Chapter Three
After everything we would need for the journey to the northern Black Label, we piled our deceased friends and burned them. We left Shaun on the floor to rot like the shit he is then headed out. When we stepped through the door to the outside world that was hell on earth, I saw that the part of the wall the covered our hidden home was destroyed. Bits of stone littered the ground around it.
Clouds of darkness swirled high above the city. I could only imagine what it looked like before the darkness blocked the light of the sun, the way life used to be, what the plants looked like… But I could only imagine. The darkness isn't going to lift anytime soon. Looking away from the sky, I looked at what was left of our group.
Alice looked so worried and afraid. It was only a month ago that she watched her father die. Then I found her and brought her here to be safe. Now our safe place was gone and over half of our friends were dead. The chance that we made it to The Black Label were very slim to none. She knew that, and it made her scared.
Briar looked like he wasn't really there, like this was all too much and he escaped within himself. He stood there; looking at the darkness and watching it swirl around in the sky. He lost his entire family to the demons and now almost all of his new family was killed off too. When the demons came for his family, he fought to protect them.
From what I heard, along with what I picked up from his thoughts by accident, his two kids, Brandy and Sam, and wife's bodies were found in the basement of their house. Briar killed the demons he was fighting outside the house and went inside to tell them it was safe to come out. But when he went to find them, he found three werewolves ripping apart their remains.
Enraged, he destroyed them. He then burned the remains of his murdered family and sough out my father who he heard was leader of the closest Black Label. Once he made it, he was accepted as one of the family. I was only five then and Briar was like my father when my real one wasn't.
Caleb looked nothing but pissed. He was orphaned at fifteen because the demons killed off his family. He only escaped because he was at school when they were attacked. When he got home, he found his home destroyed and his parents and infant sister dead, their blood staining the floor.
From what I heard from his mind, all he lived for now was to kill demons. Nothing else mattered to him except that, not even his on life. So he became obsessed with finding as many demons as he could when he went out on raids and killing them. I could see it in his eyes that he was slowly going mad.
So did everyone else. But we understood what he was going through and left him alone. The only reason to kill one of our own was if he or she betrayed us, like Shaun had. Caleb wasn't going to betray us, that was for certain. He would be driven by the need to kill demons until he was killed by one.
My father stood there, looking into the distance like he did when he was lost in thought. He was thinking up a plan, a way to get to The Black Label without getting caught by demons. It made me mad that he didn't check if I was ok after the ambush. But I got over it. After living with him being this way my whole life, I'd gotten used to the lack of concern from him.
But that doesn't mean it's ok for him to do that. I'm his daughter, his only child! He should at least give me some kind of emotion to show that he gives a shit about me. Even if it was hatred, I'd be happy. As long as I get some kind of recognition. I wonder what's he's going to do?
Calming myself down and relaxing as much as possible, I looked at him and concentrated on him. Since this is the first time I've ever read someone's mind on purpose, I have no idea if this'll work. I waited, not trying to rush and loose focus, then heard some of his thoughts.
If we go through the cathedral, we can save time and make it to The Black Label faster. But that's where the demons usually find us. They already made contact with her just a while ago, if they capture her… No, she wouldn't give in that easy. She's too tough for them to catch.
Just then, he started to turn to look at me but I looked away before he saw I was staring at him. Since I lost focus, I couldn't hear what else he was thinking. But I learned some important information from those few seconds of thought I heard. First, he was thinking about going through the cathedral where most of our people get killed during raids.
Second, the demons wanted to capture someone alive, a girl. Third, whoever it is they wanted they didn't want dead. That was very unusual for demons to want someone alive. Well, unless they wanted to torture the location of The Black Labels out of her. It was actually a good strategy. I'd have to try that on a demon next time I see one.
I was brought out of my train of thought by my father speaking.
"We're going to go through the cathedral," he said.
"But…the cathedral is where the most people die," Alice said quietly.
My thoughts exactly.
"Yes it is. But if we get through, we'll get to The Black Label faster," he replied.
"Key word, 'if'," Briar said.
"So what? I'm ready to kill those sons of b-"
"Caleb, I know you're mad and we're about to go through the heart of hell, but that doesn't mean you can curse in front of Alice," I cut him off.
He rolled his eyes at me.
"Whatever. But I say we should go through the cathedral."
"Well…we can take them on if we have to and the faster we get to safety the better. So I guess it's best we go through the cathedral," Briar said.
The three of them looked at Alice and me.
"No way, Alice can't go in there. She'd get hurt for sure," I said, narrowing my eyes at them for suggesting it.
"She fought the demons in there a few minutes ago and made it out fine. If she can do that, she can go through the cathedral," Caleb snapped.
"I still say not no, but hell no."
"Raven, we're going through the cathedral. If you think Alice can't make it, then you protect her," my father said.
I narrowed my eyes at him and resisted the urge to curse him out in font of Alice.
"How about Alice and I go around the cathedral and you three go through and get you're butts killed," I seethed.
"No, we have to stick together. The more of us there are, the better the chance we have to survive," my father replied calmly.
"It's three against two Raven, we're going through the cathedral," Caleb said.
We stood in silence for a few seconds as I glared at them. But my death glare didn't change their minds so I had to go with it.
"Fine, we'll go through the cathedral," I said with a sigh.
With one last glance at what used to be our home, we set out. Every few seconds, we looked into the surrounding shadows for any lurking shadows. We went through the maze of alleys until we reached the streets. Once out in the open, we were even more on guard. I could see the roof of the cathedral up ahead, towering above all the other buildings.
The cross that stood high in the air on the middle roof was still in good condition and acted like a beacon for where we have to go. We weren't too far from where the church stood, a half hour walk at the most. We walked through the streets, shops and apartments towering over us. Each one different colors and all squished together.
Plant hangers hung from balconies and some sat on the ground where they fell when their chains rusted and broke. A horse buggy stood at the side of the road along with the skeletons of the horses that pulled it. I pulled Alice to the other side of me so she wouldn't catch sight of it. Just when I was about to look away, I saw something move.
Stopping where I stood, I watched the area when I saw movement. Everything was still and quiet but I had the feeling that something or someone was there, watching us.
"What is it Raven?" Alice asked.
I looked to where everyone stood, watching me.
"Nothing, just thought I saw something," I answered.
With one last glance, I continued walking. Turning the corner at the end of the street, we got closer to the church. I looked at the surrounding shops, bookstores, bars, café's, and such. The windows were darkened with years of dirt and dust collecting on them and hard to see through. I could barely make out the outline of tables and chairs.
The stores were empty except for empty shelves and check out isles. The doors were hanging open or broken down from demons breaking in to get to the hiding humans within. Bars on windows were bent apart or ripped off the frame altogether. Apart from being deserted, the city was a mess of broken buildings and blood stained streets.
Turning on the last corner, we reached the church. It was huge and must have been one of the oldest buildings in the city. I've never seen a cathedral before but it looked amazing. The wooden door looked hand carved and very old. On each side of it were two pillars that had another set on top of them.
Above the door were two mosaic windows that were missing bits of the colored glass. A ways up was a small mosaic window and a large clock that didn't work. On either side of the small mosaic was another mosaic a little bigger than it. Above all that were two steeples and a bell tower that stood between them.
Going through the entrance gate and the front doors, were entered the lobby. To our right was a statue of a woman in a brown dress and white cloak holding red flowers and a wooden cross. Below her was a stand that held five rows of candles with eighteen in each. The glass that held the wax on some of them were covered with dust while some were missing.
I had no idea who the lady was but she seemed important. A ways more to the right was a large mosaic of a person in a blue dress with three young children. Below the mosaic was a plaque. Whipping the thick layer of dust off of it, I read, 'In memory of Dr. Jeffrey L. Gould'. To the left was another mosaic but the plaque was missing.
Against the wall was a table and a bench. On the table were two candles and a golden cross with a guy nailed on it. Like the statue, I had no idea who it was nailed to the cross or why he looked so important. Turning away with one last glance, I looked to the far left. There was another statue. Like the first on, it had a stand filled with candles.
We made our way through towards the back door that was at the back of the stage. As we passed pew after pew, our nerves at their highest. Since the church was eerily quiet, every creek of the floorboards made the hairs on the back of our necks stand up. When we were halfway through the church, I wondered where the demons were.
As if they heard my thoughts, and I wouldn't be surprised if they could, a screech rang through the gigantic room. Alice jumped but I steadied her. Thirteen demons swooped from their perch on the ceiling and down before us, standing on the pews or on the marble floor. These were some of the demons rarely seen. They had raven heads with dog-like teeth and a tail like a snake's.
These were the sons of Amon, one of the most respected demons in the Underworld. He mated with human women as well as other demons, which means some of his sons were weaker than others. His sons had large wings that were black as night. Their beaks were razor sharp as were their talons on their feet. And to top it off, they had red, glowing eyes.
"Ovzeh gsv lowvh trho zorev, broo gsv lgsvih," one, who I guessed was their leader, said.
"Qfhg gib," I snarled.
I didn't have time to worry about the fact that I answered them back in their own language, plus the fact that I'd have to answer to the others about it. It would have to wait until these sons of Amon were nothing but faded darkness. One of the sons of Amon launched into the air a good twenty yards and dived down, aiming for Alice.
I whipped my kusari-gama into the air and the scyth stuck itself between its eyes and into it's skull with a sickining crack. Swinging it back around, I swung my kusari-gama my head once and flung it at the next demon. He jumped away with increadible speed but was still too slow to dodge the deadly blade. His black wing was now seeping the blood of the demons.
Not pausing a single moment, I swung my weapon back around and decapitated him with one clean swipe. I turned to the next one and he stood there, no sign of agresion but defence. He looked at me for a moment before taking a hesitant step towards me.
"Dv ziv mlg blfi vmvnb, nb jfvvm," he said.
"Dszg?" I asked.
Pushing all curiosity to the back of my mind, I swung at the bird man. He leaped back and one of his brothers joined him. With a shared glance, they rushed me. I jumped to the side and swung at the closest one. With a horrible shreik of pain, he faded. The remaining one flew away to the other side of the room.
"Coward," I growled.
Glancing around, I saw Brair and Caleb fending off three Raven men. Alice was back to back with my father and they beat any demon that came against them. Everyone was doing fine and didn't need help.
Since I wasn't paying attention like I should have, I was caught off guard when a pair of strong arms wrapped around me. They held my arms to my sides while dragging me backwards. Once he got a hold of me, he launched into the air and flew to a hole in the ceiling. Of course, I was thrashing and kicking but it was no use, I couldn't get a hit on this guy.
"I have come for you my Queen," he said.
Turning my head, I saw that it was Amon that was holding onto me. He looked like the larger version of his sons. I could feel the power and strength radiation off of him.
"Put me down!" I ordered.
He did as I said and put me down on the roof. I was surprised that he did what I said but didn't dare show it.
"How is it that I can understand you demons?" I asked.
"You are part demon and therefore know the language of your people," he answered.
"What do you mean I'm part demon?"
"So the human hasn't told you?" he asked.
"Told me what!" I growled.
My vision began to go red as I grew angry. I felt power flow through my body as I grew angrier. He's a demon; I should kill him like I do any other.
"It's starting. Your powers are starting to mature," he said, looking at me.
"Wha-"
"Raven…Caleb! Where are you?" I heard Alice yell.
"Hurry, you need to come with me. We need to get you back to the Underworld," Amon said, reaching out to pick me up again.
I quickly stepped back to avoid his grasp. He looked at me in confusion.
"I'm not one of you, I'm not a demon," I said.
"My Queen, I will explain everything to you, just come with me," he pleaded.
"Go away," I growled.
"But-"
"Go away!"
"Yes my Queen, as you wish," he said and reluctantly flew away.
I stood there and watched him fly away. My head was spinning from what just happened. I just talked to a demon, Amon of all of them, and he didn't try to kill me. And to top it all off, he said I was part demon, he also called me 'Queen'. Which reminds me of Shaun saying that the demons wanted their Queen.
Does that mean Amon thinks I'm Queen? And by Queen, he means Queen of the Underworld? This is too confusing and happening too fast. I have so many questions to add to the ones I already have and I don't have any answers to them.
"Raven…are you ok?"
I turned around to see Caleb standing there, watching me.
"Huh, oh…ya," I said.
How long has he been standing there and how much did he hear?
"The demons are all dead, it's safe to move on," he said.
"Ok, let's go."