break the curse," Aaron said. "I'm nervous, standing out here. Pazuzu stopped screaming a while ago, which means you've got a herd of thoroughly angry demons looking for you."
Rebecca frowned at them, then glanced at Aaron and nodded. Turning her head, she gazed at Yuri with more interest than Eden liked. Eden reached forward and linked hands with Yuri. The two of them walked. Her mom and her friend walked behind her.
****
Eden approached the outskirts of Gabriel. Her mom stuck so close behind her she kept stepping on her sneakers. Yuri had his arm draped over her shoulder and his free hand on the sheath of his sword at his side. He glanced around nervously as he walked into town. As far as Eden could see there werenât any shadow demons. Then again, they were stealthy. Far stealthier than the Raiders who clung to her shoes in a fine white mist. A shaky sigh left her throat.
As Eden strode forward, she began to feel nervous and chilled. She heard distant growling and went rigid, then heard the sound of shuffling feet. Was it Agares? She laid eyes on the Blood Stone chapel and felt her soul fill with dread. The chapel had a high steeple and was made from dark brown cobblestone. The roof was black. A wrought iron fence surrounded it that had an open gate in the front. A wave of red light shot up from it and into the sky. Soon, Eden thought. Soon the world will be free from this darkness and we will never have to worry about it again. Natalia said so, and she's an angel. She wouldn't lie.
She swore foreign eyes watched her every move. It was like being stalked. . She felt sicker than she had with Agares, sicker than she had when she was being pursued by Asag. There was something wrong, and she knew it.
Eden saw in the distance something strange was happening. At the main square of Gabriel, a broken-down white fence met swirling clouds. The clouds became the color of rust. The crimson began to infiltrate the Raiders' fog and soon she looked down and saw the mist which surrounded them was all red. The smell of copper filled the air. A sea of blood. I'm standing in a sea of blood.
Something warm hit the ground next to her and she heard Thema shriek from behind her. Which was bad. Very, very bad. If Thema could see what she was seeing, then this meant it was real and maybe Agares wasn't doing it . Eden couldn't close her eyes and wish away the illusion. Worse yet, she knew of only one being strong enough to physically change surroundings to this degree. Satan.
"Oh no," Eden said.
"Oh no?" Thema said. "Eden, âoh noâ does not inspire a lot of confidence here. What's going on? You've faced tons of demons. Which one is doing this? Which one ?"
"Eden," Rebecca said, a needy edge to her voice. Eden didn't ask what her mom expected her to do.
Thunder boomed throughout the sky, and Thema, Aaron, and Rebecca all jumped. Edward and Yuri gazed at the clouds with worried expressions. Eden shut her eyes and heard the sound of pitter-pattering. For the second time, Thema screamed.
"Ew, ew, ew!" Thema danced to avoid the splatter of blood even though it was impossible and clapped her hands to her cheeks.
"Eden," said a dark, deep demonic voice which she recognized. The voice was the boom of the thunder cutting across the sky. It was so loud it caused the ground to shake. Her friends all screamed, grasping their heads. "I can feel you. I can taste your fear. And you're scared."
Her friends all cowered along the ground, including her mom. Eden shut her eyes again and shuddered. As she stood there, she realized there was a reason why she was not one of the five, why she was chosen for this. Satan wanted her now. She loved her mom, her friends, and her world enough to face him. She was going to have to fight him on her own while her friends entered the Blood Stone chapel. There was a reason why all the demons wanted her. God had intended her to distract the demons while her friends saved the world. All they had to do was
Rebecca frowned at them, then glanced at Aaron and nodded. Turning her head, she gazed at Yuri with more interest than Eden liked. Eden reached forward and linked hands with Yuri. The two of them walked. Her mom and her friend walked behind her.
****
Eden approached the outskirts of Gabriel. Her mom stuck so close behind her she kept stepping on her sneakers. Yuri had his arm draped over her shoulder and his free hand on the sheath of his sword at his side. He glanced around nervously as he walked into town. As far as Eden could see there werenât any shadow demons. Then again, they were stealthy. Far stealthier than the Raiders who clung to her shoes in a fine white mist. A shaky sigh left her throat.
As Eden strode forward, she began to feel nervous and chilled. She heard distant growling and went rigid, then heard the sound of shuffling feet. Was it Agares? She laid eyes on the Blood Stone chapel and felt her soul fill with dread. The chapel had a high steeple and was made from dark brown cobblestone. The roof was black. A wrought iron fence surrounded it that had an open gate in the front. A wave of red light shot up from it and into the sky. Soon, Eden thought. Soon the world will be free from this darkness and we will never have to worry about it again. Natalia said so, and she's an angel. She wouldn't lie.
She swore foreign eyes watched her every move. It was like being stalked. . She felt sicker than she had with Agares, sicker than she had when she was being pursued by Asag. There was something wrong, and she knew it.
Eden saw in the distance something strange was happening. At the main square of Gabriel, a broken-down white fence met swirling clouds. The clouds became the color of rust. The crimson began to infiltrate the Raiders' fog and soon she looked down and saw the mist which surrounded them was all red. The smell of copper filled the air. A sea of blood. I'm standing in a sea of blood.
Something warm hit the ground next to her and she heard Thema shriek from behind her. Which was bad. Very, very bad. If Thema could see what she was seeing, then this meant it was real and maybe Agares wasn't doing it . Eden couldn't close her eyes and wish away the illusion. Worse yet, she knew of only one being strong enough to physically change surroundings to this degree. Satan.
"Oh no," Eden said.
"Oh no?" Thema said. "Eden, âoh noâ does not inspire a lot of confidence here. What's going on? You've faced tons of demons. Which one is doing this? Which one ?"
"Eden," Rebecca said, a needy edge to her voice. Eden didn't ask what her mom expected her to do.
Thunder boomed throughout the sky, and Thema, Aaron, and Rebecca all jumped. Edward and Yuri gazed at the clouds with worried expressions. Eden shut her eyes and heard the sound of pitter-pattering. For the second time, Thema screamed.
"Ew, ew, ew!" Thema danced to avoid the splatter of blood even though it was impossible and clapped her hands to her cheeks.
"Eden," said a dark, deep demonic voice which she recognized. The voice was the boom of the thunder cutting across the sky. It was so loud it caused the ground to shake. Her friends all screamed, grasping their heads. "I can feel you. I can taste your fear. And you're scared."
Her friends all cowered along the ground, including her mom. Eden shut her eyes again and shuddered. As she stood there, she realized there was a reason why she was not one of the five, why she was chosen for this. Satan wanted her now. She loved her mom, her friends, and her world enough to face him. She was going to have to fight him on her own while her friends entered the Blood Stone chapel. There was a reason why all the demons wanted her. God had intended her to distract the demons while her friends saved the world. All they had to do was
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