Free Middle Demons (Angels and Demons Book 2) by Randall Morris Page A

across the river. He taught me about riddles and I must admit I really enjoy them.”
    “So you’ve become a sphinx then, Nessus?”
    “Nope. I’m still a centaur. You asked what you could do… well… you could answer my three riddles. If you can answer them correctly, I will guide you across. If you can’t, Azazel joins the tormented souls in the river.”
    Azazel looked taken aback. He realized that several centaurs had their bows trained on him, ready to pierce him with arrows.
    “Yes, we know who you are, fallen angel. If any violent creature deserves to be tormented in the river Phlegethon, it’s you. Do we have a deal, Shadow?”
    “We have a deal, Nessus. Let’s hear them.”
    Nessus grinned and waved his hand for his centaurs to lower their bows.
    “If I drink, I die. If I am fed, I thrive. What am I?”
    Shadow looked at Azazel. He shrugged. When he looked at Muan, Muan turned his back to him.
    “Muan, do you have any idea?”
    “Oh, now you need my help?”
    “Yes. Now I need your help. I understand that you’re angry, but I wasn’t going to let them kill you so you could keep your pride intact. I need you to get over it.”
    “If you’re so powerful then you can answer your own damn riddle.”
    “Oh gotcha. You don’t know the answer. That’s all I needed to hear. So…”
    Muan finally turned around.
    “I know the answer. I just refuse to help you because you refused to let me help you earlier.”
    “Muan, I understand that you wanted to help then. I’m sure you want to help now. It’s alright. You’re not Leech. I usually defer to him for book worm stuff like this so it’s no big deal if you don’t…”
    Muan turned to Nessus.
    “The answer is fire. If you pour water on it, it dies. If you feed the flames, it thrives.”
    Nessus nodded.
    “The little demon is correct.”
    Shadow grinned over at Muan. Muan couldn’t help but look proud of himself but he turned his back to Shadow and Azazel once again to hide it.
    Nessus continued.
    “I have a head but I never weep. I have a bed but I never sleep. I have a mouth but I never talk. I run but I never walk. What am I?”
    Muan continued to look away from Azazel and Shadow. Shadow guessed he probably couldn’t trick Muan into answering the riddle this time even if he knew the answer. Azazel was muttering about combining the scythes again so Shadow figured he was on his own. Shadow realized Azazel didn’t really care because if the centaurs attacked him, he could kill them. He couldn’t let that happen because they were stuck on this side of the river without the guidance of Nessus. As Shadow looked at the centaurs guarding the Phlegethon, he found the answer.
    “The answer is a river.”
    “You are correct, Shadow. Just one more. I am the part of the bird that’s not in the sky. I can swim in the ocean and always stay dry. I flee from the light but owe a debt to the sun. For without the sun’s rays, I would be undone. What am I?”
    Muan continued to say nothing but Shadow saw him raise his hands to grip his bone daggers. He was ready to fight if it came to it and he clearly didn’t know the answer. Azazel pulled the sword from his belt.
    “If I kill them, can you find us another way across?”
    “Wait, Azazel. Give me some time to think about it.”
    Nessus signaled for his centaurs to ready their weapons.
    “Your fallen angel threatens us. I don’t appreciate that. Give us your answer, Shadow.”
    Centaurs began to surround Azazel, clearly ready to strike the moment the signal was given. Shadow continued to think but Azazel finally looked like he realized something they had missed.
    “Shadow.”
    “What?”
    “No. A shadow. It’s the answer to his riddle.”
    Shadow thought about Nessus’s riddle and realized that Azazel was right. He was mildly embarrassed that he hadn’t thought of the answer himself. Nessus looked like he wasn’t very happy with the outcome. He had obviously wanted to toss Azazel into the