Demon Day by Penelope Fletcher (best novels in english .TXT) 📕

away. He tipped his head to whisper inmy ear. “You should me more concerned of what will happen to youonce you’re thrown back in your hole. I wonder how long it wouldtake before I got you to show me your wings again.”

Icy cold fear clutched my heart beforeit was replaced by a burst of rage, hot, blinding rage thatwhiplashed across my frayed emotions.

“What’s this?” There was aheavy pressure at the back of my neck then a snap. Cleric Tu heldthe key to the grimoire, my amulets in his fist, frowning atit.

I reacted before any thoughts ofcaution had been formed.

A trickle of my magic, gathered frombeing outside in the sun, released in a punch of light and heat.The chains unraveled from my hands, my neck, and coiled on thefloor. My glamour dropped as I lunged forward, and a powerful beatof my wings added crushing force to the impact of me pushing ClericTu off the platform, and putting him flat on his back. Someonescreamed. Straddling him high on the chest, my hands found his necka moment later and I squeezed.

“My binds, Rae,’ Nimahordered. “Quick, before they….”

I refused to hear her. I had no otherthought than to rip this man’s head from his shoulders.

I lifted his head a fraction from thefloor and bashed it down.

His hands scrabbled at mine as hislips turned blue. I sank my fingers in; satisfied when my talonspierced his skin, and warm blood trickled over my fingers. I foundit more difficult to keep him down since I was still weak from theiron, but my rage and the reviving flare of magic was enough sothat we were evenly matched.

The blow to my head knocked mesideways and sent me sprawling. Recovering, I rolled up onto allfours and shook my head, hissing when a boot slammed into my side.Another landed on the middle of my back forcing me down to theground, and pushing my face into the cold concrete.

“That’s enough for today,”Cleric Tu said and jumped up, a hand on the back of his head, facered. “Separate her from the others, and call the Priests. We havework to do.”

Chapter Five

Chained, I was dragged kicking andscreaming back down into the tunnel, feeling my strength leechedaway by the hostile environment.

The humiliation didn’t stop there,they took my clothes. Embarrassed, I pulled my glamour on and feltless exposed.

I still had some magic left and Ifocused on affecting anything but myself. It seemed I could healand use my glamour, but I could not make it work on anything elsetainted by iron. I tried to get my manacle to fall from my neckagain but nothing happened, my magic dissipated the moment ittouched the iron. My stomach sank. I had wasted my one shot onCleric Tu.

Thrown into an even smaller hovel thanbefore, my chains were clipped onto iron rings on the floor. As theTwo Clerics set to guard me worked, I saw Amelia – still in catform – being forced down the passageway too, the Clerics jabbing ather with batons. Nimah was behind her cussing and swearing at them,dragging her twin back by the scruff of the neck so she wouldn’t behurt.

“Tell him what he wants toknow.”

Startled, I jumped back into adefensive crouch.

The handsome Lord Cleric I rememberedfrom before peered at the wall with a hard expression. The otherone had left and it was just him … how brave. He tugged hiswide-brimmed hood off revealing dirty blonde-haired curls and aneatly trimmed beard. His eyes – plain brown and wholesome – dartedto me then back to the wall. He cleared his throat, hands behindhis back. “He won’t stop hurting you until he’s heard whateveranswer he is looking for, so just tell him.”

I eyed him distrustfully thenmuttered, “What do you care?”

His face creased in pain, turned to mea fraction. “You think I like being ordered to torture young women.I don’t.”

I blinked. It had not occurred to mesome of the Clerics might have taken against my treatment here.Still wary, I made no move to approach him but relaxed, seeing hewas not going to strike me.

“Then why are you followinghim?”

“To survive,” he repliedsimply.

Glancing over his shoulder, he slippeda hand into his crimson blazer and pulled out a bread roll. Heplaced it on the floor and stepped back, pointed at it. Scootingforward I plucked it from by his feet then skipped back.

He gave me a small smile. “What’s yourname?”

“Rae,” I croaked, chokingup at his kindness.

He nodded. “My name is Samuel.” Hesighed. “Look, I’m not much of a thinker, and there’s nothingspecial about me apart from the fact I fight well, but I like tothink I am a good judge of character.” He paused. “I don’t thinkyou’re evil, or out to get me. I just think….” He smiled. “Well,thinking is not my strength so I’m going to stop now, but you needto understand that you’re in a bad situation here, Rae. I know youused to be a Disciple, I remember seeing you, and honestly, I can’ttell if you were planted here to spy on us or not.” He shrugged.“But somehow I don’t think so. He glanced over his shoulder again.“I better go. Tu has called the Priests to Council, and I need tobe there.”

My head snapped up. The Priests onlyassembled in Council in times of great danger. “Why?” Idemanded.

He watched me carefully, shrugged, asif thinking what could it hurt to tell me. “To convince them toevacuate the Temple. He believes more of your kind are coming foryou, that you’re special.”

Looking away, I rubbed my nose andtore into the bread roll. Here our conversation stalled, because Icould no longer lie.

Samuel left without anotherword.

Exhaling, I moved into a corner andsat down. I was tired, irritable, and even worse I was dying topee, so I crossed my legs and thought of all the horrible things Iwould do to Cleric Tu once I was free of this awfulplace.

Feeling the empty space around myneck, I stifled a sob. I had lost the amulets, the key to thegrimoire. The one thing I was supposed to protect. Resting my headon my knees, I wallowed.

It had not been