Immortal. (Book One) ✔️

Chapter Twenty-Five - Redi

Chapter Twenty-Five

Redi

Part One

"Okay, so you're telling me that you had-" Lance Merriweather raised his hands to use air quotes "-'reason to believe' that Tommy was hiding the Hunters Shield... And that is why you murdered him. In cold blood. After you just so happened to see him talking to Missie.. And you did it without getting any information from him, like, where the damn shield is?!"

Lance clearly had not believed Lars's story, but he wanted to try anything to get out of that damn cell and go back to the others.

"Okay, do you want me to be completely honest? I knew he was up to something; I just don't know what. I got mad. I lashed out. I made a mistake. But those guys have already lost a few good fighters, they need me. Please. Let me help them in Helroute."

His pleading had worked. He was now in Helroute, hiding out in what looked to be a cemetery. The awful noises of demons in the near distance, coming closer, knowing he had just killed Tobias with a single arrow.

Amongst the howls, he heard a shout. A man, shouting for Tobias, asking where he was if he was okay. Lars knew, he was not okay. That must be Limus, he thought. If I take him out too, I will have no chance of redeeming myself and finding the shield...
I need to find the others.

Jovah was helping Skarlet to her feet, as she brushed the dirt from her grazed knee. "Will you be careful?! We're supposed to be keeping a low profile and you clattering around, and shrieking isn't going to help."

"Sorry, Jovah. So what's happening then?" Skarlet asked.

There was no time for anyone to answer her. In the distance there was a shout, more like a scream. A name. "Tobias?!" The voice hollered. "Where are you?"

"It's him... Limus." Jovah said, more to himself in a half-whisper. "Felicity, send Cassandra back. Something is wrong. I can sense it."

Felicity and Cassandra disappeared into the thick forest where the faint glow and flash of a portal opening then closing could only be seen by the crowd of demon hunters. "So are we going down there now?"

"Felicity, my dear, you're almost as impatient as Skarlet and Jayden. Just hold on..." Jovah trailed off.

"Tobias! Answer me! Where are you?" Limus shouted again.

The pool of blood was there behind the crumbling wall, but Tobias was gone.
Footprints, two sets of them leading in different directions, laid out in front of him. One set was smaller, that must be Tobias. Limus began to follow them. Toward the cemetery.

Part Two.

Lance Merriweather along with his son, Harry, made their way to the Ayda Hall, where they believed Lars had gone after being released to gather his battle gear and weapons. When they arrived, the entryway was in total darkness. The chandeliers all out, no candles burning in the large hall like usual. And the doors were all locked. The only place they could go to be the bedrooms upstairs, where again, they were greeted by total darkness.

"Dad, I don't think anyone is here."

"Well spotted, Harry." Lance said sarcastically. "Thing is, Victoria and Ben should be here. Or so I was led to believe."

"They all probably went to Helroute. Seeing as you locked up one of their team, they needed all the help they could get."

"I had to do that. He murdered someone, son."

"I'm just saying, they left. For whatever reason."

There was a tremor, and a low humming noise, but only for a second or two.

"Portal." Harry said.

"I'm aware of that..." He gave his son a sideways glance. "It'll probably be Jovah. Let us go back downstairs and have a look."

As they turned around, they were shocked to see a small black-haired boy standing before them. He had a long shimmering sword in his left hand, while holding a book under his right arm.

"Hello, Lance."

There was a silence, before Lance pulled out his lilac-glowing wand and shot a bolt of electric blue light flying towards the boy, who deflected it with the blade of his sword.

"Toby... Where are the others?"

"Still looking for me in Helroute... They will find Limus, probably kill him. But they will not find the shield. They will be wasting their time there. Gives me more time to get rid of you two."

Harry lunged forward suddenly, tackling the boy to the ground, with his arm around Toby's throat, his sword flying from his hand. Lance, quick as a flash, caught it before it hit the floor, and pointed it to Tobias's throat, the sharp end leaving a mark on his Adam's apple.

"Bad idea, Toby."

"It's Tobias..." He growled, his voice changing from a young boys to a terrifying monster's. "I have the shield. And Limus will soon be dead, then everyone, the whole world, will know my name. No one will fear Limus anymore, it will be me. No one will dare breathe my name, no one will dare try and defeat me. With this shield, and Limus's wand, I can turn your lot of hunters into loyal worshippers, and they will obey me, kill on demand. They will forever be under my control-"

"Are you going to waste our time with your pathetic fantasy, or are we going to get to it?" Harry asked, as he got to his feet from the kneeling position he had still been in beside Toby on the floor.

"Oh, gladly. I am now more powerful than you thought. The decision to bring me back to Aura from Rhona's should have never been made."

Part Three.

Lars lay in wait in the cemetery, knowing Limus was probably stupid enough to follow the false lead to him. He loaded his bow with yet another black arrow, a shiny silver tip gleaming out under the one light nearby. All the others had been smashed or torn down.

He looked at the arrow as if inspecting it, like it was a beautiful piece of artwork, the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
The way he thought of Missie.

Guilt engulfed him. Killing Tommy was so stupid. The most pathetic thing he had ever done. But now, in this cemetery with his loaded bow, it was time to redeem himself.

He had distracted the demons by setting a fire in the courtyard at the back of the building where Limus and Tobias had originally been hiding out. Now that Tobias is gone, Limus is the only obstacle in the way of finding the shield.

Lars had moved Tobias's body, hidden him in a small shed on the side of the small building, and locked it with the keys he found on the boys belt. With the keys now tossed in the river running through the cemetery, he knew that even if Tobias weren't dead, he could not escape.

When he heard the gate to the cemetery open, loudly, and slam shut, he braced himself for a fight. But hopefully, he would only have to take one shot at the demon summoner, and he would be dead. He poked his head around the headstone he was sat behind but saw no sign of Limus, but he could still hear the footsteps, coming closer.

Still up in the trees, there were so many demon hunters gathered, chatting, and debating, maybe even arguing on what to do next. Of course Jayden wanted to go straight down there, he did not want to wait any longer now they knew Limus was out and wandering around.

"Fire." Jessika said. She pointed out towards the building with the flaming courtyard behind it. "How? Someone must have set that fire deliberately."

"You can't be sure of that." Felicity said, stepping closer to the edge of the woods to take a look for herself. "It is pretty big." She turned to Jovah. "We should go. Now. They'll be distracted by the fire."

Just over the roar of the demons in the distance and the fire they heard a noise. A bloodcurdling noise, which made them all atop dead.

A young man's terrified scream echoed out through the woods, just as Ava asked, "where's Missie gone?"