DAUGHTER OF DARKNESS

35

“I-I don’t know,” she whispered. “Something feels odd. It’s like … I don’t know. It’s crazy.”

Could it be? Was she sensing the darkness too?

The dark wave advanced, pushing against Devon’s senses.

Eyes wide, Kianna gasped.

The colorful lamps hung above the stand flickered.

What in the underworld …

“Kianna, listen to me.” Devon clasped her shoulders and turned her to him so she was looking at him. “Stay here. No matter what happens, stay with your mother and the others. You understand?”

She inhaled a deep breath. The flames in the lamps flickered again. “What are you talking about?”

“It’s nothing,” he said. “Just … stay here. Okay?” She hesitated. “Okay?”

She nodded and whispered, “Okay.”

Not wanting to waste a second more, Devon turned and ran. He slipped into an alley and sprinted toward the darkness. He had to find it. He had to stop it before it found Kianna, before it hurt her.

Outside the main street, the town was practically dead, but Devon still stuck to the alleys. Using his powers, he changed his human clothes to his reinforced black armor, and his sword appeared, strapped to his back.

He turned the last corner and halted in the middle of the intersection.

He could feel it. The thickness in the air. The pressure changing.

The darkness coming.

They stepped out of the shadows. Azerinthe. Little bastards with bodies resembling chimpanzees, with a short, stalky build and black, short fur, but the heads of eagles, with a bald top, no ears, sharp yellow eyes, and long beaks.

But the main difference was the razor-sharp teeth and the long, forked tongue inside that beak.

The demons advanced, grazing their claws on the ground.

Devon unsheathed his sword and spread his feet apart.

It was play time.

Present

Kenna

I had come because I had promised to bring the kids to the damn festival, but I couldn’t lie; it was way more fun than I expected.

Lia had been so excited about me going out with friends that she left the car with me that morning. My only task was to take her to work.

“I won’t be here when you get out,” I said as I parked the car in front of the library.

She waved me off. “I’ll just walk back,” she said, as if walking thirty minutes on a hot spring day was nothing. I protested, but she insisted.

Carol, Sabrina, and Kevin were excited about it. They hopped off the school bus and slipped into the car, eager to go. I only shook my head and drove us to Willow Grove, which was about forty-five minutes away.

When we arrived, the festival had already started and the place was crammed with people of all ages, races. The sun beat down on us. Why did I put a jacket over my tee? I took it off and tied it around my waist.

Carol told me the festival was always held on this empty patch of land right beside an abandoned baseball field. There were carnival rides and games, food stands, and an open area with a small stage on the corner where a band played songs. The main street had been decorated with lanterns, and later the light parade would travel the strip of road.

Strings of white LED lights hung from stand to stand, on the arcade, and on the rides.

It was beautiful, contagious, warming.

The smell of popcorn, cotton candy, corndogs, and hot dogs added to the allure of the place.

I glanced around, amused and shocked at the same time. I had never been to such a place, or at least I didn’t remember. I had heard about the circus, movie theaters, and carnivals. I had even watched TV, but until recently, enjoying those things had never been a reality.

Now … now Lia and I were free. We had been hiding in Misty Hill for a month, and nothing had happened. The thought both thrilled me and filled me with dread.

Finally, we had gotten away. Finally, we had been able to hide.

But until when? In the end, Slater had always found us. No matter where we went, where we hid, he sent his lackeys after us. We only got away because he still underestimated my powers—thanks to Lia. If she hadn’t instructed me to hide my full potential from him, he would have made better preparations. He would have made his place more secure. Put more guards around me.

We wouldn’t have been able to escape so easily.

I was sure he would figure out I was more powerful than he imagined.

Just as I was sure this perfect little life would be taken from me. It would be ripped away, torn to pieces, destroyed and burned to the ground.

And I would be left hurting, crying, regretting.

“Earth to Kenna.” Carol snapped her fingers in front of my face. “Where are you?”

I forced a smile. “Right here. I’m right here.”

She arched an eyebrow at me, as if she didn’t believe me. Thankfully, she didn’t push it. Instead, she hooked her arm with mine. “Let’s play that game.” She steered me to a dance game booth.

There were four dance platforms, complete with a light-up mat and screen. Sabrina and Kevin occupied two of them—Sabrina seemed to know what she was doing, while Kevin went with the flow. Carol pushed me toward one of the platforms, then took the other one.

“Ours is ending,” Sabrina said, her eyes fixed on the screen in front of her. She followed the movements perfectly. “Wait and we can all dance together.”

We didn’t have to wait long. We all chose the same hip hop song and started at the same time. At first, I was a little tense dancing like that in the middle of a festival, but soon the song, the movements, and the excitement from my dance buddies filled my veins and I let it all out.

Carol whistled. “Girl, you’ve got some moves.”