Blood Land by J.R. Lawson (top ten ebook reader TXT) 📖

back at her worried expression with confidence.  He was also in his hellion form now, which coincidentally didn’t bother Nora anymore.  In fact, right now its appearance made her feel confident and somewhat safe.  He gave her a small smile and she gave him one in return.  However, suddenly their small but silent moment was interrupted by Dagon shouting angrily.  Both Nora and Kale looked over at him as he stretched his wings and glared at both of them with all the hatred and rage that he could from his demon-like face.

Instantly Kale took a moment to look back at Nora. “Nora!” he shouted, getting her attention. “Change into your hellion form!”

Nora just stared back at him until she then decided to look down at her hands and realized he was right.  She hadn’t changed like the two of them.  “I…I…” she stared to stutter as she quickly looked back up. “I don’t know how.  How do I do it?”

“I don’t know,” Kale then admitted to her, “I just…do it.  You aren’t restricted by the darkness, you can do it whenever you want.”

“But…” was all Nora got out because it was then that Dagon decided to charge toward the both of them.  Kale wasted no time in spreading his giant wings as well and flew in his direction.  “Hurry!” he shouted back at Nora as he flew off.  Nora watched as Kale and Dagon soon collided and then began to fight each other.

She then looked back down at her hands.  How was she supposed to do this?  No one had ever told her how to transform.  She wished Caroline was here.  Maybe she would have been able to tell her how to become a hellion too.  Nora clenched her fists and shut her eyes trying her hardest to just think about turning into one.  Come on…come on…she can do this!

All of a sudden a loud thud made Nora open her eyes again.  The noise had been from Kale hitting the ground hard.  Only a slight amount of fear overcame Nora at the sight until she noticed how quickly Kale then began to pick himself up and got to his hands and knees.  That is, until Dagon abruptly landed right behind him, reaching forward as if to attack him from behind.

“Kale, look out!!” Nora screamed, reaching a hand out to him.  It was at this command that her unseen force knocked Dagon backward, causing him to powerfully slide back on his feet far away from Kale.  Nora watched Dagon now as he lowered his head, causing himself to begin to slow down.  She only questioned this for a moment as she stared back at him, attempting to push him with her power again.  She might not know how to turn into a hellion right now, but she still had this: the power that Dagon was afraid of.  However, she was unsuccessful at pushing him a second time because Dagon stood, steadfast with his feet firmly on the ground and his head forward, almost pushing against Nora’s power.  Nora tried again, but nothing seemed to move him.  It was then that Dagon took a step.  It was a hard step and it seemed strained, but he soon took another, and another.  He began walking forward as if a strong wind were blowing against him, making it difficult for him to move, however he was doing it. He was somehow resisting Nora’s powers and Nora became instantly afraid.  That was all it took, too because in that instant fear, her concentration broke and Dagon took the opportunity to spring up off the ground and fly right to her.

Nora hardly had time to prepare as he collided with her and the both of them fell to the ground.  Nora screamed as Dagon fell on top of her, pinning her to the ground beneath him.  He scratched and clawed at her as he laughed; his deep demonic voice the substance of nightmares.  Nora shut her eyes tightly as she struggled to free herself of him until she then let out an agonizing cry as Dagon’s long claws ripped at the flesh on her chest.  She could smell her own blood as she felt the wetness cover her.

All of the sudden, Nora heard Dagon’s laughing cease as she opened her eyes in time to see Kale come up from behind and grab him firmly on the shoulders, then immediately swing him, throwing Dagon behind him with so much force that he hit the Ferris Wheel a few feet from them, causing one of the lateral supports that held it up to break in half and fall over.  The wheel made a loud squeaking and creaking sound as Nora watched it tilt over slightly as Dagon hit the ground.

“Nora!  God, are you o.k.?” Kale kneeled over her as she looked back up at him.

“I…I don’t know,” Nora truthfully answered.  She hadn’t looked at how bad of a wound Dagon had given her but honestly she didn’t really want to know.  She was worried it would just frighten her.  Kale, however, looked down at it and Nora saw the slight amount of worry in his eyes that he was trying his hardest to hide from her.

“It’s o.k.” Nora tried to reassure him, “Just go.  Fight without me, I’ll be alright.”

Kale immediately shook his head at her statement, “No.  I’m not leaving you here.  I won’t.”

“Kale…” Nora tried to persuade again, but before she could utter another word, she noticed the Ferris Wheel behind them begin to sag a little bit more.  She looked past Kale and saw Dagon standing there, beside the other support of the wheel.  He had an evil grin on his face as he then took no time in powerfully kicking the support, causing it to break as well.  It was in that moment that fear overtook Nora as her eyes widened at the giant metal wheel that was now creaking and groaning as it fell forward, toward the two of them.

“Kale!” Nora now screamed.  Kale instantly looked behind them at what Nora was so afraid of and saw the wheel falling as well, not to mention Dagon dodging out of harm’s way.  Kale had barely time to react but all he could think of to do was to turn back around and cover Nora, hoping he could at least shield her from safety.  He fell on top of her, trying to protect her with his body and wings.  Nora only shut her eyes as she felt Kale covering her.  She knew this was bad; very bad.  She thought to herself, almost screaming inside her head.  All she wanted was for the two of them to be safe; to get out of this alive!  She held onto that thought as she then screamed out loud, awaiting the giant wheel to crash on top of them.

However, what happened instead was that the wheel hit an invisible field that seemed to now be surrounding Kale and Nora.  It hit this energy with such force that it flipped upward and away from the two of them, crashing on the ground in front of them.

CHAPTER 54

 KALE HELD NORA tighter and kept his head down as he felt the debris flying all around them.  Once the amount of chaos seemed to cease, he lifted his head and looked around them at the destruction that had just taken place.  It was Nora’s voice that caught his ear and made him look back down at her.

“Are we o.k.?  What happened?”  Nora stared back up at Kale, who was now looking at her in a strange way. “What?!  What is it?!” Nora now anxiously asked him.  Had something happened to her?  Had she become wounded?  She could barely feel anything but adrenaline at the moment as Kale’s stunned silence and strange stare was causing her a slight amount of panic.

“Nora…” Kale then said as he started to move his way from on top of her, “You transformed.”

It was at this statement that Nora brought her hands up to look at them as she continued lying on the ground.  At least, she couldn’t really call them ‘hands’ anymore.  They were now definite animalistic claws.  Her fingers were long and white with large talon-like nails protruding from the tips of them.  She then wasted no time in attempting to sit up and as she did so she could only imagine what the rest of her looked like now.  Kale just stood next to her watching as Nora eventually made it up all the way to standing on her feet.  She didn’t say anything but just stood, looking all around her at the disorder and debris left from the crashing of the Ferris Wheel.  Had she really done that?  Had her powers really been that strong at that moment?  They must have been especially if she had also unknowingly transformed into a hellion right then.

It was then Kale, placing his hand on her shoulder that snapped her out of her ponderings. “Are you o.k.?” he softly asked her.

“Surprisingly….yes…” Nora answered.  “I feel pretty fine actually…”

Kale opened his mouth to say more, but was suddenly cut off by a loud scream behind him.  Both he and Nora turned toward the sound and saw none other than Caroline and Dagon now fighting several feet away.  Caroline was in her hellion form like the rest of them and it seemed as if her previous wounds had healed to enough of an extent to allow her to fight.  However, it was also obvious that she was no match for her brother as he noticeably had the upper hand.  Eventually, Dagon swiftly came up behind Caroline and forcefully kicked her in the back.  Caroline’s head was thrown back at the initial connection of the blow and Nora even thought she heard a crack as Dagon’s foot had made contact with her spine.  Caroline soon fell forward limply onto the ground like she had been only a doll and Nora gasped in fear at the sight.

Dagon’s response, however, was an evil laugh as he soon turned to face Nora and Kale once more.  “You all have really underestimated me!” Dagon boasted with a sly grin across his face and his arms outstretched, “I told you that you were going to be the ones who were afraid!  But you didn’t listen did you?”

It was then that Nora’s face began to feel hot.  She stared furiously across the fairground at Dagon’s arrogant appearance and as she did so the anger inside her didn’t seem to have any control anymore.  She couldn’t contain it any longer, and honestly, she didn’t even want to.  All she wanted was to make him pay for what he’d done.  For all the things he’d done.  For hurting Jay and Caroline.  For hurting her…and especially for what he’d done to Kale; all his life.

As Nora continued to stare, thinking all of her vengeful thoughts, little did she know that the enormous Ferris Wheel behind her was now floating.  Not to mention, she was also off of the ground, her giant hellion wings spread and flapping.  She eventually realized this when she noticed she was now looking down on Dagon, and his smug expression had quickly changed to a somewhat dreadful one.

“Nora…” Kale started to say