Unknown L (Book 1)

~ Explain Yourself ~

The thing wasn't fazed by them, and it wasn't letting go either. L wanted to shout for help, but no sound would leave her throat. How could they have not noticed something like this lurking in the trees? It was getting darker out, but that had no effect on their vision, this Demon was enormous, far too big to miss.

L decided it must have some unknown powers somewhere in that black abyss that helped it resist their detection and now their attacks. She watched Gart and Lort set Robbie and Mr Worcester down to go and help. Bryce was yelling something at them, but they weren't listening, and L still couldn't bring herself to make a sound.

The creature had grown two more arms out of nowhere and was using them to fight off the Ogre brothers; Folen looked like he was struggling between helping and keeping an eye on L. Hallie was squeaking out spells, L guessed, but they were having no visible effect on the Demon. L looked at the Worcesters, and then at Bryce and Emilia, she felt helpless, and her fists were balled up so tightly. She couldn't do a thing against this monster. Bryce and Emilia were crying out strange words, and it did something to the creature each time.

But every one of those times, it recovered from their magic and moved its hands as it began to squeeze them. They were going to die, and L didn't know what to do. She couldn't fight, and she couldn't carry the Worcesters on her own. Once that thing was done with the Elves and the Ogres, it would advance on the rest of the group, but it wouldn't kill her.

It would take her back to Frallica, but she'd have to watch everyone she cared about die first. She almost felt like running away. She could do it quickly now too, just let go and run far away from everything and everyone. But before the thought even formed properly, L was shaking it off. That wasn't who she was.

She began scrambling for some way to help them, and she moved a few steps towards the monster, maybe she could distract it somehow. She felt scared but she had to try something, anything. She was about to run at it, when out of nowhere something else burst from the trees, two somethings and L wanted to cry out in frustration.

No more Demons, they could barely handle this one. In the growing darkness, she could see the figures coming closer; her eyes felt like they widened to the size of dinner plates when she looked closely at them.

She gazed openmouthed, watching them run headlong at the Demon and jump into it. The Demon howled and dropped Emilia and Bryce. They fell to the floor and rolled away. They were choking heavily, and their clothes were smoking, but they seemed otherwise unharmed.

Gart and Lort ran to help them up while everyone else watched the Demon. It was writhing around in agony. The noises it made caused the hairs on L's neck and arms to stand on end. It was a series of bone-chilling howls and snarls.

Several seconds passed when it abruptly appeared to sort of explode, and the black expanse dispersed like smoke, replaced by the early night gloom. Standing there perfectly unchanged and unharmed were the two figures. They were smiling at L, and she felt her jaw drop further. She was sure she'd passed out and was imagining it all. But the cold breeze on her cheeks and the feeling of relief inside her chest told her differently. Bryce and Emilia were running over now, and they stood facing the two figures. The whole group looked confused, all except for L, who felt perfectly calm but a little confused.

She smiled and moved away from the group to meet the two figures.

"I didn't think I'd ever see you two again. How did you find me this time? And how the hell did you do that?!"

Bryce was at L's side, and he was already questioning her.

"Who are these creatures? They just demolished Piriel, one of the highest level Demons to ever exist, and they're smiling like it was nothing... and you're smiling, too? What's going on?"