The Demon Trappers: Foretold (39 page)

There was a throaty cheer from some behind the fencing.

‘This sounds like a revival to me,’ Beck said.

The exorcist waved his hands to quiet the crowd’s enthusiasm.

‘Now I’ve heard that some of you think I’m crazy, but I’ll prove that Heaven can exist here on earth. But first let’s have a prayer.’

Riley bowed her head, not because the reverend had asked them to, but because it felt right. If Sartael and his demons were on their way, this might be her last time to send a personal message
to God. She doubted prayer was an option in Hell.

Please keep Beck safe. Let him have those kids he wants, even if they’re not with me. I’m lost, but he deserves a good life.

As if he knew what she was thinking, Beck’s hand tightened round her waist protectively.

The prayer ended and Lopez took a few steps closer to the crowd. ‘Are you ready to reclaim your city?’ he cried.

More cheering now. As he continued to raise the crowd’s enthusiasm to a fever pitch, Riley’s eyes moved to her fellow trappers, one by one. They were vigilant, not caught up in the
moment. Simon’s bright blond hair was easy to spot where he stood next to Harper, a sheathed sword in his hand. When he saw her, he nodded in return.

‘By the power given to me by the Almighty himself,’ Lopez drawled, ‘I call forth all the Hellspawn in this city. Come forth, servants of darkness. Come forth and meet thy Holy
Master –’

The earth shook, and though Lopez paled he kept exhorting the demons to come forth. The tremors ceased, causing many in the crowd to sigh in relief.

The time grows near
, Ori whispered in her mind.

Riley’s body ignited in a flood of heat and she gasped at the sensation. The tattoo on her right palm began to pulsate, the call to battle. Very shortly the sword would appear, and the
entire world would know her secret.

I summon you to my side, Riley Anora Blackthorne.

Shaking now, she tipped up on her toes and placed a lingering kiss on Beck’s lips.

‘I love you, Den,’ she said, touching his face with the back of her glowing hand. ‘Stay alive, you hear?’

‘You too. Let’s get this settled once and for all. I’ve had enough of this crap.’ As Beck reached to touch her, a tremor shot through her soul. Hellish voices roared in
her ears, proclaiming war.

Sartael has been freed.

Before she had the chance to warn Peter, cries of shock came from around them as the crowd parted in panic. A lone figure strode forward through their midst, wings unfurled, sword blazing white
hot in the night air.

Ori.
The angel was definitely out of the closet.

When the tingle in her fingers became an inferno, Riley didn’t bother to look down. Her sword was fully formed now.

‘What the heck is—’ Peter began

‘Go home. Go be with your family.’

He blinked. ‘End of the world stuff,
again
?’ he moaned.

‘Yeah. I love you. Keep yourself safe, OK?’

Before she could stop him, he gave her a hug, then stepped back. ‘Same to you,’ he said solemnly.

Riley strode through the crowd to join up with the angel. Though she had no wings, the fiery sword in her hand told the story to those who understood: Ori was her demi-lord and she was in
Hell’s yoke.

As she passed Simon, she caught his expression, a mix of awe and immense sadness.

You were right about me, but for the wrong reasons.

When she and Ori took positions in front of the stage, Lopez stammered to a halt, caught by the sight of the winged warrior and his young female apprentice.

‘Who are you?’ he demanded.

‘I am Ori, the Prince’s chief executioner,’ Ori replied in a voice that had to have carried to the ends of the earth.

‘Have you come to kill me?’

‘You are not my enemy,’ the angel replied.

The air around them grew volatile, explosive. When a jagged spear of lightning impacted a nearby building, throwing sparks high into the night, the crowd reacted with shrieks, and the air filled
with the sound of running footsteps.

Ori raised his eyes to the heavens. ‘Sartael is nigh.’ He turned and gazed over a shoulder, his eyes locking on Beck. ‘Remember your promise, trapper.’

Her boyfriend nodded grimly.

‘What promise?’ Riley asked. ‘What did you—’

A near deafening boom shattered the air above them, causing her to jump in startled surprise. Just like at the cemetery, their enemy descended to the ground clad in his simple black monk’s
robe, his grey wings flapping noiselessly. There was no evidence of the wounds Sartael had sustained in Hell, and his clothes were intact.

‘It’s the Devil!’ someone shouted.

No, but just about as bad.

Ori’s blade dipped downward as if he was acknowledging a superior. Sartael noted the gesture, his eyes glowing with an unnatural light.

‘We meet again, old friend.’ Sartael’s feet lightly touched the earth. His attention moved to Riley. ‘What is this? How does she wield the Divine fire?’

‘What do you offer in exchange for my allegiance?’ Ori asked, ignoring his question.

‘What do you wish?’

‘Death. I wish the respite that nothingness will bring. And the promise of safety for the soul I hold.’

Sartael’s eyebrow rose. ‘If you serve me, I shall allow you to die. In fact, I will ensure you do so.’

‘What of Riley Anora Blackthorne?’ Ori asked.

Sartael’s attention moved to her and Riley shivered at the madness in his blue eyes.

‘I will hold her safe,’ Lucifer’s enemy promised.

He’s lying. He will put us both in chains and you know it.

There was a sigh in her mind.
Yes, he will.

‘I detest my master’s endless schemes,’ Ori said, his voice louder now. ‘But he is not you, Sartael.’

For a moment their rival appeared confused about whether this was praise or not.

‘Swear your allegiance, Ori, and that of the mortal soul you hold, and I shall free you. Lucifer’s reign is ending. Even now, in Hell, my demons are cutting through his forces. Join
with me. Rule with me. We shall challenge Heaven and retake what is ours. Then you shall regain that peace you so desire.’ Sartael’s eyes were still on Riley, though, and they made her
skin crawl.

Her angel gave her a quick glance. ‘Yes, Sartael, I shall join you . . .
in the nothingness
. I hate Lucifer for denying me final death, but you are a traitor to our master and I
will not allow you to destroy this city or those in my care.’

I will not permit him to harm you, Riley Anora Blackthorne. You are the closest to Heaven I shall ever be, now that I am Fallen.

It took Sartael a moment to comprehend that once again Ori wasn’t going to play the game.

He reared back, furious. ‘You’ve always been willing to lick Lucifer’s boots. I will devour your heart after I rip it from your chest. And I will do worse to the soul you hold,
for her father betrayed me.’

Remember what I taught you, Riley.

I will, angel. Good hunting.

‘Shall we,
old friend
?’ Ori said, raising his sword.

The Divines’ swords clashed on impact as they rose into the air to fight one last time. Riley backed off, knowing this really wasn’t her battle. Tense, she swept the scene, looking
for threats: the mad archangel never did anything without back-up.

Beck and the other trappers were also on the alert. He caught her eye and nodded.

I love you too.

The reverend kept intoning Bible verses, not quite comprehending that this war had little to do with Heaven. Standing near him was one of the cameramen from the
Demonland
crew, filming
for all he was worth.

That’s just what we need.

‘Heads up, lads,’ Stewart called out.

Grade Three demons poured over the crumbled walls in a solid wave. Riley froze, then she forced herself to shake off the fear. No matter how she looked at it, she was dead one way or another and
that macabre reality gave her courage. Some of it was bravado, but it felt right, so Riley made it her own. It was either that or totally freak out.

As she moved forward to challenge one of the Threes, the ground near Lopez began to heave in rolling waves. After a final prayer, he ran for it, and not a moment too soon. Out of the broken
earth rose a towering figure, a Geo-Fiend, seven feet of unbridled menace, topped by a bull’s head. Its blazing red eyes went directly to Riley.

‘Blackthorne’s daughter!’ it cried.

Here we go again . . .

It was the shorter figures clustered around the Five that were the really bad news. Riley did a quick head count: nine Archfiends, in all their evil glory. That was three times the number
they’d had to face in the cemetery, and this time there were no demon hunters to help them.

A figure in a swirling black cloak stepped forward as magic burst from the tip of his upraised staff and encompassed the closest Archfiend. The demon burst apart in brilliant curls of flame.

‘Go, Ozy!’ she cried.
That totally rocks.

The Five roared its fury, but it didn’t move, allowing the Archfiends to break ranks and flank the necromancer. Ozymandias might be the most powerful summoner in the city, but there was no
way he could take down eight of these fiends at once.

Beck was next to her now, his blade unsheathed. ‘Looks like Ozy needs our help,’ she said. The same necro who had stolen her father away from her.

‘This is really bites, you know?’ Beck replied.

‘Same here.’

They took off at a run.

As Beck made for the Archfiend furthest to the left, Riley veered to the right, making sure to give the necro and his magic as much room as possible. The fiend she chose was a
smaller one, but just as vicious as any of its kind. Its three pairs of blood-red eyes glared at her from a domed skull and the four sickle-shaped teeth had been sharpened to needle points. With a
furious flap of its wings, it leapt into the air above her, its smoking sword aimed to decapitate her.

As Ori had taught her, she dropped and rolled out of the way of the blade, then spun and cut at the closest wing. On the first pass she missed the demon entirely and the fiend chided her.

‘I will drink your blood this night,’ it crowed.

The second dive brought it closer, as if it’d decided she was no serious threat. One of the wing-tip claws caught the back of her jacket, ripping it.

Furious, Riley swung at it, but missed again. Stumbling a few steps, she tried to regain her balance. Instinct made her turn, and she buried the burning blade deep into the fiend’s chest
as it dived at her. It shrieked, then wove erratically in the air, black smoking blood pouring from the wound. With a dying howl, it fell and the ground shook from the impact.

‘Riley!’ Simon called out.

She ducked as a blade swung so close she could feel the fire singe her skin. Her ex advanced on the larger Archfiend.

‘Come on, I’m the one you want,’ he called out, giving her time to recover her footing.

They double-teamed the monster, driving it backwards. When it rose in the air to dive at them, they’d split apart and it couldn’t decide which one to target. Unfortunately, the
Archfiend learned the trick too quickly. When it rose again, it tracked towards Simon, sailing low across the ground, its curved blade positioned to slice him in half.

Riley rushed underneath the wings. As the fiend passed over her, she raised her blade and it severed one of the main wing tendons. Unable to fly, the demon tried to compensate, but it crashed
into Simon. The trapper’s sword fell from his hand as they rolled over and over in a jumble of wings and legs.

As Riley ran to help him, another Archfiend blocked her way. She hacked at it, parrying thrusts, but her moves weren’t as fast as before.

‘Your demi-lord weakens,’ the demon taunted.

Riley aimed a blow at its wing, then pivoted at the last second. The blade caught the Archfiend in the throat and it reeled back. It wasn’t a mortal wound, but it bought her time to reach
Simon. Somehow he’d regained his feet and was once again battling his own foe.

With a cry of triumph, he decapitated his Archfiend, the demon’s head rolling away, stunned surprise its last expression. Nearby another fiend fell under Jackson’s sword, though he
cradled a broken arm to his body.

Beck was bloodied, but he was gaining ground against one of the Archfiends. The two masters, along with the other trappers, were addressing the Threes, reducing their ranks as if they were at a
slaughterhouse. Fighting next to them was Ayden, her blade slashing with deadly precision. Blue flashes of magic lit up every now and then like oversized fireflies.

There was a scream and Riley turned to discover that a group of bystanders was trapped against the remains of a building, with no escape. Moving closer to them was a pack of Gastro-Fiends, their
claws bloodied, with an Archfiend in the lead.

‘No!’

She’d taken only a few steps when a winged figure appeared in between the frightened citizens and the ravenous demons. It was a Fallen, with ash-grey wing tips and brilliant blue eyes.