Something Out There
Chapter One
The night air was crisp as was the ground under Seth’s footsteps. Fall finally made its entrance with the trees letting go of their leaves as if they knew the leaves were no longer needed for beauty. Seth loved this time of year. It was one of the few times his footsteps made a sound as he walked and tonight he purposely let his feet touch ground, just so he could hear the leaves crackle under his steps.
Seth’s mind was in turmoil, he needed to get this figured out but he could not grasp the reason why. He ran his fingers through his long, golden hair, what was it? There is always a purpose, ALWAYS! Why was this one kept from him? He continued to walk slowly as he willed his mind to match his footsteps, but his mind would not slow to the pace.
How could he exist without his charge? This child who was given to him to protect from the moment he entered his mother’s womb. Seth steadfastly guarded Christian who now celebrated his tenth birthday. He loved this boy with everything in him. His boy had a way of melting his heart by just being in the same room with him. He also knew Christian was different from other children his age; it was something Seth kept to himself. He shut his eyes tight, unable to control the tears now trickling down his face.
Seth did not see the black, boney arm with long, pointed fingernails striking out making him fall to the ground. As he lay in a heap, the demon crawled away with a sneer leaving a sulfuric mist in the air. Seth stayed where he fell unable to find the energy to get up, neither did he have the will. All he could feel right now was sadness so deep, it cut through his soul. Only one other time did he feel this way and it was two thousand years ago, this feeling of helplessness was not something Seth was accustomed to.
The park was full of trees; it gave Seth the feeling of being in a forest and not in the center of the city. It was full of small animals, and it was Christian’s favorite place to be. Christian loved feeding the squirrels and other small animals. “Stop it!” Seth screamed in his mind, trying to keep the memories from surfacing. “This is not going to get you answers.”
Aronn floated barely above the top of the tree line, just enough to keep hidden. His massive wings tucked in so the light would not give away his presence. The darkness of night helped to shroud his large form. His green eyes stood out against his black hair. He was unaware of his beauty, but not his strength. He wrapped his cloak tighter around himself as he watched Seth; he was trying to understand the emotions Seth was emanating. It confused him. Where was Seth’s strength? He looked pitiful just lying there! It filled him with disgust.
Aronn could see the demon following Seth, it would take but a blink of an eye to end its disgusting existence, but he could not draw his sword to send it back to the depths. If he did it would give away his presence. This small of a demon was not worth showing himself. Not yet anyway. Aronn hovered motionless for what seemed like eternity, not moving even an inch, observing the entire park. His job at this moment was to keep an eye on Seth. He would rather be anywhere but here. His passion was going into battle, which was what he was designed to do, not being a babysitter for a guardian, and a pathetic one at that. But he would stay and follow orders.
Seth was still lying there; the only thing moving was his robe in the wind. Aronn was getting extremely annoyed by this, when suddenly something else moved in the dark. It was about ten feet from Seth. He knew it was not one of his kind by the way it crawled along the edge of the bushes. This demon was larger than the one he had seen trailing Seth earlier. Why would they be interested in Seth? This did not make sense, one this size did not waste its time on anything but countries and nations, not parks and definitely not guardians.
Aronn drew his sword, something did not feel right. Does he stay in place or show himself. His orders were to protect Seth but to do it without being seen. His skin crawled as the demon moved beneath him, it didn’t look up; its red eyes focused only on Seth. It watched Seth silently, unaware it had been seen. Its mouth spread in an uneven grin. Aronn did not move, his eyes going back and forth from the demon to Seth. The demon was not moving, and Aronn was sensing a change in its behavior with the breathing becoming heavier and filling the air with a stench. Its eyes are now darting back and forth. The grin had left. It was looking for an escape. It sensed another presence but could not locate it.
Aronn scanned the park; something was making this demon nervous. He knew it could only be one thing. Anger welled up in him, who was being so careless! The light caught both Aronn and the demon’s eyes simultaneously. The demon moved with the speed which did not match its enormous gnarled body. It took flight with thin, black wings. Three sets of large claws extending as fingers from each vein running the length of the wing. It vanished. Aronn laughed to himself, if only the demon knew it ran from a guardian, and a gentle one at that. Aronn sheathed his sword and watched as an angel quietly approached Seth. She bent down and placed her hand gently on his head, “Seth get up” Bri whispered. “You can not stay here, it is not safe!”
i look forward to reading the following chapters
