The Amulets Chronicles Book one: Hippogriff

Chapter 11: The Escape

I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing. I just punched a giant stone out of a wall and didn't shatter my knuckles. The excitement was short-lived, however, as a loud chorus of screeching came down from the canyon walls. We all rushed out of the temple and looked up. Demons of all shapes and sizes, from the size of a small dog to that of an elephant. Some of the smaller beasts were trying to get down into the canyon but failed, plummeting to their mangled and twisted deaths. The largest demon id ever seen appeared over the treeline; a hulking beast with torn wings that stood a story off the ground. The thing screeched and all the other demons rushed to get out of its way, cowering and whining. 
"We should run," Kendyll said softly, nearly speechless as the beast demon met our gazes. I nodded, my mouth agape. 
"Run!" Gillian yelled and the three of us turned and started in the opposite direction of the beast. We bolted over stones and crispy tree trunks, the roar of the beast shaking the rock beneath our feet. With a glance behind me, I saw the demon's wings spreading and it took off with a blast of wind. The smaller demons lept off the canyon peak and tried to grab hold of the big ones' tail. A few managed to latch on, but the beast paid no attention to it. 

"Faster!" I yelled, pure adrenalin allowed me to speed up, nearly doubling my original speed. 
"C-can you stop s-showing off Jay," Gillian yelled at me weakly, his chest heaving as he fought for air. I glanced behind me towards Kendyll, he was better than Gillian, but his face was still strained. Then it hit me, of course, the amulet gave me heightened speed and endurance. The demon was gaining ground, its mouth open and snapping at us with tree trunk long fangs. 
Suddenly everything seemed to slow down. I blinked as I slowed down to see Gillian and Kendyll running in slow motion. I felt my throat constrict as I watched that Demon chasing after them with fire in its eyes. Walking in front of Gillian as he ran in slow motion, I saw terror in his eyes. I knew he would run until he collapsed to stay near me. He would never complain and he would gladly die for me. My stomach clenched in warmth as I watched Gillian for a few more seconds. I then turned to Kendyll. The person who'd risked his life to save us, who'd brought us to his home and provided us a place to call our own when we'd thought the journey would be alone. I felt a stone-cold determination push away all my fear. 
"Then you know what you must do." A voice said into my ear quietly. I nodded and a sense of serenity flowed over me. Time returned to normal and I was still standing. Gillian and Kendyll instantly passed me, much to their surprise. I looked down at my hands for a few seconds, before backing at Gillian, whose fear I could nearly smell. Glancing at the demon once again, I raced after them, my determination becoming something more. I felt my body get bigger, limbs growing and evolving. My mind was clear as I bolted across the ground, my new form providing me strength.  I raced across the stone as my guardian form, a sparkling silver Hippogriff with my defining feature, massive wings that sparked and sizzled with electric currents. I fell into step with Gillian, who wasted no time climbing onto my back and grabbing hold of my feathers. I spread my wings and lifted into the air, the currents of air providing me life. I flew over the rock, reaching Kendyll in seconds, who looked at me with pride and awe. I stretched out my arms and grabbed him rather softly by the waist, before lifting sharply in the air. We shot out of the canyon, soaring across the trees. However, the beast demon was still following us. It put on bursts of speed that caught me off guard, ramming me in the side. I let off a screech as I struggled to regain my balance, soaring higher into the sky. The demon was close behind, biting at me and knocking me around with its massive horns. 

It put on another burst of speed, this time ramming into one of my wings. The sudden loss of one of the main reasons I'm in the air caused me to plummet. To my horror, Gillian was sent flying. I managed to regain my balance, but only barely. I grabbed out wildly, managing to snag Gillian by his torso, and pulled him close to me. I wrapped my wings around Kendyll and Gillian, protecting them as the demon swiped its horns at me, knocking me across the air. The oxygen left me as I was sent flying. My momentum carried me straight through the invisible barrier protecting the mortals from the demons with a POP. I plummeted straight out of the air crashed onto a parking lot. I sucked in the air and the demon landed beside me. Car horns blared and mortals ran into cover, before taking their phones out and taping us. The building next to where I landed, a hospital, had people in white coats streaming out. I was exhausted but remembered Kendyll and Gillian, who were still in my hands. I could feel their heartbeats in my talons, to my relief. I unwrapped my wings from them, managing to set them down on the blacktop. I heaved myself to my feet, staring at the place id emerged from. It was unnaturally quiet for a few seconds. Then I heard it, a soft booming coming from that direction. I waited with determination as the booming got louder.