Page 17 of Camael
The streets around them had emptied faster than a church during a Vegas weekend. Smart humans. They knew when to run. Even if they didn't know what they were running from. The ones who hadn't cleared out were about to get front row seats to a supernatural throwdown that would rewrite French Quarter ghost tours for the next century. That would be after Camael did some serious work altering memories. He wouldn’t be able to erase them completely. Some shit was embedded too deeply.
Slate's vampire speed became a blur as he cleared civilians from the danger zone. Luke's sorcery created barriers of blue-white energy to funnel the humans toward safety. Aison completed his shift. His massive black wolf form took up position beside Izzy.
A group of tourists huddled in a doorway. They had their phones out and were filming. Camael's curse could've peeled paint. "Seriously?" Amelia's power flared as she threw up a shield. It would obscure everything from their vantage point. "They're posting this shit to TikTok?"
"Social media is going to be the death of humanity," Camael muttered as he grabbed the tourists and shoved them toward Royal Street. "Get the hell out of here! Now!"
"But dude, is this like a movie shoot or something?" One of them actually tried to get a selfie with a demon in the background.
"Yeah, and you didn't sign the release forms. Move!" Camael altered the memory to make them think a drunk was chasing them and sent out a pulse to fry their phones.
His Sword of Light blazed to life in his grip as the first wave of demons hit them fully. These weren't your garden variety demons, either. These were old-school nasty. Thekind that gave others nightmares. They slithered out of the sewers.
The Dark Warriors hit them in perfect formation. Aison's massive wolf form tore through demon flesh while Slate's vampire strength let him literally pull the creatures apart. Luke's sorcery created killing fields of arcane energy that turned demons to ash. And through it all, Izzy moved like a deadly arrow. Her father's royal vampire blood made her nearly invisible to even supernatural eyes, she was so fast.
"Well, shit," Amelia breathed beside him. Her hands were already glowing with that hybrid magic of hers. Light and shadow danced between her fingers like they'd never been separated. "I'm guessing these aren't tourists."
"What gave it away?" Camael drawled as he separated a demon's head from its shoulders. Black ichor sprayed across historic brick. The thing had the nerve to try growing a new head. He removed that one too. "The extra eyes or the tentacles?"
Her laugh was pure adrenaline and attitude. And damn if that didn’t make him want to kiss her. "The lack of cameras, actually. Tourists would be Instagramming this shit."
"Incoming on your six!" Cassiel shouted from behind them.
Camael instantly spun. His blade swung through the air as he bisected a demon resembling a cross between a praying mantis and a Great White shark. The thing's death scream shattered windows up and down the block. "These assholes are getting creative," he growled as three more took its place.
"You ain't seen nothing yet." Mal's voice carried over the sound of combat. "The ones up here? They're smarter than they look. They're learning from each hit."
Rami moved to cover Izzy's back as a particularly nasty demon tried to flank her. His blade took the thing's head while her power turned two more to ash. Their fightingstyles complemented each other like they'd been training together for centuries. The creature that came up from behind dodged both their efforts and managed to slice open Rami’s leg. Mal wasn’t kidding. Demons who could think on their feet were about as welcome as holy water in Hell.
The fight carried them down Royal Street. Historic buildings watched with dead eyes as celestial steel met demon flesh. Spanish ironwork and French architecture became collateral damage. It was a war most humans wouldn't believe, even if you showed them video evidence.
Camael moved like the warrior he was. Each strike was precise and lethal, leaving little for them to learn from. His blade left trails of divine fire in its wake. Three demons rushed him from different directions. He took the first one apart at the joints, pivoted to remove the second one's head, then ran the third through before it could fully manifest its extra limbs.
Beside him, Amelia was poetry in motion. Her magic carved paths through demon ranks like they were made of smoke. Light and shadow worked in perfect harmony as she proved why she was more than just another witch. A particularly ugly bastard tried to flank her. It looked like someone had skinned a dragon and used the hide to make a suit for a creature that had too many bones. Camael's blade found its throat before it could strike.
"I had that one," she said as she turned a different demon into cosmic confetti.
"I know." He smirked as he put down two more. "Just admiring the view."
But for every one they put down, three more took its place. The corruption in the air was thicker now and made it hard to breathe. Even Camael's celestial lungs struggled with the toxic mix of demon magic and ancient evil.
"We've lost contact with Mal and Zach," Rami reported.His voice was tight with concern. "Last known position was Bourbon and St. Ann."
Son of a bitch. Camael's wings manifested as his power leaked out. The temperature around them dropped twenty degrees. "What’s the status on Jo and Az?"
"Holding the line on Decatur, but barely. These things are pains in the ass."
A scream from the direction of Bourbon Street cut through the night like a knife. It wasn't human. It wasn't demon, either. It was something that made Camael's ancient blood run cold.
"Move!" He grabbed Amelia and launched them both into the air as the building beside them exploded. Debris rained down like deadly confetti. His wings caught an updraft, carrying them above the chaos.
Below them, Izzy and the Dark Warriors moved as one unit. Aison's wolf form provided cover while Slate used his vampire speed to evacuate civilians from the blast radius. Luke's protective shields sparkled like starlight, deflecting the worst of the debris.
The view from above was enough to make a lesser being pray. Darkness writhed through the streets like living ink. Demons climbed buildings with impossible grace, using historic balconies like jungle gyms from hell. The French Quarter had become a war zone that would give Heaven's generals PTSD.
Camael squinted when he saw movement in the distance. Something massive was moving through the Quarter, leaving destruction in its wake. Each step it took made the ground shake. And cars bounced like toys.
"Holy mother of magic." Amelia's curse carried over the wind. "What the hell is that?"
