In The End: Gargoyle Saga

Chapter 4: An All-out Attack

Chapter 4: An All-out Attack

The demons spilt out into the graveyard as though fish guts had been sliced open. But then the next second there were ear-piercing screams as the demons melted upon touching the freshly consecrated ground.

'Verity, snap out of it!' Justin screamed at me. 'Damn sake, they are getting through the graveyard!'

In the strangeness that I had allowed to overcome me, the pressure of the voice that made me feel pitiful and powerless was shattered when Justin's emotion broke through like a sledgehammer to concrete. As thick as the concrete was, Justin's connection to me was too powerful.

Gaining control of myself, I telekinetically reached for the swords and pulled them out of the walls where the boys had placed them not long ago. Demons began to fall like grass to a lawnmower. The swords were a frenzy, slicing and cutting their way through anything they touched. I was smart enough to imbue them with magic that could cut through anything and it was working.

'Verity, behind you!'

Ducking, I saw a claw swipe at the air above me, inches from my head. I turned and brought up a sword close by and raked the demon in half. Its agonising scream cut off as it died.

The battle was utter chaos. There were shrieks and screams, and Hadriana was hurtling spells at any demons who approached her. Dean and Rowan were behind me lopping off demon's heads, or stabbing them in the stomach. And though my main focus was destroying any demon who was trying to kill me, I made a conscious effort to keep Justin's emotions in check. He and Alina were still behind that barrier and thankfully for them, no demon had noticed them.

A sudden bolt of red shot straight in front of me and blasted at the demon door that was still releasing dozens upon dozens of demons.

'Time for my magic trick,' I muttered to myself. The strange power that I had used twice in my life had been abundantly clear once I had merged with the demon some weeks ago. It was as though a light bulb had been flicked on inside my brain. Both times I had used this power my body and mind craved and yearned for protection. It was like an explosion of pure good energy, to push the evil away. The only problem was that now I was part evil, so I wondered what damage I would inflict on myself and whether it would even work at all.

'Justin, Alina, duck down!' I shouted, planting my feet firmly on the ground within the church and quite close to the pentagram, I closed my eyes and concentrated. I cast a wind spell around me, to block any minor attacks from demons. I didn't want to be snuck up on. 'Atlas, I hope this works.' Raising my hands, I placed my palms forward towards the onslaught that was coming from the demon door. 'Protect us.'

A surge of power came from my being and raced up my arms as quickly as lightning. However, the sensation wasn't how I remembered it; it was painful, as though stinging nettles were being brushed up along my arms, but the energy that came out of my hands, and the screams of demons around me, proved that the power I had had before I had changed into this monster, was still the same. The gargoyle in me was still alive.

'Holy cow!' Alina gasped.

My legs suddenly felt weak, and unable to stand, I collapsed to the floor. 'Verity!'

Justin banged his fists on the protective shield I had put around him, but the arms that gripped me and held me tightly were that of Sorren. 'I've got you.' He helped me to stand, and shaking the strange cloudy vision that was beginning to appear, I saw nothing around me.

'They are... all gone?'

Sorren laughed lightly, 'Not quite. The Seum demon is still alive; Dean, Rowan and Hadriana are taking care of it to a certain extent. There have been at least thirty or forty smaller ones who have fled into the nearby town. Hadriana is calling for backup. It will annoy Tara to no end, but we found a loophole.'