something was trying to crawl its way through. I backed up closer to the tree and gripped tightly to the bark. I could hear noises from the cliff face as if there were hundreds of creatures scratching their way to the top making their claws hit the rock like nails on a chalkboard.
The noise made me put my hands over my ears as they now erupted into a high pitched shrieking. Ava responded, making her own ear piercing sound. I wanted to stroke her, comfort her, but one look at her in her demon form and I chickened out. For one thing, all her feathers had been replaced by cooled volcanic rock, black and splitting at the wings. Red embers glowed beneath like a raw energy breaking free. Her beak and claws had grown to even deadlier proportions and the moonlight glinted off the razor edges. No...I don't think stroking was a good idea!
Then I saw the creatures as they emerged from over the side, like a swarm of broken people. They were like tortured bodies with eyes that had been torn out leaving gaping bleeding holes and the rest of their faces were all locked jaws of huge teeth. Their skin wrinkled and split at the folds making it look red raw. They crawled closer to Draven, advancing on the forest floor, their limbs moving independently from the sockets that held them. Their heads rotated all the way around like demon owls and they made the most disturbing noise, like a giant cricket or as though their bones were cracking under each movement.
“Is this the best you could do Sammael... Gorgan Leeches?” Draven said, looking unimpressed and he repositioned himself accordingly, ready for the swarm crawling his way. I held my breath as these gruesome creatures scratched their way closer to the man I loved and I couldn't understand why he hadn't brought anyone else to help him. Well, it seemed I was about to get my answer as the first wave got within range.
Draven's body erupted into flames and he used it against the parasites around his feet setting them alight. They squirmed around and their high pitch squealing got deeper and sounded more like howls of pain. Then the flames erupted from his hands coming out in streams, hitting the ones further away, torching their bodies. When every creature was alight he pounded his fiery fist to the ground making it crack and open up as once again the earth shook. This seemed to release lava like hands from the ground as if the tortured souls of hell had come to drag the flaming creatures back down to where they belonged.
The hands grasped at the scorched limbs, tearing them from their bodies and the forest was filled by the cries of pain and snapping of bone. I felt sick at the sight of hands full of flesh and body parts being ripped apart by hell itself.
The last wave of leeches were coming over the cliff and seeing this massacre they took a different approach spreading out from all angles. These were slightly different looking as their bodies were harder, like frozen, blistered stone with blue light coming from their eyes and chapped limbs. It was like the first wave had been the fire and now it was time for the ice!
Draven's body changed at the sight, turning from red flames to a bluish colour. He then let out an almighty cry into the night making his body quiver and his flaming wings open up to their full span. At first I thought Sammael must have done something to him and I nearly ran over but then his cry turned into a roar and his head was back looking up in the sky. The clear night changed quickly, as it was now darkened with thunderous clouds making me jump at each crack of lightening that lit up the forest.
Then I couldn't help but cry out when Draven was struck by lightening, making the flames around his body turn into electricity that travelled around the skin where it belonged. He then used this as he had done the fire. He shot it outwards picking off each creature in sight. One had crawled onto the side of the log cabin wall and I didn't think he was going to see it as he was facing the other way.
It got closer and leaped out at him with its razor teeth that looked like deadly icicles. It leapt off the wall and