“You can’t do this alone. Let’s go,” Fil said without waiting for his reply. Jonas quietly followed Fil through the barracks and outside into the cool night.
Fil and Jonas ran to the east, towards the knight’s barracks as the Greever landed lightly on the roof of the boys’ sleeping quarters. The beast tucked its long leather wings into the crevices on its back sniffing hungrily for the scent of its prey. The demon smelled its target somewhere near, and its maw opened instinctively, saliva dripping from its long fangs. The deadly hunter leaped down to the ground landing lightly by the north entrance, its dark leather-like skin blending like a ghost into the shadows of the night.
Jonas stumbled, his chest flaring with pain. Fil reached out grabbing his arm to steady him. Images flashed in Jonas’s mind, images of a great beast entering their barracks.
“Fil! The Barracks! They are in danger!” Jonas said, his eyes wide with fear, seeing the images that Fil could not.
Fil and Jonas glanced back toward their barracks. They were near the knights’ own barracks so they wasted no time and sprinted toward the main door. A knight in full armor stood outside the entrance, spear in hand as the boys neared. The knight quickly pointed his spear forward, standing in combat position as he saw the two forms stumble out of the night.
“Who are you?” the knight asked. Then seeing their blue tunics he relaxed a bit and approached them. “What are you two recruits doing out this time of night?”
“Quick, our barracks are being attacked! Raise the alarm!” yelled Jonas.
“What?”
“Do it now!” screamed Jonas grabbing the alarmed knight. Suddenly screams in the distance filled the night.
“What in Ulren’s name is that?” asked the soldier looking out into the darkness.
“I told you, we are under attack! Now get help!” Jonas yelled grabbing the knight’s sword from his sheath and running back into the night towards their barracks.
The knight dropped his spear, grabbed the horn around his neck and blew the alarm. Fil picked up the man’s spear and ran after Jonas. The screeching blast of the horn combined with screams coming from the boys’ barracks awoke the battle hardened knights sleeping nearby.
The Greever walked silently through the barracks, its padded paws making no sound on the rough stone. The demon’s long claws on its feet were retracted so it could walk quietly.
There was warm flesh everywhere and the Greever’s fanged mouth was gaping hungrily. The Greever could almost taste the succulent feast so near. Its long powerful arms reached out as its bony head scanned the bunks for its prey. The demon could smell him; the entire room stank with his stench. To the demon, the boy’s goodness and pure heart left an odor that was disgusting, something to be destroyed by tooth and claw.
One of the apprentices to the Greever’s right got up slowly; something had awakened him. The Greever stopped not more than two paces away, staring at the boy, its red eyes, like rubies, bright with anticipation. The boy’s eyes adjusted to the night and looked directly at the nightmare before him. He shook his head slightly, looking again, his eyes widening in fright as his mouth opened in a scream that never came.
The Greever’s right wing shot from its back and the long spike on the tip speared the boy like a pig. The only sound that came from the boy was a gurgle as the demon ripped the spike from him, but the noise was enough to awaken several boys around him who groggily began to stir from their slumber. The Greever’s jaws opened wide hissing loudly, its powerful body crouching, ready to attack. And that is what it did.
The Greever tore into the young boys, clawed hands ripping and tearing flesh. The demon was a whirlwind of death, spraying blood into the air, covering the walls with crimson splashes. The barracks were alive with the screams of the wounded and dying, and the Greever relished the cacophonous sounds of his carnage as he savored the coppery taste of blood.
Jonas ran through the doorway and was assaulted with the chaos of death and terror. Blood was everywhere and unrecognizable bodies littered the floor. His heart pounded and fear gripped his body, immobilizing him briefly. Many of his friends were dead, and more were dying as he stood just inside the open doorway.
Then anger filled his body and beat away the fear in his heart. Moving further