The Heavenly Host (Demons of Astlan Book 2) Read Online Free

I know.” Damien gestured and the room lights went down. He waved his hand over the ball and the air above it lit up with a frozen vision of the Rod’s encampment.
    “As I said, this was taken by Heron’s personal sorcerer. Given what we all know of the Oorstemothians, I have no doubts as to its authenticity.” Damien made some gestures to zoom in on the scene.
    “My demon!” Lenamare exclaimed, nearly standing up and pointing to the demon currently frozen in the air.
    “What’s with that miniature version of him over there?” Jehenna wondered.
    “Isn’t that your demon, Damien?” Bastion asked Damien, referring to the smallest demon.
    “I’m afraid so. As you see, this affects many of us in the room personally.”
    “Gastropé!” Jehenna suddenly spoke up. “Isn’t that your ugly demon there as well?”
    “Apparently,” said Gastropé, looking extra-pale in the dark of the room.
    “As I said, let’s proceed; we can go back and watch it over again as much as needed afterward, but I think we want to get the full event shown first,” Damien said.
    “Very well, proceed,” Gandros ordered. Damien waved his hand. The knight Talarius was speaking to the smaller version of Lenamare’s demon. Jenn had no idea where the small demon had come from. She had wondered where that Tom demon had been; apparently he was in the palace all along.
    As the video started, the smaller demon was saying, “…I’ll be able to put up a fight.”
    “I don’t think it will be that much of a fight; I’ve taken your measure once before, demon,” Talarius told the smaller demon.
    Lenamare’s greater demon came in for a landing. He still gave Jenn a queasy feeling. “Well then,” the big demon boomed, “How about fighting an adult? Man to man, rather than slaughtering children for sport?” There was some consternation in the room; it sounded like others found this statement as disturbing as Jenn.
    [Transcript of Greater Demon vs. Knight Rampant of Tiernon; Freehold]
    Jenn soon ceased to think or question; all she could do was watch in horrified fascination along with the rest of the room as the scene played out as it had that morning. As the events unfolded, there were various gasps and an occasional cheer, but mostly ahhhs and indrawn breaths, particularly towards the end.
    The viewing ended and everyone sat there in silence. It was beyond shocking; Jenn wondered if the entire Council of Wizardry had ever been rendered speechless before.
    “So, Lenamare,” Davron spoke up. “How sure are you that you summoned a type IV demon?”
    “Uhm…” Lenamare said, sweat visible on his brow. “Uh...” Jenn nearly choked; she had never seen Lenamare so speechless.
    Trevin snapped, “Stop teasing Lenamare, Davron.” She shook her head. “Are we in any way agreed on what we might have seen? Obviously, we have no wizard’s sight view of the event—it is just a visual recording—but given the behavior of the priests, it appears that Lenamare’s demon linked up with… what, five high priests and hijacked their divine links? The links between themselves and their flocks? And then at the end, the healing mana and the artifact… Was it pulling mana from the heavens? From Tiernon’s own infrastructure? Is that what we saw?”
    The room suddenly burst into pandemonium as people tried to voice their opinions on what they saw. “Excuse me. Excuse me!” Alexandros Mien spoke up, and everyone else quieted down. “I’m sorry, but before we debate that, could I have you back up to the point shortly after Lenamare’s demon hit the ground with its limbs chopped off?”
    Damien nodded.
    “Thank you, dear boy,” the elderly wizard said. Damien backed up to the point when the type IV hit the ground. “Now, stop—good. I want you to zoom out and scroll up and to the right. See there up in the air, above the fight, over the camp.” There were whispers; no one seemed to know what the old wizard wanted to see.
    “Zoom in if you