Of Kings and Demons (17 page)

“Do you need something to
drink, Maganus?” Father Bellator asked.

Maganus shook his head, but he
remembered Sarah. “Is she fine?”

“Warm food, and I have passed
her a scarf.”

“Bless your soul. You caring
warrior.”

“I am always a caring soul. I
am one of the best in Aachen.”

Maganus chucked. “I am sure
that’s why they sent you here.”

The two exchanged glances and
Bellator laughed, the humor diluting the tension in the air.

“I sure miss a good warm meal
of meat and wine,” Maganus said.

Father Bellator laughed. “Don’t
let Lord Michael hear that.”

Maganus cringed as he thought
of the Archangel’s disapproving stance on his weakness for good food and wine.

“The only thing we could get
easily now is roasted Demons,” Bellator joked.

“You can keep that. You evil
priest,” Maganus retorted.

“I will try to get some for
you, Lord Maganus.”

Maganus did not reply. Instead
he looked skyward and frowned.

“What is it, Lord Maganus?”

“Did you hear that?” the
Guardian Angel asked.

Father Bellator strained their
ears as Maganus raised his right palm.

“It is only the chill. The wind,”
Father Bellator said.

“This is no breeze.” Maganus’s
face tensed. “They are coming.” He warned as Father Bellator ran back for his shotgun.
However it was too late - the wind intensified, accompanied by the sound of sharp
groans and heavy breathing.

“Gargoyles!” Maganus roared as
he threw up his hands and sent balls of power. Instantly a pair of the winged
demons crashed to the ground.

Overhead, dozens of winged
shapes materialized. Like a swarm of insects, they dived in with alarming
speed, claws and talons outstretched. Maganus summoned his battleaxes with an
indifferent snap of his fingers. In a dramatic slicing motion of his axe, he
felled five of the creatures, turning them into paltry pieces of clay.

Then he shut his eyes and
chanted a spell in a deep but assured tone—
Sanctus Contego of Nitor.
Benevolentia triumphus
.”
Instantly,
a
golden shield, the Holy
Presence, formed over them, shutting the creatures out.

He shouted to Father Bellator,
who stood next to Sarah, gun in hand.

“Have you still got any ammunition
left?”

Thomas Bellator shook his head.

The gargoyles swooped down in a
second attack but were scorched upon contact with the shield. One, however,
breached the perimeter and reached for a screaming Sarah. Upon breaching the
barrier, the creature caught fire and crashed to ignominy just yards away from the
girl.

In the midst of the offensive,
a larger silhouette emerged from the savage army. His loud roar formed a
shattering force that rained ruthlessly upon the shield. The new arrival was a
being more formidable than the rest. It was their leader.

“Eberhard,” Maganus whispered.

 The beast landed just yards
away with a ground-shaking tremor. Maganus had to spread his arms to steady
himself.

“Do you always have to do
this?” Maganus said. “It is rude.”

“Your shield is useless against
me.” The Demon grunted and bared its teeth. “It has been ages since we met.”

“I am sure you missed me!”
Maganus said and straightened his robes.

“You stank, I could smell you
from a mile.”

“That’s the smell of courage,”
Maganus said. “After Count Raum, they sent you?”

“He failed but I will not. I
will not fail my master.”

“Your master?” Maganus looked
around.

Eberhard roared, “Afraid now?”

“Come and get me if you dare!”
Maganus said

Eberhard roared and then came like
a raging bull.

The Guardian Angel grabbed one
of his battleaxes and swung it at the beast, who ducked. Maganus did a
clockwise swing and unleashed the other battle axe. Eberhard lowered his head
and avoided the full fury of the battleaxe but his right shoulder felt the
sting. The creature growled.

Maganus quickly threw a bolt of
energy at the gargoyle, who parried with his right arm. Eberhard responded with
a fist, but the Guardian Angel ducked in time and swung around with a sturdy kick
that hit Eberhard’s belly.

The gargoyle fell, but its tail
hit the Guardian Angel. Maganus tumbled ugly.

“What have you been feeding on
Eberhard?” Maganus asked as he got back on his feet.

“Bad vibes of the human race,
Maganus. Their greed and hatred filled the air of earth and provide me with the
diet I needed.” Eberhard roared again before continuing. “You old fool! You
think you are a match for me?”

Maganus winked, unsheathed his
sword and calmly chanted his prayers—
Benevolentia triumphus
.
With
an easy leapt, he was in the air and executed a easy one-two with his blade.
Maganus had scratched Eberhard on his face, shaving off bits of his horn. The
stalwart Angel then landed after a handsome somersault in full beam as Eberhard
grunted.

“I hope I have your ego where
it should be, Eberhard,” Maganus declared as he watched the demon licked his
wounds.

Suddenly, he heard Sarah’s shrill.

One gargoyle had snatched Sarah
away. Father Bellator was wounded, and the escort bear had fallen from its
wounds.

Maganus quickly retrieved one
of his battleaxes and threw the weapon at the gargoyle, which nicely sliced it into
half. Sarah suffered an ugly landing but was unscathed.

Worry had Maganus distracted
and Eberhard sneaked a brutal elbow in his back, sending the Guardian Angel to
his knees, and wrapped a muscular arm around Maganus’s neck.

“Show some respect, Maganus,”
Eberhard whispered. “You deserve a lesson.”

Maganus fought against the
choking hold. Pologus swooped down with a timely aid, and attacked Eberhard. However
the gargoyle lord swatted Pologus to the ground, and Maganus took advantage of
the distraction to break free.

Eberhard tried to grab Maganus
but the Angel fell to his hands and raised his legs in an upward kick. The
unexpected thrust hit Eberhard on the torso, and the gargoyle replied with
swing of its powerful tail.

The Guardian Angel caught hold
of the sharp end and, like an Olympic athlete, he inhaled and swung Eberhard,
catapulting him into the skies in ear-splitting fury. Maganus heard Sarah’s cry
and found the girl surrounded by the gargoyles. He summoned the Heracles Horn
and blew, sending the rallying call, a low drone, resonating through the woods.

Maganus sprinted to the
assistance of Father Bellator and Sarah, but he son heard the robust flapping
of wings.

Eberhard!

Maganus was soundly pinned on
the ground by the sheer weight of the sneaky Demon.

 “Where do you think you are
going?” Eberhard
taunted,
poking his sharp fingers into Maganus’s chest
. The Guardian Angel felt helpless as he watched a
gargoyle swoop down on Sarah and lifted the screaming girl.

Then something shot from the
dark and grabbed the gargoyle. A thick branch of a tree squeezed the life out
of the gargoyle. A chorus of moans rippled through the forests as the surrounding
trees engaged the gargoyles with their huge branches.

Eberhard still had one foot
stamped on Maganus’s torso, but the arrival of the ancient trees distracted
him.

 “I forgot to tell you that I
still have friends,” Maganus said, then kicked the Demon. In one motion, Maganus
rose to his feet and roared. “
Benevolentia triumphus
.” The trees
chorused a strong moan of unanimity.

A fierce encounter ensued as Maganus
traded blows with Eberhard. Just then,  streaks of lightning emitted from a
nearby tree and a portal space opened up. Jin galloped through with Mathew
behind him.

“Timely!” Maganus cried.

The Silent Angel already had
the Adam’s Bow in his hands and unleashed arrows of power that illuminated the
skies with trails of fire. Within seconds, gargoyles rained to the ground.

Boosted by Jin’s arrival,
Maganus summoned his battleaxes and engaged Eberhard. At the fifth stroke,
Maganus managed to inflict a wound across the gargoyle’s belly. Then Eberhard
leapt into the air with an agility Maganus could not match, and then flapped
his wings. A crescendo of dust rose and blinded Maganus.

The airborne Eberhard quickly dived
for the ground, heading for a new victim— Sarah. With a ruthless swipe, he lifted
the girl away.

Everybody was stunned at the
hijack. The Silent Angel responded first and unleashed an arrow of fire at Eberhard.
The treacherous gargoyle chieftain, however, grabbed a nearby minion and used
it as a shield.

Jin extended his snowy-white
wings. Raising himself like a rocket, he flew for Eberhard, but the other
gargoyles flocked in and shrouded him in a cocoon of darkness.

Jin mumbled a prayer—
Lux
lucis super Obscurum
.”

The powers of heavenly light
were summoned and he shone
like
a burning star. The squadron of gargoyles melted like raw wax in a cacophony of
groans and moans. Jin pressed on, but it was too late. Eberhard had disappeared
into the darkness—with Sarah.

With their leader gone, the
army of gargoyles dissipated like vapor. Within seconds, the sky was clear as
if the battle had never happened. The moon regained its illumination, and there
soon pallid blue covered the landscape.

Mathew ran to Maganus, on the
verge of tears.

“They had taken Sarah.”

Maganus said nothing, instead
whistling to Pologus, and the bird darted into the darkness like a burning
arrow.

“What do we do?” Mathew said,
then crumpled to the ground and held his head in his hands. “She’s gone.”

Jin swooped down and landed by
his side, hands on his Mathew’s shoulders.

“Fret not. The Demons gave up all too
easily. Eberhard left after just a few bouts of fighting. This is not his
nature. He had grown stronger and should be eager to fight and beat us. There
must a reason to this unusual behaviour.”

Maganus said wryly, “He wants
us to go and rescue to Sarah.”

“Will he hurt her?” Mathew
asked, tears brimming from his eyes.

“They will not hurt Sarah. She
is just a bait.” Maganus explained.

“Bait?” Mathew struggled to his
feet.

 “Jin is right,” Maganus said. “They
have a purpose, a very sinister purpose in their actions. I am afraid a bigger
scheme awaits us, Mathew. For now, Sarah … Sarah will be safe and ...”
Maganus’s voice quivered and then stopped in mid-sentence. With a thud, he
collapsed like a sack of iron.

“Was it a dream?” he mumbled as
he lay on his bed. John Springs tried to raise himself but the frailty in his
limbs confined him to the bed. He had been lying like a mummy for the last few
days.

John struggled with the medical
truth about his terminal cancer. He remembered vaguely the lady in purple.
Was
it a dream at all?
It seemed so real. He felt dryness in his throat and
reached for a glass of water.

Then a hand stretched out with
a glass of water. John accepted it and looked up. “Thank …” His eyes popped at
the sight of the lady in purple. He screamed and dropped his glass.

“Ah, John, what a waste.”
Seraphina lamented as John struggled to sit up. His limbs began wobbling, and
he fell back on his pillow.

His dramatic reaction elicited
a sly smile from the lady.

“It is you! John asked. “Where
am I?”

“Hospital. You are fast dying.”

John Spring strained his eyes.

“John, I am real.” Seraphina slithered
to the side of the bedridden man. “Save your screams when death is upon you.
Nobody will hear you. It is a very special spell that I have cast, John. It is
an illusionary trick that works on the mediocre minds of humans.”

 John strained his eyes
“Seraphina?”

“Finally, John.” Seraphina drew
closer “Do you know your kids are coming to see you?”

John’s eyes brightened. “Are
they?”

Seraphina bent over and tickled
John on his chin, teasing him like a trapped prey. “Yes. Please stay alive. I
don’t want them to be here to see a dead man.”

She leaned forward, and then
grabbed John by his throat, the nails on her willowy fingers growing until they
were like purplish daggers that dug into his flesh.

“No man has ever denied me,
John. Don’t you try.”

#

Maganus woke up to an
unfamiliar chill. He struggled to open his eyes. Jin was the first person he
saw, and then Father Bellator who was applying a wet cloth to his face.

“Am I dead?” Maganus asked.

“Hell has no place for you and
Heaven is full,” Jin teased. “You are still on Earth!”

“What happened?”

“It seems Eberhard has been
hard on you,” Jin said.

Maganus leapt to his feet. “That
bloody beast is not getting the better of me.”

“I could be wrong.” Jin quickly
added.

“I want you to be a spectator
when we fight again.” Maganus said, his beard bristling with life.

Jin nodded. “I will be an
obliging audience.”

The Angel of the Woods begun to
cough and he took seat on a boulder.

“I see you need more rest,” Jin
said.

Maganus shrugged. “It is my
good fortune that you came in time. If you had not, I would be very dead.” Maganus
extracted his smoking pipe from the depths of his tunic. Like a child with a
candy, he lit and puffed away with a smile creasing his face. Then he looked
for Mathew. He took the cue from Jin’s eyes. The sullen lad was leaning against
the trunk of a tree.

Maganus stood and walked towards
the boy. “I am glad you are fine,” he said in a feeble but steady voice. “We
will get Sarah back for you.”

 “Trust us, Mathew. Sarah is alive.
The person they really want is you.” Jin added.

“I am ready to exchange my life
for hers,” Mathew said.

“Cast away the thought of
death, Mathew,” Maganus said. “You must never entertain the thought of giving
up your life so easily.”

 “I am better prepared, Jin,”
Mathew said.

 “If you can accommodate another
word of counsel, I have something to share,” Maganus added.

“What is it?”

“From this point onwards, as we
engage the Demons again, guard your emotions well. Your negative vibes can be
used as weapons against you. Your emotions will be your liabilities, something to
be used to hurt you. It is hard to get into specifics, but the Demons are
skilled in manipulating man by playing upon their weaknesses. Your liability is
their asset.”

Jin followed on. “Guard your
emotions. The Demons are waiting for you to fall into the emotional trap of
being anxious and make the critical mistakes, Mathew.”

Mathew inhaled. “I will try but
it will not be easy.”

“Thank you. We must move
immediately then,” Jin said as a familiar shrill was heard. Pologus had
returned.

“We have a destination, it
seems.” Maganus looked at the bird, which landed on his right hand. They spoke
in tongues. Maganus puffed aggressively on his pipe. “They are at the valley,
four hours from here.”

“I sensed something amiss,” Jin
said.

“Pologus reported the sight of
Castle Valmar.”

“A castle? A castle in the
middle of the Delaware Reserves!” Mathew asked.

“Mathew, Castle Valmar is a
bastion of for the Demons in the realm of Earth. When such a base can be built,
it means the entire morality the human race has degenerated to such a level
that makes it possible for Demons to enter the realm at ease and establish
their base to subvert the human race. The concentration of negative vibes is
oxygen to these demons. They breathe the evil vibes of humans and feed on their
anger, hatred, and selfishness.”

“A whole castle and not discovered?”
Mathew enquired.

“Normal humans cannot detect
the presence of the castle or the armies of Demons,” Maganus explained as the
group changed course and headed towards their new destination. “They move and
act under the cloak of darkness. There is division in the two worlds that
mortals cannot detect.”

“What exactly is Valmar? I
noticed the awkward expression on Jin’s face when it was mentioned.”

Maganus smiled. “Valmar brings
bad memories for us, Mathew.”

“Why?”

“Castle Valmar used to be a
manor castle that belonged to a cadet branch of the House of Hapsburg. It was
built in the fifteenth century. A terrible battle between Angels, Demons, and
Kings took place on the thirteenth of April, 1566. Many died. That includes my
fellow Angels, and we lost quite a few Kings, not to deaths but to moral
corruption of the Demons. The Demons carried the day and we retreated, with our
forces crushed and morale shattered. Were it not for the strength of the Kings
from the House of Hapsburg, we would have lost Europe to a handful of twisted
souls and demons.”

“Valmar has since been
synonymous to any bastion of the Demons, our jargon for the presence of a
demonic army.” Jin continued.

“Demonic army?” Mathew cried.

“Great numbers, Mathew. Legions,”
Maganus said “Do you know how many is in a legion?”

No answer came.

“Sight will provide the best
validation, Mathew.” Jin said blandly.

#

Sarah shivered, not only from fear, but
also from being hauled high in the sky. The gargoyle had both talons sunk into
her shoulders, the sharp nails like daggers. She looked for blood but saw none.
Her tears were brimming at the edges of her eyes, but she held them at bay,
afraid of infuriating demon.

She could hear gargoyle’s
breathing and its heartbeat as it pounded over her head.
Where is this beast
taking me? Is it going to a nest?
She clasped her trembling hands together
and prayed.

When she opened her eyes, she spotted
a castle-like building lying below, nestled in the middle of a monstrous span
of darkness. The gargoyle circled the structure and landed. When the creature
released her, she dropped to her knees, unable to stand.

Then she spied the nest she had
anticipated and moaned.