The growl that erupts from Lilith doesn’t match Anala’s wail but emits its own deadly energy around us. The human skin has dripped away revealing the demon inside. Her horns are pointed and poised. Her claws are long, sharp, and seething with the chance to draw blood. Her face is more grotesque than even Belial’s, the scarred remains of torture and battle evident in each line. The angrier she becomes, the larger her body grows. By the time she stops, she is standing almost toe to toe with the creature perched behind Anala.
“You will bow down to me as a good daughter should,” she hisses at the Phoenix.
“No, I won’t. You’ll be going back to your pit. This time though, you’ll be staying there.”
Anala says nothing else as her human form leans back and slowly spreads her arms. I watch in complete awe as she floats up from the ground, allowing her body to be completely engulfed by the Phoenix waiting for her. The unison is biblical. I feel the Earth shaking beneath my feet. The heat scorches the human skin of my vessel, only divine intervention keeping me from melting away like Lilith. The flames grow, completely blocking out the night sky. By the time the transformation is complete, the Phoenix is as tall as the buildings surrounding her.
“How? This isn’t possible.”
Although the air around us is thick with energy, I can still make out the fear in Lilith’s voice. She had hoped Anala was lying but now she is faced with the truth she has always feared. Her daughter, the Phoenix born from the fires of Hell, truly is the mightiest creature Hell has ever spawned. This includes the Mother of all Demons.
“It’s time for you to go, Mother.” It isn’t Anala’s voice that echoes through the night. No, it is the Phoenix. Anala has completely given herself over to the power she’s hidden for so long.
I watch as Lilith turns, ready to run from the beast in front of her. She doesn’t do it quick enough. Flames shoot from the creature’s mouth, latching onto the demon mother like a snake. To my side, I hear Belial call out, ordering the Phoenix to release his queen. A flash of flames surrounds him almost instantly. His cries barely escape him before he is scorched, leaving nothing behind but the black blood he dripped on the ground.
“Anala, don’t do this. I’m your mother. You’re meant to be with us.”
“No, I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.” The answer is given in a low, deadly tone. The flames tighten around Lilith, slowly engulfing the beast from head to toe. When she can no longer be seen, the wails of anguish are all that’s left. The Phoenix isn’t in a hurry. Instead, she takes her time, slowly burning the Hell spawn with a fire even she cannot tolerate. Finally, the screams stop, and a puff of black smoke erupts from Lilith’s body as the Queen of Hell is sent from the Earth in a mass of fire and brimstone.
Carefully, I pull myself up to my feet. With Anala lost deep inside, I wonder if the Phoenix itself can be contained. “Anala, it’s over,” my words seem to fall on deaf ears. “Anala, can you hear me?”
“It’s not over,” the voice answers. “There are more out there. Protect Arwen.”
Hearing Arwen’s name, I know Anala is still with us. I rush toward the demon on the ground, allowing my wings to, for the first time, make an appearance. “Keep you eyes closed,” I yell as I throw myself over Arwen’s body to shield her from whatever Anala plans to do next. I barely get the job done before the wings of the Phoenix erupt from her back and shoot through the night sky like daggers. My senses allow me to hear the reaping as Anala sings out toward the heavens. The voice is beautiful, as is the feeling of peace that rushes over me.
“What’s happening?” Arwen screams in an attempt for me to hear her over what’s taking place around us.
“She’s sending them all back to Hell. Other than you, the Earth is free of demons. It will take them quite awhile to claw their way back to this plane.”
“Is she done?”
I look up, seeing the look of satisfaction on the Phoenix’s face as the song continues to wail. “Yes, she’s done. She’s happy.”
“Then make her stop!”
I laugh lightly at Arwen’s request. Although I hear the beauty in the Phoenix’s song, my demon confident is still struggling from the pain it radiates for her.
“Anala, enough. Arwen. She’s in pain.”
Just as quickly as it all took place, a silence falls around us. With one last burst of fire, the Phoenix disintegrates into the dark night leaving Anala’s human form lying naked on the ground in its wake.
Chapter Thirteen
Anala
Sitting by the lakeside, the true beauty of the summer night comes alive. I hear each cricket, each frog, and even the racoon scouring in the woods behind me. It’s still odd to me that until recently, I’ve never truly known peace. I had always felt content in my life, even knowing what lie in the dark. Now, everything has changed. I don’t know how long what I did will keep the demons in the pit. They could crawl their way back to Earth tomorrow. All I know is for now, they are gone and I’m happy about it.
“Here, your bourbon, beautiful.”
Just the sound of Beau’s voice puts an immediate smile on my face. “Thank you.” I smile up at him as I take the plastic cup in his hand. He lowers himself back down on the blanket to sit beside me again.
“What’re you thinking about?”
“Everything.”
He chuckles. “Nala, baby, it’s been a couple of months now. They aren’t coming back yet. When they do, you’ll be ready for them. Stop worrying, okay.”
“It’s hard.”
“Well, you’d think I would be enough of a distraction to keep you occupied.”
“Oh, you most definitely are.” I can’t hold back the giggle as I wind my arms around his neck and kiss his lips softly. “You are the best distraction ever.”
“You two should really get a room. This is getting annoying.”
I roll my eyes and then look over at Arwen. She is perched on a nearby rock, watching the water while Sebastian sits calmly beside her. The relationship the two of them have developed still leaves me scratching my head. It’s clear they are smitten with one another but Sebastian being an angel makes things difficult for them.
“You do remember this is our goodbye get together, right?” Arwen asks once again showing her annoyance.
“Of course, I remember. You are leaving me, and I still can’t believe it.”
“Anala,” Sebastian speaks up. “We’ve told you we aren’t staying gone forever. You took care of all the demons on earth, but the witch Arwen told me about needs to be dealt with too. If not, there’s no telling what she can open up or unleash on the Earth. We’ll be back once we find her.”
“Exactly. And it’s not like you aren’t in good hands. You and Beau need your time together.”
“She’s right,” Beau pipes up then smirks when I give him a look.
“But what if...”
“There are no what ifs, Anala. I won’t be gone the rest of your life. It’s a trip. Look at it like I’m on a vacation.”
“A vacation out looking for a witch you plan on killing. Sounds like my kind of fun.” The way Beau has taken to the oddities in my life is comical. It’s one of the reasons he is so easy to love.