Page 19 of Demon Unleashed

Norton opened the door and walked in ahead, then held the door open for her and Jay. Inside, it smelled musty. The large, cavernous room was made of thick stone walls on two sides and butted up against the mountain that the new council compound was located on. As they walked deeper into the space that contained row after row of steel shelving with boxes and crates, overhead lights, activated by motion sensors, flicked on. They were neon lights, and as long as they worked, the Stealth Guardians could be sure that no demon had entered, because neon lights burned out instantly in the presence of demons.

Norton led them to a corner of the room that penetrated the mountain the farthest. There, the symbol of a key was carved into the stone, but there was no keyhole. Norton placed his hand over the symbol, and a few seconds later, part of the stone was gone. Behind it was a small space laid out with dark green velvet, and in its midst lay the source dagger.

Even Enya had to admit that the vessel the dagger was kept in was genius. “So even if the demons got in here, they could never open the dagger’s hiding place.”

“That’s right,” Norton said. “Only a Stealth Guardian can open it.”

“But isn’t this like a tiny portal?” Jay asked. “One that’s connected to all other portals?”

Norton shook his head. “No. All portals carry the symbol of the dagger to connect them. This doesn’t. It might look like a portal, but believe me, it can’t be accessed from anywhere else. It’s safe, even if this compound were to be compromised.”

Norton reached into the opening and retrieved the dagger, then turned to face Enya. “Guard it with your life.”

Enya took the dagger and nodded.

“I’ll contact Cinead and let him know that you’re on your way.”

Less than an hour later, Enya and Jay entered Cinead’s new residence several miles outside Seattle’s city limits and made themselves visible the moment they were inside the foyer and away from prying eyes.

Cinead was already expecting them and put away his pocket watch. Despite being several centuries old, he looked like a virile man in his late fifties. “Right on time.”

“Cinead, it’s good to see you,” Enya said.

Jay stretched his hand out and shook Cinead’s. “It’s an honor to be chosen to witness the creation of a new portal.”

Enya stopped herself from rolling her eyes. She’d never thought that Jay was one to suck up to the elders, but it was all too clear now why he’d gotten one of the assignments at the council compound, where rarely anybody ever saw combat. She preferred to work in the field, to slay demons, to defend her people. Unfortunately, there hadn’t been much demon slaying lately. Perhaps today was her chance to speak to Cinead directly and tell him about her concerns. But first things first.

Enya reached into the inside pocket of her leather jacket and pulled out the dagger. “Here it is.”

Cinead took it from her hands, his mouth dropping open. “Every time I see it, it takes my breath away. The power, the magic this weapon possesses… I can feel it seep into me just by holding it in my hands.” Then he caught himself and smiled. “I’m sorry. You must think me an old fool, talking like this. But you’re both still young; you weren’t around when we lost the source dagger. It was a tragedy. And the circumstances under which it disappeared are still hazy today.” He sighed. “Hmm. Let’s get to work. The less time the dagger spends out of its hiding place, the better.”

Cinead walked through a door that led down a staircase. At the bottom of the stairs, he turned into a corridor that split in two directions. He took the one to the left, and Enya and Jay continued following him until they reached a large room with several doors. Cinead opened one door and marched through it. He flipped a light switch. They stood in a small room that at one time had been a coal cellar. Coal dust still stuck to the crevices between the bricks.

“This is where the portal will go,” Cinead said, and pointed to a wall that was fashioned from large flagstones. He approached the wall. Enya and Jay flanked him.

Cinead took a bow before the wall, then he set the blade to the stone and began the etching. Enya watched him and was surprised to witness that Cinead didn’t seem to need much force to scratch the symbol of a Stealth Guardian dagger into the stone. As if the dagger did it on its own and only needed a guiding hand.

“Unbelievable,” Jay whispered, and for once, she had to agree with him.

“It’s like magic,” she murmured.

“Ancient magic,” Cinead said, and continued etching the symbol of the dagger into the stone. It didn’t take long for it to take shape. Only minutes passed instead of hours, like Enya had expected.

“And now to the final stroke.” Cinead opened his left hand, and before Enya knew what he was about to do, he was cutting into it with the source dagger.

“Cinead!”

But Cinead didn’t even seem to hear her. Instead, he pressed his bleeding palm over the symbol he’d just carved. Instantly the stone beneath his hand began to glow. A few seconds later, the flagstone was gone. Behind it was a space the size of an elevator shaft.

“A new portal,” Enya said with awe. “You did it.”

Cinead turned around and smiled at her. “The dagger has lost none of its power. Now our people can fulfill their destiny and save mankind from the demons.”

“Amen to that,” Jay said.

After wiping the blood from the dagger, Cinead handed it back to Enya and wrapped a cloth around the wound.

“You should let me bandage you properly,” Enya said. It would give her the opportunity to talk to him.