Emma dropped to the ground like a lead balloon, right on her behind, and stared in awe at the men. How different they all looked in their leather pants, muscles glistening from sweat, and their wings unfurled. Indestructible and unyielding, an impenetrable wall of immortal flesh now stood solidly before her. Agremon slowed to a stop. Emma gathered her wits, got up, and began searching for Michael. It didn’t take long, and his murderous expression gave her pause. He moved to her and stood protectively by her side.
“We know Namirha has Hannah. You will tell me about that later,” Michael demanded pointedly.
Emma nodded silently.
“Michael! Brethren!” Agremon shouted. “Long time no see. Come for a rumble, have you?”
“Come to serve Brethren justice swiftly and permanently, Agremon!” Kemuel answered, walking towards him.
“Ha! I look forward to you trying!” Agremon quickly flashed himself of
So, Namirha had taken Hannah back to his dwelling. Agremon could feel the powerful shield he’d erected to keep him away from her. But he had the knife. Each had a piece of the prize, which without the other, rendered them both useless. He snarled as he ripped into another hapless human.But wait, he thought, he was in the perfect position to bargain. Each had what the other one wanted. Namirha would never give up Hannah, and he would never give up the knife. Perhaps they could, dare he think it, share, and both gain Hannah’s powers? Preposterous! But, he could let Namirha at least think so. He was willing to wager that he was too weak and struggling at this point, and would yield. And then, when the time came, Agremon would strike and absorb all of the girl’s powers.He grabbed another human and sent him to an untimely death. He could sense his Master’s arrival behind him. He felt a tugging on the sheathed knife, but he had shielded it so it wouldn’t budge. Agremon pivoted around to f
She chose a large trunk, that hadn’t suffered too badly, to begin her staircase, and placed a side table on top. Then she put a couple of chairs on top of that. With those pieces stacked, she figured she could climb through the hole and hoist herself up and out. She took a deep breath, said a little prayer, and started her ascent. When she reached to put her hands through the hole, she was met with the unexpected: an invisible wall. She patted her palms against this wall to find that it completely covered the opening.She let out a frustrated yell, but quickly stifled it for fear of another cave-in. Namirha must have shielded the entire room so Agremon couldn’t get in. But now, she couldn’t get out!“Crap, crap, crap!” Hannah muttered. Then she did something completely bizarre considering her tenuous situation, she giggled. If her mother knew she’d said that word, she’d wash her mouth out with soap. And then her giggle became a
Namirha decided it was best not to return to his lair. He was confident his shields held the girl within while keeping others out. Besides, knowing that she was there was too enticing. He didn’t care about the deal he’d made with Emma. He’d gotten her daughter away from Agremon to benefit himself. He did care, however, that he should get all of her powers, and that wouldn’t be possible for three days. Three impossible days. So he decided to head to The Source’s vacant headquarters and wait it out, while keeping a close eye on his less-than-trustworthy henchman’s movements. He would surely pay for his betrayal. Namirha relished the many possibilities he could unleash for the rest of Agremon’s eternity. Those very evil possibilities improved his disposition exponentially.Just as it looked to Kemuel as though the angels had gotten the upper hand, another wave of demons appeared to start the onslaught anew. Thousands of angels reasserted
Light was blazing through the hole in the ceiling. She knew it was afternoon, but what she didn’t know was of what day. The council member had said Namirha was coming for her. Did that mean she had slept for nearly four days straight? Was Namirha going to show up any minute? Was today her birthday?Had it been a normal birthday, she would have called herself a big girl now. But she didn’t feel like a big girl. She still wanted her dolls, her stuffed toys, and her Mama.She thought of her mother, and then thought better of it. Certainly, no good would come of that. Whatever her mother had done had been for Hannah’s protection. She had a dreadful feeling that she’d done something that could never be taken back, and Hannah would be living with that decision for the rest of her life. Not just any life, she thought absently, an eternity! She would be immortal! It was unfathomable to the child.Suddenly, Hannah felt a sizzle of energy nearby, a
Emma felt her daughter’s thread come crashing through her latest attempt at saving one of the angels. Thank the heavens she’s alive. But not out of danger. She looked over her shoulder to her rock and protector, who had been unwavering in his support during the past three days.“It’s her birthday, Michael,” she lamented. “She’s six years old today. My baby’s six years old.” She shut her eyes for a moment and gathered herself together. So far, Namirha had kept to their deal. Hannah was alive and at the altar. She had to go to her, to see her one last time.“I know. We have to go. She’s waiting for us,” Michael urged softly. He grabbed her and then flew them to the top of the mesa. Her stomach fluttered as her feet left the ground, and she closed her eyes tightly, holding onto him with a death grip. But her trust was strong, and her need to see her daughter, stronger. She fully expected to arrive at the altar in perfect health. And then she could say goodbye. Rather than go into this fi
Namirha immediately took hold of Emma’s hands around the knife and made ready to plunge it into Hannah’s little body. He seemed poised for a complete sacrifice. She looked on in horror, as with her hands still on the sword, she would effectively be killing her own daughter. Adrenaline surged. Her maternal instincts to protect her child kicked into high gear.“No! It’s not time yet! Don’t do this! It won’t work!” Emma struggled to keep the knife away from her daughter. “We had a deal, damn it!”In her head, Hannah spoke. Let go of the handle and grab the blade with your hand. I will, too. Trust me! Emma did as she was told. She grabbed the blade as Hannah did. Its well-honed edge cut deeply into her palm. Hannah yelled, “Duck!”As Emma ducked her head, Hannah kicked Namirha in the face. He let go of the knife and staggered backward. Hannah yanked on her mother, and still holding the blade, they rol
Oh, dear Lord! What have I done? She’d saved her daughter, and Michael was alive. She’d seen that and their grief, before being whisked away. “But our bargain was my life for hers, my death not hers. I didn’t bargain for eternal torture!” she yelled out loud. She had to get out of there, somehow. She checked the wall surrounding her only to find it smooth, with nary a foothold or handhold to be found.With the dead body taking up most of the usable space, Emma stood in place, closed her eyes and quieted herself. If she meditated she’d come up with some kind of plan. Before she could take her second deep breath, however, she found herself flashed out of the hole. Not quite sure what to make of this, she quickly looked around. But as she turned, something restricted her movement. Her ankles had been shackled to the floor. She looked at her wrists and they, too, were shackled, but loosely. Namirha’s voice suddenly filled the cavernous ro
Emma didn’t know how long it had been since the hounds of Hell started charging and snapping at her, but it was long enough that her shields were starting to tear and the damned dogs knew it. They were a perfect blend of patience and impatience, tenacity and eagerness. The fact that she hadn’t been able to see them at all before was a good thing. As they tore away at her shields, she was beginning to get glimpses of what they really were, and abject terror was quickly setting in.Through those tears she could see about a dozen pairs of red glowing eyes and frothing mouths that could barely contain the protruding rows of jagged teeth. She shuddered every time one of the hounds would come slamming into her shields, now knowing what awaited her when her shields finally failed.One hound was finally able to get his muzzle through a tear and bit her thigh as though it were the tastiest chop from the butcher. It held on and shook his head like her leg was, indeed