Free Death has a Daughter (DHAD Series) by Candice Burnett Page B

some pointers, so if they hit you with a spell, I’m not the only one fighting.”
    “ Fine,” I agreed, reluctantly.  If my father, or anyone from my realm for that matter, knew I was training to fight against Demons, they would think I’d gone insane.
    “ Okay. Well, first, tell me what you know about them,” he said.
    “ Well, I know they fight for Lucifer, and that there are many different kinds of them.  Their powers range, but most can possess humans, create disease, and they’re extremely strong.  Some are superior and rule many legions of the underworld, while others just work for higher level Demons.  They’re almost impossible to kill and defend against.”
    “ Correct, do you know how you kill them?” he asked.
    “ No, I do not.”
    “ It depends on the Demon, but most can be killed or sent back to the realm by beheading them.  Their only weak spots are in the joint areas and at the neck.  Some rare Demons can be killed by inserting a blade into their heart, but if this is the case, they’ll have a few hearts—one for each power they possess.  All you should need to know is to go for the neck and try to behead them.”
    “ Okay.” Hopefully this wouldn’t be necessary.  What were the consequences if my realm found out I’d killed a Demon? I wondered.
    “ I’m sure you know how to block, right?” he asked.
    “ Yes, well, I know how to block against a Guardian’s light.”
    “ That’s a start.  But with a Demon you need to know how to block against their physical attacks and also their spells.  We have Guardian magic, which allows us to block them with our hands, but since you are a Reaper, you’ll need to use your scythe.”
    “ My scythe?”  This seemed odd.
    “ Yes, it is the only thing that you guys hold that contains magic, so you should be able to block one if you hit it with the spell.  Your scythe can block Guardians’ light, so it should be able to block Demons’ spells.”
    “ Alright, well, sounds simple enough. Are we done training now?” I asked, hoping to get a nap in.  I hadn’t slept since I’d met them.
    “ Of course not.  Just knowing how to defend against them doesn’t do anything.  You have to train!  It’s taken me years to learn how to block; you’re just beginning.  I’ve come up with an exercise that I think we can use.  Lacie, I’m going to need you to go in the tent for this; I wouldn’t want a stray rock hitting you.”
    “ Rocks?” I asked, and he smiled.
    “ Yes, you’re going to guard around the tent as Lacie is protected inside of it.  I’m going to use rocks as pretend spells and throw them at you.  You will block them with your scythe, as if they are the real thing.  Don’t worry, I’ll start off slow,” he said, with a smirk that said I was going to have several cuts on my body when this was over.
    “ Are you sure this isn’t just for your amusement?”  I’m sure he’s wanted to throw something at me since we met, and wasn’t this just the perfect opportunity.
    “ Are you afraid, little Reaper?” Trevor mocked.
    “ No, let’s go.  Lacie, get in the tent,” I ordered.
    “ You two are nuts; I’ll be reading.  Good luck, Cendall; he’s crazy,” she said with a chuckle as she got into the tent.
    Whil e I pulled out my scythe and watched as Trevor disappeared into the tall forest around us, I took a few deep breaths and readied myself.  Right! my mind screamed, as I blocked the first rock with my scythe that was headed straight for my head.  He was going to start dirty, huh?  Right!  Behind!  Left!   I swung and hit each of them with my scythe; the last one was an inch away from my body.  I needed to focus more.  Right!  Left!  Center!  Above! my head commanded me, over and over, as Trevor threw rocks at me from every angle.  This went on for at least twenty minutes.  I’d only let 10 out of the 300 rocks hit me, and I could feel the small bruises on my body from where they’d made