Amber by Dan-Dwayne Spencer (e book reader .TXT) 📕

the angel and jumped up, placing a kick between the angel’s wings. It sent the broken sword flying out of the angel’s hand. It plunged blade down into the pile of rubble near the sepulcher—only ten yards away.

With the aid of his wings, Phoenix made a swift in-air reversal and landed on Jimmy’s chest. Trying to gain a handhold, the angel clutched for the fabric of the big guy’s clothing, but the blue glow repelled his grasp. Unable to gain an advantage, Phoenix darted away only to bolt feet first toward Jimmy. The ferocious kick planted directly into the big guy's chest sent him flying, and the fallen child of heaven stepping back to earth.

Jimmy took out three gravestones and busted the side of a sepulcher before coming to a stop. His armor burned a bright blue flame around his form as it protected him. He stood and wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth and waved for the angel to approach. “Come on. Is that all you’ve got?” he scoffed.

Phoenix catapulted himself onto Jimmy. The force knocking them both to the ground. Phoenix twisted around and from behind, pushed the knight’s face into the dirt before grabbing Jimmy around the neck with his arm. He grabbed his own wrist and pulled his forearm tight across Jimmy’s throat, constricting the big guy’s airway.

Jimmy gasped for air. He clawed at the ground and tried to reach behind to get a grip on his foe. But the angel remained out of his reach.

“Prepare yourself for a lingering death. I want to see you suffer.” The angel bellowed.

I yelled out, “No. Stop.” For the briefest moment, Phoenix froze. My influence over an angel wasn’t nearly as powerful as it had been on Calypso.

Clawing and searching the ground, Jimmy found the talisman. It instantly formed The Sword of Uriel. He twisted. Wide-eyed in surprise, the angel screamed as Jimmy broke free and drove the talisman’s blade into Phoenix’s chest.

In the next few seconds, fireworks, like I’ve never seen before, exploded from where the angel kneeled. A blaze reaching into the sky set the clouds afire. Slowly the flame traveled overhead, igniting one storm cloud after another until they all erupted into an inferno. A mighty wind exuded from the Phoenix. Heat burned my face and a funnel of fire whirled downward from the calamitous sky, engulfing Phoenix. His flesh glowed with brilliant flashes of sparkling light. The chaos grew in intensity until it consumed him—leaving only ash.

The lightning, gale-force wind, and the massive column of fire ceased. From out of nowhere a torrent of rain fell on the cemetery, extinguishing the flaming trees, graves, and cleansing the air. The downpour lasted only a few minutes, but brought sweet relief to the burning devastation surrounding us.

Jimmy glanced from side to side, expecting another attack from his flank. No attack came. The clouds went silent and broke up, letting sunbeams through to the cemetery.

Flower went straight for Jimmy—evoking her gift, working her miracle, and healing his wounds and blisters.

The demons at the gate and along the fence, who earlier howled and hammered the barrier, stopped caterwauling. They appeared confused—the deformed hellions wandered around in uncertainty. Without their master to focus them and give them purpose, they ambled around in tumultuous bedlam.

Striking out at anything and everything. They began fighting each other—clawing, biting, slashing, and ripping. Rotting demon meat was strewn over the road and red sizzling steam billowed from their wounds, filling the air with a red haze. Beyond the barrier, their Armageddon-style battle raged.

I called for everyone to gather by the praying hands monument. I helped Roger to his feet, and we headed over to the statue. Jimmy cautiously moved toward Roger and me. Roger, yet not fully recovered from his near-death battle with Calypso, sat on the monument’s massive base.

Flower stood over him and put her hands on his temples. His color improved and his breathing became steady. He visibly relaxed as he sat cradling The Book of Uriel in his arms.

It was my turn. Flower put one hand on my brow and her healing flow surged through me just as it had the first night I met her. The blisters melted into my skin and I smelled the delightful aroma of fresh-cut grass. It was only then that I locked eyes with her. Those amazing blue eyes seemed somehow less sparkling, and I’d say she had aged nearly ten years. Her eyes were dark and fatigue drew her brow into furrows. There was no healer for the healer. She needed to rest, but our battle was not over.

When Jimmy handed me the sword, it transformed back into the medallion. I pressed it onto the book’s cover and it sealed tight to the leather.

I pointed to the multitude of demons tearing into each other outside the gate and down the fence row. Some of them fled in fear while others were fighting to the death. We watched in blood-curdling awe as they did our job for us with unbridled ferociousness.

We all walked to the gate together, a team of demon slayers—the gifted chosen of God. I said, “It time to deal with them.”

Roger said, “I read in this book where another prophet called a she-bear out of hibernation to eat a bunch of kids who were making fun of him.” He shrugged. “Just saying, maybe you could do something like that to those demons.”

I turned to the others and said, “This one is my fight. It’s taken me a long time to discover my gift, but now it’s time the child-like prophet grew up. Wait here. This won’t take long.”

Roger argued, “No way. We’re in this together, remember. No more going off on your own.”

A grin spread across my face as we all stepped across the barrier and stood beside the young officer’s police cruiser. Only a