The total silence and pitch-blackness lasted for several minutes before two thin lines of red light appeared to hover in the air horizontally as a low, rhythmic hum began to fill the room. They hovered for only a few seconds before opening to reveal dark purple eyes with no pupil that could be seen, each individually the size of a man. The eyes fixed right on Dragot as he shivered a bit before proceeding on in his usual calm voice.
“The Gate Keeper has come of age, oh Great One. His presence can now be sensed. The time is now! I need your assistance, Mighty Lord. Aid me so I can crush your enemies and I...er...you can take your rightful place as a God in the world of man!”
The purple eyes stayed fixed on Dragot for a minute longer, then slow, rumbling laughter as deep as distant thunder began to shake the room. Louder and louder it came as the eyes turned back into lines of red light before disappearing completely. The room was pitch-black once again with no sound at all. Minutes passed, feeling like hours.
Dragot began to feel a bit foolish, asking for aid like that. Then, suddenly, a small blue sphere no bigger than a man’s fist appeared, hovering in the darkness. It gave off minimal light, which was swallowed up in the pitch black. It began to grow and expand, giving off more light as it continued to enlarge. Then it stopped growing and just hovered there. The silence was deafening.
In a rush, black creatures with leathery wings and yellow eyes came flooding from the portal. One after another they crawled through, flapping around on the floor as still more kept coming. They looked exactly like bats, but each had wings on their backs and were the size of men. They all had four independent arms aside from their legs, and rounded ears that looked far too large for their heads.
Some even held weapons, which showed the dexterity and strength they possessed in those all-too-human-like hands. If not for the claws, the hands themselves were identical to a man’s. Long, thin tails had tiny hooks at the end which could barely be made out unless you looked very close.
“Yes!” Dragot screamed. “Yes...go, find him...find the man-child and bring him to me!” he bellowed as he pointed toward the exit on the other side of the cylindrical room. The humans cowered in the corners of their cells, wailing and moaning at the supernatural sight. Like a black plague, the demons all fluttered through the tower and out the windows. Out into the desert night they flew, chirping like a plague of insects.
*
The dust-filled air was hot and humid, which made breathing difficult. The few beams of light shining between the mismatched wooden planks used to repair holes in the old barn revealed tiny foreign particles floating around looking for a place to settle. The hard dirt floor was exposed through the center of the barn while the rest was covered with hay.
Scarecrow-type figures made of straw banded together by twine lined the sides of the barn, each one the size of a man, with painted red and white circular targets. Some were placed on the chest, while others covered the groin and head.
Taking deep, steady breaths, Jade stooped over with her hands on her knees, her chest slowly expanding and contracting as she pulled the hot air in through her nose then blew hard towards her feet, moving tiny bits of loose dust along the floor. Her hair was drenched with sweat as it clung down over her face like a damp mask.
Her soaked white half-shirt clung to her breasts with every slow, deep breath as she remained hunched over in her black lace bottoms and bare feet. Leather straps around each thigh sheathed three daggers apiece. With one last deep breath her head snapped up, flinging the tangled hair from her face as she stared straight ahead with a burning intensity in her eyes. Again!
As if shot from a catapult, she sprinted down the dirt path as fast as she could, arms pumping furiously. Then, with a move as smooth as silk, she transitioned into a series of handsprings while losing no speed whatsoever. Hands to feet, hands to feet, she flipped along at a dizzying speed, then in one sudden thrust sprung high into the air.
Defying time and gravity all at once, she executed three complete turns in the air, sending multiple daggers flying across her body to either side. Her sheaths were empty before she hit the ground, while each target had a dagger jiggling at its dead center!
Completing a rolling somersault upon landing, she was on her feet in a blink and dashing at full speed toward the back wall of the barn. A thick climbing rope attached to the ceiling hung in her path. She sprinted right past it and, again defying gravity, ran straight up the back wall of the barn. Seven steps up the wall she flipped off, completing one full turn in the air as she now hung from the rope she had ignored the first time. She quickly ascended to the ceiling, using only her arms to climb while her legs dangled freely, then scampered back down just as easily.