Ordained (10 page)

SNAP
!

The sudden sound caused the demon to rise up off her front set of limbs and stand on two alone. Within a second of snapping the twig, the demon was shooting towards her, swiping its claws. Abby whizzed quickly towards the demon. She thrust the dagger into the grinloch’s side, but it barely pierced the thick reptilian skin. She struggled to remove the weapon and received several damaging swipes for her effort. The searing pain was excruciating. She knew she should retreat, but the dagger was her only weapon. The grinloch’s talons slit into her as easily as a knife through butter.

The grinloch lifted her up by the throat and dangled her in the air, her claws pricking the skin. Luckily for Abby, suffocation was not going to injure her further. She kicked her way up the demon’s chest and pushed herself up and out of its grasp, somersaulting backwards. She felt a burning sensation as the claws scratched her neck during her escape.

She pulled the dagger with all her strength. Blood flung from both the demon and herself as she ripped it out and away. As the demon screeched in pain, she stabbed the thinner abdomen skin and sliced upward, splitting the stomach open.

Abby was hit with a force that sent her flying sideways for several yards, slamming her into a large pine tree. Stunned and angered, Abby and the demon were fixed in a stone-cold glare, both bleeding heavily.

Abby’s breath deepened. Heat developed within her chest and spread through her body. Her eyes turned black as night. She shut them tight, shaking them off.
No. Not now, not here.
The hotness faded.
When she re-opened her eyes, they were a blinding shade of white. She looked to the clear, dark sky above her. Fierce winds and rumbling thunderstorms rolled in fast. The light from the moon faded to nothing and left them in complete darkness. A lightning bolt
cracked
and struck the grinloch directly in the head. The pulsation sent the demon’s body plummeting lifelessly to the ground.

Abby collapsed to the base of the tree. Her eyes returned to normal as the weather dissipated as quickly as it came. The moonlight and stars returned. She lay there, slumped against the tree as her blood continued to seep from her body.

Chapter Twelve

Noel had spent the better part of the night deciphering an ancient book in the library. Unfortunately, he learned nothing new. He looked at his watch…one-thirty. Abby had left before midnight to check on the girls in town. Surprised she was still out, he wondered what was keeping her. Abby and Noel were never ones to join in celebrations, so it was doubtful she did now.

Deciding on a break, he tossed the book aside.

Noel was not the only person to migrate to the kitchen for a late night snack. Surrounded by night crawlers, one would be more likely to find solitude midday than midnight.

Valerie was standing by the stove, waiting for the tea kettle to boil. She acknowledged his presence by raising her eyebrows but said nothing.

He rummaged through the cabinets until he found some chips worth munching on. One of the few benefits of being a vampire, his body didn’t actually require food intake to survive. Water was helpful; it kept his skin from drying out, but he never truly thirst for it. He ate to keep suspicions to a minimum – and the junk food was delicious.

“So which one are you?”

“Valerie,” she said dully. She didn’t even bother to turn around.

“So why haven’t I seen you training with the other hunters?”

“I’m no longer active.” She turned to look at him and added bitterly, “The Order prefers to take advantage of another one of my gifts.”

Noel waited for her to continue but she didn’t. Apparently, she only offered an exact answer for questions.

“Which would be…?”

“I have visions of all the hunters. I inform the Order of anything that may lead to their demise.”

“Ahh. Preservation of the school’s star pupils. Then you’re clairvoyant?”

“Unfortunately,” she said acrimoniously.

“I’ve befriended a few gypsies with your gift.”

“Try curse.”

Noel pulled a soda from the fridge. “Wouldn’t be if you were anywhere else in the world. The Order has a way of screwing up their protégés.”

“Like Abby?” she dared, her eyes finally meeting his.

The tea kettle whistled. Valerie returned her attention to the stove and poured water over her tea. She blew gently as the flavors and colors seeped.

Noel didn’t like the way she said it. It never occurred to him that an individual within the manor walls would have the ability to see what he didn’t wish to share. Coming here was a bad idea.

“What do you know about that?” he asked, each syllable toneless.

“More than you would like,” she answered, continually lifting the tea bag up and down in the water.

“Good. Then you know not to piss her off.” He rolled up the bag of chips and tossed them aside on the counter.

“The red hair alone tells me she can be temperamental.”

“So what have you seen?” Noel asked curiously, and worriedly.

Valerie didn’t respond right away. Instead, she squeezed the tea bag, threw it away and stirred in a little honey. As she turned around again, she replied, “I know who she is, what she is. And although she’s an amazing warrior, three fights in particular left her seriously injured.”

“Two, actually.”

Valerie shrugged. “Then the third has yet to happen.”

She left the kitchen, leaving Noel with a sinking feeling in his chest.

Unsettled, he left the manor in search for what was keeping Abby. Walking down the mountain, he came across Emily and her friends. The girls looked worn out, particularly Mira, whose left side and back were covered head to toe with wet dirt.

“Wild night?” he asked light-heartedly.

“Wasn’t disappointing,” said Darby.

“Till the freakin’ demon attacked!” cried Mira, pulling grass from her hair.

“What!? Where’s Abby?” he asked Emily, panicked.

“We just left her. Down the path a bit.”

Concerned, Noel pulled Emily aside and whispered, “What the hell happened? Is Abby alright?”

“Yeah, she’s fine,” she replied. “I don’t even know what happened. It was so quick. Some lizard looking thing. Abby’s taking care of it.”

“Alright. Stay here a few minutes and I’ll take you the rest of the way. I just need to check on Abby.”
She better not be injured!

“Yeah, sure.”

Darby and Mira settled down in the dirt, happy to rest. Emily continued to stand, alert to everything around them.

It only took two minutes for Noel to find Abby. She stood above a small creature dead on the ground. She was frustrated, trying repeatedly to secure the knot in the muffler around her wound with one hand. Unsuccessful, Noel did it for her.

“Thank you,” she said, clearly stressed.

Trying to lighten her mood, he teasingly said, “I thought we agreed you wouldn’t go looking for trouble while we were here.”

“If only I could.”

Noel took a closer look at the creature.

“Is this – ?” he trailed off. He recognized it but was unable to remember what it was called.

“Yep. Long way from home,” added Abby.

“I’ve never seen one in person before. It looks young, only a few weeks maybe.”

“Tell me what was so important that a demon indigenous to deserts would travel all the way to Austria?”

Noel began to scan the forest around them. “Even better question for the moment: Where’s its mother?”

“I guarantee you she won’t be far.”

“We need to find her. I’ll take care of this and catch up to you.” He swept kindling from the trail and gathered it around the dead body.

“Don’t worry about me. Just make sure Emily and the other two make it back to the manor. They could come across the mother before I do.”

Don’t worry.
Yeah, right
. He couldn’t help but think of Valerie’s comment to him less than fifteen minutes ago. Three fights left her seriously injured, one he had yet to witness.

“I think you should wait for me.”

Abby was surprised. The two of them commonly worked solo and had always turned out okay - mostly.

“It’s not exactly a high level demon, Noel,” she rebutted.

“No, but once it smells the baby’s scent on you it’s going to be incredibly ticked off.”

Abby looked to her clothes and hands. The look of realization on her face told him she had indeed pressed the demon’s body into her own.

“Find it, but don’t engage.” He picked up the dagger in the snow and passed it to her. Then he gathered a bundle of twigs from the ground and waved them in front of her. She wasn’t amused. “Got a light?” he asked.

Firmly, she replied, “Weren’t you the one worried I may visit the dark side while I’m here?”

He sighed. They had had this conversation more times than he could count. Knowing what could happen in the days to come, he was more determined than ever to make her see reason.

“You’re a good witch, Abby. You were given a gift that allows you to conjure the elements. Fire is an element.”

“It’s also a power most commonly found amongst evil-beings. I’m not using it.”

She pulled a lighter from her pocket, tossed it to Noel and left silently. Sighing, Noel surrounded the creature with more brush and tried several times to set it on fire. The debris was too wet to do the job without an accelerant. Frustrated, he left the body to attend to the huntresses waiting up the hill.

After getting Emily and the other two safely back to the manor and successfully burning the demon with lighter fluid, Noel went in search of Abby and the creature’s mother. Unsuccessful in finding either in the nearby mountains, he was forced to retreat back to the safety of the manor. Dawn was approaching fast. He and Abby had made a pact the moment he turned her into a pure vampire. Regardless of what the mission was and the stage they were in, they would return to the designated safe house before dawn - no exceptions. Never had they failed to do so. Therefore, he had no doubt she would be heading in as well.

God, it’s sad we consider the manor a safe house
.

He entered through the back door as the sky behind him lightened. His attention was immediately drawn to the red smears along the wall and floor. Concerned, he lightly slid his fingers through the liquid and smelled it.
Abby
.

His eyes widened in fear. He hurried through the blood-smeared corridors, fearing the inevitable.

He rounded the third corner. Abby’s body was lying face down on the floor, lifeless. The pool of blood beside her body rippled as his footsteps neared.

“Abby?” Noel called in shock, rolling her over. She was bruised and had several deep scratches in her arms, neck and chest. Her blood was smeared everywhere across her skin.

“Noel,” she whispered. Her eyes barely fluttered.

“I’ve got you.”

Noel gently picked her up off the floor and carried her further down the corridor.

Chapter Thirteen

Emily didn’t sleep much that night. The burning in her chest and stomach could have been from the excess alcohol or even her nerves. She couldn’t stop thinking about how she left Abby alone in the woods. Rightfully so; and that annoyed her most. Had she not gotten herself drunk she could have been more helpful. Noel could have been more helpful. Instead, he had to baby-sit her drunk-ass back up to the manor.
So stupid
.