Total pages in book: 207
Estimated words: 196971 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 985(@200wpm)___ 788(@250wpm)___ 657(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 196971 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 985(@200wpm)___ 788(@250wpm)___ 657(@300wpm)
He made his puppet bury himself in a grave not so far away from the other boys. Wrapped his magic around the body of his puppet to preserve its state while the world around it changed.
Must be patient.
Thirteen years passed, but no one cared to listen to his whispers.
Must be patient.
Must wait for the right one to come along.
And after another thirteen years, his patience was rewarded.
Even better, the one who heard his insidious whispers was the sweetest prey. A man who thought himself righteous but was in love with power at the same time. Oh, how deliciously evil this man smelled.
Come dig me out, the archdemon whispered, and I will make all of your dreams come true.
And of course, the man did as the archdemon asked, and soon, the perfectly preserved body of his puppet was out of its grave.
Now, you must take this body where it won't be found. Then you must kill it. Only then will my powers be free, and I shall make your dreams come true.
But of course, all of those words were lies. Once the body of the thirteenth boy started shedding its blood, the Devil's Door opened, and the archdemon was finally able to cross over.
And as for his new puppet...
My new little toy, the archdemon crooned. I shall have such fun playing with you.
The man didn't answer, too busy screaming as monstrous flames began to eat his flesh.
The archdemon rubbed his jaw. Now, where do we start? Your life appears quite interesting. Why do they only call you Warden? Is that truly your name—-
ZARI!
The sound of Elsa's singsong voice tore into her visions, and as Zari came out of it with a shuddering gasp, the first thing she saw was Elsa's burnt face looming upside-down just inches away from her own.
"I had to bring you out," the ghost whispered. "It's that man, Zari."
Zari's heart was still racing, and a thin film of cold sweat was still plastered over her skin. It took a few seconds to find the strength to push herself up and concentrate on Elsa's words. "What man are you talking about?"
Elsa floated herself back into an upright position. "The one who makes bad places."
"I don't understand." And another thing she didn't get was why the ghost was still whispering.
"He was there at the park watching you. Then he was where you work. You talked to him. Remember?"
And she did.
Zari did remember Elsa whispering about bad places, but all those times she had thought Elsa was talking about the murders. But all along Elsa had already sensed the archdemon's presence—-
Elsa pointed towards the door. "He's outside. He wants to make this a bad place."
The Showdown Isn't In Sundown
Chapter Twenty
SO MUCH FOR THIS PLACE being safer, Zari couldn't help thinking as she heard the door to Alexandru's apartment swing open. Then again, who would've thought that archdemons would know how to pick locks?
The old Zari, being younger and less mature, would've bravely confronted this creature of evil on her own rather than ask for help. Thankfully, the years past had made her just a bit smarter and more realistic about her own skills, which was why...
Um, Master?
Alexandru answered right away through their blood bond. What is it?
We have here a situation...
She allowed her Master to see through her eyes and heard him swear. The angel and I will be there as soon as I can.
Okay. The security in this place sucks, by the—-
Fuck!
Zari tensed. What's wrong?
I got one of the trappers to free me out of the cell, but...
Zari heard her Master grunt, the way he usually did when he was in a fight, and the ratio was usually not in his favor. You have your own situation there, don't you?
Yes.
There was another grunt.
Brainwashed Wardens kind of situation...
More grunts.
And they're out for my blood and the angel's.
Zari bit her lip. That was not good at all.
I'll be there as soon as I can. Just keep yourself alive while waiting for me.
Zari could no longer answer, with the archdemon-disguised-as-a-warden having already walked inside the room and started shooting at her.
Shit!
She managed to dive into the floor and roll out of view just as bullets punctured holes through Alexandru's couch. Since the archdemon hadn't even bothered to use a silencer, she had a feeling the creature had used a containment spell to keep the outside world from realizing that an assassination attempt was taking place right under their otherworldly noses.
"Just give yourself up, trapper," the archdemon growled.
"Over my dead body."
The archdemon answered her by firing more bullets her way, and the next fifteen minutes turned into a cat-and-mouse game around Alexandru's apartment, which was thankfully enormous enough to give Zari places to hide and regroup.
Keep myself alive, that's the mission.
Easier said than done, but it wasn't like she had any—-
Zari didn't dare let herself scream when the archdemon punched a hole through the wall, and his clawed fingers clamped around her hair. It might be too late to escape now, but no way was she going to act like a wimp in front of this monster.