The Angelus Brothers Chronicles - The Golden Hind

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

They descended down a long slope, the hind hanging onto a handrail and hopping down, she whispered low to Gabriel.

"Kaia has had a happy life with you?"

"I have only known her for a little over a year. But I do my best to make her happy." He whispered back.

"I will see her if we live." It was a statement, not a question.

"I know she will want to see you, she thinks she's alone, that all her sisters are gone." She turned a corner and stopped. Holding her hand up, she silently pointed to a dim glow at the end of the corridor and began to shuffle forward.

Maude floated past them and slowly faded out of sight. Reaching the room before the rest she looked about, inside was a demon sitting next to a huge egg that was perched on a table. Beside him was a demoness painting her huge hooves red. Above both, their heads was a cord that ran across the ceiling and held the tiny golden key that was hanging above a huge pit filled with molten lava, the heat of which made the room feel like a sauna.

She floated unseen through the room and into the next. Inside were three trolls and four ogres all sleeping on slabs of rock, as well as two trolls playing some kind of card game. Floating back into the first room she positioned herself above the firey pit. Had she lungs at that moment she would have taken a deep breath. If she didn't materialise quickly enough, get the key and throw herself away from the pit before she landed. She or the key or both would end up like a melted mess no one was saving. Before floating off she'd whispered in Netties ear that she loved her, it was only at that moment she realised how afraid she was of dying again. But not as afraid as she was of living but losing her Nettie.

Shuffling into the room, the hind lifted a jug and shuffled over to the demons to refill their glasses that sat on the same table as the dragon's egg. They didn't even look up at her as she did it. From the shadows, Gabriel watched as she moved towards a door on the other side of the room and nodded to him as she slammed the huge wooden door shut. The demons looked up as she dropped the bar that locked the door.

Before they could utter a word the wolves tore into the room followed by the vampires. At the same moment, as the male demon lunged for the egg, the female sliced at the cord above her head with her claws. The smaller and faster of the wolves, Nettie, locked her jaws onto the demon's arm as Duncan lunged for the egg and shielded it with his body. The demon clawed at Nettie with his free arm, she whimpered as he drew blood but kept hold as Duncan let the egg roll gently to the floor and safely under the table before lunging onto the demon and going for its throat.

The female demon ran at the hind but Gabriel swung low at her legs at the same instant Raphael swung for her head. It rolled across the floor stopping at the hinds foot at the same moment, the door behind her burst off its hinges onto the floor knocking the hind aside.

Maude watched the key as it began to fall. She reached up and grabbed at it as she threw her body sideways and with a screech landed heavily on the ground with the key poking through her now solid hand.

The hind braced herself against the wall as she hit at the back of an ogre's head with her crutch. It splintered into a million pieces as it connected. The oger turned on her snarling as a sword came out through its mouth and sliced upwards cleaving its skull in two. Gabriel nodded at the hind and handed her a sword he'd picked up from the female demon. He fell forward as he took a blow from a troll's club across his shoulders.

As soon as they heard the sounds of battle, Pyra pulled the chain holding her wing tight as Winston hefted his axe high and brought it down. The chain shattered under the blow as the axe bounced harmlessly off the dragon's armoured scales. He moved to the other side and did it, again and again, the chain shattered. Moving to the dragon's tail she moved it as far to the side as she could and as he smashed it under his weapon she roared and spread her wings wide for the first time in aeons.