Demon Hunters: Book 1 Faith [editing]

Chapter 43

Zacharias had absolutely no reason to be upset. Three days, he remined himself. That's all it took for his friend, Killian, to manifest another human form and return back to the Earth plane. Still he felt an intense loathing bubble under his flesh. How dare these demons attack and kill angel watchers! Such a thing is unheard of it! Unheard of!

"It's time," Ophiel declared louder than necessary. "I don't care what Archangel Michael has to say about it. We are here on the Earth. We can't wait for permission."

Kiara stepped forward and curtsied formally to Ophiel and Zacharias. "We all are shocked by the assassination of another team of watchers, especially Killian's squad. He's been here longer than anyone of us."

Almost, Zacharias thought, but he didn't correct the angel.

"But we can't be hasty in our decision." Kiara wore a long, white dress and looked nearly angelic—in the stereotypical sense. "With respect, I suggest we wait until Leo returns."

Leo's band of watchers had been the first group killed on Friday night. The demons had killed them and burned their farmhouse down, probably a result of demonic fire bouncing carelessly off their blades.

Demon recruiters would never be so foolish. They had nothing to gain by removing angels from their human form, only to have them return three days later with completely new bodies and identities—making them far more difficult to track and follow.

Ophiel folded her arms over her chest. "I suppose we can wait another day."

Kiara nodded and stepped backwards, closer to the members of her squad, Finn and Gemma.

Crispin, manifested as a young boy no older than fifteen, stepped forward. "I don't see anything wrong with tracking down some of the local demons and sending them back into the underworld. We all know it takes them longer to return." He pulled his sword from its scabbard. "It'll be fun."

The warrior acted just as cocky as any other human teenager of that age, despite that the he was nearing four hundred-years-old.

Zacharias couldn't understand why Ophiel had been so determined to strike back. This local mob of demons was nothing more than an annoyance. "We should wait for Leo's return. Perhaps he can tell us more." Perhaps Leo will bring back word from Michael. Ophiel sent a message to the archangel on Saturday night via the harbinger angels. They had not heard back yet. It's just too soon to hear back from anyone in the Heavenly Spaces.

Ophiel shook her head vehemently. "Zacharias, what if we are missing something? What if they are hiding something wicked and ready to surprise us all before Leo manifests anew? Something that even Archangel Michael doesn't know about?"

Zacharias could feel Ophiel vying for control of the meeting. After the murders of Leo's and Killian's team, only twelve angel watchers remained in St. Louis. They had been positioned in different parts of the area. Ophiel, Rathaniel, and Ivo in the South of the City. Zacharias, Muriel, and Zoe in central and east portions. Kiara, Finn, and Gemma to the North. Cera, Kevin, and Crispin in the west. Their territories had gotten larger now that six watchers had been killed.

Eleven of them huddled around the assorted furniture in the living room of the remote, Illinois farmhouse. Where in Heaven's name is Zoe?

Gemma, the warrior in Kiara's team, leaned against the wall in cool detachment. "I have another what-if." She stepped forward. "What if there is no scion here? What if they know this already and are keeping us here as long as possible to distract us while the demon recruiters get an advantage in finding scions everywhere else?"

Crispin laughed. "I say let's have fun with the distraction. It'll be like being on a demon-killing vacation."

A look of dread came over Ophiel's face. "But there are recruiters here."

The four technical analysts—Muriel, Finn, Kevin, and Rathaniel—stared at each other. Although Muriel had been the youngest, the success of her team gave her seniority among her peers. "We really only know of one other demon recruiter still here in St. Louis."

"See?" Gemma raised her hands up in the air. "We are chasing a ghost. It's a trick."

Ophiel frowned. "Surely there are others here."

Rathaniel shrugged. "We don't really keep tabs on recruiters."

Muriel cleared her voice. "Rennard. It's Ren, and he's in the same school as Zoe. And so are Hab and Aamon. They are tracking her."

Ophiel's face soured, and her eyes narrowed. "Zoe?"

Zacharias straightened, almost protectively. "We have a possible lead in the school. Something is about to go down on Saturday at the dance. We believe the scion might be involved."

Crispin smiled gleefully. "See? We have plenty of time until Saturday. Let's kill some demons and have fun."

Kevin, seeming like a middle-aged account, dressed in a brown suit with thinning hair, lifted his hand to speak. Ophiel acknowledged him. "Maybe Araqiel has reached an agreement with the recruiters. They could be working together."

Zacharias didn't like that idea. Recruiters rarely wasted time making partnering with local demons. Likewise, watchers never sought out the help of the fallen angels who claimed neutrality. They were called quids, from the latin phrase Teretrium Quids, which meant an unknown third group. Sometimes, they were referred to as neutrals. Only a handful of these fallen angels roamed the Earth.

"That's not possible," Ophiel demanded. "Unheard of!"

Unheard of? Zacharias glanced at Muriel. She whispered the word "no," as if able to read his thoughts.

"Even if we were going to strike," Kiara said. "What would we do first? Which target would be most effective? I say let's wait for Leo. It's just a little over a day."

Ophiel relented. "Fine. Let's reconvene after Leo returns."

Everyone agreed and one-by-one they created portals and left.

Ophiel turned to Zacharias. "You had better keep your eyes on that warrior of yours. If something important is really happening at that school, I'm not sure she's our best agent there."

"I'll handle that," he replied. "This will be over soon enough."

Ophiel smirked. "Your precious little warrior isn't even here. I see you are handling your team just fine."

Zacharias gritted his teeth, but said nothing.

"I'm not that little am I?" Zoe sprung up from behind the couch, backpack slung over her shoulder. "Sorry I'm late. Needed to get my homework." She forced a smile and put on a too cheerful tone. "Do you like my Cardinals uniform? It's sports day today!"

The senior angel scowled, but said nothing. Instead, she spread her wings and slipped into one of the opened portals.

"I don't really like her," Zoe said.

"I'm afraid she feels the same way about you," Zacharias replied. "Just remember she has higher rank."

"Yeah, yeah. I've got homework to do." She walked off to her bedroom.

Zacharias wondered how he ever ended up with Zoe in the first place. True, she was the most skilled warrior he had ever worked with, but sometimes she could be a little much. Maybe Ophiel had a point about watching her closely. Maybe.

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