SWNOVELS Chapter Chapter Eight: Azreel
“Okay, Robert... what is it that you wanted to show us?” Claire asked, folding her hands. She wore a fabulous brown leather jacket, blue jeans, and black leather boots.
Luke stood behind her, holding a basketball in his hand.
“Come on bro,” Luke said. “We are already deep enough into the woods... why don’t you just tell us?”
Robert took in a deep breath, rubbed some leaves off his long-sleeved shirt, and said, “Just a little further.”
Branches and dead leaves crushed below them as they walked. Robert led them to a small clearing surrounded by large trees. This will do he thought. Classes had just ended a few minutes ago and Samantha, Sara, and Ashley had gone straight into town. Even with everything going on, the girls still worried about Ravenhill High’s annual school dance that would take place next week.
Robert had decided that if he was going to reveal his most recent acquaintance then he would do it like Ashley did when she told them her secret; a few friends at a time.
Luke and Claire were Robert’s first choices. Telling Ashley would mean that Richard would immediately know and telling Samantha would mean Ashley would know and tell Sara... well, in his mind, Robert pictured a deadly black sword being slashed around. Yes, telling Luke and Claire first was a good decision.
“Alright, here,” Robert said.
“So, what is so important that I had to miss practice?” Luke asked.
“First you guys have to promise not to tell Ashley and the rest of our friends.”
“Did you do something wrong?” Claire asked, looking very curiously at Robert.
“Well... um... the thing is... Remember how I asked Ashley about the demons that had attacked the town two days ago?” Robert said.
“Yeah... I remember you mostly asking if there was a chance any escaped. Wait...”
Luke walked over to Robert and his brown eyes stared right into Robert’s.
“Could it be that you saw a demon?” Luke asked.
Robert swallowed and replied saying, “More or less.”
“What does that mean?” Claire asked.
Robert closed his eyes, breathed in deeply, and said, “It is okay. They’re my friends. You can show yourself.”
A confused look formed on Luke’s face.
“Who are you talking to...?”
Robert had to run to Claire had held her mouth to prevent her from screaming. The sun’s light was blocked by the demon when it appeared.
“Guys c-calm d-down,” Robert pleaded.
Luke’s body was frozen and Robert saw that he had already pulled out his phone. His basketball was on the ground.
Robert ran to Luke, held him by his shoulders, and said, “Luke it’s fine, he’s harmless...”
“It’s fine.”
At first, it came out as a whisper from Luke’s shaking mouth. Claire had fallen and sat on the ground, her hand pointing at the demon.
Suddenly the demon did something that shocked even Robert. It retracted its wings, laid down on its back, picked up Luke’s basketball from the ground, and started playing with it using its four legs.
Claire was the first one to laugh when the ball missed one of the three-eyed creature’s legs and fell into the creature’s mouth. A loud popping sound came out of the demon’s mouth and eventually Luke started laughing. Robert joined them. The creature then stood and raised its two front legs in the air and tried catching some butterflies that were hovering above it.
After some minutes, Claire and Luke were even able to walk up to the demon and pat his large head.
“So,” Luke finally said. “What do you plan on doing with him... or her?”
Robert chuckled.
“What?” Luke asked.
“It’s funny... Even though you clearly see that it’s a demon you didn’t refer to him as an ‘it’.”
Claire walked onto one of the demon’s legs. He gently grabbed and raised her so that she sat on its back.
“How ’bout a name,” she said. “Have you given him one?”
“I only met him yesterday,” Robert whinnied. “Of course, I haven’t named him.”
“Still, we have to tell Ashley about this,” Luke suggested. “and Richard too. The guy’s over fifty thousand years old and probably knows more about demons than anyone alive.”
Claire got down from the demon and said, “I am with Luke on this one. Besides...”
The demon suddenly reduced in size. He was now the size of a fully grown lion. He walked and stood next to Claire. Claire patted the demon’s scaly head and said, “Once Ashley and Richard see that he’s harmless... ish... I am sure they would let him stay or at least know what to do with him.”
The demon then moved to where Robert stood.
“Alright fine guys,” Robert said. “We tell Ashley and the rest tomorrow after school.” He clapped his hands together and said, “So, how about a name?”
“I know,” Claire said. “How ’bout Razor? It sounds fierce.”
“Nah,” Robert said. The demon too, shook his head. He seemed to understand what they were saying.
“Huh... I have a good one,” Luke exclaimed. “Reptor... He does look reptilian.”
Robert tilted his head and looked at the demon. The demon’s three eyes were staring intensely at him.
“Hmm,” Robert Murmured. “How does Alzreel sound?”
Luke raised an eyebrow.
“Alzreel... Sounds... Actually, it suits him... What does it mean?” Luke asked.
“Well, I don’t know,” Robert admitted. “It sort of just came to me.”
Robert was telling the truth. The moment he looked into Alzreel’s eyes the name just came to him. It was as if Alzreel herself had told Robert her name.
Wait... herself?
“Guys,” Robert said, smiling. “I think Alzreel here is a girl.”
Alzreel’s reptilian mouth curved into a smile.
“Look,” Claire exclaimed. “She’s agreeing. But how did you know?”
“Lucky guess?” Robert said, but he felt it was more than that.
Suddenly, Alzreel eyes narrowed and became fiery red.
“Alzreel?” Robert asked.
When Robert turned behind him he saw the reason why Alzreel started acting strange. Standing in front of him was Adrian, only... it was a version of Adrian that Robert hardly recognized. His face was almost completely covered in red blood and so was his black sword. His black leather Hunter’s uniform was no different and his eyes...
Luke and Claire naturally stepped back away from Adrian.
“Bro, we’ve been looking all over for you?” Luke said, his voice shaking.
Adrian’s gaze did not drift away from Alzreel.
“Ashley was worried about you... we all were,” Claire added.
Robert had heard about auras from Ashley. She had told him that normal humans weren’t very good at sensing them unless they underwent intense training as Hunters did. However, at that moment, Robert was getting an eerie sensation from Adrian and he was sure Luke and Claire could sense it too.
“You seem afraid,” Adrian finally said. He raised his sword and pointed it at Alzreel. “But who are you most afraid of right now... me, or that demon...”
Adrian was so fast that Robert couldn’t follow his movements. He run past Robert and slashed his sword at Alzreel, severing one of her wings.
A painful roar came from Alzreel and Robert ran at stood between her and Adrian.
“Adrian! Stop! What’s gotten into you, man?!” Robert shouted.
“What’s gotten into me? What the hell is with all of you?!” Adrian shouted back and that’s when Robert saw them... tears flowing out of Adrian’s eyes.
“Look at this,” Adrian said. “Do you even know what you are trying to protect? That’s a demon, Robert. And it doesn’t just end here does it?! Richard, Sara, and Ashley... You people are trying to protect them all aren’t you?”
“What happened to you, Adrian?” Claire said, sobbing. “Why are you doing this?”
Robert’s eyes widened when another wing started regenerating on the wound that Adrian had made on Alzreel.
Again, without warning, one of Alzreel’s legs flew off when Adrian came in and swung his black sword. Robert had heard about it from Ashley but he had never actually seen a Hunter in action before. Adrian’s movements were almost inhuman. Every time he moved, it was like he was disappearing and suddenly reappearing.
Adrian grabbed Robert by his neck and a smirk formed on his face when he pierced his sword into Alzreel’s severed wing. That look on Adrian’s face. Was he enjoying the sight of Alzreel in pain?
Robert grabbed both of Adrian’s arms.
“Alzreel, get out of here!!!” Robert commanded.
Alzreel grew almost three times in size and a fierce look appeared in all her three eyes. She was about to attack.
“Please Alzreel go!!! I will be fine I promise,” Robert shouted as Adrian tried to pry him off.
Alzreel didn’t leave. Her leg regenerated and she swung her tail, hitting Adrian in the abdomen. Adrian crashed into a tree and his back hit the hard ground. Alzreel stood protectively in front of Robert.
Just as Adrian was about to get up, a woman suddenly appeared out of nowhere, grabbed him by his neck, and pieced a syringe in his shoulder.
“Ms. Hughes?” Robert said in a confused voice.
Apart from being one of Robert’s teachers at school, Ms. Hughes was secretly a Hunter like Adrian and was also his lieutenant. She wore normal clothes; a long black skirt and a white long-sleeved shirt.
Another person walked out of the bushes behind Ms. Hughes. It was a girl that looked slightly older than Robert. She was gorgeous, Robert admitted. She dyed one side of her hair dark blue and wore blue denim jeans and a black T-shirt.
Whatever Ms. Hughes had injected into Adrian’s body started to take effect. Adrian’s grip on his sword loosened and his eyes closed. Ms. Hughes carried him in her arms.
“Wait,” Robert said. “What’s going on? What happened to Adrian?”
Ms. Hughes looked at the girl that was standing next to her and said, “Deborah, why don’t you stay behind and fill them in?”
“Me?” Deborah exclaimed. “But...”
Ms. Hughes gave Deborah a stare that caused a chill to rise up Robert’s spine.
Deborah sighed lazily and said, “Fine.”
Ms. Hughes left with Adrian.
Deborah walked towards Robert and said, “Take me to the Fire Demon and the Mermaid.”
“Why?” Robert asked.
Deborah halted her attack on Robert when a menacing growl came from Alzreel.
“Look... Just take me to them okay,” she said.
A spark of sorrow filled Deborah’s eye as she said, “With the Hunters gone, we might need all the help we can get if this town is going survive what coming... no... what has already come.”
...
Happy reading.