The Light of His Sword (8 page)

Gabe pulled off the road and turned to
Samantha.

“Stay in the car.” Gabe ordered as he opened
the door and pulled his sword out from under the front bench
seat.

Samantha watched as the woman crawled from
the wreckage and rose to her feet. Her hair was saturated with
blood; it ran down one side of her face. She screamed in rage as
Gabe approached her. She started toward him, then hesitated when
she saw the sword. Gabe moved with controlled rage toward her
swinging his weapon out before him. He stopped a few paces away.
His eyes narrowed at the young woman. “Come out of her!” He
commanded, raising his sword.

The woman gasped and staggered backward,
falling to the ground. Three shadows rushed out from underneath her
and disappeared into the darkness of the forest beside them. Gabe
knelt beside her. He took hold of her hand. It was cold and
clammy.

Samantha watched as he leaned over and spoke
to the woman. Gabe’s words of comfort were the last things she
heard as she took her last breath.

Samantha cradled Alyssa’s head in her lap in
the backseat of the cutlass. Gabe nursed the car off the highway
onto the outer road as steam began to pour from the hood. He pulled
into a small gas station on the outskirts of a small town and
glanced back at Samantha.

“I’m going to go inside to get some ice for
your mom’s head. We’ll let the car cool down for a bit then I’ll
add some water, and we’ll be on our way.” He gazed down as Alyssa
and added, “Keep the doors locked and don’t open them for anyone.
If your mom wakes up, tell her I’ll be right back.”

Gabe returned quickly and handed Samantha a
bag of ice. Unsure what to do, she placed the bag on Alyssa’s
forehead. Alyssa’s eyes flew open, and she sat up. She grabbed her
head and fell back down as her vision blurred. Reaching up for
Samantha, she hugged her fiercely.

“Are you okay? Where are we?” She managed
through the pounding in her head.

“I’m okay,” Samantha hugged her back and
handed her the bag of ice. “Gabe got this ice for you.”

Alyssa accepted the ice and placed it on the
back of her head. Pain throbbed in her temples. Yet it was no match
for the pain that shot across her back as she released Samantha and
sat slowly up leaning against the seat. Gabe opened the rear door
and gazed inside.

“You look awful.” He said with a smile and
handed her a bottle of juice and two small square packets of pills.
“Take both packets of the medicine; it’s a mild pain killer. The
car overheated, but it’s cooled off enough for me to add water so
we can keep moving.”

“What happened to the truck?” Alyssa asked
taking the water and opening the packets of pills.

Samantha said, “It crashed. Then there was a
black car with a mean lady, and it crashed too.”

Alyssa glanced at Samantha then stared at
Gabe expectantly. His smile vanished. “Our pursuers are getting
more aggressive. That’s why we have to keep moving. You should lie
down and rest; we’ll be on our way in a few minutes.”

After swallowing the pills, Alyssa handed
Samantha the water and lay back down on the seat. The car was
getting cold sitting in the shade of the gas station. She laid her
head back on Samantha’s lap and reached up to snuggle with her. “I
love you,” She whispered, kissing her daughter’s cheek.

“I love you too, mommy. Everything is going
to be okay. Gabe is very smart and brave. He’s a good driver too;
you should have seen him.” Samantha answered, glancing up as Gabe
slammed the hood shut.

Gabe climbed into the car and started the
engine. It sputtered and jerked then began to run. They pulled out
onto the two-lane highway and headed into town. Gabe explained,
“The attendant said there is a farmer’s supply store a short
distance from here. We can buy a change of clothes and get you both
a coat. The weather’s getting colder; there’s going to be a frost
tonight.”

The farmers market was inside a large, brick
building sitting just inside the city limits. The large blacktop
parking lot was filled with cars and trucks. Gabe helped Alyssa out
of the car. A wave of dizziness rushed over her but disappeared
quickly as she clung to his arm. The interior of the store smelled
of leather and animal musk. Alyssa’s head ached too much to be
impressed by the assortment of harnesses, saddles and hunting
supplies that filled the large store. Samantha spied the clothing
and pulled Alyssa toward the racks of jeans, plaid shirts and
cowboy hats. Gabe headed toward the back of the store as they
searched the racks.

The variety of colors and textures thrilled
Samantha. She pulled several shirts from the rack and laid them
against her chest. “They have pink and blue mommy!” She gasped,
finding another.

Alyssa fought against the pain in her head
and back. She forced herself to reach out and pull a shirt off the
rack for herself. They were listed by size, but the sizes made no
sense. What was size 5/6 and 7/8? Was that age? The children’s
clothing looked correct, although the 5/6 looked too small for
Samantha. The woman’s clothing had the same sizes; it just didn’t’
make sense. Deciding to ignore the sizes, she found a shirt that
looked right.

Taking hold of Samantha’s hand, Alyssa led
her over to the skirts and pants. She pulled two suede skirts from
the rack for each of them. The material looked sturdy and warm. She
glanced around for Gabe. He was nowhere in sight. Noticing a closet
labeled dressing room, Alyssa headed toward it. A young woman
appeared beside them. Her name tag said Missy.

“Feel free to try on the clothes.” Missy
instructed, pointing at the dressing room. “If they aren’t the
right size, just give me a holler and I’ll bring you a different
selection.”

By the time Gabe returned, Missy had Alyssa
and Samantha fitted and changed. She brought them boots and took
them to try on coats. Missy’s smile broadened as Gabe approached.
Alyssa watched as Missy reached up and straightened her hair. She
adjusted her stance and squared her shoulders in response to the
handsome man standing before her.

Gabe smiled back at her then turned to
Alyssa. “Good news! I just spoke to the owner. He also owns a
taxidermy business. There’s a new sporting goods store in St Louis,
and he’s got a huge shipment headed that way. Only his driver is
out sick.”

Alyssa stared at him with a blank
expression, not understanding.

Gabe explained, “We have a new vehicle. The
truck is loaded and ready to go. We’ll leave the car here, and I
can pick it up when I return the truck, after I get you settled at
your grandmothers.”

“Taxidermy?” Samantha said with a frown.

Gabe grinned at her and said, “See that deer
head over on the wall?”

Samantha turned and stared at the mounted
deer. “Yes.”

“Once the hunter shoots a deer and harvests
the meat, they take the head to a taxidermist who cleans it up so
they can mount it on the wall as a trophy.” Gabe explained as much
for Samantha’s benefit as Alyssa’s.

“So, the truck is filled with frozen dead
animals?” Samantha wrinkled her nose.

Gabe laughed and added, “Something like
that, they use them as decorations.”

“I think a picture of a rainbow would be
prettier.” Samantha rolled her eyes and turned back to him.

This time Gabe paid for the purchase, and
they headed around to the back of the building. The truck was a
short, boxy vehicle. It reminded Alyssa of the delivery trucks that
came to the compound once every few months. Gabe opened the door
for the girls and said, “It’s just a day cab, but it’s got a bench
seat so we can all ride comfortably.”

Gabe helped Samantha climb in then turned
toward Alyssa and offered her his hand. “How are you feeling?”

“Achy,” Alyssa admitted, “My headache is
better, but my back is stiff.”

Gabe helped her climb into the truck. He
reached into his pocket and pulled out a white bottle of pills. “I
got you these, they should help.”

********

Walton stood alone in the darkness before
the altar in the sanctuary. He placed both hands on the altar and
began to chant twisted words of evil. As his chant grew in volume
and intensity, his body took on the glow of a dark purple light.
Walton’s throat began to itch and swell as he struggled to
continue.

Walton gagged and coughed as his voice left
him. The light engulfed him and spread across the altar growing
brighter. A burst of light exploded from Walton’s chest and landed
in the center of the altar. Walton’s lips turned blue, and his
tongue protruded from his mouth. Walton stood frozen before the
altar, his eyes bulging from his head. A tall figure appeared in
the light on the altar. It was a beautiful naked man with light
hair, pale skin and black eyes. A pair of giant black raven’s wings
sprang from his back and opened wide.

He gazed down at Walton and smiled. He
whispered, “I long to be free of human form, but it is not
time.”

Raising his hands high, he began to chant. A
foul black mist sprang from his mouth as he spoke an ancient
tongue. The shadows around him began to boil. The altar trembled,
bursting to life as a black fire exploded around him. All manner of
foul beasts crept from the fire; large and small, filling the
sanctuary with their evil.

Ceasing his chant when the room could hold
no more; he lowered his hands. The fire vanished. Slowly his wings
sank into the flesh on his back. He floated inside the light moving
back toward Walton and vanished inside him. The spark of life did
not return to Walton’s eyes.

Maxwell stood next to Orson in front of the
gathering hall doors taking in the sunshine as the cold wind washed
over him. Walton appeared from the gathering hall and came to stop
before him. Maxwell met Walton’s gaze, surprised by his calm
demeanor. Maxwell said, “We managed to slow their pace. Their
vehicle is all but disabled; they won’t get much further. They are
trying to cross over the Colorado border into Kansas as we speak.
He is still with them.”

“I called on our Master for assistance. He
has answered. He’s gathered his forces and calls more to our aid.
The stranger will fall before our minions. We have only to choose
the time and place.” Walton began in a calm tone, “I will not
tolerate Alyssa’s betrayal. Samantha
will
be returned to me.
Soon Alyssa will watch her hero fall. Then she will beg for the
sweet mercy of death.”

Maxwell forced himself to concentrate on
Walton’s words. Something had changed. There was something
different about him. All his emotion had vanished. Maxwell was
encouraged. “Have you discovered who the stranger is? Where he
comes from?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Walton whispered
locking eyes with him, “He will die quickly beneath the wrath of
the reptilian demons.”

Maxwell glanced briefly at Orson, who
refused to meet his gaze. He turned back to Walton and asked, “What
if he is a defender?”

Walton’s eyes flashed with warning as he
whispered softly, “Why would a defender bother with a stupid little
girl and her useless mother?”

“The prophesy…” Maxwell countered weakly, as
the sudden chill of deep fear rushed through him.

Walton leaned closer blasting Maxwell with
his foul breath, “The apocalypse has not descended. The defender
will not be called until that time. This is an earthly matter.”

“Then perhaps it is time for a new
strategy.” Maxwell offered, refusing to be undone by Walton’s
newfound strength. “If the stranger believes himself a hero, then
let us offer him a final opportunity to prove himself.”

“A battle, one that will rid us of this
annoyance once and for all,” Walton agreed with an evil smile.

********

The truck bounced and jostled them as they
kept to the two-lane highway that wound through the countryside.
Alyssa watched Gabe shift the gears using both feet on the three
pedals before him. Samantha lay down placing her feet in Gabe’s lap
and her head on her mothers. Alyssa stroked her daughter’s hair and
gazed out the front window.

Clouds rolled across the deep blue sky
blocking out the warmth of the sun. The wind ripped the leaves from
the trees along the road with its chilling force. Alyssa used her
hand to block the suns orange-pink reflection in the side mirror
from shining into her eyes. Keeping to Gabe’s suggestion, they
stopped only long enough to get gas or food.

Alyssa’s mind went back to the rest stop.
She knew Walton and the elders worshiped Demons but until that
moment, she’d refused to believe they could be real. Alyssa refused
to learn the elders’ religion. Her mother told her to shut her ears
when the elders spoke of the monsters. Now she wished she’d
listened. She had no idea how powerful they were. What they could
do and what their limitations were. Now she needed that knowledge
to keep her daughter safe. She glanced at Gabe; he was not
forthcoming but perhaps he knew, surely he knew.

Alyssa decided to find out. “I don’t think
I’ll be much help driving this truck. It seems very
complicated.”

Gabe glanced at her, “A manual gear shift
does take some time to learn. Don’t worry about it, I’m fine.
Besides you’ve strained your back and shifting the gears would only
aggravate it.”

“But you haven’t slept all night.” Alyssa
countered, “I was supposed to drive today, so you could get some
sleep, remember?”

“Truck drivers are used to traveling 24
hours or more without sleep. It’s a hazard of the trade.” Gabe
flashed a tired smile, “I’m fine.”

“We should stop in Salina for the night.”
Alyssa already knew the answer.

“No,” Gabe frowned, but didn’t turn to look
at her.

“Why? You need to rest.”

“You know why, Alyssa.” Gabe shot her an
irritated frown.

Alyssa was determined to get answers, “How
do they keep finding us? What is it about staying still that helps
them locate us?”