BwA: Chapter 10 - Demons Attack

 DAMNED WE ARE DAMNED WE ARE DAMNED WE ARE DAMNED WE ARE DAMNED WE ARE DAMNED WE ARE DAMNED WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE – From the journal of Severah ajal Binoch

There was no jail cell for Xandria to sit in, so she was chained to a tree instead. In her being led down the hillside she'd seen that Gedstru's guards had taken over the entire camp. Soldiers were drilling in the meadows, the grass now trampled to mud. More tents had been erected. A guard was placed on Xandria and Severah was not allowed to see her.

"I will speak on your behalf at Clayaire," said Quarrion. "I'm a captain of the Holy Order, they'll listen to me." Xandria hadn't looked at him.

"I wasn't given a trial the first time, Captain. Unless things have changed in forty years, I don't expect one this time either."

"You were convicted of your crimes against the Holy Order before you were even caught. The imprisonment was supposed to have been mercy."

"You believe me now? You believe I'm Xandria the Merciless?"

"I believe you believe."

The day passed, Xandria was not given food or water and she watched the guards play dice over her sword. Ynysu interrupted their game, claiming it as his because he was the Baron's adoptive brother-in-law. There was some laughter when he tried to buckle it around his waist and it fell down around his ankles. He tried to draw the sword, but it stuck in its scabbard and he fought with it. The sword had looked like a cheap copy when she had carried it, it now looked almost wooden, like a child's toy. The detail had vanished from the handle, the individual feathers in the wings were gone, the defining lines in the seraph's armor smoothed. It looked like a clay sculpture of a seraph that had just begun, featureless. Xandria seemed to be the only one who noticed it.

Night came and when the sun set, there was a glow on the horizon to the east like fire. Xandria could feel the unease move through the camp and the whispers of 'Zandria the Cruel' from guard to guard. As the glow neared there were shouts to arms and to prepare for battle. Miners were told to take up pick axes as weapons, even though the company Ynysu had brought with him seemed more than a hundred. What Xandria didn't like was her guard being called away to fight the oncoming enemy leaving her alone in the darkness, wrists shackled and arms chained to a tree.

Xandria heard more than saw the battle that ensued, there were blood curdling screams, roars from creatures she could not identify, and the tearing sounds that reminded her of Zazael's horse when it had kicked the zombie in what was feeling like another lifetime ago. Fires erupted all over the camp. Xandria struggled with her chains, she knew she could help, but she couldn't break them. Where was Severah and Zazael?

"Pretty," said Ynysu's voice. A voice she'd begun to disgust. She glanced from the chains that held her to Ynysu who was silhouetted by fires that burned behind him. He walked stiffly and as he neared she saw a glazed but menacing look in his eyes.

"Ynysu? What are you doing?" He had unbuckled the sword belt and her sword dropped into the grass. He then unbuttoned his trousers. Xandria's anger grew, they were under attack, she could hear the screams and whimpers of the dying and Ynysu was going to try to rape her while she was chained. He'd pulled his dick free and was stroking it as he staggered closer to her. It hardened and stiffened. A grin of evil spread across his face. When he knelt down before her, that was when Xandria used the tree and her chains for leverage. He had no idea she could move that fast and pounded at her thighs that were now gripping his head. There was a satisfying pop that was muffled by her thighs as Xandria snapped his neck. They fell to the ground and she kicked him away for her.

"Told you'd suffer your brother's fate." She said as from the burning darkness ran Malun. "Malun!" The woman was clutching the younger woman, the thirteen year old that Xandria had never learned the name of. They were running like frightened deer, but the sound of Xandria's voice had made them turn.

"We have to flee! They're being slaughtered! We've not the key, I'm so sorry." Malun turned to run away again. Her eyes spotted Ynysu next to her, with his neck askew and his cock hanging from his pants.

"Malun, my sword is over there, it'll cut the chains." Malun picked up the sword and sliced downward at the chain that held Xandria to the tree. Xandria held her arms away from her and Malun sliced the links that shackled her wrists together. She still wore the shackles like bulky bracelets. There was a squall like a cat being stepped on nearby. Malun screamed, dropped the sword, collected the girl and ran again into the darkness. "No, don't run off!" Xandria heard screams and sounds of cloth being slashed. She ran after Malun only to see the woman fall over in two pieces. The left half went one way, the right half the other. Before the screaming girl stood a monster. It looked like a skinned goat the size of a prize bull had stood up on its hind legs, sprouted wings, eyes that burned, smoke curled up from them, and held a massive double bladed axe. He raised it over his head and brought it down to slice the girl. Xandria shoved the girl to the ground and blocked with the sword. The force behind the swinging axe sent Xandria down to her knees. It probably would've snapped a regular blade, but she wielded a sword of the angels. It was indestructible.

The demon raised his axe again and Xandria dove aside, swinging her blade low like she'd done with Ghaemo. The blade slicing clean through the goat demon's knee. It fell forward but instead of acting in pain as having a leg sliced off it began to crawl after her, leaning up to swing the axe. She had to roll before she could slice the head from the neck. Once beheaded, which Xandria seemed to be doing a lot of lately, it decomposed into a black slime that smelled so bad her eyes watered.

"Girl?" Xandria asked and found the thirteen year old huddled at the base of a tree, eyes squeezed tight. She screamed when Xandria touched her but calmed when she hugged her.

"Xandria!"

"Severah!" Xandria shouted, unable to keep joy from her voice. Severah jogged to Xandria, and hugged her, not realizing there was a girl between them.

"How did you survive?" Severah was covered from head to toe in bloody ichor. Severah grimaced and seemed to gag before tears pooling into her eyes.

"It was awful, Xandria. Lieutenant Leord killed one of the horses, sliced open its belly, pulled the innards out and shoved me in it. It was all I could do not to scream at the awful sounds I heard."

"Stay with the girl," Xandria ordered, passing the girl over to Severah.

From the looks of it, the battle was more or less over. The demons, not just the goats, but things that slithered across the ground, buzzed in the air, impish looking creatures were leaving the remains of the silver mine. There were dozens of bodies on the ground, most were blessedly dead. Others were still alive with missing limbs, wounds that were bleeding profusely or blackened and charred skin. Anyone that was able to walk was being herded by the demons back towards the east. Not a single tent was standing, most were burned and the treasury office looked like it had been sucked into the earth, only a great hole remained. Livestock were dead or dying along with humans and the ground was scorched wherever the demons had tread.

Leading the demon army and hovering over it in a red glow was a red winged woman. She did not wear the armor of a corrupted angel and lacked Ghaemo's flaming skull when he'd turned. The woman was too far away for Xandria to see her clearly but it was obvious she was in charge of the demons.

There were still sounds of fighting, and Xandria jogged over the hill. A small group of men battling what appeared to be tentacles that were bursting up through the ground trying to rescue the men the tentacles were wrapped around.

"Zazael," Xandria breathed his name. She was glad to see him alive. He was battling in his angelic glory, wings outstretched and he'd whirl, they'd slash into one tentacle, severing it, while his sword severed another. The tentacles fell over, and dropped the men they were holding. The tentacles were covered in eyes of all different sizes and colors. They swiveled to look at her.

"Xandria!" Zazael shouted her name and another tentacle burst up from under her very feet, knocking her over. The very hillside exploded in front of her, and suddenly she was engulfed in white that flickered red before returning white. Zazael!

Xandria opened her eyes. She could still hear the screams and moans of the wounded, but also birds chirping. She could only see white and felt a great weight on her. She managed to roll Zazael off her and onto his back. He was still unconscious.

"Zazael, wake up," she shook him. Around them was dawn and the dead. Holes remained in the ground where the tentacles had been and body parts were strewn around them along with rocks and clods of dirt. The hill that had once held the Lieutenant Leord's tent was now a crater. He groaned and reached up with his hand to cup her face.

"Are you alright?" He asked. She nodded. He gave a great sigh of relief.

"Tell me about the corruption, Zazael." She said, pulling him into a sitting position. His hood had fallen and she could see red cracks on his face. She touched them, they were hot and jagged marring his perfectly smooth skin. They covered the left half of his face, one sliding right across his eye. "Oh Zazael."

"I don't have much time, Xandria," he whispered. "As it spreads I'm losing control. I want to do the most awful things, and most of them are to you."

"You already have done the most awful thing to me," she whispered in return. "You took death away from me." She leaned forward and kissed him. Suddenly in the field of the dead they were pawing at each other, unable to remove the other's clothing fast enough. Zazael had much more armor to remove than Xandria's torn blouse and bustier, but soon they were both bare from the waist up, Zazael cupped and suckled on Xandria breasts. She moaned and arched her back, pushing her bosom further towards him. "I need you. I need you inside me." They rid themselves of pants and Xandria could see the full extent of Zazael's corruption from the unhealed wound on the palm of his left hand up his arm, down his left leg. He looked like a sharp blow could shatter the left half of his body.

He reached his hand between her legs and she shuddered when he rubbed her. She was already wet. Still, Zazael slid a finger into her, his thumb rubbing her clit. Xandria spasmed in his arms. He laid between her legs and slowly slid himself into her. She groaned and panted as euphoria spread outward from her sex through her body. Xandria hadn't had sex in more than forty years and Zazael was a virgin. He thrust and she nearly screamed in pleasure. Waves of sensuality flowed through her as he made love to her. Sitting up, he wrapped her in his arms and wings, hungrily kissing her mouth and neck. He increased his pace and it was like an explosion within her. Warmth and bliss moved through her and all she could do was hang on for the ride. With her eyes closed she failed to notice the wings flash red as Zazael orgasmed inside her. They held each other for a moment before the world managed to ruin their moment of love.

Xandria dressed and Zazael began to buckle his armor back on. She noticed the glow wasn't as vibrant as before. They walked in silence to where Xandria had left Severah and the girl. The ichor had dried on Severah and she was beginning to stink.

"An angel!" She exclaimed. Zazael had not covered his armor this time.

"It's Zazael," Xandria stated. "You need a bath, then I want you to take the girl to Clayaire."

"No, I'm following you," Severah stated.

"I will deliver the girl to Clayaire," Zazael said and held his gauntleted hand out to the girl. She accepted it and suddenly they were gone.

Xandria bathed with Severah, just upstream of her. They washed their clothes and while her clothes were drying she searched for the keys to the shackles she still wore.

"Are you sure you want to come with me to Zandria?" Xandria asked Severah as she unlocked the shackles and dropped them from her wrists before tossing the keys away.

"I do." Xandria nodded and dressed, buckling Zazael's sword on her hip. It had returned from its wooden appearance to the cheap steel copy when she'd handled it. "How long do you think it will take Zazael to get to Clayaire and back?"

"I don't know, I've never traveled like that with an angel."

"You don't seem as awed with Zazael as I am. Is it because you've known he was an angel all along?"

"Zazael is not the first angel I've encountered." There were no horses that survived the demon attack, including Severah's burro. She silently cried as she followed Xandria as they began to walk towards the east.