Chapter 5
AngerHeart stomped toward the boys, his steel boots shaking the earth. “You should have heeded my warning and destroyed that card!” the warrior shouted. “Give it to me.”
Mark glanced at Alex, then stood up. With a trembling hand, he held out his DeathBringer card. AngerHeart snatched it away. Mark was amazed at how quickly the warrior moved his heavily armored hands.
AngerHeart held the card before his face.
“You foolish boys,” the warrior said. “You have interfered with powers beyond your understanding.”
“We — we didn’t know,” Alex said. “It’s just a game!”
“A game?” AngerHeart roared. “A game is something little children play while their mommies look on. Are you little children?”
Mark and Alex just stared at the warrior. Neither spoke.
“This,” AngerHeart said, gripping the metallic card between two gloved fingers, “is the fiercest of all Warriors. To the demon race, DeathBringer is a god. He should have remained imprisoned inside this card . . . but you two fools have released him into this world!”
“We didn’t mean to!” Mark protested.
AngerHeart sighed. “It matters not,” he said. He put a hand on Mark’s shoulder. The boy felt the warrior looking at him sternly. “Our course is clear. We must finally destroy DeathBringer.”
“Okay,” Alex said. “You have the card. Do your thing.”
AngerHeart shook his head. “It is not that simple,” he said. “Had you listened to my warning at once, I could have destroyed the demon with the card. Now he is too powerful, thanks to this game of yours.”
“So, what do we do?” Mark asked.
AngerHeart looked around. They were on the edge of the hospital parking lot. Two fire trucks had pulled up to the hospital and the fire fighters were just heading inside.
Since the alarm bells were still ringing, everyone in the hospital was being escorted out. The parking lot was beginning to fill up with doctors, nurses, patients, and families.
“This place is too crowded,” the warrior said. “It is not suitable for battle.”
“Where should we go?” Alex asked.
“A big, open space,” AngerHeart said. “There should be no other people around. Just me and the demon — and you two meddlers, of course. Take me to your grandest arena!”
Mark smirked. “I know just the place,” he said. “Follow me.”