Demon in the Snow by Heather Fledderus (cat reading book .TXT) 📖

24. Outnumbered. The Leader Is...

Nate stared at the demons in front of him. They had no apparent organization, other than standing in a file that would make Roman legionaries proud. All of their eyes, if they had them, or if Nate could even see them, were focused on him. He swallowed, becoming suddenly aware of the dryness in his throat. Was he scared?

Hell yes. He was terrified.

A single demon launched itself into the air so that it stood directly in front of him, only a couple feet separating them. A triple- A Black demon. Ability: nullify any attack that used spells, incantations, or other demons' powers. Nate didn't move, couldn't move, even as the demon crouched so that they were almost eye level.

Master. It's thoughts were deep and gravely in voice. Nate watched as the other demons followed their obvious leader's example. What the hell?

Lead us.

Nate just stared at it, his mind searching for an answer to what to do. He could tell that Hannah and Chad were still unconscious, and Sora was in no condition to fight, even if the black demon wasn't right in front of them.

Leave, he ordered the demons as forcefully as he could.

In unison, the demons all tilted their heads the same way, as if they were dogs who didn't understand what their master had just told them.

Leave. He tried again.

If you really want them to leave, his own mentor hissed, then use the damn Voice.

Shut up.

What was that? She asked coyly, Speak up, I didn't catch that.

“I said shut up!” he hollered.

Sora looked up at him, "I didn't say anything.”

“Get out of here, now,” Nate hissed, “Get back-up.”

“Why? What's wrong?”

Nate gaped at him, scarcely believing his ears, “Look around, you moron!”

Sora obeyed, but Nate realized that he couldn't see the demons. It made sense, he thought, remembering what he had read about the Moonless Rock coupled with what he could learn from the demons. The Rock, one of which was planted at the entrance to the grounds, attracted demons because it amplified their powers.

He glanced over the assembled demons. There it was, back row, dead-centre. An invisibilty-type demon.

“Hannah!” Sora exclaimed as his eyes fell on her still form.

Nate didn't need to say anything. Sora flew down, using Hayakku to control his fall.

With him out of the way, Nate turned his attention back to the assembled demons. All the 'Slayers were out of earshot. Nate delved deep down, deeper into his Cache than he had ever pushed before.

He felt nothing, and then all at once everything. He felt the power flow through him, shooting through his veins and into his muscles. That's where he needed it to go.

The power nearly choked him, rushing through his body like a torrent, begging to be released. He opened his mouth, and his power welled up in his vocal chords.

“Return.”

The demons blinked once in unison. A few minutes passed, them staring at each other. Nate was beginning to lose hope when, as one, the demons slowly turned around and began to walk back into the crevice.

Before long, the only one left was the Triple A Black demon. It lingered, slowly reaching one tentacle at  a time through the hole.

Nate was about to tell it to leave again when a voice shattered the stillness of the evening.

“Nathan Hitagashi!” It boomed, “You are under arrest!”

25. Betrayal

Soon the sky was filled with 'Slayers, all dressed in the standard black, but he could see  that a lot of them had Crimson Dragon badges. They were all battle-ready, swords drawn, palms glowing, the air thick with the telepathic presence of dozens of illusionists.

In the same instant, the black hole widened, forcing 'Slayers aside as the demons shot back out, the Black headed right for Nate. A few dozen managed to slip out before 'Slayers cast webs of White magic around the hole, barricading escape as well as entrance.

Right before the demon reached Nate, it dissipated into a stream of particles which slammed into his body with no force, absorbing into his Cache instantaneously. He could feel its thoughts in his head immediately even as a web of White magic was spun around him, loose enough so that he wouldn't singe himself on the sides as long as he didn't move.

The black demon inside of him sent out a mute order to the other present demons, who obeyed in an instant, surrounding Nate and facing outwards so that the 'Slayers couldn't reach him.

Nate panicked as he felt the weaker demons inside of him blacking out, lending him their power so that he could remain concisious. The Black was the last to fall.

He felt the strain as the web began draining him of his own energy. His eyes fell on Cain, standing between Lord Saitou and Lord Himanachi, the three of them with their palms upraised, the energy shooting out from them to form the energy-draining web. Cain was the main beneficiary.

The pieces began to fall into place. Cain hadn't called out for help. That wouldn't be enough to get every single 'Slayer to gather here. “You sonuvabitch!” he yelled with his remaining strength.

At his voice, the demons went on the attack, their powers amplified by the Rock along with the presence of their fellow demons. 'Slayers were falling down, but the demons were clearly outnumbered. The earlier force would have been enough, but not this piddly fraction.

Nate thrust a hand up and aimed it towards Cain, feeling his anger churn with power. A small dense ball, the size of a marble and pure black, shot from his palm, flying through the web in the direction of the three.

The shot cost Nate his last reserves of strength and he blacked out even as his body began to fall, not knowing if the bomb had reached its mark before exploding.

26. Mask Cracking

Upon later recollection, Nate came to the conclusion that the Killers had drugged him. And they were killers. They murdered his kin and expected him to play nice.

What memories he had of what happened after the grounds and until he got to the cell were fragmented. There was a chamber- people were arguing; Nate couldn't move his arms. His 982 senses were buzzing, but he clearly remembered staring at Cain, standing beside someone from the Himanachi House, yelling at him.  He couldn't remember the words he had used, but they obviously had had little effect on Cain. And Hannah. He had yelled at Hannah too.

Nate gripped the bars and heaved backwards. The steel wouldn't budge. He let go before the shock would get to him as it ran its circuit. He dropped to the dirt floor and stared around him again. This place was obviously meant for lower-class demons, probably a D at the most. The only entrance that he could see was at the top, and who knew where that lead. Against one wall there was a row of steel bars barricading his way from a tunnel. There was also a window, high-up, through which he could only see a patch of sky. No matter how long he watched, he hadn't seen a single bird fly by.

The window was also the only light source. Apparently, demons didn't need light, didn't need to see anything. It had made Nate laugh, even as he tried and failed miserably to access even one of his powers.

Told you that you should have practiced.

“Shut up,” he said aloud. It wasn't like he was trying to hide what he was any more. It had been fun, this whole charade, but now it was time to go.

Go? Where? What sort of place would take you in?

Nate smirked. All this time, he had just assumed that Heiwa knew everything. Obviously, even though she knew that those other demons had been looking for him, she hadn't figured out why. He had always been careful to block them out when he even thought about the books in the library, much more when he was in it. Which meant that she didn't know.

There was no point in keeping it from her or any of the others any longer, though.

Home. He didn't dare say it out-loud.

He could feel all of his demons stir. They had understood that he wasn't talking about Ko-ha, not even Misd.

Ampoulles.

Nate savoured the feelings that the word brought his companions. The ones who had been trapped within him longer had a sort of wistfulness about them while his most recent addition, the Black demon, was more purposeful.

Nate sat back down on the floor, exhausted from his climb to the window, to think over his situation. They hadn't killed him. That had to mean something. Someone, somewhere, was stone-walling them from killing him. He just didn't know why.

Somewhere close by, steel scraped on steel, splitting the silence with an annoying screech. Feet padded along the dirt passage way, carrying a single light towards him. The steps had an irregular rhythm, the second step always a little slower than he expected. There was only one person who walked like that.

“Sora?”

The figure stopped short of the bars, the light making it impossible to see who it was. But it was too tall to be Sora. “No.”

“You sonuvabitch!” Nate shouted even as he leaped to his feet and charged the gate. He slammed into it full force, the shock of the White magic barrier actually lifting him off the ground to slam him into the far wall.

The light clicked off. Cain chuckled as Nate groaned. “That's how you greet a brother?”

Nate pulled himself to a sitting position, despite the pain that it caused his Mark. “You're no brother of mine.”

Cain snapped his fingers, “Right, I forgot, demons don't have any fraternal ties.”

“Shut up!”

“Why? What you gonna do, huh? Attack me?” He smirked, spreading his hands wide, “Go ahead. Let's see you do some damage.”

“I said shut up!”

“Make me!”

In a flash, Cain was thrust off his feet and thrown several yards before he slammed into the wall, causing the roof to cave-in slightly. Nate lost sight of him even as the ghostly form returned to him. He stared at it with something close to disappointment. That's how weak he had become, he couldn't even keep them in anymore.

“You should be more