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  It made her question her faith.

  “My great great grandfather was one of the few survivors of that day,” Ryan continued. “In his writings he tells that this time, when the gate opened, the demonic invasion force was led by something different—something big—a demon of a type never seen before or since. The Templars were forced back from the gate by this huge demonic entity and had to use ultimate power to blast the entire region to keep the demonic force at bay. The battle was fierce, and demons flowed out of the gate to reinforce, pushing the Templars back and disrupting the ritual of closing.

  “The gate does eventually close on its own after a couple of hours. So, the surviving Templars waited it out, then made a bid to retake the gate when it couldn’t be reinforced from the other side. But when they got back to where the gate had been, it was gone. A host of demons remained, prowling the devastated valley, attacking anyone they could find, so once again they were forced to retreat.”

  Ryan’s visage hardened. “The order was decimated. We lost all our High Templars and only eight full Templar Knights made it out of Russia alive. Together with those few who could not make it to Russia on that day, they started the painful process of rebuilding.”

  The Arcanists had had similar setbacks—the Salem Witch Trials, the Inquisition.

  “Nothing has been seen or heard of the gate or that great demon since that day,” Ryan added. “Diligently we have rebuilt the brotherhood. We’ve rooted out demons wherever we could find them hoping to recover the gate. Now over one hundred years later, the gate is set to open again and, from what we know, it’s still in the hands of the demons.”

  Geoffrey was up and pacing. “This must be why Nathan brought me back now. This could be my final chance at redemption. He indicated that something had changed over the past hundred years but hadn’t elaborated. The picture you’ve painted is grim indeed.”

  “Nathan Gray is a unique individual,” Ryan said nodding. Geoffrey and Kelly exchanged knowing glances. “But he’s always been a staunch ally of the Templars. I would trust him with my life.”

  Geoffrey put a hand on the shoulder of the young knight. “At least the Templars survive and are yet a strong force in this world.”

  Ryan acknowledged the sentiment with a nod. “Not as strong as we could be. We fight a two-front war with the demons and the Arcanists. The Templars now number over two thousand members, but most agents are scattered across the globe. Our resources are stretched to the limit. And based on the message you gave me from Nathan Gray, we’ve begun a huge operation, long planned, to bring down our enemies. But it has nothing to do with the Demon Gate. It is, in fact, an attack on the Arcanists.”

  A sudden chill knotted Kelly’s stomach. “The Arcanists?”

  Ryan’s gaze locked on to hers across the table. His expression was one of determination. “The plan is all Nathan’s. Where he got his intelligence for it, I cannot say, but the plan is in motion and I won’t call it off, so don’t even try to persuade me.”

  Kelly swallowed. Nathan Gray was at the hub of everything that was in motion around her. “Then I won’t. I also trust Nathan Gray, now more than ever, but you should be aware that Nathan is playing both sides in this war. He is also well respected in the ranks of the Arcanists.”

  Why Kelly felt comfortable disclosing this to her sworn enemy she couldn’t say but she felt the time for secrecy was over.

  “Really?” Ryan took a moment to digest that information. “I don’t think that changes anything for me. I trust him.”

  Kelly nodded. She wasn’t sure how much Ryan knew about Nathan but she wasn’t about to start questioning the god’s motives at this stage. Still, she wondered what type of attack the Templars were about to launch on the Arcanists.

  Geoffrey interrupted her thoughts. “If I may ask, how is it that one so young becomes the commander of a Templar complex like this?”

  Kelly had placed the man in his early twenties, and was also impressed that he seemed to be completely in charge of this outpost, especially as most of the others she’d seen here seemed quite a bit older than Ryan.

  I inherited the position when my father was killed by demons last year. My family has been Templar for many generations, dating back to almost your time, Commander le Court.”

  “Commander?” Kelly questioned. She noted the surprise on Geoffrey’s face.

  “Technically, Commander le Court outranks every other living Templar. He’s the only High Templar alive. The High Lord hasn’t seen fit to elevate any knight in the last century. Or perhaps, none of us have been worthy.” He bowed slightly toward Geoffrey. “I am pleased and proud to place our limited resources at your disposal.”

  Their discussion was interrupted then, by a voice over the intercom. “Sir, we are under attack!”

  While Ryan went for the room’s telephone handset, Geoffrey looked questioningly at Kelly.

  She held up her hands. “This is not my doing.” She probably should’ve been hurt by his accusing look but realized she would have wondered about him if their positions had been reversed. There was trust building between them but it only went so far.

  Ryan finished his discussion and then punched the intercom button. His voice filled the complex. “All non-combatants report to your backup positions. Everyone else, gear up and meet me at the lift.”

  “Really, I had nothing to do with this,” Kelly protested.

  Ryan nodded, motioned them to follow him out into a hallway. “I know.” He shot her a reassuring smile. “It’s not Arcanists, it’s demons. Over the past few weeks we’ve been baiting a demon cell, hoping they’d try something like this. I can’t say I like the timing, but with demons you have to take what you can get.”

  As he talked, Ryan led them to a nearby armory. “I’ll have someone take the two of you to our safe room.” He started to strap on a bulletproof vest.

  “I think not, Mr. Chamberlain,” Geoffrey said, picking up one of the vests. “I am not a non-combatant.”

  Kelly followed suit and began to also strap on one of the vests.

  Geoffrey’s featured hardened; his aura flared.

  Kelly stepped up to him, putting a finger in his face. “Oh, no mister. Don’t even think of sending me off with the women and children. I know how to defend myself.”

  “Commander le Court, please,” Ryan was saying as he strapped on a helmet, “I think it would be better if—”

  Geoffrey cut him off. “Mr. Chamberlain, the matter is not up for discussion. If there are demons to kill, I will help you kill them. As you informed me earlier, I outrank you.”

  Ryan picked up a Barrett REC7 assault rifle from one of the racks in the room. Kelly expected the young man to continue arguing but there was a smile on his face. “It will be an honor to go into combat with you, sir.”

  Geoffrey picked up one of the guns also. Kelly instantly snatched it from his hands. “Do you have any idea what this is?”

  Geoffrey looked surprised. “Some sort of weapon, I presume.”

  A man from over seven hundred years in the past would have no idea what a gun was or did.

  “Use your sword, and no, in this you do not out rank me.” Kelly grabbed an assault helmet and stuffed it on his head then placed the rifle back in the rack. Arcanist training included combat firearms, and she’d become an acceptable shot, despite not spending an inordinate amount of time at the firing range, but she preferred to rely on magic in a fight. “Take us to the lift, Mr. Chamberlain.”

  Yes, I know a thing or two about demons. Five types there are, but four are the lesser. The wolf-faced Whargan and bat-winged, black Falgolite. Kolthas, red as blood with horns and spiked tail, and the gray skinned behemoths known as Drogga. None of these would I want to meet on a dark night, or a bright day, at that. But far worse still are their overlords, the Ballor. You’d be better to take your own life as fall under the power of one of these. – Sir Reginald Van Horn, Demon Hunter, 1892

  Chapter 7

  It felt like old
times. Geoffrey le Court was leading a team of young Templars against a horde of demons. Of course, these young warriors wore armor made out of cloth instead of chain, and carried guns instead of swords. Still, the same thrill was there.

  The firearms fascinated Geoffrey but, after asking about how they worked, he had to agree with Kelly’s assessment that he would be more dangerous to his new friends than the enemy they faced if he’d been allowed to wield one.

  Surprisingly, a number of women, similarly attired and armed, joined the men assembled to fight. That brought him up a little short. Women as Templar Knights? Was this modern way of thinking proper?

  Well why not? He looked at Kelly. That woman could certainly hold her own in a fight, though the Arcanists had always been more female-centric. It was another thing that had divided the two groups over the years. It looks like the Templars had managed to throw off some of that old thinking.

  It was certainly a different world than the one he’d left seven hundred years ago. Had things changed too much for him to assimilate?

  Did he even need to worry about assimilating? Once the gate was destroyed his curse would be ended. He’d never inquired as to what would happen when that time came, but he’d come to assume that he’d die—go on to his reward. He was certainly prepared for that outcome.

  They returned to the ground floor in what must have been the nave of the old church, using a lifting platform that had pushed them up through a hole that opened in the ceiling. This must have been how the elevator in Kelly’s library had worked. It was all too strange to contemplate. He just had to accept all these new concepts as they came, and move on.

  He, Kelly, and Ryan were with the second group of twenty or so Templars to ascend. By the time they arrived back in the old church sanctuary, the battle was in full swing. As they stepped off the platform to join in the battle, Geoffrey turned to Kelly.

  “Remember, I can’t die. You can. Stay behind me. Please?”

  He wasn’t sure why he found himself so protective of her. In her own way she was as much a warrior as he. Plus, she had an impressive arsenal of defensive and offensive spells at her command. It was certainly better to have her standing with him than against him.

  Chaos filled the room. Demons of all types were fighting the Templar Knights one on one or in small groups. Through the open doorways, Geoffrey could glimpse still more battles going on throughout the building. It was a huge invasion force but the Templars had mobilized quickly to confront it.

  Geoffrey wondered if Kelly would be able to draw on arcane energy here in a Templar power center. His question was answered a moment later when a scarlet bolt of arcane energy beamed across the room to strike a rampaging Drogga demon.

  Droggas, large, gray skinned hulks, were not the brightest of creatures. They often lumbered through a battle, swinging their long arms, striking anything around them, friend or foe. Once in a battle rage, they become all but indestructible. Geoffrey counted five of the immense creatures in the room. Probably a few more out of sight fighting in other rooms. Large targets, but difficult to bring down.

  Kelly’s blast drew the attention of the Drogga. It pivoted toward their position. Geoffrey readied his sword for the inevitable assault. Head down, the demon charged across the room. Arms flailing, it flung anything, Templar or demon, from its path. Kelly must have really hurt the thing. Her second blast hit the demon full on, staggering the behemoth. But it shook its head and continued to charge toward her.

  Geoffrey stepped in front of it and raised his shield to catch the Drogga’s downward swinging arm. It never connected, stopping a full foot from the shield’s surface, as it hit some invisible barrier. A reddish shimmer at the edge, showed a bubble of arcane force around him.

  “My thanks,” he said.

  “You’re welcome,” Kelly replied.

  He wouldn’t need his shield thanks to Kelly’s force field, so Geoffrey dispelled it and took to wielding the Sword of Light two handed, putting more power behind each swing. He slashed at the creature, dragging the magical blade across the Drogga’s chest and causing a heavy flow of ichor. Drogga demons could lose quite a bit of the greenish goo, which was the demon equivalent of blood, before they dropped.

  Geoffrey reversed his swing and sliced through the Drogga’s right arm at the elbow. The stunned creature had only seconds to look at his severed limb before a hail of gunfire from nearby Templar Knights finished it off.

  He scanned the room, glancing quickly back to check on Kelly before picking his next target. He couldn’t help but admire her fighting expertise. Well placed arcane bolts and timely force-shields were saving Templars throughout the room. Her spells seemed to naturally complement the Templar fighting style. What would it be like to lead a combined force of Templars and Arcanists? Could the two enemy groups ever be melded into a single fighting force?

  A Kolthas demon to his left, shot its tail barb toward Geoffrey. The Sword of Light neatly severed the creature’s tail before it could make contact. Geoffrey had long ago learned to avoid the sleep-inducing venom in the Kolthas tail barb. Bright red in color, the Kolthas demons had the classic devil look that had probably inspired the image throughout the ages—two small pointy horns on its forehead and the long, snake-like tail. The tip of the tail held potent sleep venom which could render a person unconscious almost instantly. A backswing from his sword neatly severed the creature’s head. Kolthas were easily killed if you could avoid that tail barb.

  Off to his left, Geoffrey saw a black Falgolite demon take flight. In his day, he’d always had a group of specially trained archers on hand to bring down the flying demons. With Templars now using firearms, a specialized squad would no longer be necessary. The creature was barely ten feet off the floor of the high-ceilinged chamber when it drew the attention and gunfire of three Templar gunmen. The Falgolite was dead before it hit the floor.

  Though the demon died quickly, its tactic succeeded. With their attention on the flyer, the three Templars missed the pack of Kolthas behind them. Geoffrey was familiar with the tactic, having faced it centuries before. He shot bolts of divine power at the demons, downing two of them, but the rest of the Kolthas group was able to tail-sting the three young Templars repeatedly before they could react. The Templars, two men and a woman, dropped unconscious to the floor.

  Before anyone could react, a Falgolite picked up one of the fallen Templars, the young woman, and flew off using her body as a shield to keep the Templars from shooting at it.

  The scene played out again, as another female Templar was abducted while her male counterparts were left behind.

  “It’s a harem raid,” Geoffrey shouted over the din of battle. “We need to protect the women.” Geoffrey began to mentally prioritize the women in the room while fighting his way back toward Ryan.

  “Welcome to the future, commander,” Ryan shouted back. “It’s more important right now to protect our fallen brothers from being butchered. The women will be fine, I assure you.”

  Was he crazy? Did he not realize what lay in store for any young woman captured by the demons?

  Geoffrey noticed that the Templars had been systematically moving toward the unconscious and wounded lying on the floor, standing over them to protect them until such time as they could be removed from the room. In each case, if the demons tried to take off with one of the fallen, always a woman, they were allowed to leave with only token resistance.

  How could the Templars callously let the females be taken? Did they have any idea what was in store for these poor women? He’d raided and destroyed many demon lairs in his day. The rescued harem women had been so molested and abused by the demon lords that they were more often than not mindless, tortured souls. Memories of these poor wretches had haunted him throughout his stay in purgatory.

  The thought of women being so abused made Geoffrey’s blood boil. If Ryan wouldn’t look after them then he would. He’d lost track of Kelly in the heat of the battle. He had assumed she would follow him but when
he looked around, she was nowhere in his immediate vicinity. He located her across the room, helping to shield and move some of the unconscious knights toward the lift. Fearing for her safety, he started to fight his way towards her.

  The demon force was thinning, the bulk now in retreat toward the doorway. That meant they would be at their most dangerous and would probably try to capture one or two more of the women on their way out.

  Kelly, helping a wounded knight to his feet, had put herself right between the main horde and the doorway out.

  Geoffrey fought furiously to reach her but was cut off by one of the large Drogga demons. Its thick arm swung into Geoffrey, throwing him back against one of the pillars in the old church.

  Gasping for breath, he shook his head to clear the confusion. His vision cleared just in time to see Kelly go down.

  A Kolthas demon had gotten around to her blind side, stabbing her with its tail. A Falgolite swooped toward her fallen form.

  Damning himself for letting her out of his sight, Geoffrey charged toward the retreating demon pack.

  The huge Drogga barred his path, clogging the exit door as the last of the demon horde slipped through. He blasted the Drogga with all the divine force he could muster, then sliced with the Sword of Light, hoping to kill or at least severely maim the large creature.

  Templars nearby focused their fire on the behemoth as well, trying to help out, but the damned behemoth refused to die. A swing of its great arm again threw Geoffrey back, slamming him into the wall. Templar forces poured a hail of bullets into the creature’s hulking body and it finally fell to the ground.

  Then again, maybe I just needed to get out of the way.

  He’d need to improve his battle tactics to accommodate guns.