TWENTY-THREE
Sebastian and Aspen ran back inside with the other Arrows toward the arsenal being laid out by the Guardians. Russell and Victoria were there, slipping holsters on, adding ammunition packs to their belts. Alex and Glen joined them, Evans fast on their heels. Sebastian looked at Glen. “You shouldn’t be here. You’re like a rag doll to them.”
Glen shook his head. “I’m not going to hide while my sister fights.”
Sebastian didn’t bother wasting time with arguing. He threw a pistol to Glen, as well as a shotgun and several boxes of ammunition. “You’ve been working on weaponry with Russ?”
Glen nodded. “I know about your special bullets.”
“Make them count.”
Alex glanced at the pistols and walked empty handed to the front doors where Hans stood. She had a quick conversation with him that Sebastian couldn’t hear over the sounds of Arrows readying for attack. A moment later, they were running off together.
“Where’s she going?” Glen demanded.
Sebastian jerked out a hand to stop him. “Listen! You cannot worry about Alex right now. She’s a demigod. You’re not. If you’re distracted from fighting you’re of no use, and you might as well go find something to hide behind.”
Resolve set in Glen’s eyes as he stared Sebastian down. “I’m fighting.”
“Then fight.” Sebastian handed him a sheathed dagger before running back to the entrance to stand beside Venus, Cupid, and Psyche. The cloud of demons was starting to descend. Sebastian glanced nervously at Cupid, who simply stood there, not moving. “Shouldn’t we be taking cover?”
Cupid shook his head. “Watch.”
The demons, with their blazing eyes and black bodies flew toward Temple, Sebastian couldn’t help backing slowly toward the door. About two-hundred feet from the roof, the demons stopped abruptly, crashing into an invisible barrier. Russell’s mouth dropped open as he came to stand next to them. “How?”
Cupid smiled. “Alex.”
Sebastian and Russell exchanged glances of surprise. “I didn’t know she could do force fields!”
Glen approached them from the back. “Neither did she, until yesterday when we were fighting. I was beating her and all of a sudden I was on my back. I bounced right off one. She’s been practicing it all night.”
Sebastian considered this. “She’s got to be exhausted.”
Glen shook his head. “She’s been sleeping for a while, but I don’t know how long she can keep up something this big. Her endurance is getting better, but she still gets tired.”
Cupid glanced to his side as Hans approached. “Good?”
Hans nodded. “Excellent. This will give us more time to get people in the right places, defensively.” He glanced at all the Arrows, Golden and Lead, who were standing in the courtyard, watching the demons as they hissed and spit at them from behind the force field. “We need to let Alex take it down so we can fire.”
Sebastian looked shocked. “You mean let them in?”
Hans nodded. “We can’t fire through it, she says, and if she keeps this up, she’ll be completely exhausted and of no use to us later if things get out of control.”
Cupid considered. “Hans, we can’t take it down.”
Hans turned. “You’re not listening. It’s coming down. One way or another. If we take it down now, we might have a plan B for later, get me?”
Cupid considered Hans for a while, unsure. Hans sighed. “Trust me.”
Cupid nodded, once. He glanced up at the windows of the Temple, where hundreds of Guardians stood ready with automatic weaponry poised at the demon activity. On the roof stood Alex, her strawberry hair pinpointing her location, her hands raised to the sky. Around her stood a ring of Guardians with their Swords of Light raised, waiting. Hans reached into his waistband for his radio. Lifting it to his lips, he yelled. “Tell Alex to take it down!”
Then he turned to Cupid and the others who stood there waiting. Guardians lined up in front of the Arrows who all stood with their guns pointed at the sky. The Guardians on the ground pulled their long Swords of Light from their scabbards. Swords raised, the light reflected in a wide semi-circle around the front of the building.
Hans took in a mighty breath and bellowed, “Ready!”
All of the Arrows waited, weapons poised. They watched as the mighty demons clawed silently against the invisible shield, growling and roaring silently, hurling themselves into the field again and again, willing it to break. Their cruel eyes flashed as they struggled to get at the immortals waiting below. Silence was heavy as everyone waited.
Then, quite suddenly, the field broke, and the waiting wall of demons fell toward the Temple. The roars of demons were monstrous as the noise of guns. Arrows and Guardians alike unloaded clip after clip of ammunition into the advancing line. Sebastian’s teeth rattled in his head to the beat of gunfire. The smell of sulfur rose up, and the rhythm of the tower guns punctuated his racing heartbeats. Russell glanced over his shoulder, watching as Guardians shot demons out of the sky before they could descend on the Temple roof. Alex raised her hands and tossed demon after demon off the roof, where they were shot during their fall to the ground.
Hans yelled at the Guardians. “Hold the front line!”
The demons were falling from the sky, landing in the courtyard. They crashed into the grass, ripping the turf open like a giant wound on the earth, dirt raining down as they skidded forward and ran toward the Temple. Victoria jumped out of the way as a demon body crashed into the concrete from where a Guardian shot it down. The demons ran toward the Temple over the grass, crying their inhuman growls that pierced the air, sending shivers down Aspen’s back. She and Rogan stood, back to back, shooting into the sky, bringing down demons that were trying to breech the Temple by air.
The horrible mass of demons came closer and closer. Finally, Hans yelled, “Fall back into the Temple!”
The Arrows and Guardians turned and ran through the Temple doors. They bolted the doors and ran to take up places beside the Guardians that were positioned at each window. Sebastian stood beside Seth, the Guardian that had gone with them to save Aspen. He was on the second floor, shooting down the demons that were advancing to the entrance of the Temple. Often a demon would fall off the roof as a Guardian shot it down from the sky or Alex hurled it into the air. Sebastian watched as Cupid unfurled his mighty wings and flew up through the air, wielding a Sword of Light. He sliced through advancing demons, his movements so fast Sebastian couldn’t focus on him. Sebastian emptied another clip, and loaded his last one into his gun. “I’m going to have to get more clips in a minute,” he yelled to Seth, who nodded.
“I’ll be okay here for a while yet.”
Russell stood in a window on the third floor, picking off demons that were trying to get in the doors and windows on the bottom floor. The wind ruffled his hair as he shot demons back from entering Temple. The very ground seemed to be a moving, black, hideous blanket of filth, stink, and evil. The pile of demon bodies was stacking up, and demons were crawling on top of the stacks. It was beneficial in one way because their bodies covered up the first floor windows, blocking the demons from entering. They blocked the door too. However, they were now able to climb higher, with access to windows on the second floor. It was getting harder to pick them off as they ascended. Russell shot a demon just as its grimy hands closed over a window sill. Russell didn’t dare turn toward the commotion behind him, but he heard running feet and shouts advancing. Next thing he knew, Alex stood by his side. She waved an arm and all of the demons climbing the pile to the second floor fell back. Russell glanced over to thank her, but his words died in his throat as he saw that her fiery hair had turned damp and dark with her sweat, which was running down her face. She was pale and breathing heavily.
Russell grabbed her arm and a Guardian ran to his window to cover while he pulled Alex away. “Alex!” He yelled. “You have to stop. You have to take a break!”
Alex shook her head, wearily. “The demons aren’t going to take a break, Russ.”
Russell pulled her back, which didn’t take too much effort. “Well, you’re going to have to, or you’ll be useless to us soon anyway. Take a break. Here.”
Russell ran into a room, pulling her with him and, placed her on a guest bed. He then turned to throw her a bottle of water from the fridge. Guardians were stationed at both of the windows in the room, shooting demons. “Here, drink.”
Alex untwisted the cap from the water and gulped, thirstily. When she was done, she found she had a hard time sitting up. Russell pushed her down on the bed. “Rest. I mean it.”
Alex found she couldn’t argue. She nodded silently, nearly passing out from exhaustion despite the noise, commotion, and chaos that ensued all around her. Russell ran back out into the hall and glanced over the railing to the first floor where Arrows were bracing heavy objects against the door.
Russell spotted Sebastian shooting demons that were peeling bodies of other demons away from the first story windows so they could get in. Russell ran down the staircase to help him. “How many more are there?”
Sebastian glanced over. Seeing Russell he swore. “I have no idea. They just keep coming. There is more here than we saw at any of the attacks on the other Temples. This is madness.” Sebastian raised his gun and blew off the arm of a demon that had succeeded in getting half his upper body through the window. Sebastian and Russell both jumped back as its poisonous blood hit the floor. The beast lifted its face and bellowed in pain as Russell put a bullet in its head, silencing the creature.
Looking down, Russell noticed the ground was shaking. Dirt and gravel jumped off of the marble floor, bumping against his boots. Sebastian looked up as dust began to fall from the ceiling. Wind gusted through the open windows, throwing papers and whipping clothing against their bodies.
“Oh, no,” Sebastian muttered.
Russell and Sebastian ran to the second floor and thrust their heads out of a window, looking towards the sky. A huge, boiling black cloud festered there, throwing lightning at the ground. Huge gusts of wind tore across the acreage surrounding the Temple, bending some trees so hard they cracked in half as large branches scattered the ground. Sebastian cursed. “She’s using both of Mars’s powers at once.”
Russell turned. “Both?”
Sebastian nodded. “There’s no god that could call that many demons at the same time other than the war god himself. And now this.”
Russell turned to look out the window again, watching as a huge tree was ripped from the ground. It scraped along until it collided with the onslaught of demons, crushing many of them as it hurled into the Temple. The piercing sound of the cracking wood echoed up to the windows as the Guardians and Arrows looked on. Hans approached the window. “Mars.”
“Yes, his powers. And that of Auster’s.”
A horrific rumble sounded from above and a large piece of the ceiling caved in, falling to the first floor below where Arrows and Guardians alike dove out of the way of the wreckage. “It’s going to take us apart!” yelled Russell.
Hans shook his head. “No it’s not.” He turned to yell at those still fighting. “Everyone, to the graveyard!”
Alex thrust her head out of the room she had been resting in, her eyes panicky. Russell yelled, “Come on!”
Sebastian, Russell, and Alex joined the crowd rushing through the chapel to get to the graveyard. Sebastian had not seen the chapel since the start of the attack, and it was fortunate he was too busy surviving to fully survey the damage of their sacred gathering place. The altar had been smashed with bodies of demons that had been hurled through the windows. Pews were overturned. Jupiter’s statue had crashed through the ornate pillars on one side, causing the heavy oak woodwork to fall. It was destroyed.
Guardians led the crowd into the graveyard, slicing through demons with their Swords of Light. Arrows continued to fire at stray demons that were fighting against the gusts of wind tearing through the Temple grounds, almost as strong as tornado winds. The only good thing about the sudden storm was that the demons couldn’t fight in the weather either, and most of them were forced, like the Arrows and Guardians, to cling to something or be swept away.
“Look out!” yelled Russell as a large tree flew their way. Seth ran forward with his Sword of Light and severed the tree in half with one mighty blow. The two pieces flew and landed against the side of the building as people dove out of the way. Rogan emerged from the building to join the fray, supporting a wounded Lead Arrow Sebastian didn’t know. Cupid descended from the sky to land in front of Alex. “Are you ready?”
Alex nodded, looking around. “But where is my brother?”
Cupid nodded behind her, and she turned to see Glen fleeing the Temple with Evans, Psyche, and Hans. Motioning with his hands, all of the Arrows and Guardians trudged their way through wind, rain, and hail until they were nearly a hundred yards away from the building. Demons were crawling all over it now. There were gaping holes where the windows once were, displaying demons as they ripped apart the Arrows’ home, tossing other dead Demons across the space. The huge glass window that had once been the back wall of the chapel was gone. Demons climbed over the roof of the Temple. Cries rang out from the crowd as Arrows watched the demons destroy their sanctuary.
Sebastian watched as Aspen approached, a long cut running from her temple to her chin, healing on its own as she approached. He took her into his arms when she arrived, swallowing back his own tears as he watched the Temple crumble. In the wake of the battle, demons now covered every surface. Hans approached and looked at Alex. He nodded once, and Alex lifted her hands to the sky. A huge force field erected itself around the Temple. The world now sounded eerie without the cries from the demons mixing with the sounds of the storm. Russell blinked. “What…?”
But he didn’t wonder for long. Hans touched his belt, and a few seconds later, an enormous explosion detonated inside the bubble, blasting away all of the demons and sending the Arrows’ home into a blazing inferno. Cries rang out as the explosion ripped everything in the force field to shreds. Arrows and Guardians alike clung to each other in the storm as they watched everything burn. Hans turned to Alex again and nodded. She lowered her arms and the heat and noise of the explosion rushed out to them as the force field fell. Smoke spiraled toward the sky. The cries and shrieks of the demons could be heard over the rush of the blaze, but the demons were destroyed and the Arrows were safe. Hans placed a hand on Alex’s shoulder. She looked over, shaking and tired, but triumphant. “That’ll do,” said Hans.
Suddenly the wind increased and the crowd began to cry out in surprise as a massive finger reached down from a funnel cloud. A tornado. Guardians grabbed Arrows and ran to low lands to wait out the storm, but the crowd was so large not everyone could get out of the way in time. Shouts were heard as Arrows and Guardians were lifted off of their feet. Alex turned, determination etched on her face, as she lifted her hands and used her powers to pull those Arrows back from the wind, flinging them to safety in a nearby ditch. She continued to pull people away from the destructive funnel of wind and into safety as Russell ran to her side, seeing her go pale. “Alex!” he yelled.
She nodded. “I know. I haven’t got much longer.”
Sebastian and Aspen ran toward the ditch as the tornado reached for them. The crowd was panicking. It was hard to move. The wind pulled at Aspen, and she couldn’t take another step forward. The wind screamed in her ears as she started to lift. “Sebastian!” she screamed as the wind lifted her off of the ground, pulling her through the air.
Sebastian turned and yelled. “Alex! Aspen!”
Alex turned her head and saw Aspen and three other Arrows get sucked into the sky. She lifted her hands and threw her power at them. Russell watched as she became dangerously pale, sweat coursing down her back, her shirt sticking to her skin. Tears streamed down her cheeks from the effort of holding on. Russell yelled her name, but it was too late. Alex fell unconscious, collapsing to the ground, and the Arrows flew into the heart of the tornado.
“No!” Yelled Sebastian, running toward the base of the tornado. Glen leapt forward to pull him back.
“Sebastian, no! You can’t save her now. It’ll pull you up too!” Glen pulled Sebastian back into the ditch while Russell joined them, carrying an unconscious Alex. Several more Arrows were sucked into the sky. Then, under the watchful eye of the crowd, the storm died away. The air went eerily still and the storm clouds dissolved into nothingness.
Sebastian jumped to his feet and looked at the sky with the others, but the Arrows were gone. Hans walked into the crowd. “Everyone! We need to find out who’s missing. Get a count! Guardians, contain the fire.”
Many Guardians ran to the burning Temple and began putting out the fires around the building. Others ran to get fire hoses from the outbuildings and utility sheds.
Sebastian stared at the sky, then the ground. Russell stood by, watching his friend. “I’m sorry, Sebastian.”
“No!” Sebastian marched into the graveyard, stomping toward the place where Aspen had been sucked into the sky. “We can’t let her! We can’t let…” He stopped suddenly, his voice refusing to work. Evans and Glen approached. Sebastian turned to them. “We have to...” Tears run down his cheeks.
Evans turned her face into Glen’s shirt, unable to watch Sebastian’s pain. Russell looked at Sebastian and placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder. Sebastian choked and wrapped his arms around Russell, clinging to him while his tears took over. After a few minutes, Sebastian stepped back and took a look around, watching as Guardians hosed down the Temple, and Arrows clung to each other, crying. Guardians gathered around injured Arrows and other Guardians in the grass, treating wounds. Garrett stood a few feet away, barking orders into a cell phone. It seemed to Sebastian the world was falling apart.
Cupid approached, and everyone turned. Sebastian looked up into the face of his father. “Dad.”
Cupid nodded, placing his hand on Sebastian’s shoulder. “I know.” He watched his son for a few seconds before turning to the rest of the group. “Relief helicopters are coming now. The mortal authorities are attempting to get in at the gates. We need to evacuate. Russell?”
Russell stepped forward. “Yes?”
“Your research. How is it coming?”
Russell brightened. “I think I’ve found it! The Colorado plains have a lot of thunderstorms, but over the last several weeks they’ve been drifting further to the west than normal, close to the dunes. This anomaly ended up on the mortals’ news stations.”
“Good. Then we’ll relocate to Denver and start looking there.”
Psyche ran up to Cupid, panicked, tears coursing down her cheeks as she cried loudly. “Psyche?” Cupid asked, appalled. “Dear Jupiter, what is it?”
Psyche wrapped her arms around her husband, his great wings encompassing her in comfort. “It’s Venus.” She said. “They’ve taken Venus.”