To Love a Celestial

Chapter Thirty-Four: Their Souls Will Haunt You

Most camps were abandoned once word reached. They had severely underestimated their strength against these hoards and never expected a demon lord's right hand to be leading.

Raden ordered the soldiers back into the city to take a warning. He gave direct orders to Eli to find Azrael and hide her the best he could. He didn't know if any celestial forces would be coming. For all he knew, they could've all been wiped out at the border.

A new day was beginning with the sun shining a tired good morning on the land. Raden grabbed two short swords sheathing them and off he flew. He was going to end this once and for all. From the air, he could see the destruction of the fire. Dark smoke still rose miles down from where Raden stalled. Serkan couldn't have made it far if that was the fire. Raden flew through the early morning skies. The chill of the air still lingered from the night.

Raden sighed.

All of the day before into the night had been chaos. Messengers were running continuously with new letters daily. Forces from the ports were being pulled and sent to the royal city for extra resistance.

Raden tried to keep everyone calm and focused, but it grew to be difficult. Fear was growing like fungus through the soldiers and nothing could remedy it. After all these soldiers were meer boys wanting adventure beyond their farms.

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A cluster of small fires caught Raden's eye and he shook the thoughts of the night before. The movement was seen in the tents that weren't on fire and he knew this was going to be a dogfight. Raden folded in his wings and dove. The wind cut at his face as he sliced through the sky with ease. The hoard being too caught up in their feast didn't hear their demise racing towards them. Fifty feet. Forty feet. Thirty feet. Raden sped closer and closer to the ground until at the very last second. He opened his wings to full span and unsheathed each sword.

As silent as an owl flying he swept in, slitting the throat of an unsuspecting demon. He watched as the inky black blood flowed into a pool in the ground. Two more stood hunched over a meal of their making a few feet away. Raden jumped. He sheathed one sword and grasped the hilt of the other with both hands. He drove the sword into the back of the demon and twisted it. It let out a screech of anger and pain causing the other to snap its attention away from the meal. The camp erupted in angry screams and Raden knew he had very little time before the entire hoard was pouncing on him. The other demon leaped forward with its blood-soaked claws outreached. Raden batted his wings pushing himself back out of reach. He unsheathed the other sword and slashed forward at the demon's chest. He missed by a few inches as the demon moved to the right.

Raden huffed in frustration but turned quickly to face the demon.

Others had rounded the corner and were running full force towards Raden. He had to think quickly. Before the one in front of him could make its attack. Raden shot into the sky above the camp. He peered down at the angry hoard.

"Come on you bastards," Raden mumbled, "Fly."

He sheathed both swords and held out his hands. Palms open towards the ground. A brilliant bright light shot from his hands racing toward the hoard that was gathered below. Some flew out of the light's reach while a good many that stood there were hit. Their bodies lay burnt and unmoving. Raden smiled to himself but that victory was short lived as three were now flying toward him. He reached down to his boot pulling out two hidden daggers. A demon screeched as it flew closer and closer then it was falling as one dagger found its target. With precise aim, the dagger plunged into the demon's head. Raden shot towards the second while it was distracted, slashing downward across its chest. Blood squirted onto Raden's face and the demon swiped a claw catching his arm.