has changed.”

“
Mageia
?” Barty questioned.

“It’s the mental powers of a vampire,” Demona replied. “I used to get these post-cognition flashbacks from events in my past. But since my encounter with
Aleph
, I haven’t had any.” Demona looked down at her food.

“What were they—” Barty began.

Felix held up his hand at Barty and shook his head. Barty instantly understood that the topic was off limits.

“My other
mageia
has intensified. I can control the elements with a lot less effort,” Demona said. “The magic seems to flow through me. Maybe, I now have a direct link to
Aleph
’s energy, like the ordained do, but I’m not entirely sure.”

Ezekiel shook his fork in Demona’s direction. “I wouldn’t consider it
mageia
, though, considering those abilities came from your Elvin father.”

Demona tossed her hair over her shoulder. “True, sometimes it’s hard to keep track of all these things.” Demona shrugged. “All part of the prophecy I guess.”

Barty instantly perked up. “There’s a prophecy?”

Demona laughed inside.
This guy just can’t get enough of our supernatural world. He might think it’s so interesting now, but we’ll see how he does after meeting his first demon.

Ezekiel nodded and pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. “Yes, two actually,” Ezekiel replied. “The dark beings have their prophecy about an all-powerful being that will destroy one kind of being and aid another; they call this being the
Mythos
. We, the light beings have been promised that
Aleph
will send his chosen one, the
Tzadekas
, who will lead us to victory over evil.” The two were quickly engrossed in a conversation about the technicalities of the prophecies.

“Hey, maid of honor,” Hannah said trying to change the subject, “what color dress do you want to wear for the wedding?” Her eyes shimmered as she spoke about the upcoming wedding.

Demona shrugged. “Whatever you pick will be fine,” Demona replied. “I’m not picky.”

“I was thinking pink.”

Of course you would choose pink
... “If that’s the color you want me to wear, I’m cool with it.”

Hannah’s face brightened and a smile spread from ear to ear. Demona never loved the color pink, but she knew that it was Hannah’s favorite color. She was not about to let her opinions influence Hannah, especially when it came to her wedding. It was, after all, going to be Hannah’s special day.

“How are the plans going anyway?” Demona asked. She was only mildly curious, but knew she had to show some interest in her best friend’s wedding. Demona always tried to focus on the wedding planning conversations she had with Hannah, but her mind often drifted to more unpleasant thoughts.

“I’m wrapping things up. If I could only get Kaleb to commit to a location, we’d be all set.” Hannah turned to Kaleb. “Speaking of which, have you thought any more about where you want to get hitched?” She drummed her fingers on the wooden table top as she waited for Kaleb’s answer.

Demona turned to Felix as the soon-to-be married couple bickered about wedding plans. “Hey, did you notice that Kearne and Ileana aren’t here?” Demona was concerned that Kearne may have been using his seductive charm. She hoped that he had not used it on Ileana, but thought it might be a good idea to check on her.

Felix nodded after taking a mouth full of potato salad. He swallowed. “Yeah, Ileana’s probably hunting. I think she likes the thrill of catching her own meal sometimes. I haven’t seen Kearne lately; he’s been sulky ever since we brought him back here.”

Demona self-consciously rubbed her left forearm. “I feel guilty. He wanted to talk to me the first day he arrived, but I haven’t had a chance to since everything has been happening so quickly. I should see if I can find him.” Demona stood from her seat and bent down to place a kiss on Felix’s forehead. “I’ll check on Ileana while I’m at it and I’ll find you later.”

Demona hesitated for a moment, as she stared at Felix’s breathtaking smile. His love for her shone in the way he looked deeply into her eyes as she spoke.
Not only do I not have time to deal with important things, but I haven’t had a real moment alone with Felix in…god knows how long…
She made a mental note to make sure that she found some alone time with him. It had been too long since they had had an intimate moment and Demona longed to feel his arms wrapped around her and taste his sweet lips.

Felix grinned at her. “Okay.”

Demona had the sudden urge to grab him and drag him somewhere private that very instant, but instead she just sighed.
If only I had time to act on my impulses.
She turned and walked away from him, stopping only to glance back at him for a moment longer before giving up on her desires and focusing on the task at hand.

Demona walked through camp in search of Kearne. She checked in his tent, but he was not there. She asked the defenders on guard if they had seen him. They had not. Then, she was informed that one of the defenders had seen him take the trail to the back of the base. Demona knew the trail too well; it took her to a place where she often found solitude. It was also a place where she and her friends had had many deep conversations or just plain fun around a campfire.

Demona walked through the cleared field past the training grounds and through the back gate into the freshly harvested field. Then, she followed the path through the hay field and up a slightly rocky incline. She admired the changing leaves with their new hues of red, orange, and yellow. It was beautiful now, but she knew it was only a matter of time before the bitterness of winter settled in. Many dried leaves had already settled on the ground and crunched beneath her feet as she continued down the path. The Roost Haven would be in desperate need of heat sources as the temperatures cooled.

She saw the rocky clearing up ahead and prepared to take in the beautiful view of the autumn valley below. The outcrop, filled with large boulders, provided the ideal place to view the scenery. She walked past the last few towering oak trees and came to a halt. There, sitting side by side and locked in an intimate embrace, were Kearne and Ileana. Demona’s head cleared from the initial shock, at finding them in such a position, when she realized what it meant.

Demona rushed forward. “Stop! Kearne! Stop! Get away from her!” Demona yelled. She harnessed her elemental magic and produced a small flame that floated above her palm. She hurled the flame toward Kearne.

The two quickly separated from their embrace when the flame came crashing down at Kearne’s feet catching the hem of his pants on fire.

Ileana quickly smothered the flames with her hands and then spun to confront Demona. “What are you doing?”

“Saving you from this idiot.” Demona turned to Kearne. “You promised to keep your distance. Now we have to see if we can find an antidote, so Ileana won’t end up like your previous victims!”

“I’m not his victim,” Ileana yelled.

Demona held out a hand to Ileana.” Come on, Ileana, let’s go. You don’t know what you are saying; he’s got you under his control.”

“It’s not what you think.” Ileana tried to reason. She approached Demona ready to defend Kearne if needed. Her hands were placed on her hips in a way that made them bow like wings.

“I should send you back to Darius for this!” Demona yelled in Kearne’s direction.

“Back off!” Ileana said. Her red eyes seemed to spark with fire.

“Wait! Wait! Both of you! Stop!” Kearne inched his way between Demona and Ileana. He turned in Demona’s direction. “I can explain!”

“Explain what? That you probably just sent one of my best friends to her death?” Demona yelled. She was furious with the situation.

Kearne shook his head. “No, she’s not in any danger. I tried to tell you before. It was part of my sacrifice at the Tomb of Beginning!”

Demona stopped at his words. “What? What was part of your sacrifice?” Demona asked puzzled.

“I’m not a gancanagh fairy anymore. Remember that I was the last bachelor of my kind? Meaning that I could never find a partner, a female gancanagh, which could withstand my touch…” Kearne lowered his head. “My sacrifice was giving up my race to become human. I can’t hurt Ileana; I’m just a human now.”