Dancing With Monsters (35 page)

“
Sky serpents are not
immune to the blades of angels.” Edan threatened.

“
No, they are not, little
angel.” Rowain didn’t appear impressed or worried at the three of
them. “But I am not here to hurt you—I’m a messenger, guard, and
scout. What you should be frightened of is the feet that trample
closer to you. They come after the April Snow for her nectar that
runs through her. Demons have struck, a deal and found their father
that they’ve been searching for. Angels with their power chase
them, and if not stopped, both will be obliterated. We don’t like
war on our lands, and will eliminate all who try. We are strong, we
are numberless, and we will not discriminate.”

“
Why are you telling us
this?” I asked unafraid of Rowain, even though her appearance
should have made me scared, and a few weeks ago would have. “You
could kill them all, including us, but you don’t. Why?”

Her eyes fluxed with color and
understanding. “You have ties to these creatures, and as a single
flower that belongs to a larger plant, you, April Snow, are part of
this world and we’ve waited a long time for you to come. We are
giving you a chance to save the ones you love—a rare opportunity
from a sky serpent and the Fae.” She turned her attention to Edan.
“And you, Edan Tollwick, you should know this from your experience
with sky serpents.” With those words, Rowain’s image liquefied, and
she disappeared with a whoosh of her wings.

15

Seth

Somehow demons had materialized enough
to escape the shadows. But how many had come, and what strength did
they have? So many questions ran through my head as everyone talked
at once, and I couldn’t understand anyone.

“
Quiet!” I yelled,
catching everyone’s attention. “Malachi and Edan, go to the hill
and watch for anything.” I pointed towards the knoll where we were
at. “Tell us if you see anything.”

With slightly surprised looks, they
nodded and took off.

“
I can sense if anything
is coming before Malachi or Edan can.” April stepped in front of me
and looked at me with brown eyes. I searched them quickly for a
glimpse of Ezra. “Let me join them.”

I studied her for a moment then nodded
for her to join them.

“
The demons won’t be
strong without the serum.” I turned to see Eveie, arms wrapped
around Ella as a mother would do protecting their child. “They have
to have a willing host in order to escape the shadows, and I have a
guess at who might have been willing.” She raised her right eyebrow
as the scales glistened in the slight movement.

“
Who?” I asked

“
Benjamin Marsh, April’s
companion that just wanted her for what she could do. He isn’t done
with her.” Her eyes shifted to April. “Allow me to make a barrier
around them—they need protection. We all need protection from not
only the angels and demons, but the Fae here as well. If this isn’t
resolved quickly, they will release the sky serpents and all will
perish. We are lucky they are allowing us to settle this on our
own, unless they are bored and in need of entertainment.” She
looked away for a moment. “Seth, the Fae are very strong here, and
possess many magical implements—it’s a containment facility for the
Fae world, and they do have use of it.”

I looked at Eveie, and then over at
Malachi, April, Edan and Nessa who followed him. They were under my
protection, and even though Uncle Hes was gone, I still had a
mission to complete.

“
The Fae are not
unreasonable, that is how I came to have sanctuary here.” She
tightened her arms around Ella. “They want April, and will protect
her here along with us.”

There was something in Eveie’s voice
she wasn’t telling me. A demon living on The Isle of Stars with
access to all kinds of magical implements and given a house by the
Fae didn’t add up. Why didn’t I see this before and question Eveie?
Because I was worried too much about Ezra and April—I let my
personal feelings get in the way of what’s going on.

“
The Fae would put a stop
to this.” I stepped closer to Eveie. “This is their pristine lands,
and they are letting demons and angels tread freely on it. There
something more going on, and I know you know what it
is.”

Eveie shook her head as Ella looked up
at her.

“
Their king is dying—April
is the closest heir. But she must prove herself to the Fae or a new
line of Fae will control The Isle of Stars.”

I started to put the puzzle together.
“You found April for them, and by doing so, they promised you a
home here.”

She nodded her head. “We have to win
against the demons that come here and make peace with the angels.
April must guide us and prove her strength to them or…” Eveie
tightened her hold on Ella. “The new line of Fae will wash the
lands of her blood.”

“
What do you mean…kill
her?” I asked and she nodded.

Before Evevie could reply, the sky
darkened and a gust of wind pushed on us like two giant hands. I
nearly fell, and managed to catch myself as I turned to see a
black, boiling cloud fill the sky. It looked angry as it rapidly
engulfed the blue sky. Ghost-like, deformed faces of demons,
protruded out of it like they were desperately trying to escape.
Screeching filled the air as an image formed out of the billowing
clouds. It was clearly a man with dark hair and wearing a long coat
that swirled around him like black ink in water. His eyes focused
on April as he descended from the sky like a bird landing
gracefully on the ground.

“
April,” he said, with a
smile.

From behind him, and as if attached to
him, the black clouds swirled with the faces and bodies of demons
trying to claw their way out as the man extended a hand towards
April.

“
The demons—they are
here,” Eveie said, with fear hanging on her every word.

Ella suddenly grabbed my arm and I
twirled around.

“
Here,” she said calmly
and with a slight smile. “This is a demon blade, and yes, I stole
it. The Fae should watch little girls more carefully or have a
better security system.” Her smile deepened. “I knew one day it
would be needed. It’s the only thing that will kill demons as
strong as this one.”

I took the black blade that looked
like it had been carved out of glass. It was light in my hand, too
light to kill a demon—surly it would break. But magic surrounded
it, and I felt it.

The man stood in front of April, and
was talking to her in a way a couple would tenderly talk to one
another. Malachi, Edan and Nessa stood motionless in poses that
looked like they were going to attack him. They had been frozen by
a spell, I’m sure, and that left me to stop this demon and his army
that was literally behind him.

I glided up the hill, dagger in hand
as I heard the hum of Eveie placing a barrier around her and Ella
and me as well.

I’ve never had a barrier placed on me
before, much less by a demon that seemed to care about me. I felt
like I was moving through thick mud. I glanced behind me as Eveie
nodded holding onto Ella.

I turned around, and with all my
strength, I ran up the hill towards the demon with dagger raised as
his surprised eyes met mine.

April

“
Come with me, April,” Ben
said cupping my cheeks with his hands.

I felt tears of joy sting my eyes as I
touched Ben’s arms to see if he was really standing in front of me,
or if he was just a figment of my imagination. Confusion filled me
as to how I got here with Ben, who appeared to be alright. My
disbelief, I let get washed away with the elation of him standing
before me. “I thought you were dead.” Could this be happening? “I
saw you die in the blast. Are you really here, and everything is
ok?”

Eveie had tried to get me from him,
and to protect me, Ben died in Eveie’s blast.

He smiled as his brown eyes gazed
tenderly at me. “I could never leave you, and we can live here in
Avalon.” He stepped aside and motioned towards the city of light
that framed the indigo sky with twinkling stars.

It was night, and the city glowed like
a zillion diamonds under bright light. Everything about it was
perfect. But it couldn’t be happening—other things have happened
since Ben proposed to me—I couldn’t remember.

“
It was meant to be for
us, April.” His words curled around me like a warm
blanket.

I looked at the city. It was
Avalon—city of the Fae…the Fae. I was Fae, and, I now had
wings—Eveie uncovered them for me. My memory pushed through my
happiness for a happy ending with Ben, even though I didn’t want it
to.

“
I don’t understand,” I
said, felling something pull at me. “What about the rest of
them…Malachi…”

Ben’s face turned to a
scowl as he extended his arm out in front of him, and yelled an
incoherent command. Immediately, a thin, grey arm covered in loose
flesh, crept over his like a fog, and then curled its bony fingers
around Ben’s
.
A
ball of grey mist shot from his hand.

I turned, following its path, and
realized Seth was behind me. The grey mist exploded in front of
him, sending Seth tumbling down the hill. The lights, twinkling
stars and the city filled with diamonds, crumbled from my
vision.

“
No!” I yelled realizing I
wasn’t in Avalon, and ran towards Seth.

“
You’re staying with me,
April!” Ben yelled as he grabbed hold of my wing with his demon
covered hand.

I screamed as Ben turned me
around.

“
Let me go!” I cried as
Ben gave me a sympathetic look.

“
But I loved you, April. I
gave my life for you.” He pleaded as his face shifted from the
gentle one I fell in love with, to one of hardness and
hate.

He’s infested—it’s not
Benjamin Marsh you are looking at, April. It’s the face of
thousands of demons.

It was Ezra’s voice in my
head.

Kill him!

Ebony demanded. To my surprise, a
piece of her remained within me. My heart ached as I looked at Ben
struggling between the two identities.

“
Ben, if you’re in
there—fight!” I begged, ignoring Ebony and Ezra. “Fight!” I
repeated.

He groaned as his face twisted
painfully from Ben to that of several different looking demons with
scales, withered skin and some with long straggly hair, to some
that looked as beautiful as Eveie. They were all trying to get out
through Ben, and he was suffering.

“
I’m gone, April.” Ben
struggled to say as his face twisted from a silver-scaled demon
that scowled at me, and then back to Ben. “They took—me over—kill
me and you—kill them.”

I shook my head. “Get them off of
you!” I screamed and batted at the mass of grey clouds that hovered
over us.

I tried to use my power to dissolve
them, evaporate them or vaporize them—something to save
Ben.

It’s too late!

Ezra yelled in my head, and suddenly a
hand, scale covered and muscular, reached from the mass of faces
and other body parts that the grey cloud contained, and latched
onto my wrist. I tried to pull back and looked at Ben, but he was
gone, and a demon with long hair and black eyes surrounded by green
scales stared ravenously at me.

I closed my eyes and thought of my
hexmark and the demon that stared into my eyes. Gathering the focus
I needed, I let my gaze entangle with his cold, almost reptile-like
eyes. I moved closer allowing myself to reach into him. It was like
entering a cold, damp cave where the air hadn’t moved in centuries.
It was empty, and just like those reptile eyes, he was without any
feelings. He was an animal that destroyed without
remorse.

I pulled deeper into the demon’s
soul—if it was even called that. I felt him weakening, but he
didn’t feel fear. He hung onto life as any living thing would,
until suddenly, something sparked between us.

I was ripped away as if someone had
tied a rope around my waste, and pulled hard on it throwing me
backwards and off my feet. I caught my breath as I found myself on
the ground, and Seth standing with a long, black dagger in his
hand.

The grey clouds and mass of looming
demons were gone. Seth stood gazing down at the ground and at a
lifeless body heaped in an unnaturally twisted way. I pushed myself
up and joined him. He looked at me with a mix of empathy and
sorrow.

“
It had to be done,” he
said, and I nodded as I looked down at Ben’s body.

I knelt beside him, and he looked like
the Ben that I had known and was going to marry.

“
He was gone long before,”
I said, more to myself. I knew this when I tried to do a Taking on
the demon, and found no solid trace of Ben anywhere. The demon had
consumed him right before my eyes.

“
April,” Malachi said,
kneeling beside me as he lifted me up and cradled my face in his
hands. “Are you alright?”

He looked at me the way he
had done when we came through the portal at Shangri-la when we were
running from Edan. It was a look that fell between
I never want to lose you
and
I’d die if anything ever did
happen to you.
I haven’t known Malachi for
very long, but something fell into place with us—kind of like a
puzzle that was big, complicated and probably contained a thousand
pieces. Our puzzle wasn’t finished, and with no picture to follow
off of, we were putting the pieces together blindly.