Page 58 of Claiming Demons

Aspect of peace?

Even as I thought of it, I was filled with a deep well of serenity.

Peace!

Of course!

“Ah, Anais? You’re… glowing,” my father said in awe. “I can feel soothing power flowing off of you.”

“I just foundmypeace,” I murmured.

Slowly, I rose, feeling this new aspect fill me with a calm readiness for what I had to do, a new tool to help stop Erini’s destructive madness. “I need to go.”

Raphael didn’t question me at all. He simply nodded, and I could see in his silver eyes that he knew I could do it, that he trusted me.

“Go,” he whispered. “I’ll stay here and help these people.” I began to move away when another whisper caught my attention. “You’re far stronger than I am anyway.”

Was I?

Yes, I was.

And it was time to end this senseless destruction.

I strode back toward the ravaged building. Dust billowed out, and I couldn’t see anything past a few feet, but I could hear the fighting.

Filled with determination, I marched through the rubble-strewn lobby and made my way down ruined and darkened halls.

“You,” a rasping voice whispered. “You did this, didn’t you?”

I turned to see Horus limping out from the shadows. His eyes were wide with delusion and delirium. He didn’t look good: blood on his face, one of his arms hanging useless. His one leg looked like it had been half-crushed.

“Fuck,” I whispered. Then louder. “You need to get outside and get healed.”

He was an asshole, but he didn’t deserve to die here. I strode over to him, intending to heal him a little and help him toward the exit. But when I reached him, his good arm snaked out to my throat.

Eyes wild with lunacy, he croaked the word, “Submit!”

A crushing pressure drove down on me, but I didn’t buckle, didn’t fall to my knees. I resisted.

I’d been the one to approach him, so my oath to “cut him down” if he got too close hadn’t kicked in. It did now. My war aspect surged, bringing my sword to my hand. I lifted the blade until it was pressed to his throat, my threat clear, even though I couldn’t speak to voice it. Defiance danced in my eyes.

“Submit!” Horus tried again, harder, his power slamming into me, but it crashed uselessly against me, like a wave against rocks.

I lifted my sword another inch and drew blood from his neck.

“Fuck!” he hissed, letting me go and staggering back. “What’s wrong with you, bitch?”

He had the nerve to ask that?

I regained my breath and my voice quickly, a touch of healing going a long way. “Either you get out of my sight this instant, or I’ll end you, you sick, fucking bastard.” I raised my sword again, the point near his shoulder.

He yelped and fled.

One minor annoyance dealt with, now to see to the major threats of the night.

Carefully, I made my way through the rubble, getting closer and closer to the sounds of fighting and chaos. Except no matter how I squinted or concentrated, I couldn’t quite make out exactly where people were. The darkness, mixed with the heavy fog of concrete dust filtering through the air, was too thick, and I had no idea what I was walking into despite being able to feel the presence of several daemons and gods.

I needed a plan. And one that didn’t involve blindly walking into a fight between a god and goddess of destruction.