The menace was not immediately visible, but Maganus’s sharp senses picked up the presence of Demons. He took the cue from the Bellator’s wary glance and gauged the location of the lurking danger. It was a ball of fluid darkness, and Mathew was just next to it. As Maganus raced over, the youth was abruptly pinned to the ground by a violent force. Matthew yelped as slices of red appeared on his shielding arm. The Guardian Angel raised his hands over the boy and cried his prayers. An umbrella of light fell over Mathew, and the illumination brought Mathew’s attacker into form, inch by inch. The Angel watched agape as a three-headed canine—the Cerberus, guardian of the gates to Hell, materialized in full pouncing rage with rage-inducing eyes. The demonic beast was guardian of the gates of the underworld. It must be Raum who brought them to earth! “Shut your eyes, Mathew!” Maganus instructed. “Don’t look into theirs. It will turn mortals insane.” Then he murmured his prayers and yielded his shimmering battleaxes.
