Hellfire (37 page)

BumperWillow stuck her nose
under the fence and sniffed. The big bull stared at them, slowly chewing his
cud. Some of the animals slept in the shade of a cottonwood tree, while the
rest munched on the lush, green grass.

Alton shook his head. “No
sense of demonkind at all. I was so sure they’d be here.” He glanced at the
dog. “Willow? Do you or Bumper sense anything at all?”

The dog barked. One of the
bulls ambled close and sniffed noses with her beneath the bottom rail of the
fence. Ginny reached over the top and touched the rough, black coat. A fly
buzzed and landed on the bull. Muscles twitched and the fly took off.
Nothing, Alton.
No lingering sulfur, no sense of demon.

“HellFire?
What about you?”

“Cattle.
Nothing more, nothing less.”

Shrugging off his
disappointment, Alton tightened his grasp on Ginny’s hand and turned away.
“That’s it, I guess. We might as well check out the fair.” He’d been so sure.

They crossed the road and
wandered through the tents and booths set up over an area that was even larger
than the central plaza in Lemuria, which Ginny had already told Alton equaled
the size of a football field.

He was still trying to figure
out how football was played, though the sheer brute force of the game was
enough to keep him interested.

Wonderful smells rose from a
number of the booths and there was even a large, open pit with what looked like
an entire pig spinning slowly on a spit over a fire. The event had the feel of
a historical reenactment, with old-fashioned crafts and various art forms on
display. Lots of the visitors and all of the participants wore brightly colored
costumes.

None, however, were even
remotely as beautiful as either Ginny or Eddy. Alton caught Dax’s eye and the
two men grinned at each other. Dax’s thoughts slipped into Alton’s mind.

You were
right. It was worth the wait. I’m glad there were no demons here to spoil our
date.

Alton couldn’t recall when
he’d had a more relaxing time with Ginny. Since he’d known her, there’d been one
crisis after another. They’d either been in fear for their lives or trying to
escape from or kill demons, and while the risk still existed, for this moment
in time it was good to merely enjoy the company of the woman he loved.

Alton sniffed the air. There
was no scent of sulfur, no sense of demonkind. Even Dax appeared to have
relaxed enough to actually enjoy himself with Eddy. The two of them held hands
and wandered from booth to booth with the silly-looking curly blond dog trotting
along beside them. If there’d been any risk of demons at all, BumperWillow
would be the first to notice, but she held her head high with her tail curled
over her back.

All was well. He glanced at
Ginny and she smiled at him. Better than well. Damn. She was so perfect it
almost hurt to look at her. He swore to himself she’d always have a closet
filled with red dresses and skirts and anything else that women liked—as long
as everything was red.

Ginny in red stirred his
senses. She took his breath with her beauty and dazzled him with her smile. He
had to look away before he lost his composure altogether. He’d never, not in
his wildest dreams, imagined feeling this way about a woman. Never dreamed he’d
fall in love—or have that love returned.

Ginny squeezed his fingers and
tugged him toward the next booth. Like a well-trained puppy, he followed. Dax
and Eddy were just across the aisle from them. Eddy held up a beautiful scarf
and draped it across her face so that she looked like a mysterious Eastern
princess.

Dax tugged it down and kissed
her. Ginny watched the two of them and laughed.

BumperWillow’s hackles went
up. Her lips curled back in a snarl.
Demon.
I sense demonkind. I don’t know where they are, but they’re
coming closer.

Dax grabbed Eddy’s hand and tugged
her through the moving bodies. They worked their way across the flow, toward
Alton and Ginny.

Alton turned to Ginny. “Did
you hear BumperWillow?”

“I did.” She set down the wood
carving she’d been admiring and stood on her toes, searching over the crowd.
Just then Eddy and Dax broke through and joined them.

“Any idea
where?”

Alton shook his head. “No, but
I’m still betting on those bulls. Let’s move back the way we came in, toward
the front of the fair.”

They threaded their way
through the crowds of fairgoers, moving against the flow of bodies. Music was
playing behind them at the far end of the fair, drawing the crowd toward a
stage at the back side of the gathering. BumperWillow yipped when someone
stepped on her toes. Dax leaned over and picked her up in his powerful arms,
holding the fifty-pound dog as if she weighed nothing at all. Now they could
move more quickly and BumperWillow had a better view above the crowd.

Someone screamed. The crowd
surged against them. A shout echoed over the group.
Another
scream.
“C’mon!” Alton grabbed Ginny’s hand and broke into a run. People
moved aside as he raced against the surging throng, toward the growing
commotion.

Dax and Eddy followed right
behind.

“The bulls are out.” Eddy’s
breathless comment was punctuated by Dax’s curse.

The stench of sulfur
surrounded the herd of black bulls that milled about at the front of the craft
fair, not far from the parking area. The biggest bull raised his head, sniffed
the air and turned. He focused on Dax and bellowed out a challenge.

People screamed and ran from
the area. A couple of men tried to herd the big animals back across the road,
but they refused to move. Someone yelled to anyone listening to call animal
control.

“No one’s controlling those
suckers,” Dax said. He set BumperWillow on the ground and untied the red ribbon
attached to her collar. “Stay close, my friend. Be careful.”

Alton stared at the small
herd. The sense of demonkind was strong now, almost suffocating. Where had the
bastards been earlier? Had they somehow managed to mask their presence?

Obviously,
because they were here now.
Here and seething with power. This was not
how he’d wanted to make their stand against the demon king, not how any of them
had planned to fight. They were surrounded by innocent bystanders, people
without a clue as to the threat that faced them.

At least the sun was still
fairly high in the sky. The demons weren’t at their peak strength.

BumperWillow braced her feet
and stared at the bulls. First one and then another of the big animals turned
to face the small group. There were at least twenty of the
beasts,
all of them heavily muscled with long, sharp horns. Their black coats shimmered
in the sunlight. The largest animal pawed the earth and threw huge clods of
dirt over his shoulders, but it was one of the smaller bulls that lowered its
head and made the first rush.

Dax drew DemonFire as the bull
picked up speed and raced toward him. Lightly he spun out of the way of the
thundering beast, tapping the animal’s shoulder with the tip of his sword as
the bull charged by. Blue fire surged from the crystal blade. The animal
stopped, shook his head, and stared at Dax. Two dark shapes floated free of its
back. Eddy slashed through one with DemonSlayer while Alton caught the other.
The demons burst into sparks and disappeared.

The bull lowered his head.
Confused now, he pawed the ground, shook his head, and then trotted back toward
his pasture on the other side of the road. The few bulls that had stayed behind
bellowed a welcome.

Ginny glanced at Alton. “Do
you always have to be right?” At least she was grinning. She nodded toward the
small group of bulls still watching them so intently. “Keep an eye on that big
guy. I think he’s the demon king.”

Another bull rushed, and then
another and another, three huge bulls with their heads down, charging across
the open space directly toward them. The ground rumbled beneath their feet.
Alton heard Ginny curse her platform sandals, but she still managed to swing
her sword, slap bulls with the glowing blade, and spin out of the way with
grace and good effect as demon mist poured forth. It terrified him to watch
her—terrified him and turned him on.

Damn but she was amazing—and
one hell of a fighter. Within a few minutes, they’d destroyed almost a dozen
demons sheltering within the four bulls.

This wasn’t possession as
they’d seen in the past. No glowing eyes, no demon teeth. It was almost as if
the demons were merely using the bulls as places to hang out during the
daylight hours. Hiding within their powerful bodies, somehow controlling them
yet not taking full possession.

But why?

Alton spun to the side as more
bulls charged. BumperWillow helped to keep them contained within a small area,
nipping at heels and throwing her curly body beneath powerful hooves. Crystal
blades flashed, and the stench of demonkind lay over the small area of ground
that was now churned and carved as if it had been plowed.

A crowd had begun to gather as
fairgoers filtered back toward the battle. Breathing hard, Ginny slanted a look
at Alton. “They think we’re part of the program.”

“Beautiful
girls and lots of action.
Why shouldn’t they?” He flashed
her a
wink but kept his attention on the biggest bull. There
were only three others besides the big one left now. He had to presume they
were possessed.

Or were they?

Alton glanced toward Dax.
“Have you noticed? Their eyes aren’t glowing. They haven’t got demon teeth.
Those demons that attacked us were in mist form. Could they merely be using the
bulls as places to hide in daylight? Are they somehow drawing strength from the
animals without actually possessing them? Maybe they don’t need an avatar after
dark anymore.”

“More
evolution?”
Ginny asked.

“Possibly.
Or learned ability? I imagine it takes a certain amount of power to possess a
living creature. Merely hiding within a living shell…Could they be drawing on
the bulls’ life force? I need to know what their motive is.”

Ginny took up a position near
him. “We didn’t sense them in the bulls. Neither did Bumper. Maybe that’s their
motive—hiding in plain sight.”

Alton nodded. The explanation
almost seemed too simple, but it had obviously worked. “I’m worried about the
big one,” he said. “He’s waiting for something. You can almost hear him think.”

One of the three smaller bulls
rushed them. It went toward Alton first, then feinted and charged Eddy. Dax was
on it. He slapped his sword against the creature’s back and Eddy caught three
demons with DemonSlayer as they escaped.

The crowd of onlookers cheered
and applauded. Alton glanced at Dax. “Maybe you should take a bow,” he said.
Dax merely grunted.

There were two smaller bulls
and the one large one left. The rest had trotted peacefully back across the
road to their pasture once their demons were gone. Alton glanced over his
shoulder. The crowd had moved closer. Parents held their children in front so
they could see. “Get back,” he said, waving his arm. “Get those kids out of the
way. These things are unpredictable. They’re dangerous.”

“Great show,” one idiot
yelled. Someone clapped. Someone else blew on a horn and others yelled
encouragement—some for the bulls, a few for the ones fighting them.

Alton looked at Dax and they
both shook their heads. Didn’t these people realize lives were in danger here?
Ginny glanced his way and then turned around to the crowd. She held DarkFire
high and yelled, “Get back, now. All of you.” Purple fire shot from the blade
and people moved back a few steps.

With a look of disgust, she
turned away and stood beside Alton once again. “Stupid jerks,” she muttered.
“What now?”

Alton shook his head. “We wait
and see what he does next. I’m afraid to make the first move. With three of
them, we can’t control what direction they go. I don’t want anyone hurt.”

“Can you use a compulsion?
Send people out of the way.”

“Yes. Why didn’t I think of
that?” Disgusted with himself, Alton turned and waved his hand over the crowd.
After a moment they surged back and moved closer to the tents and booths.
“That’s better.” He leaned over and kissed the top of Ginny’s head. “I knew
there was a reason I loved you.”

She flashed him a bright grin.
“What?
Because I’m smarter than you?”

“Well, I wouldn’t exactly
say—”

“Alton! Look out!”

Eddy’s shout spun them around
as the two smaller bulls charged directly at Alton. He twisted to one side,
slapped his sword down on the first bull, and ducked out of the way of the
second. Ginny caught the demons from the first one and sidestepped the second.
BumperWillow charged the second bull, raced beneath its belly, and came up
under its throat.

Ginny swung DarkFire and
slapped the blade between the animal’s horns. The crystal flashed violet. Two
demons shot out of its back, just out of reach of Alton’s sword. They swirled
high overhead and then shot straight for the one huge bull standing alone in
the center of the field.

It bellowed, and as it
stretched its neck out and opened its mouth, both wraiths shot inside and
disappeared down its throat. The smaller bull that had been their temporary
home shook his head, looked around stupidly, and trotted back across the road
to join the others.

The huge bull that remained
pawed the earth and lowered his head. Dust flew over his back; muscles rippled
across his broad shoulders. The crowed had moved closer, but now, even without
Alton’s compulsion, they surged back out of the way.

The bull raised his head and
his eyes glowed with an inner fire. It bellowed again, only this time there
were rows of teeth, razor sharp and glinting in the sun, and the full-throated
bugle was more the cry of a banshee than a fighting bull.