Children of the Archangels

CHAPTER 38: ONE V SIX

As much as Luke entertained the notion of running away to his mommy and letting every man fend for himself, he realized he couldn't be so cowardly. Besides the fact that he didn't even know who his mother was, he managed to muster up enough courage to use his whip to wrap it around Nil, without hurting him. He yanked Nil towards him, unraveling him like a yo-yo.

He could see why that other candidate that was chosen before him, the Dawn SGA student Pepe, returned from the Garden Run in a coma. One bonk from that Chuchunya's ax and if you didn't die, you went under.

Luke had Nil in his hands. Sirius was still lost beneath the mounds of snow. The wind stopped howling and the Chuchunyas looked like they had a sudden migraine as blasts of wind swept over them.

As fast as they stumbled backwards in a daze, they caught themselves and shook off the minor dizziness.

The Chuchunyas started to speak, but it sounded so unnatural for them. Each word sounded like a hippo trying to sing the alphabet. "Last time you resisted our brother."

Another spoke, "We know now to weaken you before attempting possession."

"And with the descendant of light submerged..."

"We cannot be expelled."

Victor aimed a slingshot of thick clear liquid. Luke knew it was holy water, or Nujeg as the demons called it. He took aim and one of the Chuchunyas smashed the pellet like a baseball with his ax. The pellet exploded and coated the ax with liquid holy water, but it missed landing on the furry creature. The creature smiled exposing fangs that would make Dracula jealous.

Then Victor started to convulse. His body shook and eventually his eyes turned icy blue. Victor spoke with an echo. "Your teammate didn't put up much of a fight."

Luke was surrounded by five Chuchunyas and a possessed teammate. Not only that, he had lost Sirius and was restricted to keeping Nil safe. Luke had to face the impossible, and all after just escaping the Phantom Cat.

"Soon, the child you clutch will be corrupted and I will take him," said the Chuchunya who destroyed the holy water pellet with his ax. Luke could tell this guy was the head honcho.

"Why wait? He's defenseless now!" shouted another Chuchunya who suddenly became dazed again and fell to the ground to take a nap.

"Wait you fool!" the lead demon spoke from within a Chuchunya.

But it was too late. The low-ranking demon who left its host tried to infiltrate Nil. Luke felt a blast of wind enter into Nil's body. Nil shrieked like a car alarm on the highest frequency and it scared Luke. That cry was anywhere from natural. Then there was a blast of air that was expelled from Nil's body and then poof like a fluffy explosion. Nil's shrieking stopped.

"Idiot," the lead demon shook his head. "The child cannot be altered while he stares at Gonjá."

Clearly one of the demons got more than he bargained for. Now he was reduced to stale air and that lowered the amount of enemies Luke had to worry about back down to five—four hideous Chuchunyas and a loose cannon Victor.

Luke needed help, and in order to help himself with this situation, he needed to buy himself some time. "Why are you demons so persistent? Can you not get anyone to like you without trying to steal their bodies?" His right hand grew hot, a flame billowing on the inside, fire coursing through his veins. What he was about to do would be even more difficult to pull off in the icy environment around him.

But he had no choice.

"We only want to borrow your pathetic bodies momentarily," the lead demon spoke. "Once it has served its use, we'll leave you to be killed by your own kind."