Page 104 of Frosted Torment

Vallen and I held back, waiting for the right moment as angels and wolves descended onto the field in a chaotic cluster. Ena stepped forward, her presence hidden from view. With a graceful wave of her arms, she summoned tiny twisters out of thin air, whipping them violently toward the demons and leaving them spinning in disorientation.

Maros crept along the back edge of the field, edging closer to Dawson’s house. He paused briefly, perhaps sensing my presence but unable to pinpoint me. I couldn’t help but wonder what twisted thoughts were churning through his mind.

I turned my attention away from Maros and saw Nakoma grappling with a horde of fallen angels. Their talons slashed athim in mid-air, like a storm of razors slicing through flesh. Ignoring the pain, he readied his bow and rapidly fired arrow after arrow, each shot trailing blurs of silver mist.

None of the demons could match his speed—except one with a thin, skeletal body that slipped past and grazed Nakoma’s leg. Blood seeped through his tattered pants, pooling on the ground beneath him.

“Nakoma!” I screamed before quickly covering my mouth.

“Steady, Noa,” Vallen remarked calmly.

Jossy expanded his wings and thundered toward Nakoma, his footsteps echoing against the earth. He leapt into flight, feathers cutting through demons like swords until he reached Nakoma. Each swipe thinned their ranks as easily as trimming overgrown hedges.

The scent of blood and sulfur hung heavy in the air, making my stomach churn violently. Bile rose to my throat while my eyes watered from the oppressive stench.

“Go ahead and puke,” Vallen advised. “Better now than later.”

I swallowed it down, holding back my discomfort, which only served as another source of embarrassment considering Vallen had seen enough of my vulnerability. Adding puking on top of everything else he had witnessed, which admittedly wasn’t much, I wasn’t ready for that.

“Nope. I’m okay,” I assured him.

Vallen’s eyes darkened, and his grip tightened around my hand. “Well, you’re up, Noa.”

A sharp pain shot through my fingers as I yanked my hand away. “I need these,” I scolded.

“Sorry,” he offered. “Are you certain you’re ready?” Vallen’s eyebrows knitted together, a flicker of guilt crossing his features.

Charging headlong into the chaos with nothing but bare hands and some daggers I still didn’t know how to properly use felt like madness, but hesitation wasn’t an option.

“I’ll see you on the other side, right?” I asked with wide eyes.

Vallen lowered his head, then lifted my chin with his finger and thumb. Looking deep into my eyes, he promised, “I will find you.”

I nervously licked my lips, then nodded. “That’s all I need to know.”

I turned away and walked onto the field where angel bones and demon ashes covered the ground. The battle blurred around me; flashes of demonic wings and gleaming weapons filled my vision while muffled screams blended into an unearthly orchestration. Metallic clangs and sharp thuds of combat mingled with the rough grit underfoot as I searched for my target.

Maros.

A blood-curdling scream shattered the air, sending a jolt of adrenaline through me as I whipped around to find its source. Ena’s face drained of color, her arms limp at her sides. I followed her eyes to see Dawson suspended from the grip of a fallen angel, its merciless claws punched clean through his chest. Blood trickled from the corners of Dawson’s lips as he stared back at us, his eyes reflecting pure torment as they met ours.

“No!” The word tore from my throat like a jagged blade. I grabbed Ena’s shoulders, forcing her to look at me and Vallen. “Not Dawson. Please, not him,” I pleaded desperately.

Nakoma and Jossy sprinted towards us, dodging demonicattacks with fluid precision. Nakoma reached Ena first, clutching her hands tightly to ensure she wasn’t hurt.

“Come on, Ena! We need to move!” Nakoma yelled.

They all took off, running around the edge of the clearing. Ena tossed angels and demons out of the way as if they weighed nothing. Nakoma’s arrows flew into each demon who dove for Ena; their bodies immediately turned to ash. Jossy hovered behind them, guarding their backs until they reached Dawson.

I stood in the middle of the clearing, paralyzed by fury. My body quivered violently as I saw what happened next. Dawson hung in mid-air like a marionette with cut strings. Higher he rose until, with a dismissive flick, the force holding him let go. He tumbled back to the ground.

I watched in mute horror as he fell, his body striking the ground with a sickening crunch. He lay splayed at an awkward angle, eyes staring sightlessly at the ashen sky, and I knew with horrible certainty that his neck had snapped.

A red haze clouded my vision. The voice that came from my throat didn’t sound like my own, choked with unspeakable grief. All I could focus on was Dawson’s broken, dead body and the unholy thing responsible, hovering just out of reach.

In that moment, I didn’t care about Maros or Vincent or any locked secrets in my mind anymore. The only thing that mattered was making that fallen angel pay. Even if it killed me, I would send it screaming back to hell, and I would laugh as I watched it burn.

I scarcely made it two steps before a different demon lunged for me, its blackened claws outstretched. I braced myself for impact, but it never came. A massive shape hurtled over myhead, slamming into the demon and bowling it over in a tangle of fur.

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