The Price of Exorcism by Dakota Brown (sneezy the snowman read aloud .txt) 📗

was pounding toward me across thegrasslands, leaping the massive cracks in the ground as if they were nothing.The horse's hide was black, with a flaming mane and tail. The hooves flashedgolden, and flames flickered along the legs where feathering would be.

"Holy shit," I breathed out.

Mayhem huffed, as if in agreement.

The horse skidded to a stop in front of me and reared,screaming.

Rooted to the spot, I couldn't even back away.

The horse's hooves met the ground again and he,definitely a he, turned his side to me, as if asking me to mount.

"You should get on," a familiar voice saidurgently.

I screamed and spun around. I couldn't help it, I wasabout at the end of my ability to cope.

Fortunately, it was just Death, War, Famine, andPlague.

I burst out laughing. Just Death and the otherhorsemen. That was hilarious.

"I told you we would meet again soon, ChrisPrice, but you must get on your nightstallion before Mammon gets over throwinga giant temper tantrum and returns. He is unhappy with you."

"Understatement of the decade, Azrael," Warsaid, a hint of laughter breaking through the tension in her voice.

"I can't ride that!" I pointed at thenightstallion.

"I assure you, he won't let you fall. Not thisride, anyway," Death said.

What the fuck did that mean? I didn't ask, just turnedto the horse, creature, demon, whatever he was, and hesitantly grabbed his mane,hoping the flames wouldn't burn me. They didn't.

The nightstallion nickered encouragingly and I swear Isaw fangs where a horse would have had flat teeth.

"I'm so going to kill Ezra," I mutteredbefore attempting to scramble onto the creature's back.

Magic happened, literally, because suddenly I wasmounted on the stallion's broad back.

"Bloody hell," I muttered.

"Just hang on, Chris. We will do the rest,"War said.

"Mayhem?"

"Will keep up," Death assured me.

I wrapped my hands in the flaming mane and tried notto whimper as the stallion's muscles bunched underneath me.

Thunder rumbled in the distance and my mount spranginto the air.

"Fuuuuck…" I screamed as the stallion movedbeneath me. Somehow, I stayed balanced over his back, though I was sure it wasall his doing, and not mine. I clenched my legs tightly around him.

The horsemen fell in around me and we raced across thesky, seconds ahead of the lightning that tried to strike us down.

I glanced around, then immediately wished I hadn't andfocused instead on the view between the stallion's black ears. While they hadn'tbeen wearing armor when I'd first glanced at them, the horsemen all wore shiny armornow, except Death. War rode her red steed backward, firing arrow after arrowout of a quiver that never seemed to empty. Death had become a mere shadow uponhis pale horse, and the demons that rained from the sky simply disintegrated asthey got close to us. Famine caused the demons to shrivel up as if they'dstarved to death and fall from the sky and the ones that Plague affectedsprouted gross pustules before exploding to death.

Ahead of us the air shimmered.

"We simply have to make it to that barrier,"Death said, his mount way closer than I had expected.

"Jesus!" I shrieked, as he startled me.

"No, Azrael."

I glanced at him, eyes wide. I could see nothing ofhis face, but I got the impression that he was joking with me.

"Right, mate."

Death chuckled, before his mount pulled ahead andFamine took his place on his gaunt, dull gray horse.

I was bracketed on all sides by the four horsemen ofthe apocalypse, and glad for it.

Mayhem raced through the air, keeping pace with Deathand I soon saw why.

Azrael blasted Mayhem with energy, but not with theintent to hurt him, instead charging him up so moments later the hound could burnthe area we raced into with hellfire, clearing the way for Azrael and his palehorse to rain death down upon the demons that rose up from the ground to meetus.

Still, Mammon closed with us. I could feel his intenseanger directed at me.

The horsemen kept me safe from his demons and we werealmost to the barrier when Mammon reached us.

I risked a look.

The demon rode some sort of giant bird, its talonsoutstretched for me.

"Mayhem!" I shrieked.

My stallion dove, War let loose with another volley,and Mayhem roared more hellfire.

The bird shied away, and we were through the barrierand barreling toward the ground.

"Pull up!" I shouted, tugging on thestallion's mane.

He obviously had his own plan, because he continuedfor the ground. I relaxed a little when Death's horse avoided slamming into theground, continuing to gallop at a speed I didn't even want to think about afterthey lightly touched down. My stallion hit the ground next, then Famine andPlague, followed by War, now faced the correct way on her red horse, and wecontinued to race away from the demons behind us.

Mayhem led the way in front of Death's horse and bythe time the creatures slowed to a more reasonable walk, I had almost startedto enjoy myself.

Well, maybe I wasn't enjoying myself as much as Ithought, because as soon as we were walking, I realized I was swearing in everylanguage I knew on repeat, just cycling through all the foul words I knew againand again.

"So, my first ride on one of the spirit horseswas a little calmer," Cáit said, riding up next to me. Her armor was goneagain. "But it was still terrifying. How are you?"

"I'm an exorcist, not a horseman. How do youthink I am?"

She laughed.

The other three still surrounded me, alert for danger,but they had reverted to their more human looking forms, though I was prettysure Famine had lost some weight since last I'd seen him. He pulled a stick ofjerky out of thin air and began munching on it.

I hadn't had anything to eat for quite a while, but Iwasn't hungry. Thirsty, maybe, but food was the last thing I wanted at themoment. I would just throw it up.

"We'll be to Ezra's in a few moments,"Azrael said.

I looked around. There were no mountains anywhere. Howwas that possible?

The landscape shifted and I clutched the stallion's neckas the world seemed to tilt. Then, extremely suddenly, we were in the clearingin front of Ezra's keep.

I resumed my string of obscenities.

The stallion shook his head as if annoyed