55

Two Hours Earlier

Martha was on the couch reading Homer’s Iliad with classical music playing softly in the background, unaware that the leader of the raiding party of demons was watching her carefully through the window. The demons were emboldened by the knowledge that everyone else was now safely in the fortress attending the Flame Ceremony.

The leader signalled to his companions and one of them slid towards the unlocked door like a snake through the grass.

Martha thought she heard something and left her book on the table to go and check that Leylah was still sleeping.

She let out an involuntary scream as the first demon jumped up in front of her and ten more burst in through the door at the sound of her cry. Instantly taking a fighting stance, she reached for her sword but two demons fell on her, snarling like hungry dogs and knocking it from her hand. She leapt up to escape them but felt their claws grabbing her legs and pulling her back down. They threw her to the floor and pounced on top.

She pressed her fingers deep into one of her attackers’ eyes and gouged them out, leaving him screaming and blinded. As he jumped back, she managed to get her hands round the leathery throat of the second one. While she strangled the life from him, two more demons tried to grab her legs. She kicked out with all the power she could muster and felt the crunch of breaking bones. By that time, three more demons had fallen on her, all punching and kicking and screaming with anger at her resistance.

She managed to crawl to where her sword had fallen in the struggle, dragging her assailants along with her and stabbing deep into the chest of one, instantly killing him and forcing the others to draw back for a second. She was now on her feet, bleeding and breathing heavily. Two demons were lying dead on the floor; a third seemed to have a broken leg and she had blinded another. Black blood was dripping from where his eyes used to be. Martha was now confident that she would be able to kill them all in just a few minutes as long as she concentrated.

“Surrender now or I’ll kill her!” screeched a demon she hadn’t seen creeping into the bedroom during the fight. He was holding Leylah above his head and one of his razor sharp claws was hovering on the main artery of the baby’s tiny throat. “Drop your sword now!” he commanded.

Martha obeyed, her whole body trembling with a mixture of suppressed fury and fear for the life of her great-granddaughter.

“Now kneel! On your knees! And put your hands behind your head,” shrieked the demon.

Martha did as she was told and the other demons pounced on her, holding her arms and legs while the leader whispered in her ear.

“We will leave this note for the child’s parents under her pillow,” he hissed, and then signalled for another demon who was behind her to strike her hard on the back of the head. Martha fell heavily, her face striking the floor. The demons were all over her defenceless body, tying her hands and legs and sealing her mouth while stealing cowardly punches on her prone body as they worked. Gathering up the dead and injured bodies of their companions, they ran from the house. The leader had Leylah clutched to his chest, her face being scratched painfully by the wiry hairs as he ran, and his claws digging deep into her little body, but she remained wide-eyed and quiet.