A&D Book 1: Amulets & Demons (Editing Slowly)

Chapter 10

Jace's POV

His voice was deep and rich, almost as if a chocolate cake could talk. The way he spoke was so unnerving, like it was pure evil.

I whipped around to look at whoever it was that just spoke... oh dear.

It was a demon. And he was terrifying. I'm not even joking. Standing there, looking upon him, I had never seen anything so petrifing.

Six feet tall, bulging muscles on all six of his arms (yes, I said six), and six red dots on his face, gazing upon all of us (except Katilyn, who had gotten blown across the campsite again at some point).

"Oh, you look a bit frightened, don't you?" The demon said, focusing two of his red dots onto me. He was right: I was afraid, he's just so freaky.

As I stood there, quaking like a big wuss, I realized that what he said was probably just directed at me. Everyone else seemed perfectly calm and in control.

He leaned down and got a good look at all of us, a look of intrigue on his face. "This is it? These are the new Amulet keepers? This is... sort of sad. And where's the fifth one?" Katilyn responded, from behind him, with a tired groan.

The demon turned to look at Katilyn's limp body propped up against a tree. He stayed like that watching her for a few seconds. Those five seconds were probably the most tense I'd ever experienced.

After mustering up all the wuss courage I had, I said to him, "Wh-who are you?"

After I said that, he turned towards my direction, all six of his eyes trained on me.

"What have they been teaching you?" The demon said, laughing heartily. "Oh, that was the best laugh I've had in a week! Well, I guess it is best that I introduce myself."

"I am the Lord of the night, the master of evil, the king of all demonkind. I, am Mot."

Then Allani (Allani, of all people) has the nerve to say, "I think... you look like a Kyle. What do you guys think?"

"Kyle," Mot says, mulling the name over to himself. "That... is a terrible name. Never call me that." He said that so monotone, it was almost laugh-worthy. Almost.

"What are you here for?" Adrian said, his usual confidence there, as always. "Okay, so you're the king of demons. Why should we care?"

Mot let out a hearty laugh, still as unnerving as the first time. "You kids are a riot. Give me your Amulets." He said, holding his three right hands out to Allani, Adrian and I.

"Why should they give you their Amulets?" Flynn said defiantly (c'mon, is everyone more confident than me?).

Mot retracted his hands and blatantly said, "You five clearly don't know how to use those things. She's halfway to a concussion," he said, gesturing to Katilyn, who had a misty look in her eyes, "and he nearly burned himself naked!" Finished Mot, pointing towards a scowling Adrian.

"We've had them for five minutes, and you expect us to be masters at it?" Adrian snarled, curling his hands into fists.

"Did I not mention that he almost got swallowed by the ground?" Mot questioned.

"He's Allani, he doesn't count," Adrian replied, prompting Allani to reply with a, "Hey!"

The demon sighed. "I honestly didn't want it to come to this, but you seemed to have forced my hand."

"One thousand of my finest soldiers are standing by at my kingdom. On my word, they will attack, killing every single survivor left at your school. Hand over all five of your Amulets, and the school is spared."

I sucked in a long breath as I tried to comprehend what I just heard. Thousands of demons, attacking a place that was under siege just under 48 hours ago. We could barely get away with forty people after a few hundred attacked. Against thousands... nobody could make it.

"That is my only proposition. Take or be killed." Mot said, squatting.

I sneaked a look over to Adrian, who was stone still, keeping his eyes on the demon. I, very slowly, started reaching into my back pocket, where I had put the Amulet.

Adrian met my gaze as I grabbed the Amulet in my pocket. His eyes were wide, and his head was ever so slightly shaking.

Adrian clearly knew what was at stake here. The lives of innocent kids were hanging in the balance, and he was ignoring that. I looked him in the eyes, and he gave me a look of determination. He knew what he was doing.

I took my hand out of my pocket, and turned once again to face Mot. His skeptical expression was followed with, "Well? What'dya say? Gonna hand them over?"

Just as he finished that sentence, Adrian lifted up his hand, with the Shredder claws, and pointed it at Mot. Within a split second, one of the blades shot out of the contraption, heading directly towards the demon lord. It was completely crazy, I didn't even know he could do that

He saw it coming, and easily sidestepped the point. It careened past him, and stuck in a tree with a thud.

Mot turned to look at the piece of metal, and back at Adrian. "You... know you missed me, right?"

Just as he said that, a shadow ran by, and the scrap of metal was gone.

Adrian shrugged. "You're right. I did miss."

A shadow started running up behind Mot. He didn't notice it, he was engrossed in what Adrian was saying.

"But guess what?" Adrian said. "She didn't," Adrian finished as he pointed behind him.

Mot turned around, but it was too late. Katilyn jumped up, the piece of Adrian's weapon aimed straight for his chest.

Since he turned around, she didn't hit her specific target. Mot, instead of getting killed by heart stab, got a nice little puncture in his shoulder. Yup, went right through the bone, you could see a little bit of metal sticking out of his body. Katilyn let go of the scrap and ran over to where the rest of us were.

"Ahhhhhhh!" The demon cried, ripping the metal out of his arm. You could still see where it hit, the, 'flesh' around it bubbling and hissing. He quickly dropped the spike, that starting to burn his hand too.

"You know, you all should be honored," Mot said, malice lacing every word. "Because you'll be the the last students from your school left alive."

On that cheery note, he melted into a black gas and disappeared, taking the fire with him.