Total pages in book: 155
Estimated words: 142916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142916 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
As the long line of demons and vampires reached the edge of the village, the general, a demon by the name of Erlik, held his fist high.
“You will kill them. Kill them all. If you find the slayer, she is to be tortured and killed.” He hissed and growled the words, his teeth, filed to sharp points, clicking together menacingly.
The lines broke apart and raced toward the homes and businesses. They ran in all directions, waving swords and machetes, spears and guns. They were met with an eerie silence. They pounded on doors and swung heavy metal weapons at windows, but the dwellings refused to give up their secrets.
Eventually, after running around in a chaotic manner under Erlik’s eye, they halted abruptly, and began to mill around without direction. The village appeared empty, without a single human for them to prey on. Even pets seemed to have abandoned the homes.
Fury gripped the general leading the demonic army. “Burn it down,” Erlik snarled. “Every house. Don’t leave anything standing.”
Once again, the army raced through the streets, war cries filling the air as they lit torches and poured accelerant over the rooftops and down the sides of the buildings. Over and over, they tried to light the buildings on fire. They flung the torches. The flames licked up the walls and over the roofs for a few moments and then fizzled out. No matter what they tried to do, the buildings refused to ignite.
Erlik called on the three mages to burn the houses down. The three stepped reluctantly forward, shackles on their ankles. The troops went silent, watching as the mages lifted their hands to begin to weave a complicated pattern in the air.
Somewhere in the night, a crow let out a harsh cry. Another followed. Within minutes, the sound of the crows cawing back and forth filled the air. The flutter of wings heralded the arrival as several very large crows flew overhead and then settled on the roof of the house the mages faced. With round sharp eyes, black as midnight and alive with intelligence, they stared down at the demons and vampires.
The demons and even the vampires stared uneasily at the large black birds. “Hurry, you dolts,” Erlik shouted at the mages. “The rest of you, shoot those birds. Set them on fire. Don’t just stand there, kill them all.”
Something about the steady stares sent a warning chill down Erlik’s spine. He wasn’t a demon to ever feel nervous. He had been put in charge by his mistress for a reason. Nothing frightened him. Once set on a path, he wouldn’t leave it until the job was done.
Fire-tipped arrows poured into the sky and rained down on the crows. The large birds stood upright on the roof of the house, spreading their wings, making themselves look enormous. Curved beaks opened wide, emitting harsh cries as they flapped their wings in what could only be construed as a warning.
The arrows fell harmlessly to the ground. Not one struck a bird. Not one fell onto the roof or stuck in the siding. The few that retained a flame sputtered out. Silence once more hit the ranks of Lilith’s army. The demons and vampires stirred uneasily.
The three mages ceased chanting, eyeing the odd-acting crows with trepidation. Erlik spewed a string of foul curses, raised his sword and hit the closest mage, splitting his head in two. He took a step and swung the blade at the neck of the second mage, whose head went flying into the air and then dropped to the ground to roll toward the silent army.
The third mage desperately raised his hands to begin his pattern again. He was shackled to the two dead mages and couldn’t run. There was no way to flee. The closest demons cackled and pointed, raising their voices to call out to Erlik. “Kill him. Stab him. Cut him to pieces.”
The crows shook their enormous wings, creating turbulence. All the while they rocked from foot to foot, voices harsh and unrelenting, adding to the chaotic scene—or orchestrating it.
Erlik roared as he ran the third mage through with his wide sword, using a vicious twisting motion as the tip came out the mage’s back. Demons cheered. Vampires shuffled closer, sniffing the air for the fresh blood. The crows took to the air, one by one lifting off from the roof and circling the long lines of the enemy.
“They’re counting your men,” Fulop, the master vampire, cautioned. “They will be reporting to someone. Follow them and you will find the cowardly villagers.”
Erlik shoved the dying mage from his sword with the help of his boot. The mage collapsed on the ground, writhing in pain. Fulop casually pushed past Erlik, bent down and sank his teeth into the dying mage’s throat, gulping at the fresh blood. Several of the lesser vampires fell on the two dead bodies, but no one dared challenge Fulop for the fresh blood.