Connie L. Smith - Through the Ashes

Connie L. Smith

T he characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, places, or events is coincidental and not intended by the author.

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Through the Ashes

The Division: Book Two

Copyright 2017 Connie Smith

All rights reserved.

I SBN: (ebook) 978-1-945910-09-8

Inkspell Publishing

5764 Woodbine Ave.

Pinckney, MI 48169

E dited By Jackie Zak

Cover art By Najla Qamber

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To my mom and the crazy awesome cheeseburgers she makes.

T he war had begun.

As the demons poured from the Division, the seams ripped and tore from the force of their invading limbs. With the new slashes, even more creatures found passage into the world theyd been banished from centuries ago. The cause and effect portrayed horror at its finest as evil made way for further evil.

The army tensely waited for the massive collision to reach their first line of defense. That line included a dozen angelssome the teenage warriors had never encounteredand one individual trainer. Nicholai was in the center with Rovolon and Marco at his sides, and Vancent and Jonah took the outer positions. Julius, the individual trainer among them, stood near the Werewolf-Essenced, while Nathaniel and several unnamed angels were in the spaces between.

A second line of defense lingered feet behind the initial group, one that was created by a collection of packs positioned shoulder to shoulder. AJ and her Werewolf-Essenced maintained the right point with the Wood Nymph-Essenced to her left, followed by Kapre, Genie, Dragon, Abatwa, and Antaeus-Essenced in turn.

At the rear of the battlefield, a third line anticipated the leftover monsters, which would be many. That line was book-ended with Incubus-Essenced and Vampire-Essenced, and had five other groups situated amidst them. Lexia hovered with her combatants, flying over the ground defense to partake in an aerial assault that would leave the demons reeling. A dome of protection, fashioned by the Syragh-Essenced who were stashed away from the scene, encompassed all the soldiers to give them an extra piece of fortification for the approaching attack.

Keep killing until they quit coming, Rovolon called. And dont let them leave this battleground.

By the time he finished the commands, the demonscountless in number and still spilling forthreached the first warriors, and celestial blades sliced through the flesh of oncoming monstrosities. Wails and anguished cries came from the creatures whose faces were contorted in rage and agony. They received no sympathy from Nicholai and his companions though as they brandished their angelic weaponry with purpose. One by one, many enemies fell in their first steps from the Division.

Others pressed on, and the Essenced stood ready.

****

W atching the warfare unwind, AJ knew that every Essenced soldier was considering what precisely they fought against. Some had encountered a number of demons in a dark alley hours before the battle, but most, at that moment, were getting their first glimpses at the disgusting brutes.

The creatures radiated evil just as they oozed a rancid, liquid-like substance from bodies that were dingy black and presumably rotting in several spots. Their eyes gleamed, some red and some bright orange, with a vibrant malevolence that was complemented by the sneers and snarls adorning their lips. Larger than the ones in the alleyway, the beasts stood as tall as an average human with arms and legs built to kill and maim. They were death incarnate, stinking and furious, and even though AJ had already fought against a demon, the site was still enough to make a shiver trail along her spine.

Her thoughts and analysis were cut short when the monsters fortunate enough to avoid the first lines blades finally reached the ranks of the second defense.

She held her place in front of her pack, and her Werewolf-Essenced maintained their positions in like manner while the demons hurried in their direction. Mere seconds passed before weapon connected with weapon, demon against Essenced, in a battle for survival.

Two monsters faced the alpha at once, and her scimitars worked against each before the beast on her right aimed a punch at her face. She ducked to save herself from a caved-in nose, but doing so threw off her formation.

As she dodged the hit, the other creature offered an underhanded blow that she could do nothing against, just accept and move with its momentum. Its fist landed on her jaw, and she staggered in twisted design from the impact. But she used that twist to refocus, then circled once more into a perfect stance in front of the pair of demons.

Bringing her blades high, she sliced at one foe so that its throat split under the heavy strike. The second beast reached to grab her then, but her strategy proved quicker. She swooped under the jagged claw to impale the demon with a scimitar while rising, piercing its stomach. When that corpse fell, more demons dashed forward in challenge.

Lets have it, she whispered with her arms wide in an open gesture.

Her weapons were ready when those enemies neared, and their blood spilled and sprayed all around.

****

T he Wood Nymph-Essenced fared just as well with their escrima sticks swinging at any monster in their vicinity. With a blunt blow here and a stab there, the packs two-handed assault swiftly proved fatal to a host of enemies.

McKenna, proud in the forefront of her warriors, embodied none of the peaceful shyness that so often characterized her. Instead, a fierce frown laced her features, and her brown and green-speckled eyes blazed with determination and strength.

One demon stormed at her from the right and was greeted promptly with a backhanded swerve of a lethal escrima. Another stole to her left and met the sharpened end of her other stick until the blade pierced deep into its chest. Before the creature ceased wailing, three more rushed her, and the alpha spun and maneuvered through their attacks in deadly precision.

While she leaned back to avoid one foes angry claws, she sent an escrima forward to stab the beast on her right so that the blade fatally entered its kidney. Despite defeating one enemy though, she had two more to deal with, and her body was contorted at an awkward angle. Since she needed a moment to regain her footing, she sent her left escrima low to trip the remaining pair of demons.

The creatures descended to the ground, and she rose to her full height. Once standing, she immediately ended one monster with a blade through its forehead before smacking the second with the other weapons blunt end as it tried to get to a sitting position. The demons body paused in the air for seconds, then fell bloody and broken to the ground.