Westward Ho! Or, The Voyages and Adventures of Sir Amyas Leigh, Knight, of Burrough, in the County of Devon, in the Reign of Her Most Glorious Majesty Queen Elizabeth by - (best books to read for self development TXT) 📕

“The ocean?” Surcy frowned. “Which one?”

“Any one.” He picked up his pace, his gut tightening as they opened the front door.

The angels were getting closer. It’d be a race to see who reached the border of the shield first.

“This is my garden,” Mertal laughed. “Well, an Arizona garden anyway.”

She held Daniel’s elbow, and he tugged her toward the path leading down the mountain. “Why don’t you show us down there first?”

A cough exploded from her lips. “Alright. But slowly. The dust makes my cough worse.”

Mark’s tension grew like a ball in his chest. They didn’t have time to hobble down the hill. He counted… eight angels coming right at them. All of them were equipped with weapons, but he wasn’t sure it would be enough. To fight, yes? To get the woman and Surcy out safely, he doubted it.

“Let’s speed up,” Mark said, trying to swallow down his panic. “We have another… eh… appointment soon.”

The older woman made a noise of disapproval. “Young people are always in such rushes.”

Daniel continued to speak to her in a low voice, but their pace picked up. They wove around the hill and finally reached the ground at the same time as the angels. The eight massive men struck the ground, folded their wings and hid them with a glamour, then revealed themselves to the woman.

She cried out. “Where the hell did you come from?”

One of the angels was familiar. Frink. Of course’s it’s fucking Frink. How many times do we have to kill this asshole?

“Well,” the angel began, his long, dark hair falling forward to hide part of his cruel face, “funny seeing all of you here.”

Mark moved to stand in front of Surcy and grabbed the dagger from his side.

“Get out of our way,” Tristan said, pulling his sword from his back. “Or do you wish to die again?”

Frink smiled. “No need to be rude. Especially when we’ve been kind enough to come here with a warning. This old woman just happens to have a very special curse. If she steps foot off her lands, she’ll die.”

“That can’t be possible,” Mark said. Could it? The woman had to have left her lands at some point in her life.

The older woman raised her gun and pointed it at Frink. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but you better head out of here.”

“You’ve left your home, right?” Surcy asked, touching Mark’s arm.

Mertal didn’t look back at her. “I have… just not lately.”

“Because every time she gets sicker and older,” Frink said with a smile. “And one more trip out will cost her her life… or at least weaken her enough for us to take what we want.”

What if he’s right?

“Get out of our way.”

Suddenly, Mertal spun and pointed her gun at them. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but I’m going to go back to my house, and none of you are going to stop me.”

I have to believe that I wasn’t sent here for nothing. If I’m right, we just need to get her to the water.

“You have to come with us,” Mark insisted.

She pointed her gun at Mark, eyes narrowing.

Daniel swore and stepped in front of Mark, reaching for her weapon.

The sound of her gun going off echoed around them. Mark’s gaze moved to Daniel, and his jaw dropped. She’d shot him, right through the chest.

“I—I,” she stuttered.

Surcy raced to Daniel’s side and caught him as he fell. Blood drenched his chest and stomach. More blood splattered their entire group.

That won’t kill Daniel, but not having his help against the angels might kill all of us.

“He reached for me,” the old woman added, lamely.

Tristan grabbed her gun and tossed it onto the desert floor. “If you wish to live, you will leave with us. If you remain, these men will kill you.”

Mertal paled. “But—“

Daniel fully expected the angels to attack in that moment. But they didn’t. They remained on the other side of the barrier, glaring.

“What are they waiting for?” he whispered to Surcy.

She looked up from where she held Daniel. “I don’t think they can cross the barrier.”

That makes no sense. Surcy could.

The old woman spoke, voice shaking. “My papa always said that it kept out anyone who wished to do us harm. Maybe he wasn’t so crazy.”

Mark looked at the little stone statues encircling her property. Perhaps their magic was stronger than he imagined.

Tristan moved to stand closer to him. “What do we do now?”

“We need to get her to the ocean. But Surcy can’t teleport us out until we get to the other side.”

“So, you and I shall fight them, and she will get Daniel and the woman to safety.”

It was the perfect plan. The angels wanted the Immortal and Surcy. If they could get them to safety, Mark and Tristan could handle the rest.

Mark nodded. “I guess it’s our only choice.”

Tristan slid to Surcy’s side, whispering to her in a low tone.

Frink followed the exchange with narrowed eyes. “You’re making a mistake. You have no idea how bad of one.”

“And of course we trust the word of one of Caine’s thugs,” Mark said, anger rising within him.

Frink smiled, a smile that sent shivers running down his spine. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Help me with him,” Surcy asked the old woman.

Mertel complied, her gaze wide.

They got him standing, braced on their shoulders. His face was pale. His expression grim. Demons might heal from almost anything, but it didn’t mean it didn’t hurt like hell.

Surcy looked at them and nodded.

Tristan shifted into a fighting stance, and Mark did the same. Then, Tristan transformed. His skin became the color of wet stone, and his stone wings formed on his back. Power flowed from him. Mark’s chest squeezed. He longed for his druid’s staff, but such a thing was nothing more than a dream.

This sword will have to do.

They stared at the angels. Their enemies called their glowing soul-blades into their hands and glared. Tension sung between