the stars, the crowd stirred. They lowered their eyes and resumed the festivities—chatting, laughing, walking, eating, dancing, and playing games.
Costumers approached the stand and the group went back to work. Even Kianna snaked around the table to help. She grabbed a small rice ball with a napkin and handed it to a little girl and her mother with a smile.
A smile that illuminated her entire face. A smile that made her more beautiful each time she offered it. A smile that hid her concerns and struggles. A smile that showed how strong she really was.
Once more struck by a very human feeling, Devon itched to ask Kianna to dance with him.
Mustering up courage, Devon inhaled a long breath.
The darkness slammed into him like a brick wall.
It was here. The darkness was here. So, so close.
He stared at Kianna, who had stepped back to rearrange the empty pans. She stilled and one of her hands flew to her chest.
Devon rushed to her side. “What is it?”
“I-I don’t know,” she whispered. “Something feels odd. It’s like … I don’t know. It’s crazy.”
Could it be? Was she sensing the darkness too?
The dark wave advanced, pushing against Devon’s senses.
Eyes wide, Kianna gasped.
The colorful lamps hung above the stand flickered.
What in the underworld …
“Kianna, listen to me.” Devon clasped her shoulders and turned her to him so she was looking at him. “Stay here. No matter what happens, stay with your mother and the others. You understand?”
She inhaled a deep breath. The flames in the lamps flickered again. “What are you talking about?”
“It’s nothing,” he said. “Just … stay here. Okay?” She hesitated. “Okay?”
She nodded and whispered, “Okay.”
Not wanting to waste a second more, Devon turned and ran. He slipped into an alley and sprinted toward the darkness. He had to find it. He had to stop it before it found Kianna, before it hurt her.
Outside the main street, the town was practically dead, but Devon still stuck to the alleys. Using his powers, he changed his human clothes to his reinforced black armor, and his sword appeared, strapped to his back.
He turned the last corner and halted in the middle of the intersection.
He could feel it. The thickness in the air. The pressure changing.
The darkness coming.
They stepped out of the shadows. Azerinthe. Little bastards with bodies resembling chimpanzees, with a short, stalky build and black, short fur, but the heads of eagles, with a bald top, no ears, sharp yellow eyes, and long beaks.
But the main difference was the razor-sharp teeth and the long, forked tongue inside that beak.
The demons advanced, grazing their claws on the ground.
Devon unsheathed his sword and spread his feet apart.
It was play time.
Present
Kenna
I had come because I had promised to bring the kids to the damn festival, but I couldn’t lie; it was way more fun than I expected.
Lia had been so excited about me going out with friends that she left the car with me that morning. My only task was to take her to work.
“I won’t be here when you get out,” I said as I parked the car in front of the library.
She waved me off. “I’ll just walk back,” she said, as if walking thirty minutes on a hot spring day was nothing. I protested, but she insisted.
Carol, Sabrina, and Kevin were excited about it. They hopped off the school bus and slipped into the car, eager to go. I only shook my head and drove us to Willow Grove, which was about forty-five minutes away.
When we arrived, the festival had already started and the place was crammed with people of all ages, races. The sun beat down on us. Why did I put a jacket over my tee? I took it off and tied it around my waist.
Carol told me the festival was always held on this empty patch of land right beside an abandoned baseball field. There were carnival rides and games, food stands, and an open area with a small stage on the corner where a band played songs. The main street had been decorated with lanterns, and later the light parade would travel the strip of road.
Strings of white LED lights hung from stand to stand, on the arcade, and on the rides.
It was beautiful, contagious, warming.
The smell of popcorn, cotton candy, corndogs, and hot dogs added to the allure of the place.
I glanced around, amused and shocked at the same time. I had never been to such a place, or at least I didn’t remember. I had heard about the