The Light of His Sword by Alaina Stanford Page B

smug
expressions. They were enjoying this because Walton’s wrath was
rarely aimed at Maxwell. He was Walton’s right hand man, and he was
good at it. His broken nose and two black eyes did nothing to
convince the fools around him that the stranger’s threat was real.
Maxwell sneered at them in disgust. They were cowards. They would
cower in horror if Walton screamed at them in the same way.
    When Walton reached him, Maxwell puffed out
his chest and said loudly, “They would not come. The reptilian
demons are stubborn and defiant. They refused to be ordered about
by a mere mortal. You should have called them yourself.”
    Walton’s face was red with rage. His hot,
putrid breath snaked up Maxwell’s nostrils, “You are not a true
believer. If you had faith that they would come, this would be over
now. You are as worthless as a woman!”
    Maxwell fumed at the insult Walton spat at
him, but he would not accept responsibility for this defeat. Walton
was emotional and impulsive about this stupid woman and child.
“This is no ordinary man. He dispatched the demons within minutes
of the attack and walked away unscathed. We must resist the
temptation to rush into battle with this man. We must be organized
and selective in our approach.”
    Walton spun and walked to the middle of the
circle gazing around at the faces of his followers. His face filled
with disgust. Not one of them was worthy to replace Maxwell. They
were too lazy or stupid to walk by his side. Walton turned slowly
back to Maxwell as his anger faded. Maxwell was right; they needed
a plan. “Maxwell, organize the elders and don’t stop calling the
Reptilian Demons to our aid until they respond. Do not fail me
again. I will meditate today for guidance. I will ask for more
powerful demons. This warrior will not survive our next
assault.”

    ********
    Alyssa’s dreams were full of darkness and
shadows. Walton’s voice kept calling to her, threatening her. She
was back in the compound. Walton and the elders dragged her to the
sanctuary. It was dark and smelled of rotten meat and incense. She
screamed and struggled against them as they pulled her toward the
altar. A single light shone down on the altar blinding her as they
bound her naked body to the cold, black surface.
    Walton stood over her and raised a knife
high in the air... suddenly she was outside playing in the grass
with Emily. They were laughing and running trying to tag the other
children. Then she was up in the attic of the gathering hall
listening to her mother tell one of her fairytales about a
ferocious giant. A moment later she and Samantha were cowering
inside a dark room hiding as Gabe fought a desperate battle against
monsters with black scaly skin and red glowing eyes. She peeked out
the window and saw Gabe fall under the assault. The monsters dove
on top of him. She could hear him screaming in pain as blood
spurted out of the pile of monsters.
    Alyssa woke with a start. She glanced
anxiously around the car. Gabe was driving, and Samantha was eating
a sandwich in the back seat. The sun sparkled high in the sky
touching her face with its warmth. Samantha reached up from the
back seat and handed her a round sandwich wrapped in brightly
colored wax paper. “It’s called a cheeseburger, and it’s
wonderful,” Samantha explained. “There was a little box of skinny
potatoes but I ate all of them, sorry.”
    Alyssa frowned as she unwrapped the greasy
sandwich, and then glanced suspiciously at Gabe. He ignored her and
changed lanes. Alyssa’s eyes opened wide in awe when she looked
past him out the window. She sat up straight and gazed at the urban
landscape filled with towering buildings of various shapes and
sizes. They were on a four-lane road keeping pace with the cars and
trucks around them heading deeper into the city. Alyssa couldn’t
speak; her heart was pounding so hard she couldn't think. She
wasn’t sure if she was excited or terrified. There were so many
cars, moving so fast beside