Through the night, the servants of the Four Horsemen continued their assault on the hidden house within the Mill. They gouged and scratched at the magical barrier that blocked their way. The spells of protection were powerful, but the servants were relentless, and eventually, it weakened, and they slowly pressed their bodies through the barrier. Arms and heads began to emerge from the walls. They grabbed and reached viciously, sometimes shooting sharp projectiles in all directions.
Jagged branches of light cut through the air from Marrissa’s wand. It severed heads, limbs, and appendages from her attackers. Buddy was perched above high and concentrated on his task. It was hard work, but he was still a deadly foe and did not neglect the fight below. He kept watch over the woman carefully, and if danger arose, he would leap down, grab the approaching monster by the head and with a quick snap, break its neck.
Marrissa feverishly expelled the invaders and worked to patch the holes in the invisible mystical barrier, but it was apparent it was a losing battle. She yelled over her shoulder, “Buddy, we need to leave!”
Buddy let out a barrage of frustrated laughs and giggles.
Tabitha translated, “He says the two mystics are too powerful. They keep blocking him from every direction!”
An idea came to Marrissa, and she said, “Well, then I shall have a word or two with the two gentlemen, I think.”
Marrissa ran full speed toward the front of the house. Tabitha’s short and lethal bolts cut through anything that threatened her mother. As Marrissa approached the wall, an opening manifested. With the flick of her wrist, her dagger elongated into a bow. She dropped to her knees and slid to a stop. Marrissa brought her hand up to the bowstring of light that emerged and pulled back hard and released two glowing arrows. They streaked across the dark sky with speed and precision. The two priests were knocked off their feet as each arrow penetrated their skull with a mighty force fueled by a mother’s desperation and love.
Marrissa crouched on her knees and screamed, “Now Buddy! Now!”
Buddy raised his arms in the air, and a brilliant sphere of light exploded into existence in the center of the room. Marrissa beaconed for Tabitha to come to her. As they approached the doorway, it suddenly vanished. Marrissa turned, and Tabitha screamed as they saw Buddy fall to his knees. From behind, two long segmented tails had impaled the demon. The long black stingers protruded from his lower abdomen and neck. With Tabitha at her back, she rushed over to their fallen comrade. The power spilling out of her wand disintegrated the two enemies instantly.
Marrissa lifted her head as loud cracks began to echo across the room signaling that the protective barriers were about to fall. She looked down at the injured demon, and she wept for the poor beast. Buddy’s kind was resilient and hard to kill, but his injuries seemed so severe to survive. She lifted his head and said, “Buddy! Buddy, please help us! Please! We are running out of time!”
The cracks and shattering grew louder with each passing moment. The spells of concealment were fading, and the actual appearance of the old and rotten walls of the mill appeared. The demon coughed violently, spraying the floor with blood. It lifted itself up with one hand and raised the other. It made circular motions with its wrist, and slowly the door of light opened.
Marrissa shouted, “Tabitha go, go!”
“What about Buddy?” She screamed.
“We aren’t going anywhere without him, sweetheart,” she yelled as she stood and released a fury of lightning bolts from the tip of her wand that incinerated the approaching monsters. She looked down at her dagger and whispered, “Goodbye my old friend,” and threw the blade in the air. She spoke the words, “INFER-NO-TE!” and it ignited with a brilliant green flame. It spun in the air encircling herself, Buddy, and the doorway. The blade sliced deep into the ground producing a wall a fire that separated them from the approaching monsters.
Marrissa looked all around her at the faces barely visible through the wall of flames separating her from the horde of nightmares spitting and thrashing on the other side. She breathed a sigh of relief at seeing the silhouette of Tabitha safely crouched beyond the doorway. With all her strength, she lifted Buddy from behind, under his arms and dragged him through the door as quickly as possible. When his legs were past the threshold of the opening, she shouted, “Now Buddy, Now!” The demon weakly dropped its hand, and the passageway began to collapse upon itself.
As the doorway of light quickly dissipated, Marrissa looked up and saw a burning, segmented appendage emerge from the fire. At the last moment, it thrust its ebony stinger through the opening and impaled Marrissa through her chest. The woman flew across the dark space and landed hard on the ground. She laid there motionless, with eyes open, staring into the darkness.
