Page 7 of Sins of the Stone

The evening flew by. Thoughts of him cradling her fueled his fire. He watched her face change slightly with each page turn, deeply involved in her novel. It would bring him great joy to hear her ramble about it or anything at all. Any conversation with her would be a luxury.

It was growing dark now, illuminating the sky with blinking stars. He decided he would stay for another hour at most, then head back home. His human had just finished her book and stretched her arms over her head with a gentle yawn. Lips smacking together, her eyes grew heavy, setting the tome on the floor next to her. In his dreams, he was there beside her, nuzzling against her neck as she slumbered.

The night was in full bloom as insects continued to hiss and chirp, ringing through the blackness. He glanced back at his human. Her eyes were closed, and her breaths were rhythmic, but she occasionally rolled over as if unableto put her mind at rest. He wished he could step in and assist her.

After a while, he noticed she was still in the same position, and her lips were slightly parted. Her unmoving hand was nestled against her body, indicating the fog of sleep had taken over. With a smile, he decided he was content for the evening and stepped away from her window. As he turned, a distinct stench grabbed at his nose, making him sniff.

Fire.

It was a familiar scent, but this wasn’t a standard flame. It was so sulfuric that he could taste the acrid stench on his tongue—the unmistakable sourness of a demon’s power. And that only meant one thing. They were attacking.

The ground trembled slightly as a building was set ablaze, crackling into the air. The roar of the fire was loud, ripping through the night, surely waking the village. His gaze glanced to the sky, a pillar of smoke dirtying the inky night. Then, with a small gasp, his human jolted from her slumber, clutching the blanket.

Don’t leave,he silently pled.

He hoped she would stay put where he could keep an eye on her. Much to his chagrin, she did the opposite, tossing the cover to the side, grabbing a small dagger, and heading out the door. More chaos broke out as she wandered into the night.

Armored soldiers were sprinting, bearing enchanted and ordinary weapons, heading to the source of the smoke with heavy steps. Panicked humans were racing between them, some clutching makeshift weapons, others cradling their young to their chests with horrified expressions. Ramuz would have to be careful following her, so he would not be mistaken for a perpetrator.

Then, to his horror, agonal screams twisted his stomach. A burst of angry flames erupted no more than a hundred feet away. His human froze in the middle of the path, eyes stuck to the explosion, as winged demons fell from the sky and perched themselves on the roofs. Their ragged forms obscured the gentle moonlight. With them, they brought destruction.

People were screaming, and demons were crawling through burned holes in the ceilings or snatching bodies as they fled from frontdoors and dropping them to splatter and crumble on the ground. Columns of vitriolic smoke rose from all directions, and many buildings were now engulfed in the anger of the inferno. More armored men arrived, trying to fight off the onslaught. Fleeing citizens ran everywhere, and he lost track of his human in the mayhem.

He scanned the village, darting behind every building, burning or not, careful not to draw attention—human or demon. He sprinted to another wall, and a flow of familiar wavy hair caught his eye.

There she is,he thought.

She wouldn’t stop moving, and once again, he was tempted to scoop her up and take her out of this mess. Though with the blade in hand and panic no doubt filling her veins, he was wary.

She continued down the path with her forehead beading with sweat. He hoped she would run into the forest and escape. Indicated by the sheer number of demons, he could tell this was no ordinary attack—it was a full intent to scorch the earth of this place. Ramuz’s eyes were locked on her fretting face. He would step in if she truly needed it, but there was no way for her to know.

She turned down another way, clutching the blade to her chest. In the blink of an eye, a demon made her skid to a halt as her face contorted with shock as the ugly mug glared at her with a hunger that enraged him. His human gasped, holding the weapon out shakily as the creature crept towards her, each step like a taunt to draw out her fear.

Its bony hands were ready to strike, teeth barred as their steps synced up. She was trembling, though this wasn’t like the intoxicating quiver he observed previously. No, this was a gesture of terror, and he balled his fists, anticipating the worst.

Just as the demon was ready to pounce, a burning house crumpled beside the two, drawing all three of their attention. Using this opportunity to flee, his human spun around, sprinting back down the stony path. A smoldering pillar from the house had fallen into what she thought was an empty trail, and in her panic, she tripped over it. Ramuz let out a gasp as her head smacked on the ground, causing her body to go limp. The eyes that entranced him rolled, then fluttered shut, making his heart fall as if it were torn in two.

Please don’t be…

He couldn’t complete the thought, and it only got worse when the demon was a breath away from descending upon her. Ramuz’s body was aching with debilitating sorrow until he realized this was the perfect opportunity to assist. She would not have to face the horror of seeing him in all of his monstrous glory—yet. The possibility of her being dead would have to be dealt with later. He could not let her succumb to the hunger of the demons, alive or deceased.

Just as the creature reached for her, Ramuz sprinted towards it, swatting it away. If it were a human, the force would’ve burst its organs. The demon’s body tumbled along the ground, kicking up dirt as it squirmed to its feet. After brushing off the attack, it bared its teeth in a monstrous snarl.

“Do not touch this one,” Ramuz growled, stepping toward his human. She was still motionless, intensifying his need to come to her aid. The demon chattered, its twisted version of laughing. But there was no humor behind it, only a sick pleasure from massacring these people.

“Do you intend to kill this one, gargoyle? There are plenty more to be culled from this village, selfish creature.” The demon’s cadence was taunting, insulting him and his human. Ramuz lowered his eyes.

“I will take this one for myself.” His voice was firm, a veiled threat behind his tone. The demon was unaffected by his leer and strength, only chittering again.

“I understand, gargoyle. This village will be ravaged, devoured, and scorched, just as you intend for this one.”

A grumble was low in his throat as he took a step forward. Then, the creature lowered itself on all fours and scrambled towards his human. Before it could reach her, he barreled forward and lunged for the creature. Ramuz snatched it by the throat as it struggled and clawed, unsure if he should crush it or not.

“Leavenow,” he said through grit teeth. His fingers were almost buried in the stringy flesh of its neck. The skeletal creature squirmed in his grasp, its jagged nails barely breaking his stony, thick skin.

With a breath, he tossed the thing away with little effort, and it appeared toget the message, scuttling away with its tail pressed between its legs. However, what the demon proclaimed pulled at his heartstrings. Knowing they truly intended to annihilate this village meant sorrow for his human. She would be crushed to know that they would succeed.

He looked up just as a man wearing a full suit of armor and donning a sword was quickly cut down by a larger demon, tearing through the metal like it was nothing. A spray of bright blood flowed from the wound like a font. There would be many more that would end in the same way, if not all of them. He knew in his soul that they were unprepared for an onslaught of this caliber.

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