The Demon Hunter

By Aya

Ayanoor is a professional herbalist and grandmother fighting for social justice. But there is more to this student of nature than meets the eye. She is also an undercover demon hunter. Born of an angel and a dragon in the Fifth Realm, she came to this planet in a meteor shower in egg form and was incubated by the EarthKeepers for a very special purpose, one only she could fulfill.
Now, the demonic CEO of international corporation Mammon is making plans with other evildoers to build a development adjacent to Everglades National Park. The lavish development will jeopardize the sensitive ecosystem, perhaps destroying the Everglades and the ecology surrounding the endangered environment. Assisting Ayanoor in the fight against Mammon are angels, unicorns, spirit animals, shapeshifters, and other fantastical beings.
Ayanoor and her friends soon find themselves in great danger when Mammon’s hell demons descend upon them, but Ayanoor and her fearless fighters will never give up. It’s up to this brave grandmother to stop Mammon’s destructive trampling of Mother Nature, conserve one of the world’s most beautiful and enigmatic landscapes, and perhaps help to save mankind in the process.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jun 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9781663216281

Aya

Aya has had many careers in her life: art conservationist, picture framer, and lab technician, culminating in a twenty-seven-year stint in public health, helping to protect the health and well-being of Americans. She is now retired and lives in sunny Florida with her super dog, Bash, where they both enjoy coexisting with their numerous alligator neighbors. Aya has three children and nine grandchildren who live all over the world.

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Copyright © 2022 Aya.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means,

graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by

any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author

except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents,

organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products

of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-6632-1627-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6632-1628-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022903706

iUniverse rev. date: 05/31/2022

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1   The Beginning

Chapter 2   The Journey

Chapter 3   The Plan

Chapter 4   Origins

Chapter 5   Training

Chapter 6   The Test

Chapter 7   The Execution

Chapter 8   The Change

This is dedicated to my three children, Geoffrey, Andrew and Katherine, who gave me a new perspective on life and taught me about unconditional love. And to my nine

grandchildren, Alia, Mark, Anna, Thamir, Eloise, Nora, Isabella, Leona, and Ava who taught me about the importance of being a grandmother and who brought the magic back into my life.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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This book would not have been possible without the support and love of the Sacramento shamanic community especially my teacher, Paula Denham to whom I am forever grateful for allowing me to apprentice with her, to Shea Malone who never gave up on me, to Nikki who took me under her wing, and to my Salmon sisters, Kat, Kelly, Kaari, Mindy, and Kate who constantly inspired me to be a better person.

Deep gratitude to the shamans, healers and lightworkers of the world who are dedicated to creating a healthier, loving and peaceful world.

CHAPTER 1

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THE BEGINNING

Ayanoor was born twice, once when she came into the world as Ann and the second time when she became Ayanoor. Her second birth had a long gestational period. It took fifty years for Ann to develop into Ayanoor. The birth of Ayanoor was as significant as, and maybe even more painful than, the birth of Ann. Ayanoor’s life experiences in her first fifty years were not easy but made her the woman, mother, and grandmother she was, paving the way for the path she was meant to follow. Ayanoor did not know the Earth Keepers were going to forever change the direction of her life the day they appeared to her at Point Reyes.

Her first fifty years brought two college degrees, marriage, children, a career, and then retirement. As Ayanoor neared retirement, she relaxed and started letting in the joys of life by pursuing all the things she had been unable to focus on while working and being a single mother. Her retirement from government work left a big open chunk of time for her to do the things she really loved. Taking care of the heavy responsibilities she’d had early in her life as a single parent and breadwinner wasn’t necessary anymore. Her children were grown and making lives of their own.

Her past lovers, ingrained messages from society, religion, single parenting, and career responsibilities dominated her existence until the Earth Keepers appeared to her that fateful day. The Earth Keepers explained that she had been sent to Earth from another planet and had been born of an angel and a dragon. They told her she was finally ready to be what she had been sent to Earth to be: a demon hunter and healer.

Once Ayanoor accepted the path the Earth Keepers laid before her, she knew in her heart she would pursue that path with passion and commitment. It would be the focus of her life from then on.

Ayanoor was blessed in her older years with hair that changed from brown to white. Her white hair was curly, thick, and long, reaching her shoulder blades. Her green-blue eyes changed color like a mood ring from green to slate blue, depending on her mood or state of health. Ayanoor was short, but because of her presence, people thought she was taller. She had always been in good physical shape and delighted in being active. In her later years, she found joy in the physical activities of dancing, qigong, hiking, and yoga. Even though she was active, her body changed during menopause. She had a thickening in her waist, and her breasts became too large for her comfort. She wanted her waist to have the beautiful curve it had had when she was younger, but she knew physical change was a natural part of aging and looked at her body with respect, knowing she had earned every new inch. Her skin glowed luminously, free of blemishes and wrinkles, except for the laugh lines around her eyes.

After doing her morning practice of yoga and prayer, Ayanoor walked downstairs to open her herb shop. She immediately busied herself making an herbal concoction and a cup of tea for herself.

While making the herbal concoction, she felt a deep satisfaction as she watched the water turn from a light green to a deep, sensual green, the color of a dense forest canopy.

Ayanoor strained the herbs out of the water, put the liquid in a clean container, and placed the container in the refrigerator. She knew customers would come into the shop that day to ask for mullein tea to get rid of the stuffy, mucous-filled feeling in their heads. She wanted to be ready for them when they entered her shop. She busily cleaned up after herself and put the unused mullein back in its jar and on the shelf in alphabetical order, with mace on one side and nettle on the other.

After putting the herb away, Ayanoor stayed in the back of her shop, where customers were not allowed to go. She stored her herbs there, along with the other ingredients she needed to make tinctures, salves, and lotions. The room was equipped with a full kitchen she used for her herbal preparations and concoctions. It also served as her personal private space. Hidden behind a purple velvet curtain just behind the front counter, the space was equipped with a comfy chair, an ottoman for her tired feet, and a side table with the current book she was reading and a Tiffany-style lamp on top. Even though the day had just begun and no customers had come into her herb shop yet, she felt tired and needed a little rest in her comfy chair.

She sat down in the overstuffed chair, which had broad arms and a high back; sipped her tea; and opened her distracting, entertaining murder mystery to read. She looked forward to her quiet time in the cozy nook in the back of her shop. Whenever she was in the back, she put a sign on the front door that read, Ring bell for entry, and locked the door, so customers could not enter and surprise her while she was busy making herbal tinctures, teas, and salves or just relaxing while drinking her tea or reading her book. She liked to have the ability to do other tasks that didn’t involve waiting on customers without worrying about what was happening in the front of the shop. She could relax in her chair without fear that someone would come into the store without her knowledge. That day, Ayanoor didn’t want to make any salves or tinctures; she just wanted to rest. The last few days had been busy.

In her retirement, Ayanoor owned and ran the herb shop Herbs and Me, and when needed, she hunted and neutralized Earth demons. After the Earth Keepers had awakened Ayanoor to her new path of demon hunting, they also had trained her in the healing arts, making it possible for her to heal the demons’ victims. She did so by using herbal medicines, spirit counseling, and more.

She had loved her former career as a government researcher, but her newfound purpose gave her more pleasure than she could have imagined. Helping others had always been important to her. As a kid, she’d liked to stay after school to help the teacher put up new bulletin boards or decorate the classroom for the holidays. Helping others came naturally to her. Now the stakes were higher as she helped save people’s lives and hunted down the demons that caused havoc on Earth. Ayanoor fought not only the demons but also their negative effects on others. She needed rest because the last weekend had involved getting rid of a particularly nasty demon.

Earth demons were not easy for most people to recognize. They didn’t have ugly reptilian forms or satanic horns but instead were disguised as the neighbor next door or the boss at work. Ayanoor spotted them through their actions, often by reading about them in the newspaper or on some form of social media. This time, an article in the New York Times caught her eye, and she knew immediately she’d found a powerful demon that had to be dealt with. The small headline on page two read, CEO of International Corporation to Develop Land Near Everglades National Park.

She read between the lines—one had to do that when dealing with demons. Demons did their work under the radar. They did not want their true identities to be discovered, so they worked quietly, trying not to attract attention to their wicked activities. However, this particular Earth demon was different. Emboldened by his unsurpassed business success, he did little to suppress his evil ways. He posted hateful messages on social media, attacking others who had different opinions or lifestyles than his. He fired people who stood up to him, not wanting to hear opinions that differed from his own. He taunted world leaders with inflammatory statements. He caused hatred, divisions and polarizations within his own company, allegedly to uncover the brightest and best executive. He was narcissistic, mean, sexist, racist, and ageist. He acted as if he had immunity from any illegal or morally corrupt behavior.

After reading the newspaper article, she knew she had to do something to catch one of the slimiest, slipperiest demons she had ever encountered. The demon who had become CEO of a major corporation felt he was above the law and used his considerable power to cover up a multitude of shady dealings. His weakness was his outrageously large ego. He erroneously believed he could do almost anything in plain sight and not be caught or recognized for what he was or what he did behind closed doors. Ayanoor would exploit this trait, which she believed would be his downfall.

That was how her weekend started. She knew it would take more than a weekend to take this demon down. He had garnered too much power and was greatly protected by many powerful Earth demons. She put the article down and started going over steps in her head to derail Mammon’s planned development near the Everglades and take him down.

CHAPTER 2

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THE JOURNEY

Ayanoor knew she could not deal with this demon without some assistance from her helping spirits. She took out her drum; put on her eye mask, cutting out the light in the room; and started journeying to her helping spirits. These spirits were always with her like guardian angels, but to access their helpful counsel, Ayanoor went into a trancelike state. As she listened to the steady drone of the drum, Ayanoor found herself walking down a woodland path into a dense forest of ancient redwood trees. Ahead on the path was a redwood tree that had been hit by lightning. The lightning strike had made a hollow spot in the tree trunk. Ayanoor entered the tree hollow and started climbing the stairway that presented itself after she entered.

As she climbed the massive redwood, the air changed from the earthy richness of dirt mixed with the pungent scent of the tree into the sweet smell of roses. Whenever she smelled roses, she knew from experience that her helping spirits were near her. She climbed and climbed until she reached the top of the massive tree, which was as tall as a skyscraper. She emerged from the top of the tree into a foreign landscape. This place was the upper realm, where her helping spirits could be found. The colors were brilliant, with all the colors of the rainbow displayed vividly. Everywhere she looked, she saw buildings made of crystal reflecting the sun, which never set. Ayanoor found it blinding to look around after being in the dark center of the tree. All the colors of the landscape glowed, pulsating with the energy of life. She felt as if she were walking into a painting; it was surreal.

In the distance was a crystalline palace made of deep purple amethyst. Her helping spirit council was inside the palace, waiting for her. Even though she was a hundred yards from the palace, she could feel the love for her emanating from the council room. That love was always there for her, no matter where she was; she just had to tune into it. Sometimes she tuned into that radiating love when life got the better of her, when she started feeling sad, lonely, or unloved in the earthly realm. That happened less and less as her connection to the spirits grew, but it was hard to put some bad thought habits behind her. After her visits to her council, she always felt better.

Ayanoor visited the upper realm or the lower realm almost daily and found peace and love in her heart when she returned to the earthly realm.

As she walked through a field filled with spring daffodils, tulips, and bachelor’s buttons to the palace, she formulated the question she wanted to ask her helping spirits, making sure she was asking the right question to get the most helpful answer. Ayanoor found herself at the entrance to the crystalline palace. Being inside was not like being inside a room on Earth; inside, the palace was open to the sky—not the blue sky of Earth but the infinite sky dark, dense, and full of opportunity, power, and potential. She glided on the polished crystal floor to the winding staircase that led to an underground chamber where her helping spirit council met. Inside the chamber were seven bodies shrouded in darkness—Ayanoor’s helping spirits. They sat in a circle around a roaring fire that was always present when she visited the council. The closest spirit to her was her great-great-grandmother, whom she referred to as GG-ma. She was an ancestral spirit who could tap into the knowledge and experience of Ayanoor’s ancestral line going back thousands of years. Next to her was Coyote Man, the trickster. Coyote helped Ayanoor with his adaptability, trickiness, and cunning to escape from challenging situations.

Surrounding the council room were three archangels: Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. The angels were endowed with special gifts. Michael was the warrior, Raphael was the healer, and Gabriel was the truth seeker and messenger. Sitting near the doorway was the dragon Iconik, who was black all over, with gold-tipped wings that matched his eyes. His darkness allowed him to travel invisibly wherever he wanted. Those who rode on him became invisible too. Iconik transported Ayanoor through the universe to the places she needed to go, whether to fight demons, get answers to important questions in another realm, or heal herself or others. It was important that Iconik was invisible when traveling so as not to alert the demons to their whereabouts. Sometimes Iconik aided Ayanoor in her fights with the demons. He had breath of fire, the stealth of invisibility, and the quickness of the wind. Iconik was an indispensable part of Ayanoor’s work.

Lastly, Ayanoor saw Sophia, her first and main helping spirit. Sophia looked ethereal in her flowing, silky floor-length dark blue dress. Her curly golden hair fell down her back. Sophia was enigmatically beautiful both inside and out. She was the manifestation of the divine feminine spirit: full of love, nurturing, and helpful counsel. She was the mother of all mothers, the ideal mother. She praised, supported, and loved unconditionally. She was the mother everyone dreamed of having in his or her life. Ayanoor felt lucky to have Sophia on her helping spirit council.

Ayanoor greeted each council member with a big hug and a kiss. I am so happy to see you all. I miss you so when I don’t visit you.

They all responded in unison, Come see us anytime. We are always here for you.

Ayanoor replied, That is such a comfort to me. I have come today because I have another demon to decommission and need your help. She briefly explained about Mr. Mammon and his development plan near the Everglades.

GG-ma said, Please tell us more about this demon and why you are trying to stop him.

Ayanoor replied, This will be a tricky one because this demon has risen in power and uses his power to benefit himself financially at the expense of people and nature, neither of which he cares about. He is protected by a lot of powerful people, not just in the United States but also internationally, so our plan needs to be a foolproof one. One that takes him by surprise so he can’t muster his considerable forces against us.

Coyote Man stepped forward. Since I am the ultimate trickster and this demon is also a trickster, I will work closely with you, Ayanoor, to take him down. Coyote Man looked like a coyote in the wild, except he stood on two legs like a man.

Ayanoor nodded in agreement. You are the ultimate trickster. This will be the perfect demon-slaying mission for you. What a great match for Mr. Mammon you will be!

The rest of the council agreed unanimously.

Tell us what you want to stop this demon from doing on Earth, Coyote Man said.

Ayanoor closed her eyes, searching for the words, and then spoke. "This demon wants to build a development adjacent to an important environmental landscape, jeopardizing the sensitive ecology there. Mr. Mammon is