By lunchtime we were famished, but at least we had a solid plan in place. Kieran and Jenna made a mountain of sandwiches out of the last of the bread and supplies. I loaded up my plate with chips and one of the thick sandwiches, before I settled on one of the logs. I balanced the plate on my knees just as the first snowflakes began to fall.
Glancing up at the sky beyond our protective tent, I could see that the heavy clouds had moved in over us and were rapidly dropping oversized snowflakes. The temperature drop from the night before made it so that flakes began to stack up on each other instead of melting, blanketing the area around us. I couldn't help wondering whether this was a gift from The Light or a curse from The Dark One. I could see the perks of leading our attacks that night when Victor might have his defenses down, although a frozen snow covered mountain would prove difficult for escape if the battle took a turn for the worse.
The conversations around me dwindled down as we finished our lunches, keeping our eyes on the snow that continued to fall. Each flake was roughly the size of a cotton ball making it tough to see much beyond our temporary shelter. The others did not voice their concern, but I could feel their mixed emotions rolling through the camp. Taking my new role to heart, I tampered their mixed emotions back easily and filtered them instead with courage and peace. The task was as easy as breathing to me and it felt second nature to do it.
I had discovered the night before that it was almost painful to be surrounded by conflicting emotions. Unanswered questions swirled around in my head. Did Haniel feel the same pain I did from negative emotions? If so, does that mean I'm now more a part of the Heavenly Realm than the Earthly one? What would all of it mean when the night came to a close?
Chapter 10
The afternoon slowly drifted into the evening. As the clouds finally parted, the moon and stars shone brightly down on the snow that was more than a foot deep. The snow made the night lighter than it normally would have been from the whiteness that surrounded us.
Haniel arrived as we were making our final preparations. He glanced at me appraisingly, obviously getting a feel for how I was feeling about the situation I would soon be facing. It amazed me how well I could read him now. I would have called it an out-of-body experience, but truthfully, I had never felt more in control of myself than I did at that moment. My heart still ached painfully for the love I had lost, but other things seemed bent on crowding that ache away. My love for my friends and their safety dominated every cell in my body. I could feel it radiating through me as the time of our departure loomed ahead.
Haniel flashed me a rare proud smile as he read my thoughts.
"The time has come," he said, addressing all of us.
His words triggered a flurry of activity as the Protectors swiftly removed the tarp above our heads and wrapped it around the backpacks we had piled up near the campfire. It was decided that the only commodity we would carry were flashlights and pickaxes for protection. The rest of the supplies would only weigh us down.
Once the packs were securely covered, Robert and Lynn came over to join Sam, Shawn and me. Lynn gave Sam a quick hug. "Be careful okay. Don't go off on your own like you've been known to do."
Sam blinked back tears. "I won't, not like Shawn would let me even if I tried," she said, trying to lighten the mood as she stepped back and turned to her brother.
"Stay safe," she said, choking slightly on the words.
Robert nodded and pulled her in for a gentle hug. "We'll see you soon," he promised, using his thumb to wipe away a tear from Sam's cheek.
Sam gulped back a half sob, burying her head in Shawn's shoulder.
Lynn turned to me, giving me her usual hard penetrating stare. "We need you," she said fiercely, giving me a hard hug. "Don't forget that," she added, making her point abundantly clear.
"I know, I promise this isn't a suicide mission for me. Maybe a couple days ago it was, but all of that has changed now," I said, finally coming clean.
She gave me one more probing look that softened when she could see the resolve on my face. Turning toward Shawn, she gave him a quick hug. "Take care of my besties," she said in an uncharacteristically strangled voice.
"I will," he said solemnly, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.
Robert pulled me in for a long hug without saying a word. I could feel his turbulent emotions as he glanced at us one last time before he and Lynn joined the other group. Sam's eyes stayed locked on them as we watched the other Bands say their own goodbyes. Haniel and I had decided to split the Bands to help preserve the lineage of each group as much as we could. The chances of all of our members being completely decimated were slim, but the likely hood that all of us would survive was a pipe dream as well. Preserving even a small fraction of each Band was better than nothing.
Haniel joined my group before we headed out. "You have the power," he said, looking at me intensely.
I nodded my head. "I won't let you down."
"Follow Krista's lead. She will not lead you astray," he told my group before he departed with his own group.
We watched him and our friends trudge through the deep snow away from the campsite until they disappeared from sight. Their journey would take longer than ours since Haniel planned on taking them around the mountain to the back entrance of Victor's lair. My group's journey would be much easier with a straight path right up the mountain.
"I guess we should head out," I told everyone, stomping my feet in hopes that the movement would get a little blood flowing to help the numbness.
The Protector's led us out of the campsite and the Guides and I fell in behind them. Jaime and Sam flanked my sides while Kieran and Amelia moved to the rear of the group.
Hiking through the thick snow made talking difficult and within a few minutes we were all breathing heavy. "Sheesh, obviously super lungs isn't part of my new powers," I gasped as I tied my windbreaker jacket around my waist and pushed up the sleeves of my hoodie.
"Yeah, because being able to read minds, save people, and have an Archangel at your beck and call isn't enough," Sam teased.
Jaime laughed at her words. "Sam's got a point Krista, besides if you're so bent on wishing for new powers, I would wish for the ability to fly, that way you would already be there," she joked. Her remark made all of us girls burst out laughing.
"Perhaps breathing would be easier without so much chatter," John said, using his voice of reason.
Kieran mimed his words behind him, making us laugh even harder. It felt good to let go of the sadness we had all felt at the campsite.
Our laughter wound up winding us though, so any further talk was put on hold as John led us up the mountain at a grueling pace. Thirty minutes later, we entered a pass that was somewhat flat and allowed us to catch our breath.
"I would give my left arm to a starving zombie for a drink of water," Sam huffed as she worked to even out her breathing.
"Suck on some snow," Kieran said, scooping up a handful.
"Eww that's gross," Sam said, wrinkling her nose up in disgust. "Who knows what you might be munching
on.
"
"Spoken like a true city girl," Paul joked. "Believe me, there have been many times that I've been hiking in Utah and have had to rehydrate with some good old-fashioned snow. It's no different than drinking rainwater. Both come from the same sky."
"I guess," Sam said, still looking slightly disgusted at the snow in her cupped hand.
"He's right Sam, my dad and I used to eat snow all the time in Montana. You just want to stay away from yellow snow," I teased.
"That's disgusting," she said before finally popping her handful of snow into her mouth.
I giggled, getting a kick out of her expression. Suddenly, something felt wrong. There was something dark and evil close by. It felt like I was being submerged in water as my ears began to hum, sending my senses into overdrive. I scanned the perimeter of the pass with one glance, seeing nothing yet, but I knew they were there.
"Over there to the right," I pointed. "They're coming quick."
The Protectors herded the Guides together, forming a tight circle around us. My stomach twisted as I recalled a similar time we had circled up like this and had failed. I quickly readjusted so that the guys formed a line in front of us instead. "This way you have more room to maneuver," I reasoned.
"Krista, are you sure they're coming? I'm not picking anything up," Kieran asked.
"Absolutely sure, they're coming from the east," I said, pointing to the trees in front of us.
The guys tensed up at my words, waiting for the Daemons to enter the clearing.
My senses tuned into the beasts that stalked us and I could feel their bloodlust as they got closer to the pass.
Sam gasped beside me as she and the other Guides finally sensed the oncoming Daemons.
My own breathing quickened when they entered the clearing. I swept the beam of my flashlight over each of them, shocked by the grotesque figures in front of me. Haniel had been too kind in his assessment of them. To say they were horrific looking would have been putting it mildly. Their heads were covered in multiple horns that rose grossly from their heads. Outwardly, they had a red tinge that I had always associated with what a demon would look like, but as they made their way toward us, I realized the reddish tint was more of an oozing bleeding mess. It was as if all their skin had been melted or peeled off. As grotesque as they looked, it didn't come close to the stench that permeated the air around them. The only features that came halfway close to what I was expecting were their menacing glowing eyes that distorted their features even further.
"Holy crap," Sam said next to me.
"Pretty sure there's nothing holy about them," I said dryly from the corner of my mouth.
We all stood ready as the trio of Daemons approached my group. Their hoofed feet made the snow sizzle and melt where they stepped. My stomach turned as I realized that the offending stench they were emitting came from the smell of the burned skin that clung uselessly to their shapes. I couldn't fathom how it remained there without completely falling off.
"Protectors-s-s-s," One hissed, eyeing John, Paul, Shawn and Jacob. “It’s been a long time since I’ve tasted human flesh,” another growled. They paced back and forth, eyeing us eagerly as if waiting for the command to charge.
"Demon trash," Shawn countered, making the one closest to Jacob spit what looked like green slime in the white snow. The snow sizzled from the acid-like slime that melted its way down to the ground below. Sam and I exchanged horrified looks.
“Ooh, tough guys-s-s. Let’s see how tough you are when I’m sharpening my teeth with your bones-s-s. Or you,” it said, pointing to Sam. “I will wear your intestines around my neck, prettiness-s-s.”
The Protectors shifted around apprehensively in front of us, waiting for an oncoming attack. I could feel the slight panic and anxiety of our group like pins pricking me all over my skin. These Daemons were different than anything any of us had ever faced before. I had to do something or this mission would be over quicker than we thought. I closed my eyes and concentrated to filter the negative emotions I was feeling from my friends. I could feel the fear and doubt swelling up inside me as I focused, redirecting the pent-up energy towards the trio of on-looking attackers.
The Daemons jerked back as if they had been electrified.
One of them glared at me through the gap between Jacob and Shawn. "An Archangel?" It snarled apprehensively.
"No!" I retorted without thinking. Instantly, I kicked myself, wondering if they would have left if they thought they were facing an Archangel.
"Then what?"
The Daemon furthest from me snarled.
I clamped my mouth closed this time, stubbornly remaining silent.
We watched in disgust as the three of them snuffed the air with what we could only assume were their noses. Each one protruded from their monstrous faces in a different size and shape, making it hard to decide which Daemon was the least attractive. As if to accentuate how disgusting they were even further, one of them reached up with its long talon covered fingers and scratched the side of its gourd-like nose. The razor sharp talon sliced through the skin on its nose, making it ooze a horrific burnt orange colored substance. My stomach turned over as it wiped the goo on the back of its hand and then licked it off with its long forked tongue.