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Chapter 469
The others in the company followed Dominic’s gaze to the east. For a moment, even Rave and Ralin’s keen eyes saw nothing, but then a dark spot appeared in the sky above the ridge inhabited by Lamashtu. It continued to grow and blacken, until it was visible to them all.
To Leesa, it appeared to be a dark cloud, but not like any cloud she had ever seen. As it grew, it extended vertically, rather than horizontally, reaching up into the sky, its top widening while the bottom remained a narrow point. From this distance she could not be sure, but it seemed to be spinning. It looked almost like a tornado, though with no other clouds in the sky she knew this could be no natural phenomenon.
“What is it?” she asked.
“A magical vortex of some kind,” Dominic replied. “I think it’s a gateway.”
“It’s hard to make them out against the darkness,” Rave said, “but I think there are shapes spinnin
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Leesa's Advent Chapter 470
“Oh, no! You didn’t!” Cali exclaimed as the claws of one of the horned demon’s hands tore through her shirt and scratched into her flesh. The demon sneered and reached for her with its three other arms, but once again Cali was too quick. Before it could grab her with its remaining hands, she pivoted and spun around behind it. With one hand braced on its bony shoulder and the other on its head, she bent its neck back with her vampire strength and sank her fangs into the leathery skin of its thick, gnarled neck. As she held it in the grip of her jaw, the freak batted at her with its arms while violently jerking this way and that, attempting to throw her off. Cali sank her teeth in deeper, feeling the tendons of its neck tighten as she bent its head back until she heard ligaments and sinew ripping and popping.Cali released her bite and spat. “Yuck! You taste as disgusting as you look.”Grabbing the demon with one hand on either side of
Leesa's Advent Chapter 471
The rushing winds inside the vortex started to slow, and the volume of the sound they created decreased as well. Inside the whirlwind, a winged, human-shaped form began to slowly take shape, hovering several feet above the ground. As the figure grew darker and more solid, the winds continued to abate, until they seemed nothing more than a slight breeze circling round and round.While the company’s attention was focused on what was happening within the vortex, a single serpent demon slithered silently up behind them. Whether this was part of some plan, or was simply an unhappy accident of a stray demon trying to join its fellows around the vortex did not matter. The serpent’s path took it straight toward Leah. At the last moment, the thing’s movement caught Kai’s attention. He whipped around and threw himself at the demon, two arrows still gripped in his hand, but he was a split second too late. The serpent’s poisoned fangs sank into the back of L
Leesa's Advent Chapter 472
Before anyone else could act, a shimmering silver sphere began to envelope Ariandre. Before Lamashtu could stop her, she vanished, returned to her world. A moment later, the portal winked out. Leesa hoped that back in her magical forest, Ariandre would be able to heal herself.“Teleportation…” Lamashtu mused. “I must admit, I was not expecting that. If any others of you possess such an ability, I suggest you make use of it before it is too late.”Leesa took a small step forward. “Why do you do these things?” she challenged. “Why must you destroy everything? Why must you turn everything horrible and ugly?”“Why?” Lamashtu parroted. “That is a foolish question. I do it because I can. It is simply my nature. As soon ask the wind why it blows, or fire why it burns.” The demon’s gaze turned skyward for a moment, fixing on Jenna’s eagle form gliding gracefully on the air current
Leesa's Advent Chapter 473
“Welcome back. How do you feel?”“Like I’ve been beaten up and down my body with a big stick,” Leah admitted with a grimace. “What happened?”“You were bitten by a demon serpent,” Dominic replied, keeping his voice low. “Its poison nearly killed you, but I think you are going be all right now.” He glanced over his shoulder. He could still hear Leesa and Lamashtu talking, though he could not make out everything they were saying.Leah pushed herself up to a sitting position. Kai shifted his grip to her upper arm, helping her.“It seems kind of quiet,” she said, looking from side to side. All she could see were the backs of her comrades and the upper section of the vortex, which had grown still. “Are we still fighting demons?”Dominic nodded. “We are. The battle has reached a temporary lull, however.”“And Lamashtu?”“S
Leesa's Advent Chapter 474
Leesa awoke slowly, her thoughts groggy, as if aroused from a very deep sleep. She was lying in a strange bed on her back, covered by a soft white sheet. A thin rubber tube ran into her nose, while a thicker tube snaked from her arm into a plastic bag filled with clear liquid hanging from a metal stand. As her thoughts grew clearer, she realized she was in a hospital. She had no idea how she had gotten here.She looked up from the bed and saw her mom and Bradley sitting on chairs beneath a long window. Behind them, she could see the sun beginning to set.“Mom?” she said.Her voice came out only slightly more than a whisper, but it was enough to cause her mom to bolt out of her chair, her expression a mixture of shock and delight.“Sweetheart!” she exclaimed as she quickly crossed the room and took Leesa’s hand in both of hers. Bradley was only a step behind to the side of Leesa’s bed.“What happened?” Leesa asked. Memories slowly came back to her. “Did the demon do this? Did we destro
Leesa's Advent Chapter 475
Leesa let her head sink back down onto the pillow. The doctor’s name had left her stunned. Not just the Dr. Rave part, but the last name as well. Volcanemershtom…volkaane… Had her subconscious really grabbed all these details from around her and created a fantastic, highly realistic dream? Who was she going to see next, Nurse Necromancer? Maybe she should turn the whole thing into a book—it certainly had all the needed elements.And what about Ralin? Her heart ached as she pictured his smiling face. She wanted to ask about him, but was not sure if she could bear to hear the answer, not right now, anyhow.Dr. Rave held out his hand. Lost in her thoughts, she failed to notice for a long moment, but then she lifted her free hand and softly shook his hand.“Let’s give you a quick check-up,” he said.He pulled the sheet covering Leesa down to her waist and placed his stethoscope against her chest, listening first to
Leesa's Advent Chapter 476
Alcatraz Island, December 21, 2021A single keystroke changed the world forever.Three men huddled in front of the computer monitor. The guy pecking at the keyboard appeared young enough to pass for a college student, and his jeans and black T-shirt with a dripping red peace symbol on the front did nothing to disabuse the notion. The other two men—one in his mid-fifties, the other long past sixty—stood behind him, each dressed in a white lab coat. Their hunched postures betrayed their eagerness for this last task to be completed. The big moment was nearly at hand—the moment they had devoted eight years, countless man-hours and millions of dollars toward.All three men were universally acclaimed to be among the top people in their respective fields. Ask the CEO of any tech giant to list the top five computer programmers in the world and Briggs Brennan—the man typing at the keyboard—would show up on every list. He had joined the project two years earlier, at the ripe old age of twenty-f
Leesa's Advent Chapter 477
“Leah, one's coming!”Radar’s voice is loud but not panicked as she grabs me by the wrist. I don’t have to ask what’s coming. I already know. Radar’s tone can mean only one thing—an Anomaly is about to appear, somewhere nearby. She’s already pulled her oversized pink-framed sunglasses from her head.“Where?” I ask, automatically reaching for the handle of the machete strapped to my back. I swing my head from side to side even though I know I won’t see anything yet. Anomalies can be deadly even if nothing dangerous comes through—the physical forces accompanying the opening of a portal can rip a body or a building apart. More times than not, however, something dangerous DOES come with it—usually something very dangerous. It’s doubtful I’ll have to deal with it, but I keep my grip on my blade nonetheless. Though I’ve practiced with the machete for countless hours, I’ve never used it for real yet. Still, the feel of the leather handle in my palm is at least somewhat reassuring.“Over ther
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