Ravenrook Chronicles: The Mysterious Student

Chapter 10

Demons were different from devils. While devils feed off of emotion, demons feed on pain. They weren't going to kill the people outright, they were going to keep them in a state of constant pain, to grow their strength. They were a warmongering culture of Others who viewed the IOSC as suppression of their natural order. They wanted to rule the world and feed off the pain of all living beings.

The manor wasn't physically damaged, from what the student's could see. There were small fires across the grounds, glowing against the darkened night sky. Tim could only think of one thing, Henry. He had to make sure Henry was OK.

"This isn't right," Tim said almost catatonically, "We need to get rid of the demons,

and I have a plan."

Tim's classmates all looked at him in anticipation

"We find the sprinkler system and add some of this," Tim said producing his flask of

holy water, "That will clear the demons out, maybe mortally wound some of them. Once they're out, we need to line the entrance ways with salt."

They all nodded in agreement.

Matthew took James and Aimee to the kitchens to find salt, Sam, Mae and Jennifer took the flask of holy water to find the maintenance room to rig the sprinklers, Tim knew as well as they all did, holy water purified any other water it came into contact with. This all would happen while Tim went into the manor to find Henry. They agreed to meet at the foyer, the closest exit to a fire alarm, when they were finished.

Tim burst through the manor doors, throwing care to the wind. His heart was pounding in his ears. His mouth was dry and he could feel his palms becoming slick with sweat. The halls were filled with screaming and Tim hoped that one of those voices wasn't Henry's. He ran through the manor, his voice adding to the symphony of screams. The halls became a maze of slashed wallpaper and torn paintings. The darkness wasn't as deep, Tim felt as though he could see more clearly than he thought he should've been able to. It would have surprised him, if he wasn't so singly focused on Henry's wellbeing.

He found himself moving absentmindedly towards the headmaster's office. Something was pulling him in that direction. He kicked the door open and walked in on an unconscious Henry, tied to the desk chair. Time seemed to slow when Tim saw Henry's porcelain skin marred with red. The room stank of sulphur. The Shadows began to coalesce in the centre of the room and form into a pointy eared man in a pinstripe suit.

"Ah if it isn't the thám tau," the man said, his voice was singsong and menacing.

"How dare you hurt him!"

Tim blacked out from rage. The demon's cries fell on Tim's deaf ears as he grabbed him and started incanting a prayer he had learned during his officer's course.

When he came to his senses again, there was a pile of ash on the carpet in front of him. Tim could feel a warm sensation trickling down his torso where the demon's claws had frantically scratched him in an attempt to get away. Tim grabbed an empty glass and collected a bit of his blood. He force fed it to the unconscious Henry before running to the foyer, carrying his friend to safety.

Meeting his friends in the foyer, he handed Henry to Sam and Jennifer and followed them out of the building. He turned to Mathhew and James.

"Have the entrances been lined with salt and the holy water added to the sprinklers?"

Tim's classmates nodded, smiling knowingly. Tim began to smile as he set off the fire alarm, placed near the front door, triggering the sprinklers automatically. Suddenly the manor was filled with the cacophonous screams of the demons holed up on the manor as holy water poured from the sprinklers. The windows and doors began to rattle as demons tried desperately to escape, blocked in by the salt. Eventually the noise died down as the demons in the house had been purged.

Tim pulled out Henry's cell phone and called Morgan. Telling her that the manor had been secured.It was difficult to hear her voice on the other end over the shrieking cries of pain, echoing from the manor's interior. The smell of sulphur was overpowering and Tim felt his nostrils burning because of it. Quickly, Morgan and the other survivors met at the manor. Eventually the demons on the grounds were hunted down and exorcised, and to Tim, it felt as though it had ended as suddenly as it all began.

Tim only had one thing on his mind once he had a moment to think, Henry. He knelt at Henry's side, fighting back tears. Suddenly, Henry stirred.

"Don't go planning my funeral yet," he said, coming to consciousness. He was weak,

but alive. He'd be alright soon.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Harry." Tim smiled down at him before pulling him to his feet.

The injured survivors were sent back to London for rehabilitation, and there were mountains of paperwork for the newly healed Henry, Tim and Morgan had to complete.

"Harry, may I ask you something, what's a thám tau?" Tim asked, curious about what

that demon had said.