Dancing With Monsters Read online

  Chapter Fifteen

  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.

  I smiled, and curled my fingers around his wrists. "I'm fine." I reassured him.

  "The demons-they're gone." Evie looked around smiling in a joyful relief. "You did it April, and Seth!" She rejoiced. "We are free of the demons!"

  "Not all of them," said a voice behind her.

  I turned to see Isaiah, hand raised over his head, eyes fixed on Eveie, and mouth clenched tight as he held a silver disk in his hand. With one quick movement, he released the disk towards Eveie as Ella screamed wrapping her arms around her mother.

  Malachi yelled, pulling Ella away from Eveie and wrapped his arms around the screaming girl.

  Pushing Seth out of the way, and without thinking about what I was doing, I lunged towards Eveie. The disk sliced through the air like a sizzling blade that I caught in my hand. It cut into my skin, but I felt no pain, instead, I felt relieved I had saved Eveie.

  Standing in front of Eveie with my arm extended, I gazed into Isaiah's eyes. I curled my fingers around the disk crumbling it like it was a giant cookie, letting the crumbs trickled from my hand to the ground.

  "This is The Isle of Stars, and these are my lands you are treading on," I said, with an even voice, and a slight uncertainty that it was Ebony or Ezra that was talking, but I didn't sense them-only me and my words. "You are here without permission and attempt to kill and make judgement on someone you know nothing about."

  "What is the meaning of this?" Isaiah extended his questioning gaze to Edan. "Are you a part of this?!" He yelled as more archangels all dressed in grey-white clothing that sparkled like flexible armor, came from behind Isaiah and looked at us with their penetrating eyes.

  I looked at them as they stood tall, strong and beautiful behind Isaiah. I was in awe of their beauty-like statues that had come to life. And then, through the crowd Yolanda and Ayil, who looked slightly out of place among them, stood beside Isaiah.

  "Have you gone against me, and are taking the side of monsters and demons?" Isaiah asked as I turned to Edan.

  He didn't answer as his mouth trembled. Nessa, with her white hair and strong eyes, stood beside Edan and slipped her hand into his with a disapproving look from his father.

  "He can see things you fail to see. You only see in black and white, good and bad, but there are the grey places that exist where true loyalty lives. Eveie is a demon, but she is a good demon that not only saved the lives of the innocent, but helped protect us from the demons that could have taken over this world, and you'd be fighting right now."

  He gave me a disgusted look. "You know nothing, monster, or whatever mongrel you are." Isaiah's mouth tightened as if he had eaten a whole lemon. "Kill them all, and take my son. I'll deal with him later." Isaiah fixed his eyes on me. "Keep her body-I want to dissect it later."

  Yolanda and Ayil looked grimly at one another as the twenty or so archangels raised their swords and charged towards us.

  As if something had suddenly exploded inside of me, I raised my hands and felt strength blossom in me like a geyser. My thoughts ran wildly from the first Taking I did on the man in the alley, to the demon that I had barely touched his soul. It was swirling inside of me like a tornado throwing around cars, destroying buildings and reining chaos in its path.

  Stop, little Fae!

  A voice pierced through my head, but I ignored it as the army of archangels fell to the ground until all that was left was Isaiah. I locked my eyes with his, and ignored everything around me as I put a shield up as I stood in front of him.

  Fear erupted in his eyes as his army and weapons had turned useless to him. It was just him and me.

  "I could kill you now, and rid you of my lands, but I won't." I kept my unblinking eyes entangled with his.

  "You've killed my army, and have taken my son," he breathed.

  "Your army, I did not kill, and Edan made his own choice, and I'm giving you a choice as well." I pulled closer to Isaiah-almost on the verge of doing a Taking, but different. "Demons are still with us, and will keep trying to take over any lands they can. We are strong, but stronger together."

  "Are you asking me for an alliance?" He bitterly asked. Isaiah's ego, even in a dangerous situation, knew no bounds.

  "Like I said, I could take your energy and leave on the ground like crumpled paper waiting for the wind to blow it away." I held my gaze. "But you are Edan's father, and because of that reason too, I won't hurt you."

  His mouth tightened. "I've been around for hundreds of years. I don't think a little mutant is going to bring me down."

  I reached for his collar and lifted him up by it until his feet were off the ground.

  "It's the unexpected things that get us," I said as I rea
ched farther into him just to give him a taste of what a Taking was like.

  Little Fae, stop!

  Suddenly, the barrier I had put around Isaiah and I, shattered. I let go of him as Rowain, the sky serpent, descended from the sky and with a glance of her colored eyes, casted me through the air and to the grassy knoll behind me.

  Feeling a sudden weakness, I laid down on the ground as Malachi came to me.

  "April," he said my name as he pulled me up.

  I looked to the sky to see more sky serpent, all translucent, flying in groups like liquefied clouds drifting in the blue sky.

  The archangels slowly got up as the sky serpents darted towards them like angry hornets.

  "You have proven yourself to us, April Snow, but they all must die as they are impure to us." Rowain said as she took her silver talon and pierced it through Isaiah.

  Seth

  "No!" Edan yelled as he ran to his father.

  The sky serpents darted around us at first as I ran towards Ayil and Yolanda.

  "Are you alright?" I asked as they, along with the rest of Isaiah's stunned army, stood up and looked to the sky.

  "Sky serpents," Yolanda said, with eyes wide on me. "We can never fight them."

  "How do we protect ourselves?" Ayil asked. "We'll never make it back to the portal."

  Yolanda looked up at the sky filled with what looked like hundreds of sky serpents. They haven't attacked us yet as the archangels in all of their white and silver, looked up at the serpents that glided past us as if waiting for us to make the first move.

  "They won't attack us," Yolanda said, stepping out in the open as a sky serpent glided past her with a hard look of its large eyes bleeding with color absorbed from its surroundings.

  "I don't think hundreds of them would gather to not do anything." Ayil stepped beside her and then turned towards the archangels. "Draw your swords!"

  "No! Don't!" Yolanda desperately yelled as she waved her arms.

  "What are we going to do, let them shish kabob us without so much as a fight?!" Ayil glared at Yolanda as if she had gone mad.

  "Yolanda's right," I said, as more sky serpents began to descend. "They won't hurt us because they do not want a fight. They want to see what we want to do. If we fight, they will, if we don't, they won't."

  "Are you an expert on sky serpents?" Ayil asked with her hand on the hilt of her sword. "We are outnumbered, but not by our enemy. This is The Isle of Stars." Yolanda looked at Ayil as if this should mean something. "They would have killed us before we even stepped out of the portal."

  "Father!" I heard Edan yell as he knelt next to his father's body with April standing beside him and looking up at Rowain. Nessa was beside Edan, and both looked down at Isaiah.

  Rowian, with eyes fixed on April, suddenly took off leaving with a rush of wind.

  "They've already killed one of ours?" Ayil slid her eyes to Yolanda.

  "Eveie!" April yelled as she ran up to her and pushed the archangels that had surrounded the demon.

  April took Eveie by the hand as the archangels showed no resistance, and went towards Isaiah.

  "She's going to heal him," Ella said, slipping up behind me.

  Ayil, Yolanda and I looked down at her as she smiled. "That's what they want her to do." Ella looked up at the sky as the sky serpents continued to encircle us, but showed no strike against us.

  Watching from where we stood, Eveie knelt on one side of Isaiah and April on the other. Eveie looked down at Isaiah with compassion as she gently ran her hand over the side of his cheek, and then said something to April and then to Edan.

  Eveie took April's hand and placed it over Isaiah's fatal wound. April closed her eyes as Eveie did the same and their hands, barely touching one another, glowed with a bright light.

  I watched until the light grew so strong, it was like looking into the sun. We all turned away to shield our eyes as the images of April, Eveie, Malachi, Nessa, and Edan faded into the light.

  Everything around us closed in as if a giant blanket encircled around us, and all we could hear was the sound of the sky serpents' wings beating like ceremonial drums. I looked up to see several of the creatures gliding casually over us. They were truly magnificent in all of their translucent beauty.

  "April and Eveie has done them proud," Ella said, as the light began to fade.

  Yolanda and Ayil, along with the rest of the archangels, rubbed and tried to focus their eyes from the near blinding light. When my eyes returned to normal, I ran up to them to see Isaiah blinking his eyes with confusion as Edan repeated his name over and over while thanking April and Eveie.

  Ayil and Yolanda and all the archangels, surrounded the resurrected head archangel with silent awe and the wings of the sky serpents still beating overhead.

  April

  "You have done well, young Fae," Rowain said, as she hovered over us. "But your journey here has just begun, and there is much to learn from us. Your father waits for you?time he has not much of." Her eyes, colorful as they were, faded slightly. "You will continue his reign as you have proven your worthiness to us. You rid us of demons, released the one you had loved, and saved and reasoned with the angel that did not plan to do the same to you."

  Bravery is nothing without thought.

  Rowain said privately to me, and though I couldn't see her smile, or even if she could, I felt her warmth fill me.

  You can come with me now.

  "I will call for you soon. Let me say goodbye to my friends," I said, as Rowain nodded and then took off.

  I watched her go as I turned to see Malachi halfway up the hill.

  "I think Isaiah must have at least thanked Eveie at least a half dozen times." He pointed behind him.

  I looked at them-angels, monsters and demons all standing beside one another. "I never thought anything like this would ever happen to me. All my life I felt I never belonged and I was a freak." I kept my gaze on them, and then met Malachi's blue eyes and smiled. All of my past worries and fears seemed to melt when I stared into his eyes.

  "What," he said, with a laugh.

  "You have amazing eyes," I said.

  "So do you," he replied quickly.

  "They're brown-nothing special there-they are the color of mud."

  "Well, yeah, a good match, but where your eyes are the color of mud, as you compared them to, your wings, and what's in here," he patted his chest where his heart was, "surpasses any form of beauty this world has to offer." Malachi's words where the most sincere words that I've ever heard.

  I stepped closer, and let my lips brush past his. We kissed as we did when we entered the portal at the night market in Nethopania, all tangled in the panels of colorful cloth. It was at that moment everything changed, and nothing would ever be the same for me again.

  When I planned my escape from Sunrise Acres, I just hoped to get a ride far away from there-never did I expect to find a monster that opened a world that I would never had guessed existed.

  Seth