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)
Castello shook his head several times and continued to wave his hand toward Ese Jordan so that man would demand the answers the demon wanted. His ultimate goal seemed to be to get Silke to open the door of her home.
“I do believe Ms. Reinders might have important information about Drakos,” Ese said. “She’s most likely the last one to see him, and you know how she can be.”
Silke went on alert. It was important she continue to delve into the demon’s mind. She had to find out how he was made and what protections he had so she could counter them, but Castello and Jordan were carrying out a prearranged plan. She heard it in Ese’s voice and saw it in Castello’s mind.
The demon leaned toward the two police officers, his powerful voice persuasive. “I know you want to find out what happened to my friend and colleague. The answer is inside that house. It wouldn’t hurt for her to at least come to the door and answer your questions. We don’t have to go inside.” He used that compelling voice ruthlessly, pushing his will on the two men.
Like most of the villagers, Visser and Bakker had a barrier in their minds that protected them against compulsions. It wasn’t as if that shield couldn’t become flimsy with age. Tora couldn’t possibly get to every single person in the village to keep the barriers strong. She tried to renew the barrier in the villagers within a year’s time, but it wasn’t easy. Not since something was happening at the gate she guarded. She spent a great deal of her time there, concerned that Justice was somehow testing the gate. She didn’t want to let everyone down at the last moment and have the one they referred to as the beast escape into their world. Especially since they didn’t know if Lilith ruled him.
Clouds drifted across the sky, a solid wall of them building into a potential storm. The air changed subtly as shadows fell across the stones.
Don’t show yourself until I delve deep enough to find out his protections, she cautioned Benedek.
Both policemen shook their heads as if to dislodge the sound of Castello’s voice.
“Am I being so unreasonable?” Castello switched to another tone, one almost angelic.
Silke heard it as if nails scraped across a chalkboard. She pushed deeper into his memories. As she did, she caught his plan of attack. He would kill her first with a slash of his ceremonial knife, just in case she was the slayer. Then he would kill Visser. Jordan was programmed to kill Bakker. The bloodbath would be fast, over in a moment. In the end, Jordan would be blamed for killing them all. Meanwhile, he would be able to get to Fenja, the slayer. He thought of her as cowardly and was certain he could torture her into giving all the secrets of the forest to him.
Silke delved deeper, shuffling fast until she came upon one memory Castello had of being surrounded by several mages, Lilith and two shadowy figures. She felt Benedek’s sudden stillness. That didn’t bode well. The mages and Lilith chanted, the words ugly and dark. They circled Castello in one direction and then switched to counterclockwise as they invoked the spell. Dazzling crystal lights played over Castello the entire time as one of the mages stepped forward, took ahold of the demon by the top of his scalp and none too gently lowered him into a steaming vat of noxious liquid.
Castello screamed and kicked, struggling to get out of the vat while the chant swelled in volume.
They are covering his skin with a protective coating, making him immune to the crystals in the sword, she said, her mind already racing to find solutions.
Castello was jerked from the first vat and then dipped into a second one. This time, the mage spun him in circles, whirling him around as if to coat every part of him.
A second armor, not the same as the first.
To slay Castello, she would have to get past two sets of entirely different armor. She watched as the mage dragged Castello free of the vat and shoved him back into the center of the circle. Immediately, the mages began to chant, casting many dark spells at the demon. Symbols lit up all over his body but never penetrated. The mages stepped back, and the two much larger figures raced forward in a coordinated attack.
Instantly, Silke knew they were vampire. More than vampire, something much more powerful. Even so, no matter what they did to try to rip off the demon’s head or tear at him with ten-inch claws, they couldn’t penetrate the armor. Very slowly the chanting halted, and Lilith beamed at her demon.
Part Four
(Left) Ending what does not serve you. Significant transformation and change.
(Right) Fortunes change for the worst. Change is a source of stress. Breaking a negative cycle.