Late Tuesday night

Ed leaned against a thick oak, gasping for air. After a few deep breaths, he cocked a wary eye at Alton. “I’ve discovered that building model-train layouts and birdhouses doesn’t get a guy in shape for hunting demons.”

“Neither do esoteric arguments and philosophical discussion, but we’re doing well, Ed.” Taking a few deep breaths himself, Alton gazed proudly at the sword he clasped in his right hand. It still hadn’t spoken to him, but it had definitely drawn blood, if that black demon stink could be considered as such. It felt warmer when he held it now, almost as if it pulsed with life. The grip fit his hand better; the weight seemed more perfectly balanced. “How many is that? I’ve lost track.”

Ed frowned. “I don’t know.” He began counting off on his fingers. “The first two—the garden gnome and the stone goose we found just down the street from my house. Then there were three more in the church parking lot. I never expected a demon attack by two angels and the Virgin Mary!”

“I guess Dax was right when he told Eddy they could use angels as avatars. I wondered that myself.”

“True, but wonder no longer.” Ed frowned. “Let’s see, there were the three ceramic cats next to the gas station, the ones you got in midair…what, maybe four or five of those metal hummingbirds?”

Alton nodded. “At least five.” The little metal birds had the potential to be deadly adversaries. Quick and able to maneuver as well as their live counterparts, they’d been armed with sharp beaks and had no hesitation using them. The puncture wound in his left shoulder was proof of that.

“I’m running out of fingers…that’s thirteen so far, and there were at least half a dozen more between the gas station and the nursery—squirrels, a couple more stone cats, the turtle, a frog…”

“Don’t forget the one that jumped us near that fast-food restaurant.”

Ed shook his head, but he was definitely grinning. At least he appeared to have finally caught his breath. “I’ll never see Ronald the clown in the same way,” he said. “All those teeth!” Ed gave an exaggerated shudder. “Okay, that’s at least twenty before we got here, and I have no idea how many were waiting for us in the parking lot. Eddy was right to send us here.”

Alton glanced at the parking lot outside the small nursery. “They did seem to be waiting, if not for us, for something. It was odd, the way they were all massed here.”

The asphalt was littered now with piles of scorched ceramic and stone rubble. The stench of sulfur hung thickly in the still night air. They’d been attacked by an entire army of garden gnomes, stone squirrels, turtles, and rabbits—even a concrete bench designed in the shape of a pig.

Alton’s sword had quickly proved adept at dispatching demons. If only he knew for certain they were actually dead. He feared they might merely have been returned to Abyss. At least with the portal closed, sending them back to Abyss was as good as dead—until another portal in the vortex was created.

“I’d guess we destroyed at least another two, maybe three dozen more here.” Ed gazed about the littered asphalt as if he couldn’t believe what they’d done. He cast a sideways glance at Alton. “Retirement’s certainly more exciting than I expected.”

Then he shook his head and took another deep breath. “All these years Eddy’s looked at me like I had a screw loose whenever I mentioned Lemurians. Not that she doesn’t love me, but she’s such a pragmatic kid, a ‘seeing is believing’ sort. More like her mother than me, but I always hoped I’d get a chance to prove I wasn’t a complete whack job. I certainly never expected anything like this.”

He gazed off in the distance. Then something seemed to catch his attention. He stared at the entrance to the store and scratched his head.

Alton sheathed his sword and flexed his fingers. He liked Ed. The man had a good heart, an accepting nature, and an open mind. While he enjoyed a good discussion, he didn’t seem to feel the need to prove his opinion over anyone else’s. It was obvious he loved his daughter enough to let her be her own woman.

A love like that was more special than most realized. Alton thought of his father, a man who saw his son as an extension of himself, not as his own man. He had no respect for Alton’s beliefs, his needs. No respect for Alton as a man grown.

Ed saw Alton in a different light entirely. As a warrior, a savior come to help protect those Ed loved from the demon threat. Alton realized he felt like a warrior, as much from Ed’s belief in him as from the circumstances.

They’d fought their first battle, and they’d done well. Not only did he and Ed enjoy one another’s company, they made a good team. The evidence of their skill was scattered all about. Alton realized he’d gained more confidence in this one battle fighting beside Ed Marks than in anything he’d done over his entire life—a life that already stretched for thousands of years.

He’d discovered new strengths in himself, new abilities. A sense of fulfillment for having accomplished something entirely physical. There was an amazingly invigorating quality about armed combat. It was even better with a brave companion standing beside him.

He thought of Taron. His friend would love every moment of this fight against demonkind, but the battle Taron waged on Alton’s behalf was an important one, if Alton ever hoped to return to his home.

If I have a home to return to.

What if the bad guys won this one? He hadn’t let himself think of anything other than victory, but their odds weren’t all that great.

He wondered how Dax and Eddy fared, if they’d met much resistance. Dax suffered greatly from the demon’s curse. Alton had the feeling it was a race to see if Dax’s short span on Earth would outlast the power of the demonic curse that was slowly strangling him. They were almost at the end of his third day. It had been obvious this evening that Dax was in constant pain. Would Eddy’s touch be enough to keep the cursed tattoo under control?

There was more strength in the woman than Alton had thought possible. Women on Earth were nothing like the women of Lemuria. No, here their power and intelligence was equal to that of the men. But would it be enough?

So much weighed against them. There’d been no word from Taron, no sign of Lemuria electing to help. Maybe his people had lost their desire to fight, their need to protect their own. It was difficult to believe they’d once been a race of warriors.

Alton flexed his fingers and thought of how good it felt to grasp the hilt of his crystal sword, to swing that shimmering blade through stone as if he cleaved butter. It was becoming more an extension of his arm than he’d ever believed possible, though he’d carried it all his adult life.

Yet it still had not shared its name. What kind of warrior was he, that his sword refused to acknowledge him? He tried to remember the last time he’d seen a sentient, speaking Lemurian sword. His culture abounded with tales of ancient warriors and their partnered swords, but if he’d ever heard one speak, it had been many long years ago.

Alton squared his shoulders. He knew he fought bravely, but was bravery enough? Did they have the strength they’d need to see this through? It was difficult to imagine their small band overpowering all the demons who’d made it through the portal.

If only he knew how Taron was doing. Was his friend having any luck convincing the Lemurians to take up arms against their age-old enemies?

Would they even remember how?

He knew from his history lessons that his people had once been powerful warriors who’d kept demonkind under control, but once that control was achieved, they’d continued to fight other peoples until their many battles had almost obliterated the more civilized aspects of their society.

The art of negotiation had saved them, and once they’d established secure treaties with their known enemies, their skills had shifted entirely to the art of debate.

Now they’d merely argue a person to death before they’d actually lift a weapon. Unfortunately, you couldn’t argue with a demon. They knew only three things: eat, fuck, and kill. Demons weren’t known for diplomacy, and a demon never surrendered.

Still, even though their days as warriors were long past, each Lemurian male carried a sword, if only for ceremonial purposes. All males were trained in the art of swordsmanship, though what they learned was more ritual than reality, especially when their swords remained mute.

Would his sword ever awaken?

How many demon deaths did it take to impress a crystal sword of Lemuria? How many more demons would he kill before the creatures were finally gone from this dimension? Would they be able to kill them all? He felt as if his thoughts whirled in ever more convoluted circles. Circles that merely took him back to the beginning of his original argument.

Obviously the Lemurian talent for debate and discussion was more deeply ingrained than he’d suspected, if he could carry on such a discussion with himself, and manage it all in the course of mere seconds. Shrugging off the sense of doom settling over his shoulders, Alton turned his attention back to Ed. The older man had fought valiantly, swinging a six-foot pry bar as if it were an iron mace.

From the beginning, they’d worked well together. Alton’s superior strength and size had given him the upper hand, and he’d destroyed almost half of the avatars waiting here at the nursery on his own. He’d whipped his sword in wide arcs, slicing through the creatures as they attacked. The crystal blade had cut through them as if they were made of paper, not stone or ceramic.

Ed had gone for the rest, crushing their brittle bodies with his heavy iron bar. Once Ed destroyed the avatar, Alton had merely swept his sword through the stinking demon mist, and they’d disappeared in a flash of fire and smoke, leaving behind the unmistakable stench of sulfur.

He hoped that meant they were dead. He needed to check on that with Dax. A demon, reformed or otherwise, should know what it took to kill one of the bastards.

“Alton, I just realized what’s bothering me.”

Alton looked in the direction Ed pointed, toward the entrance to the store.

“Remember earlier, when Eddy mentioned this place? She said it was the store with the big grizzly bear in front. Notice anything missing?”

Alton shifted his gaze from the noticeably barren store entrance and carefully studied the surrounding area. “No sign of a bear. Any idea where it might have gone?”

“When we first got here, the creatures were all in the parking lot, as if they were waiting. Remember? We thought they were massing to attack us, but I’m wondering if they were merely getting ready to join up with others somewhere else. We were walking east, and they were all facing us. What if they were getting ready to go somewhere west of town when we showed up? They might have been as surprised as we were. They certainly didn’t put up an organized fight.”

Alton tried to picture the creatures as they’d first seen them. He really did need to pay closer attention, as Taron so often reminded him. “They were definitely facing west. If you’re right, that would take them into town.”

“Or, it would take them out to the cemetery, where Eddy and Dax were headed.” Ed slung his pry bar over his shoulder. “I suggest we follow the same route. I bet we’ll find the bear along the way. As big as it is, it’s probably got more than one demon running it.”

“I don’t like that a bit. If you’re right…” Alton shook his head. “When demonkind begin to cooperate, they get scary.”

Ed’s dry laugh sounded anything but humorous. “You mean they’re not scary like this?” He waved a hand in front of him, encompassing the shattered pieces of stone and ceramic littering the parking lot. “I really wonder where that bear went….”

“Let’s find out. Which way will lead us to Dax and Eddy?”

“This way.” Ed pointed to a narrow country lane. “This road leads us back to the main street where we can take a jog over the freeway, and from there go directly to the cemetery. Almost due west, which is the direction all these guys were headed.”

Alton merely nodded. Everything he saw showed evidence of cooperation among demonkind. Unheard of, but so were a lot of the things he’d witnessed over the past few hours. He followed Ed, worrying even more how this would all turn out.

 

The closer they got to town, the more demons they found. Ed thought of calling Eddy, but he was too busy ducking overhead attacks from small bronze hummingbirds with deadly beaks or bashing in garden gnomes that raced out of yards and leapt off of porches as they tried to block the way.

“I had no idea how many people put little statues in their yards,” he said, swinging his iron bar at a pair of ceramic gnomes. Both shattered. A sulfuric stench filled the air as the demon mist floated free of the avatars.

Alton stepped up with his sword and with one swing of the crystal blade, quickly sent them off in flames. “It’s an odd human custom, that’s for sure. Why so many with pointy hats and round bellies? Is it some sort of religious icon?” Alton knocked another metal hummingbird out of the sky, sliced it with a flick of his wrist, and destroyed the demon as it escaped.

“I’m beginning to wonder.” Ed stepped over a pile of broken gnomes. His cell phone rang. He grabbed it out of his pocket and flipped it open. When he saw the number, his heart gave a lurch. “Thank goodness, it’s Eddy.” He took the call quickly, relieved to hear her voice. She sounded confident, though concerned enough that she and Dax wanted Ed and Alton’s help. He was smiling broadly when he put the phone back in his pocket.

“Just what I thought. They’re still working their way to the cemetery. She said they’ve killed a couple of dozen demons so far, but they can hear sounds that make them think there are a lot more at or near the cemetery, which is just west of their location. They want us to join them before they go in. She and Dax don’t want to attempt to enter the place on their own. It’s a pretty good hike for us, about twenty minutes or so.”

Alton stared toward the west, as if he were trying to hear the banshee howls and growls of demons, but the night was quiet. “Do you think we should go back for your vehicle?”

“No.” Ed shook his head. “We’d miss any demons along the way.”

“I agree.” Alton started forward with what appeared to be a new sense of purpose. Ed had to stretch his legs to keep up with the long-legged Lemurian.

“The whole point of this exercise is a foot patrol to see what we’re dealing with. Hopefully we’ll find your missing bear between here and there.” Alton started to sheath his sword, stared at it a moment, and kept it in his hand.

As many demons as they’d come across, Ed figured that was a pretty good move. He rested his pry bar over his shoulder as if he were carrying a rifle. He and Alton swung to the right and headed north on Lassen Boulevard. “We can cross the tracks at West State Street,” he said. “That’ll take us to Fir, which’ll get us over the freeway to the cemetery.”

It was unusually quiet in town. Even the small bar on the corner was dark. They passed a few piles of ceramic and stone pieces. “Looks as if Eddy and Dax have been this way.”

Alton merely nodded, and continued scanning the alleyways and side streets they passed, but all was quiet.

They were almost to State Street when a scream cut through the night. Close by, human, not a banshee howl. Ed and Alton both stopped. It was difficult to tell from what direction the sound had come.

She screamed again. Ed was certain it was a woman. “This way!” He held his pry bar like a spear and raced down the street to a small minimart just around a bend in the road.

Alton quickly passed him, running full tilt with those long legs of his. He held his sword out in front of him. The crystal blade shimmered with its own light, but even with such a brilliant beacon, it was all Ed could do to keep him in sight.

Alton rounded a corner and disappeared just as the woman screamed again.

 

It appeared they’d found their bear. Alton skidded to a halt at a point where the main route they’d been following jogged to the left. Streetlights illuminated the corner. A small group of people had gathered, but most of them were all on the far side of the road, away from the action.

A young woman had wedged herself behind a large garbage Dumpster. Armed only with what looked like a slat from a wood pallet, she was trapped against a wall with the huge demon-powered grizzly shoving at the metal container and taking swipes at her with his paw.

She swung at him with the broken slat, but claws at least six inches long barely missed her as the creature forced its broad shoulders between the Dumpster and the brick wall. She retreated as far as she could, still poking ineffectually with the slat. The massive concrete bear appeared to be moving the Dumpster, widening the gap where the woman was trapped with the force of his powerful shoulders.

A couple of young men were trying to help, but the rocks they threw merely bounced off the concrete hide. From the sound of their curses and the lack of cooperation between them, Alton thought they appeared to be more than a little inebriated.

The grizzly’s jaws gaped wide, but there were no grunts or bestial roars. Instead, an eerie, banshee-driven wail echoed off the surrounding buildings and raised the tiny hairs along Alton’s spine. The creature swung its huge head in the direction of the two young men.

One of them glanced up and saw Alton as the bear took a swipe in his direction. The kid screamed and ducked. “I’m outta here,” he said, scrambling away on all fours. The other young man was right behind him.

Disgusted, Alton worked his way around behind the bear and stabbed at it with his sword. The bear deflected the blade, swatting it away with its huge front paw. Screaming its banshee howl, the huge creature reared up on hind legs as thick as tree trunks and pivoted, towering over Alton’s tall frame as if he were but a child.

At least Alton had turned its attention away from the woman. She’d wedged herself between the Dumpster and the wall, as far out of the bear’s reach as she could go.

Ed was still trying to catch his breath, but he swung his iron bar at the backs of the bear’s concrete legs. The iron rang out like a church bell as one leg shattered. Ed scrambled out of the way. The creature dropped to three legs, barely missing Alton. Alton stabbed again, piercing the creature’s chest this time, but for whatever reason, the crystal sword penetrated but didn’t shatter the concrete.

The grizzly screamed again. It turned toward Alton with its jaws spread wide. Multiple rows of razor-sharp teeth reminded the Lemurian of pictures he’d seen of ancient sharks, but this was no fish.

Screaming in that eerie, otherworldly wail, the bear whirled once again, pivoting on three legs as easily as it had moved on four. It swung a huge paw at Ed. Alton reared up over it like a matador sticking a bull and drove the sword between the creature’s concrete shoulder blades, burying the crystal blade to the hilt.

The bear jerked back and swung in a circle on three legs. Alton tried to hang on, but the hilt of the sword ripped from his hands. The woman screamed when the bear faced her once again. Alton had no time to consider the stupidity of his actions. He leapt to the bear’s rough, stonelike back and clung there, scrabbling for a good hold on the sword’s hilt.

Enraged, the bear twisted and turned as it tried to shake him loose, tossing Alton about as if he clung to the back of a rodeo bull. Finally it stood on one hind leg, moving with impossible dexterity in spite of the missing limb, roaring and screaming that bloodcurdling banshee wail.

The crowd of spectators was growing. Alton was vaguely aware of shouts and cursing, words of encouragement, the distant wail of sirens. As the bear dropped back to three legs, Alton pulled the blade free of the creature and swung in a mighty arc.

The bear’s massive concrete head fell to the ground, and the body crumbled beneath Alton’s legs. Four separate demons emerged in a thick, black sulfuric cloud. Once again Alton swung the sword. His blade passed through three of the demons, exploding each in a burst of flame.

The fourth paused in midair. Then it turned, as if consciously considering an attack in this form. Alton slashed the crystal blade through the stinking mist. A brief flash of flames and the mist disintegrated until only the sulfuric stench and a pile of crumbled concrete and stone remained.

Alton sheathed his sword and slipped between the metal Dumpster and the wall. He held out his hand, and the woman ran to him, sobbing now that the danger had passed. Gently Alton lifted her in his arms and held her close, running his hand along her spine.

She was long and lean, and he felt each vertebra as his fingers soothed her. She breathed in short, choppy gasps, obviously terrified but, for the moment, trusting him as she curled close against his chest. It was a unique sensation to hold her close. Women in Lemuria would never allow a man to touch them so, but then a woman in Lemuria would never have been in jeopardy such as this one had been.

Nor would a Lemurian woman have had the courage to try and defend herself against demons with only a scrap of wood as a weapon.

“It’s okay,” he said, talking softly. “You’re safe now. The creature is gone.”

Ed stood beside him. “Alton, the police are coming. What do you want to do?” Then he peered closer at the woman in Alton’s arms. “Ginny? Is that you, sweetheart? Are you okay?”

She struggled in Alton’s grasp. Reluctantly, he set her feet on the ground. She stepped away from him.

“Ed? Where’s Eddy? What are you doing here? What happened? Who is…?” She raised her head and looked directly at Alton. For the first time, he got a good look at her face. He could have sworn his heart stopped beating. She was utterly beautiful, with skin much darker than Eddy’s and golden eyes that reminded him of the stone called tiger’s-eye.

He knew that Roman soldiers wore the stones when they went into battle, and somehow that trivia seemed terribly important to him at this moment. Tiger’s-eye for protection, to help focus energy on the fight.

Nine hells! He needed to focus.

What was he doing, staring into those mesmerizing eyes? Ed tugged anxiously at his sleeve.

“Alton? How the hell are we going to explain this? The police are almost here.”

“We’re not.” Alton waved a hand in front of Ginny’s eyes. She blinked and turned toward Ed.

Alton held both hands out to the crowd of men and women who had gathered to watch his battle with the demon bear. Without a single word exchanged between them, the two young men who’d fought the grizzly stepped in front of the group and swung roundhouse blows at each other. Within seconds, there was a full-scale brawl on the corner—men fighting men, women rolling on the ground, fighting other women.

Ed shot Alton an inquisitive glance. “Effective,” he said. “Ugly, but very effective.” Then he took Ginny’s arm. “Ginny? You need to go home now. You’re just half a block from your place. We’ll walk with you.”

Ginny jerked her head back and forth in a definite negative and tugged her arm free of Ed’s grasp. “Ed, what the hell is going on?” She glared at Ed and then turned her attention on Alton. “Who are you? What was that thing that attacked me?”

She should have forgotten. Alton stared at his fingers and then at Ginny. He’d just wiped away the memory of her attack. At least he thought he had.

Obviously she had a very strong will.

Ed frowned at Alton. Alton shrugged. Once again he concentrated on the young woman. Passed his hands across her eyes. Strengthened the powers of his mind to block everything that had happened.

She turned her head slowly and gazed at Alton. Frowned, as if trying to place him. “What are you doing to me?” She stared at him, her eyes unfocused and confused.

Fighting him. Still strong enough to fight his powers.

Alton felt caught there in time, as if the world around them ceased its spinning, as if the demon threat no longer existed. He was not an immortal, not a Lemurian here on a mission of such otherworldly importance. No, he was merely a man, enthralled by the soft, confused gaze of the most beautiful woman he’d ever beheld. She blinked, her lips parted.

Alton took a step back. What was he thinking? She was human. Not even royalty. He was a Lemurian warrior, the son of Lemuria’s leader. The heir apparent.

Ginny blinked, still obviously confused. She shook her head again and looked at Ed.

Ed tugged gently at her elbow. This time she allowed him to lead her as they turned away from Alton. Ed walked down the street with his hand wrapped around her arm, supporting her. Alton followed closely behind.

Two patrol cars raced by as the three of them disappeared into the shadows along the side street leading to a quiet neighborhood.

“She lives here,” Ed said. He nodded toward a small duplex set back from the street. “Let me get her inside. Then we need to find Eddy and Dax.”

“No. Wait.” Ginny stopped and planted her feet. Frowning, she gazed up at Alton. “You never told me what that thing was. That bear wasn’t real, was it? What the hell’s going on? Ed? Who is this guy? What’d he do, that funny thing with his hand?”

She brushed her hands over her face, scrubbed at her eyes. Planted her hands on her hips and glared at Alton.

Standing behind Ginny, Ed shrugged helplessly and shook his head. They couldn’t let her remember what she’d seen.

Alton wasn’t sure it would work, but he reached for Ginny, lifted her up to her toes, and leaned over and kissed her. Their mouths connected, hers slightly parted in shock, his firmly covering her soft, full lips, and he poured the strength of his hypnotic powers into her startled mind.

She fought him for but a second, until the strength of his mental touch calmed her, confused her, left her breathless and wondering who she was kissing and why. Alton felt her confusion, sensed her blossoming desire, and realized he could end the kiss at any time.

Slowly, reluctantly, he moved his lips over hers for one, last taste and then set her gently back on her feet. Ginny blinked, touched her fingertips to her mouth, and then turned away.

Ed gently took Ginny’s arm and walked with her into her house.

Alton waited impatiently. He refused to think about the kiss, but it had been the only way he knew of to overwhelm her strong will. He couldn’t risk her recalling that she’d almost been killed by a concrete statue of a grizzly bear.

One that was powered by not one, but four demons. Four of the evil beings, cooperating…demons, working together.

It was worse than he’d thought.

So was his reaction to the woman. Ginny. Her name was Ginny, and his kiss had made her forget.

Unfortunately, the taste of her lips, the soft curve of her breasts against his chest, the taste of her sweet mouth were all he could think of. He’d never reacted to any female on such a visceral level, especially not one so inappropriate. He had no time for a human woman. None at all for one with a will as strong as Ginny’s.

He grabbed his sword out of its scabbard and focused on the blade. Focused on the fact it hadn’t spoken to him even now, after he’d vanquished the bear.

This was important—the battle, the sword, destroying demons. Not the woman.

What was the point? Lemurians were immortal. Humans had a life span that barely registered on his own personal calendar.

So why did he care? Would she wonder what had happened tonight? How she’d gotten home?

Would she remember him?

He hoped not. She had to forget, just as he would.

Ed walked out a few minutes later. “She’ll be okay,” he said. “Ginny’s tough. She and Eddy have been friends for years. She’s a nine-one-one dispatcher so she’s perfectly aware there’s some strange stuff going on, but she doesn’t have a clue what it is. Hopefully we can keep this under wraps for a few more days, but with things like that bear…” He glanced up at Alton. “What do you make of that? There were four demons inside that thing.”

“Nothing good,” Alton said. He put thoughts of Ginny behind him and focused on the here and now. “It means our enemies are learning to work as a single unit. They’re cooperating, as if there’s actual intelligence behind them. That’s something demons just don’t do—at least they haven’t in the past. It makes them a lot harder to fight.”

They walked faster now. Both Dax and Eddy could be in danger. Alton didn’t like being so far from them. Even so, no matter how he tried, Alton couldn’t get the image of Eddy’s friend out of his head.

“You’re sure she’s okay?”

“Who? Ginny?” Ed nodded. “Yeah. Ginny’s tough. She’s going to be fine.”

“Did she seem to remember anything?”

“She remembered a brawl in front of the minimart. I let her think she’d gotten pushed around a little. Told her I recognized her and grabbed her before she could get hurt. I think she bought that.” He laughed. “I have to admit, whatever you did when you kissed her left her really scrambled.”

Alton laughed, but he didn’t answer Ed. He couldn’t. He had no idea what he’d done or why he’d done it. Stupid. What a stupid move.

Except his kiss had worked when his usual method hadn’t. He’d done what he had to do. No more, no less. He’d always been a man of focus—why must he remind himself of his purpose? He had a battle to fight, not a woman to woo.

Alton paused and listened as a sound came to him on the evening breeze, a fierce whisper on the wind that sent shivers along his spine. He recognized the distant howls and shrieks of demonkind, blending almost innocently with the steady hum of traffic passing by on the freeway beneath the overpass.

“We need to hurry. There’s something building—I hear the cries of demons. That way.” He pointed to the west, beyond the freeway.

“That’s where the cemetery is. Where Eddy and Dax were headed. Lordy, I hope they’re okay. C’mon!” Ed took off at a slow, awkward trot down the quiet street. It was well past midnight, and they’d already fought many battles. Ed was older, a human male past his prime. It was obvious his strength was waning, though his love for Eddy, his fear for her safety, kept him going.

It was so easy to forget how fragile humans were. Their passion and their bravery made them seem more powerful, as if nothing could ever slow them down or defeat them.

Yet the power of their passion could carry them just so far. They were hampered, always, by their frail human bodies. Not only a finite life span, but the physical limitations that were part of their humanity.

Limitations they must somehow overcome if they were to win this fight against demonkind. There was no room for defeat. No time for failure. Ed would have to find the strength to fight, just as Alton must. He whipped his sword out once again and held it high. He stared at it a moment, waiting for the voice.

Why wasn’t it speaking to him? Where had he failed as a warrior? He was doing exactly what he’d feared all along: going into battle beside Dax before he could converse with the sword.

Until he could order the sword not to attack Dax, it would see the demon in his borrowed human body as the enemy. They’d have to fight far from one another.

Dax had more than enough on his plate. He certainly didn’t need to fear Alton and a sword that, so far, denied communication. What in all the nine hells did he need to do to prove himself worthy?

The crystal blade glowed brighter than ever, almost as if it mocked him, even as it lit their path along the dark country road.