The Awakener (16 page)

“Come on.” Damon exerted himself
, and then incoherent words were tumbling from his mouth. Damon’s eyes widened, perhaps shocked by his own outburst. The words were unfamiliar to Micah, yet the intonation felt powerful.

He wondered if Damon understood what he’d just said.

Damon’s mouth dropped open.

Micah saw why.
The stump was no longer rooted in its spot. It’d moved three feet over, buried in the earth like it’d been there for years.

Damon straightened up and muttered, “Holy crap.”

Then Micah was back in his bedroom, his suitcase sprawled open on his bed, next to his plane tickets.

“Oh man, Trent’s going to love this guy,” Micah said out loud as he finished shoving his clothes into his bag.

Friday morning, Eden tugged her dress from her closet.
She wanted to look at it one more time before tonight. After Andrew had asked her to go, her mom had taken her shopping. They’d hit several stores before walking into a boutique full of prom dresses in the mall. Eden had immediately fallen in love with her dress. It was sleeveless with a V-neck, and had a crisscross open back. The worker at the store called it a Grecian silhouette, with a high waist hitting directly under her chest, covered in a glittering band. The dress hugged her hips and then flowed out to the floor.

Her mom had gasped when she came out of the dressing room
. “It looks like it was made for you.”

“Really?
You like it? I don’t usually get things in red, but I love this,” she admitted, doing a pirouette in the mirror.

“You look gorgeous, so grown up,” her mom had confirmed.

Now she held the hanger up, the red material silky in her hands.

“I
am
excited to go,” she said out loud, maybe to reassure herself. It didn’t help knowing Micah was flying back any day now. Her parents weren’t sure what day, and she was too embarrassed to call the Hawkins to find out.

At
school, there was a definite buzz among the students. Eden felt bad Kevin hadn’t mustered enough courage to ask Jessie to go too. By their lockers, she asked Jessie how the play was going in drama, since she had the supporting lead. That got Jessie talking all the way to trig.

Andrew grinned at Eden, not saying a word about their plans.
It would only make Jessie feel left out, since she was the only one in their group not going. Willow and Chase, Caitlyn and Dave, and even Jake and Megan were joining them.

Ironically,
after her party, Megan was a lot nicer to Eden. Since Eden lingered in the hall a little too long with Andrew after class, she had to hustle into Biology. She wasn’t surprised to see Damon already sitting in his chair. He always beat her now.

She hurried to her seat and
then, seeing she was still on time, twisted around.

“Are you going to prom?”

He made eye contact “No,” and then looked away.

She had decided to continue to be friendly, even if his expression read,
Leave me alone.

“That’s too bad.
Are you feeling any better yet?” she probed.

“I’m fine
; I’m not sick.” He stared back at her.

She sighed inwardly
, and flipped around.

He sure isn’t making it easy.

Everyone was eating and having a good time at the steak house, until Chase said, “Hey, did you guys hear Micah’s back?”

Megan sputtered, covering her mouth with a napkin.
Jake patted her back, saying, “Awesome! It’s about time he got home.”

Eden was glad all eyes were on Megan, not her.
Her cheeks felt warm.

Chase agreed
. “He texted me about an hour ago, wants to know if we wanted to hang out tonight. He didn’t know its prom. I tried to get him to stag it with us, but he didn’t want to. He’s cool with us coming over later for the after the party-party.” Chase grinned. “What do you think?”

Everyone looked around at each other, nodding and saying, “Yeah.”

“Is that ok with you?” Andrew asked her.

She swallowed
. “Sure.”

She caught Caitlyn’s hazel eyes gazing at her, an unspoken question in her expression.
Eden pretended she didn’t notice.

Once dinner had
ended, they filed into their cars, heading for the park. The dance was held outdoors this year, in a large park the school had reserved. There was a white canopy set up with white lights lining the entire ceiling and sides. The DJ was on a stage at the front of the tent, and there was some kind of hard flooring down on the ground. It was too packed to even see what it was made of. Eden noticed there was another, smaller tent set up around the dance floor. Peering in, there was one long refreshment table and many small, round tables, where kids were sitting and eating.

After several fast and slow songs, Eden made her excuse.
She needed a minute. It felt like her heart was in overdrive and her mind sluggish.

“Mind if I run to the restroom real quick? I need to freshen up. It’s sort of hot in here.” She felt lame saying it.

“Not at all, I think the bathroom’s back there.” Andrew pointed at the small building nestled in the trees. She nodded as he said, “Meet you back by the refreshments.”

She followed the path to the restrooms, taking
long, deep breaths
. It’ll be fun seeing Micah again.

She entered the ladies room with a throng of girls.
Impressed, it was much larger than it’d appeared on the outside, Eden searched for an empty sink or mirror. It was packed with girls, reapplying makeup, fixing hair, and pushing up chests in bras. A few girls finished their touch-ups and stepped away, leaving Eden free to stare at herself in the mirror. Though Jessie’s makeup abilities were good, she saw the panic in her own eyes.

Why does he do this to me?

Wringing her hands together, she left, and instead of heading back towards the dance, she wandered towards the trees.
Just need a minute to clear my head
.

Hiking her dress up to her shins, she stepped off the path
, and further into the dark trees. She was so engrossed in giving herself a lecture on how she needed to let Micah go, she missed the slight push against her chest. Wandering deeper into the forest, she shivered. Her naked skin was exposed to the gusts that were now making the trees sway and bend.

Oblivious to her surroundings,
the smell of rotten eggs assaulted her.

She gasped.
Oh my gosh, what have I done?

Throwing her dress up higher, she spun around, sprinting back.
The wind was strong now; her hair lifted off her shoulders, blowing into her face. She compelled her legs to go faster, as she reprimanded herself for being so stupid.

A man’s voice commanded, “Eden, run faster!”

Although she had only heard him once before, she knew his voice, and whirled around.

Fire lit up the night as it whipped through the air.
Heaping piles of ash surrounded him on the ground. He backed closer to her, his blade between her and the figures approaching. As he continued to lunge forward and slice them down, her eyes began to make out the vastness of their numbers.

Terror shook her; there were hundreds of
them, jumping down from trees and climbing out from behind rocks. Feeling too stunned to move, she stared as her guardian sliced through ten more demons within seconds. But more were coming, lots more. Finally registering what she must do, she clutched her dress and bolted. Dashing through the trees, she didn’t slow even when she snagged on branches. Her dress was ruined, her bare skin scraped, but none of that mattered now.

She could hear the battle behind her, the shrieks and cries, smelling of rotten flesh and sulfur.
Her path was lit by her guardian’s sword. He was behind her, holding them back, but not all were destroyed. They were on either side of her now, faster than she was. One to the right reached out just as fire sliced through its arms. Being close, the black forms actually looked semi-human, with long, skinny arms and massive, powerful legs.
Just like Micah
said
.

One to her left
lunged, and this time there was no fire stopping it. It grabbed her at the waist, knocking her to the ground. But this one didn’t gloat over her, as the one in her bedroom had, but instead, it sunk its nasty, long nails deep into her back as it pulled her off the ground, and threw her over its shoulder.

She screeched, not only for the searing pain in her back, but at the insane speed at which it dashed deeper into the trees.
Frantically searching for her guardian, she was thrown to the ground. Stumbling back, she saw the demon she’d ridden on lose its legs to the flaming sword. Once she was out of the way, her guardian sliced through its skull.

Her guardian moved to stand over her.
She was amazed and horrified at the fluidity and accuracy of his movements; she’d never seen someone so outnumbered fight off so many. She knew it was vital to escape, but was too afraid to leave his side.

The ground shook beneath her.

She scrambled to her feet.

A massive man appeared and unlike the other demons’ tight skin stretched over bones, this one had a face with flesh. His hoodless, black robe revealed his bald head and forearms
, both blood red with swirling, black patterns on it.

His mouth opened, unnaturally
elongated, as he uttered moans and chants.

It had rhythm; every time a deep,
drum-like noise sounded in his throat, the demons bowed their heads. In horror, Eden realized, the scurrying black bodies were moving as one and they were all advancing towards her.

Her guardian raised both of his arms above his head
, and then lowered them.

A blast of warm air hit her as men appeared, lining both sides of them. She gasped as they drew their swords
—every single blade was on fire. She counted twelve standing to her guardian’s left and twelve on his right. Their swords were shorter than her guardian’s, and didn’t burn as brightly, but they were impressive.
They’re all Cherubim!

For a
moment, everyone held their ground.

The chanting demon scowled at her guardian and then cackled.
It echoed off the trees, surrounding her.

“Is that all?” his gravelly voice asked.

“Oeillet, Prince of Dominions, I would ask you the same thing.”

Oeillet
growled, spewing black smoke from its mouth. In unison, the demons roared back and charged forward.

Micah’s mind was falling deeper and deeper into the earth, past layers of mud, clay, stone, silt, sediment, his mind delved on.
He could feel something was near, something old, ancient, and evil.

He strained against the rough earth, trying to clear his vision.
That’s when he entered a black crevice. At first, he saw nothing in the inky black, but then, as his eyes adjusted, he made out a face, only a nose and mouth appearing in the shadows. The pale lips moved, white teeth contrasting with blood-red gums.

“Worthless demons, must I do everything for you?
You failed in the forest with the Seer.”

“But
Master, he wasn’t alone,” a muffled voice whined back.

Micah searched the black space but saw no one else.

“Of course he wasn’t alone, you idiot. He has a guardian. I allowed several through; the guardian was outnumbered.”

“Yes, my Master, but she’s a Seraph.
Nothing can withstand her flames.”

“Then how did he escape unscathed?
Pathetic,” the white face growled.

“Yes, Master,” the mystery voice graveled.

“And what is your excuse for the girl? One helpless girl who’s guardian was gone.” The white face contorted into a scowl as he spoke the word
guardian
.

Micah’s gut sickened
. One guess who the girl is.

“I
giftwrapped her. Her guardian went to the council our ploy had caused. You had one slice of time, she was alone, and you failed.”

There was a grumbling sound.
“Master, the demon wasted too much time; her guardian returned before he could secure her.”

“Why?” the white face roared.

“She touched it, Master. It affected it, stunned it.”

The pale mouth pursed together.
“How interesting,” he muttered.

Then his lips snarled
. “I’ll give you one last chance to redeem yourself and then I devote my energy to freeing Azazar; he’ll destroy the Seer and all his gifted. And he’ll tear the Awakener into bite-size pieces for me.”

Micah’s fists clenched.

He knew who he was seeing—the Leader of the Watchers, Semjaza.

He
is
the one orchestrating the demon attacks.

“Send a prince, one with enough ranking to be a worthy opponent for Gabriel.
I will open the channel to let thousands, tens of thousands, through. The woods are deep and thick; there will be plenty of places to hide and wait.” The lips lifted into a sneer, “Get me the girl; I want her tonight.” A crimson tongue licked the pale lips. Micah shuddered.

Eden’s guardian stood center with guardians flanking both of his sides.
She gaped as angels fought demons; so far, none had broken through the line.

Peeking around her guardian, she shuddered.
Oeillet’s black eyes stared back at her, as he strolled forward in a leisurely gate.

She ducked behind her guardian, but to her horror, he strode forward as well.
She shrunk back, trying to hide behind the other angels. One angel with black hair pushed her behind him. She gratefully used him for protection.

The
twenty-four fought like lions, but there seemed to be a never-ending supply of demons. She panicked as she felt claws grab her. The angel with dark hair fought the demon back.

She stared at her
guardian, who was running straight for the red-faced demon, his sword whirling in tight circles, killing every demon in his way.

Oeillet sneered, producing a
long, golden staff; one end formed the head of a viper.

He hefted it up. “I may be only a
Prince of Dominion but you recognize this, don’t you?” He snickered. “I have the staff of a Prince of Cherubim!”

“Am I supposed to be impressed by that?” her guardian retorted
, as his sword soared into the air. He slammed it down on the demon, but Oeillet blocked the blow with the staff.

It was the first time she’d seen something actually stop the sword of fire.
Could he defeat her guardian?
Should I make a run for it?

Her guardian was undeterred by the staff
, as he continued to slash at Oeillet, but the demon dodged and escaped. More arms grabbed her. One began dragging her, but the angel with black hair sliced it down. The longer her guardian fought Oeillet, the more hysterical she became, the terror of the situation overwhelming her.

Then it happened.
Claws sunk into her flesh, she flew into the air, and landed on a cold, bony shoulder. The speed at which it carried her away from the angels made her screams useless. Plunging into the dark forest, she knew no one would hear her.

Demons flanked both sides of them, roaring with victory.

Straining to see over her captor’s shoulder, she made out a pinpoint of light in the distance.
Within seconds, it grew larger and brighter. She craned to see clearer.
Is it him?
The light’s diameter stretched further, closing the gap, leaving no doubt.
She could smell the charred flesh
as he blazed a path with his sword through the demons.
My guardian’s coming!

The demon’s body was ice to her skin; she tried shifting her weight to relie
ve the burning sting. When her torso and legs remained dead weight, she realized she was completely numb, except for her arms. Scared by the loss of sensation, she sent her fingernails deep into the recesses of its skull-like face, hoping to gouge its eyes.

It was a mistake.

The demon howled and snatched her flailing hand, sinking its fangs into her forearm.

Shrieking, she tried to free her arm, but it held it in its mouth, gnawing at her flesh and bones.
The pain was too much. The forest went hazy.

Don’t pass out!

She tumbled to the ground, the demon finally spitting out her arm.
She cried out at the impact of hitting hard earth; it shattered her numbness into thousands of painful splinters.

The demon was decapitated before her, its black head sent h
urtling away. She attempted to stand, but her legs refused to obey. Her guardian planted himself over her, fighting demon after demon.

Her head touched the dirt
, and she watched in a stupor, counting the demons he killed. Even cradling her wrist against her chest, she was losing too much blood. Her vision was hazy; she focused on counting. Fifty-seven, fifty-eight, fifty-nine…

A piercing pain burst through her heart and lungs.

Eyes bulging, she could only make strangled gasps.

Her guardian slashed at something behind them; at the same
time, she felt a pulling, sucking release in pressure. Something had been withdrawn from her back. Now the burning was replaced with an odd, draining sensation, leaving her cold.

She heard the demon’s chortling and then her guardian thundered, “Now you
die, Oeillet!”

The battle shifted in front of her, and she caught sight of Oeillet’s staff, the sharp end covered in blood.

Her stomach lurched.
Is that my blood?

Her eyes riveted on the weapon that had stabbed her, the viper’s fangs menacing. Her guardian reared back
and, with both hands, came down hard, splitting the staff in two, the snake head remaining in Oeillet’s trembling hand.

The demon’s sneer disappeared as her guardian immediately repeated his motion, this time slicing Oeillet from skull to feet, his two halves falling to the ground with a deafening thud.

Barely conscious, she wondered why he hadn’t turn to ash like the others.
She felt her guardian’s arms reach for her, but countless demons piled on top of him. She heard him roar as he fought them off. The angrier her guardian became, the more powerful he seemed to be. Now he was clearing twenty, thirty demons with one slash of his blade of fire.

Her eyes closed again.
She tasted something metallic and salty in her mouth.

With her body numb and tired, the thought of falling asleep was welcoming.
Detached, she gazed at her guardian, who continued to fight as his twenty-four joined his side. Feeling safe, thinking no other demon would get her, she decided it was a good time to sleep, but the black night suddenly blazed brighter. Heat warmed her body, and she felt a desire to stay awake. Forcing her eyes open, she peered up to see a woman in a red dress standing next to her guardian. Grappling with what was happening, Eden recognized who she was. The woman was on fire.

“Micah sent me,” she
said, her black eyes staring down at Eden. “We don’t have a lot of time; it’s more important to get her help. Leave these to me.”

Immediately,
she felt arms lift her and pull her close. He held her tight against his chest as he ran. The numbness ebbed as his body warmed her, but then the pain returned. The agonizing throbbing in her half-eaten wrist and forearm, paled to the terror of struggling to get in air. It was like inhaling under water, her lungs burned, and her eyes rolled back. Again, the temptation to fall asleep came; it sounded warm and inviting.

“Stay with
me, Eden,” her guardian commanded.

How ironic he’s finally talking to me and I can’t talk back.

She nestled her face into him and closed her eyes.

“Eden, I’m getting help!
Stay awake!” he shouted at her.

She struggled to open her eyes, but they felt sealed shut.

His lips pressed into her ear
. “I’m Gabriel. Eden, my name’s Gabriel.”

She tried to open her eyes and smile, but couldn’t.
Finally, I know what to call you.

He’d stopped running and was sitting down on the ground, holding her still.

Oh good, he’s going to let me sleep.

As she drifted, he
pleaded, “Eden, stay with me.”

Micah focused his mind on Eden, as he paced his bedroom.

Trent, sitting on the leather recliner, jumped to his feet. “Do you see anything yet? What’s happening?”

“Nothing yet. Give me a minute.
I have to concentrate,” Micah said through gritted teeth.

After telling Sage what he’d seen, Micah had demanded Sage go to them.
She’d hesitated and then commanded them to stay put and together. She said Trent’s guardian would watch over both of them while she was away, and then she was gone.