Horde of the Demon Priest (Demona Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

fence.
     
    A GLC defender stepped in front of Kerrick and placed his hand on Kerrick’s chest to keep him from going any farther. “What’s he doing here?”
     
    Demona waved the guard away. “It’s alright. Ezekiel and Molony know he’s coming into the headquarters.”
     
    The defender eyed Kerrick up and down. He demanded that he at least search Kerrick for any hidden weapons before he reluctantly moved aside. “ Aleph ’s always watching.”
     
    Kerrick seemed to find the defender’s words funny and scoffed at him before passing by.
     
    “I wouldn’t laugh if I were you. Aleph is the real deal.” Demona glared at him a moment before turning to make her way up the rickety steps into the old church. Demona braced herself for the reaction of her peers as she entered into the sanctuary. She knew that despite the kind nature of her peers, the GLC members were not happy about having the top TGHC field-agent among them.
     
    Felix instantly stiffened at the sight of Kerrick; his bright blue eyes seemed to slightly darken with anger. Ileana made a motion that reminded Demona of a bird ruffling its feathers in agitation; she wondered briefly what it would have looked like if Ileana had been in her phoenix form. The rest of the group remained mostly calm and collected, except for a few people narrowing their eyes and others shifting their weight from one foot to the other in discomfort. It had gone surprisingly well.
     
    Ezekiel entered into the sanctuary from the opposite side of the church with his arms outstretched. “Welcome, Kerrick. Remember, everyone, Kerrick is here not as our foe, but as our ally. We must learn to work together despite our differences.”
     
    Ezekiel, always the ever gracious pastor.
     
    “Psh!” Kaleb said as he stood staring Kerrick down.
     
    I wonder who would win that fight. Both Kerrick and Kaleb looked to be the same stature and build. It looked like they could have been an equal match. Kerrick was muscular from two decades of physical training, as a field-agent it was vital that he be fit for any situation. Kaleb on the other hand had a naturally muscular build. He looked like one of those guys that could pick up a girl in their arms without batting an eye. Hannah was always raving about his perfect washboard abs, while Demona would just roll her eyes.
     
    “Now, Kerrick, do you have the artifact?” Molony asked.
     
    Kerrick reached into his pocket and pulled out an item that was wrapped in a dingy white cloth. He unwrapped the cloth and held the triangular, dark copper toned object slightly outward from his body to show the group that he did in fact have the artifact. Ezekiel reached for the object and gripped it. Kerrick kept a firm grip on it before reluctantly releasing it to Ezekiel.
     
    “I promise you will have it back when we’re finished. You’re welcome to sit with us as we study the object,” Ezekiel said.
     
    Kerrick nodded stiffly. “It is best that it stay within my sight.”
     
    Ezekiel and Molony spent the remainder of the morning hovered over the artifact. They poked and prodded the strange object. They flipped through ancient documents and manuscripts for a way to possibly activate its power. They even sang hymns over it in the hopes that the words or tune would trigger some type of response.
     
    “Mona, are you certain that neither Fotos nor Aleph gave any indication of how to operate the artifact?” Molony asked.
     
    Demona quickly turned her head from her conversation with Rowena and Hannah in response to Molony’s question. “No. The only thing that was required or asked was that we make a sacrifice in order to take the artifact from the Tomb of Beginning.”
     
    “What if it won’t work, because you don’t have anything to test it on?” Kerrick offered.
     
    Molony and Ezekiel exchanged glances as they so often did when they realized something at the same time. Demona often wondered if the two friends had some kind of telepathic