Elina starts to speak, but a loud explosion on the upper deck rocks the boat. Maeling flings herself into Elina’s arms.
She hugs the child tightly to her chest, “We are out of time, Maeling. May I have the pen?”
Elina stashes the pen in the front pocket of her jeans and drops down to grab the ink well. “Hold onto this for me, okay?”
Maeling nods and tucks it into the sash of her jacket just as another explosion occurs.
“Ya-Ya?” Maeling cries thinking of her Father above deck.
“Maeling. Will you trust me as you did before?”
The young girl nods her head and buries her face in the crook of Elina’s neck.
“Good.” Elina builds her power as she clutches the child to her body. She turns and runs up the hallway towards the main ladder.
“When we get to the top deck, grab your father’s hand and I will send you home. Friends of mine will help you get to safety from there.” Elina promises as she lowers Maeling to the ground.
“ELINA! He’s here!” Malach yells a warning from the deck above.
At the bottom of the ladder, Elina hears screaming and chaos, footsteps stampede as workers run for safety.
“Picture your father in your mind, and your home. Hold the image in your mind of where you want to go, okay?”
Maeling nods and Elina takes the image from her mind, and then ports the child to her father.
“My turn,” she thinks with a flash, she lands beside Malach. Elina is greeted by a swarm of demons. Malach is fighting, holding his power in check until he needs it all.
“Ba-Ba!” Maeling’s voice screams and Elina turns seeing the child on the ground helping her father rise up from his knees. With a great push of power she sends them on their way, praying that Jake is already there to meet them.
Chapter 28
Maeling clutches onto her father’s hand and holds the image of home in her mind, just as Elina told her to. Distracted by the sights and sounds rushing past them, Maeling doesn’t notice how her father is struggling until they drop into the kitchen.
When he stumbles to a chair, her mother rushes to his side. Afraid to move, Maeling stares stupefied at the shadow demon now attached to his back.
“Ba-Ba,” she whispers in horror. Struggling to look at his family, he tries to speak, but can’t take a breath.
The demon has no face for it is shadow still, yet it wears the body of an insect. It grows stronger and bigger because of the fear in the room. It wraps long jointed legs around her father, and spears their wicked tips deep into his chest. When his victim gasps in pain the demon stretches its antennae over his head and shoves them deep into her father’s open mouth.
He begins to choke, grasping his throat, he struggles for every breath not understanding what is happening.
All noise fades, Maeling no longer hears her mother’s screaming or her grandfather rush into the room. A burning begins to build in her little chest.
Maeling’s grandfather calls her name and runs to her. Scared, she grabs his hand and points at her father. He turns to look and sees the shadow demon for the first time.
“Ying-zi!” he says loudly. The demon turns from its meal opening its cavernous mouth and spews out a smaller demon onto the floor directly in front of Maeling and her grandfather.
It runs towards her mother leaping at her. The pressure builds and Maeling hears Simeon’s voice in her mind, “Breath, we are coming. Don’t fight the feeling, Maeling. Picture it flowing into your hands.”
Maeling closes her eyes and listens to the soothing voice.
“Good, now shape it into a weapon.” Assisted by the angel, Simeon, Maeling pictures in her mind two throwing daggers, called shurikans. Her eyes open, she now holds two deadly daggers made of light.
Watching closely, the lesser demon spawn leaps to the ceiling and screams for its father. The large shadow demon holding her father hisses and a vibration fills the small kitchen, calling out for more.
Maeling quickly tosses a dagger at the ceiling piercing the smaller demon, destroying it in a flash of fire and ash.
A screeching scream of rage explodes from the larger demon. It releases her father, violently ripping its antennae from his body and tossing him across the kitchen.
Maeling’s eyes glow with anger and tears while her mother screams and runs to her father.
Her grandfather jerks her backwards away from the larger demon.
A face begins to take shape inside the demon. Sensing the strength in the human form he discards the insect shell and grows arms and legs. The demon smiles clapping his hands together the room darkens as more shadows fill the room, seeping in from every corner.
Maeling throws the last of the shurikans but the demon leaps to the ceiling sticking like a spider. It runs down the walls before landing directly in front of them with a thud. Reaching out impossibly fast he seizes her grandfather’s throat in a clawed hand and begins to choke him.
“Maeling, follow the image in your grandfather’s mind. Do it now!” the voice urges. Pressure builds and power grows burning Maeling from the inside.
“Ya-Ya,” Maeling says as she wraps her arms around her grandfather’s waist in a tight hug, “You are the vessel!” and she gives him her power.
Hot white light explodes from the duo, filling the room. It bursts through the shadows, disintegrating the demons and releasing all from the clutches of evil.
“Peace little warrior, we are almost there.” The voice fades.
Her father stares at her coughing loudly and lifts his arms to his daughter. She rushes to his embrace. “Forgive my ignorance, Maeling. I am sorry for doubting you,” he begs through tears.
“It’s okay Ba-ba, help is coming.” She says assuring him. Her grandfather stumbles on shaky legs to the table and sits hard in a chair.
“What do you
