The Ascended (The Saving Angels 3)

"Suck on some snow," Kieran said, scooping up a handful.

"Eww that's gross," Sam said, wrinkling her nose up in disgust. "Who knows what you might be munching on."

"Spoken like a true city girl," Paul joked. "Believe me, there have been many times that I've been hiking in Utah and have had to rehydrate with some good old-fashioned snow. It's no different than drinking rainwater. Both come from the same sky."

"I guess," Sam said, still looking slightly disgusted at the snow in her cupped hand.

"He's right Sam, my dad and I used to eat snow all the time in Montana. You just want to stay away from yellow snow," I teased.

"That's disgusting," she said before finally popping her handful of snow into her mouth.

I giggled, getting a kick out of her expression. Suddenly, something felt wrong. There was something dark and evil close by. It felt like I was being submerged in water as my ears began to hum, sending my senses into overdrive. I scanned the perimeter of the pass with one glance, seeing nothing yet, but I knew they were there.

"Over there to the right," I pointed. "They're coming quick."

The Protectors herded the Guides together, forming a tight circle around us. My stomach twisted as I recalled a similar time we had circled up like this and had failed. I quickly readjusted so that the guys formed a line in front of us instead. "This way you have more room to maneuver," I reasoned.

"Krista, are you sure they're coming? I'm not picking anything up," Kieran asked.

"Absolutely sure, they're coming from the east," I said, pointing to the trees in front of us.

The guys tensed up at my words, waiting for the Daemons to enter the clearing.

My senses tuned into the beasts that stalked us and I could feel their bloodlust as they got closer to the pass.

Sam gasped beside me as she and the other Guides finally sensed the oncoming Daemons.

My own breathing quickened when they entered the clearing. I swept the beam of my flashlight over each of them, shocked by the grotesque figures in front of me. Haniel had been too kind in his assessment of them. To say they were horrific looking would have been putting it mildly. Their heads were covered in multiple horns that rose grossly from their heads. Outwardly, they had a red tinge that I had always associated with what a demon would look like, but as they made their way toward us, I realized the reddish tint was more of an oozing bleeding mess. It was as if all their skin had been melted or peeled off. As grotesque as they looked, it didn't come close to the stench that permeated the air around them. The only features that came halfway close to what I was expecting were their menacing glowing eyes that distorted their features even further.

"Holy crap," Sam said next to me.

"Pretty sure there's nothing holy about them," I said dryly from the corner of my mouth.

We all stood ready as the trio of Daemons approached my group. Their hoofed feet made the snow sizzle and melt where they stepped. My stomach turned as I realized that the offending stench they were emitting came from the smell of the burned skin that clung uselessly to their shapes. I couldn't fathom how it remained there without completely falling off.

"Protectors-s-s-s," One hissed, eyeing John, Paul, Shawn and Jacob. “It’s been a long time since I’ve tasted human flesh,” another growled. They paced back and forth, eyeing us eagerly as if waiting for the command to charge.

"Demon trash," Shawn countered, making the one closest to Jacob spit what looked like green slime in the white snow. The snow sizzled from the acid-like slime that melted its way down to the ground below. Sam and I exchanged horrified looks.

“Ooh, tough guys-s-s. Let’s see how tough you are when I’m sharpening my teeth with your bones-s-s. Or you,” it said, pointing to Sam. “I will wear your intestines around my neck, prettiness-s-s.”

The Protectors shifted around apprehensively in front of us, waiting for an oncoming attack. I could feel the slight panic and anxiety of our group like pins pricking me all over my skin. These Daemons were different than anything any of us had ever faced before. I had to do something or this mission would be over quicker than we thought. I closed my eyes and concentrated to filter the negative emotions I was feeling from my friends. I could feel the fear and doubt swelling up inside me as I focused, redirecting the pent-up energy towards the trio of on-looking attackers.

The Daemons jerked back as if they had been electrified.

One of them glared at me through the gap between Jacob and Shawn. "An Archangel?" It snarled apprehensively.

"No!" I retorted without thinking. Instantly, I kicked myself, wondering if they would have left if they thought they were facing an Archangel.

"Then what?" The Daemon furthest from me snarled.

I clamped my mouth closed this time, stubbornly remaining silent.

We watched in disgust as the three of them snuffed the air with what we could only assume were their noses. Each one protruded from their monstrous faces in a different size and shape, making it hard to decide which Daemon was the least attractive. As if to accentuate how disgusting they were even further, one of them reached up with its long talon covered fingers and scratched the side of its gourd-like nose. The razor sharp talon sliced through the skin on its nose, making it ooze a horrific burnt orange colored substance. My stomach turned over as it wiped the goo on the back of its hand and then licked it off with its long forked tongue.

I could feel the fear and tension of my group rising again, and worked to filter their emotions with confidence.

"You lie Angel girl. No mere Guide possesses that kind of power," the Daemon in front said, raking its claws across its forehead as if to wipe away sweat, but instead managed to slice through skin instead. “Why does it matter what she is, we are superior,” another said belligerently.