The Soul on Fire | Slow Updates

Chapter Three

Her nerves were running rampant as she watched Asmodeus fall to his knees on a roar. He was breathing so heavily that a cloud of smoke engulfed his head and shoulders, from which she could just make out the sight of flames shooting from his mouth and nostrils.

She'd never seen a demon's inner flames outside of the body before. She had called on her fellow angels to assist her in protecting her charge – begging that they channel their combined power through her so that she would have enough to quell the powerful Demon King. She had felt the force of a thousand angels' power tear through her, multiplying the efficacy of her attack, enough that it overpowered the flames that unceasingly scorched his soul.

It sufficed to propel him back and make him retreat long enough to regain his strength. That had given Armaita ample time to use her magnified power to conceal Abdul from Asmodeus' eyes. Now she used that same power to place a powerful ward around the mosque, thus forcing the King of Demon's to experience a searing, white-hot pain that would cripple him and force him to leave the grounds.

She held her breath in anticipation of his departure. She was certain it would be any minute now. He struggled to push himself onto his hooves – his knees buckling under his massive weight as the ward rejected his very presence in the small building.

At last, his shadows consumed him, and he disappeared from the room. She released a slow breath, relief flowing through her. Behind her, Abdul was gathering his things in preparation to head home. Panic struck her. She couldn't let him leave. The mosque was the only place she could guarantee his safety.

She ran to him, placing her hands on his face and leaning forward to whisper in his ear. "Don't leave the mosque. It isn't safe."

Abdul stopped, his brows creasing together as her message registered in his mortal mind. To him it would feel more like an impulse or drive to stay, rather than manifesting itself as her voice giving a command.

He set his things down and headed through a side door that led to a small room containing a beat up old mattress on the ground. He set about making the bed and getting himself ready for sleep. Once he was spread out on the mattress and breathing deeply, she stepped outside of the building.

The moment her foot touched unholy ground, Asmodeus was on her. His large hand wrapped around her throat and he tossed her away from the temple. She landed in a heap – not having anticipated such a sudden attack – and cried out when she felt his heavy weight pin her to the dirt-packed ground.

His clawed fingers wrapped around her throat again, squeezing the air from it and making it difficult for her to focus. Her power was no longer amplified by her comrades, leaving her in a vulnerable position. She would have to finesse her way out of this one.

"How does it feel to be suffocated?" he growled, yellow eyes blazing and black smoke blowing over her face. Her hands circled around his wrists, trying and failing to pry them away from her throat. "Not so powerful now, are you?"

She couldn't speak despite her best efforts. Her vocal cords were being crushed under the force of his grasp, the pain searing through her. Her body tried to heal, but he continued his assault on her, not giving it a chance to catch up.

She focused on her power, calling the flames from Heaven that had been instilled in her upon birth, and channeled them through her hand. They licked the demon's skin where she clutched him, but it wasn't enough. He barely reacted at all.

Without warning, he released her. She sputtered and coughed, feeling her body work quickly to heal her crushed windpipe. She rolled onto her side and gasped for air – relishing the first breath that made it past her injured throat.