Megaera had one more explosive arrow, and she held it back, preferring to use her regular flaming arrows. She took aim at the huge copper dragon, thinking this might be the same dragon that had caused them so much sorrow earlier. She let the arrow fly, and it struck the huge dragon in the neck, below its massive jaw. The arrow sizzled like a canon fuse when it pierced flesh between two scales. Then the dragon's head was engulfed in a bright flame. The beast took off running in fear and pain, trampling demons on its way into the darkness.
Megaera's breath of relief was short lived. The demons kept pouring across the plateau, for each one killed, three more appeared.
Alecto had moved closer and was using her Katana, easily slicing heads off with each swing, but she was fatigued. Megaera dropped her bow and ran to Alecto as she started to fall down the slope. She pulled her back to the top, then looked around for her sword.
"I think I left it in a demon," Alecto said as Megaera laid her down on the ground. Megaera quickly spotted the demon, the sword protruding from its chest. She leapt down and pulled, slicing the demon in two. She swung the sword overhead, cleaving another demon, then she slipped in the bloody mud.
A hand grabbed her and helped her up. It was Queen Penthesilea. They stood on the rise and watched as the battle raged all around them.
"I've lost five, three more are about to drop, we can't hold much longer!" Penthesilea shouted. Alecto joined them, taking her sword.
"I'm just about out of arrows, she's on her last sword," Megaera shouted. "Tisiphone is using their own weapons now, she lost her last axe long ago!"
"We may go down, but we'll go down fighting!" Penthesilea shouted, jumping back down into the melee.
Alecto and Megaera watched as the Amazons continued to fight. They all were covered in black goo, demon blood. It was then that Megaera noticed a flash of a portal, far in the distance.
"More are coming!" she shouted, and pointed. In the blue energy, a huge green dragon lifted up into the night sky. It turned and glided towards the battle.
Bune had joined the fight.
The green demon glided easily in the smooth night air. His eyes glittered with the reflections of the battle below. He dipped one wing and dove for the massed Amazons. At the bottom of his dive, he latched onto a dark-haired Amazon, lifting her up by her arms. He rose effortlessly, then tossed the warrior back down to the ground, where she slammed into the ground and was immediately jumped on by demons. When she died, her body blinked out of existence.
Megaera watched, her eyes narrow. She lifted her bow and notched her last explosive arrow and took careful aim. The dragon demon was distracted, watching the Amazons fight. As he dipped his right wing, he exposed his pale green belly.
That's when Megaera let the arrow fly.
Bune saw it at the last second and tried to twist out of the way. The arrow missed his chest, but impacted his wing, blowing a gaping hole in the membrane, the edges burning with red embers.
He spun out of control, trailing pale smoke and red sparks. Sorath watched his comrade fall to the ground, then limp away.
He looked behind at the few remaining demons. He pulled Rommel close and shouted, "They grow weak, I shall go deliver the final blows myself!"
Rommel pulled free and shook his jacket free. "Suit yourself. I'm heading back," he bellowed.
"Fine! Bring back more warriors!" Sorath turned and grabbed a broadsword and strode towards the battle.
"Like hell. I'm going to petition Hades for clemency," the general said, then he marched to the shimmering portal. He took one last look and watched as a bright white light sparked out towards the main battle.
He sighed and walked into the portal. It rippled as he passed, then the portal closed.
Demons pushed past an Amazon, and circled Alecto and Megaera, Alecto started swinging her sword to fend off an attack from the rear, when a bright white spark appeared. It left spots in her eyes as she blinked and tried to see who was arriving.
"Meg! Behind you! Another portal!" Alecto shouted.
Megaera's jaw almost dropped when she saw Brianna riding Sally, leading numerous Grecian soldiers out of a huge portal. Beside her was Hermes, riding Issa.
In the throng of warriors, she spotted Achilles with a huge grin, eager to engage the demons.
Brianna and Hermes broke off and headed across the plateau, leaving the heroes to engage the demons.
The Heroes formed into a large phalanx, and ran headlong into the demons. The two groups merged into a frenzy of swords and spears. The noise of swords hitting shields and men yelling echoed across the desert basin. The phalanx began pushing the demons back towards their base camp.
Looking back to the demon encampment, Megaera spotted Sorath heading their way, swinging a sword over his head.
"About time that bastard joined the fray!" Megaera shouted. She picked up her bow and notched an arrow. She let it fly while Sorath was still about fifty meters away.
He saw the flaming arrow heading at him, twisting sideways, he grabbed the arrow. As he spun around, he flung it back.
It struck the ground by Megaera, slicing her leg and setting the ground on fire.
Then, it was is if they were alone, facing off. Megaera and Sorath. Her tormentor and nemesis. He grinned and continued walking towards her.
The heroes continued to push the demon army backwards. The demons were finally outnumbered, and the monsters were falling as fast as swords could swing.
Sorath continued to walk towards Megaera, stomping demons into the mud, his huge feet crushing their bodies. Megaera stood her ground, the fire making the leather of her armored skirt smoke.
She slowly notched another arrow. Her last.
She narrowed one eye and aimed.
Sorath kept coming, grinning, his eyes sparkling.
One side of her lips curled up in a scowl. Her aim steadied, and the arrow was set loose.
Sorath roared with laughter as the arrow sped his direction, bursting into flame.
It struck him in the upper chest, just below his neck. His eyes opened in shock as the arrow sizzled in his flesh.
He sunk to his knees as the demons near him scattered, running back to the portal behind them.
Megaera reached behind her and took Alecto's sword. She strode down the embankment, followed by her sisters.
Penthesilea and her warriors paused to watch as the Furies went past them, walking over demon bodies.
In the east, the dawn was approaching, the sky going from a velvet black to a deep purple.
Megaera kicked her way to Sorath as he fell backwards, the arrow protruding from his chest. He landed on top of a pile of demons. His eyes were caked with fresh, orange blood. He watched Megaera approach. He tried to grin, and spit more orange blood down his chin.
Megaera stopped and stood over Sorath. Tisiphone and Alecto stood behind her and watched.
Sorath then laughed. He coughed and tilted his head. "I guess it's back to the cell blocks."
"No. Not this time." Megaera raised the katana over her head. "This blade is iron, and it'll hurt the whole time you die."
Megaera swung the blade downward. Sorath's head was cleanly cut from his body, orange blood sprayed across the pile of dead demons. His head rolled to a stop, his eyes blinked.
Megaera handed the katana back to Alecto and walked to Sorath's head, his eyes still blinking. His eyes followed as she got closer.
She grasped the shock of coarse orange fur in the center of his head and lifted it, looking into his glowing, red eyes. They widened, then slowly closed, the red light fading.
She held the head up as the heroes and Amazons cheered. She turned and watched as the sun peaked over the distant mountains.
As the sun rose over the plateau, illuminating the heroes as they walked among the fallen demons, making sure they were dead. No prisoners. As the demons died, they faded from earthly reality, leaving only black mud.
Megaera, Alecto, and Tisiphone stood on the rise and watched the
work. Hermes stood by the open portal, urging the warriors to hurry it up. Sally returned from across the plateau, having dropped off Brianna with Dan.
After a few minutes, all the demons were gone, and the heroes grouped together and rushed into the open portal.
"We owe them more than we can repay, you know," Tisiphone said, watching as the portal shimmered with the passage of the heroes.
"You and Alecto can deal with that. I'm not a single woman anymore," Megaera said as she leapt onto Sally's back. She sat and watched a line of army vehicles racing in their direction.
Hermes waved at the Furies and stepped into the portal. It shimmered and vanished.
Megaera spurred Sally, taking off across the desert towards the west, where a black car was racing in their direction.
Alecto mounted Issa, Tisiphone on Manx. In one fluid movement, the horses morphed into motorcycles, and they sped off to the north. Fire flashed around the tires as both bikes blurred and vanished.
Dan braked his Dodge hard, dust flying, as Megaera rode past him, Sally transforming into a white motorcycle. He spun the wheel and took off after her. After a mile, they arrived back at Dan's small camp site.
Dan was barely able to get out of his car when Megaera grabbed him and hung on, tightly.
"Quick, before we have company," Megaera said, kissing him. "Is Brianna still here?"
"Probably," Dan replied.
"Tough," Megaera said, pulling Dan towards the tent. "I need a fast rinse off, and we have to appear normal."
Dan paused and watched the Army Humvees arriving where the demon battle had been hard fought.
"Normal?" Dan said, grinning as he slipped into the tent.
Epilogue
Chapter Twenty-Three
Black Rock Desert
Dan gathered the remains of his breakfast while watching the activity to his east. Then he spotted several large Humvees kicking up dust while heading in his direction.
He went to the back of his tent and watched Megaera taking a shower, using a bucket on a pole Dan had put up a few hours earlier. He momentarily forgot why he wanted to speak to Megaera. She paused and looked over her shoulder.
"Be a dear and wash my back? There's some muck I can't reach, and it is starting to sting," she explained.
Dan grabbed a sponge and soaped up her back, lingering over her well-formed bottom. He glanced around to see if there was an audience. Then he remembered the approaching army vehicles.
"Damn, you better towel off and get dressed. I think the army is heading this way," Dan told her.
"Who's army?" Megaera demanded, turning around, ready for a fight.
"Oh, OUR army, those guys who were all over your battlefield earlier," Dan said.
"Oh, ok. Right," Megaera said. She splashed more water over herself and snatched a towel hanging next to the water bucket.
She paused while rubbing herself down to look at her stomach. "I know he's there, but I'm not showing yet," she said to herself.
"Darling, please. Get dressed. You're a distraction," Dan said. Megaera looked up with a gleam in her eyes and a slight smile.
Dan went back to the front of the tent and watched the two Humvees break to a stop a few yards from his campsite.
A blond man in camouflage fatigues climbed out of the passenger door of the lead vehicle. Colonel Reese paused and looked Dan in the eyes. Even the Colonel's fatigues looked to be freshly pressed. His insignia was glinting in the sun, silver oak leaves.
"I'm Colonel Reese, US Army." Reese said, introducing himself. He was joined by another officer, who was holding a notebook and carrying a small satchel. "This is Lieutenant Withers, Army Intelligence."
Withers was thin, wearing more live-in fatigues and wire-rim glasses. He looked like an accountant out playing army.
"I'm Dan Lanahan," Dan said as he shook both men's hands and grinned. "What can I do for you guys this morning?"
"I'd like to ask you a few questions, as there was an unusual event last night. Have you been here all night?" Reese asked.
"Yes, sir. I arrived yesterday afternoon, just wanting to get some peace and quiet," Dan explained.
"You picked a funny time for it, with the festival and all," Withers observed.
"I'd forgotten about all that, until I was checking in at the Ranger's Station when I got here. Horrible traffic," Dan explained.
"What do you do?" Reese asked, while Withers made notes.
"I'm a cop, in San Marino," Dan said, pulling his ID and badge out of his back pocket, handing it to Reese. The colonel glanced at it, then passed it to Withers, who made more notes.
"By yourself?" Reese asked, then he looked to Dan's side as Megaera walked from around the tent, with the towel wrapped around her. Reese and Withers were struck silent as Megaera smiled and ducked into the tent, offering them both a fleeting glimpse of her bare bottom.
"Nope. I'm here with my wife." Dan said, turning to watch Megaera disappear into the tent.
"Alright," Reese said. "Did you happen to see or hear anything unusual last night?"
"I was kinda busy, but I thought I heard fireworks at one-point last night," Dan said.
Megaera reappeared in just a loose t-shirt and her sandals.
"Honey, these two men are from the US Army and they want to know if we saw anything unusual last night." Dan said. "Colonel, this is Megaera."
Reese just nodded and smiled, then he turned to Withers, who was openly gawking. Reese cleared his throat and said: "Nice to meet you, ma'am. I was just asking your husband if he had seen anything unusual last night."
"I was a bit sick, so I was in early," Megaera said, looking at the man with as much innocence in her eyes as possible.
Reese glanced to see if Withers had written that down, then he cleared his throat again. "Yes, you were sick. It's horrible having a cold in the summer."
"In my case, it's morning sickness. We're having a baby," Megaera said, grinning, pulling on Dan.
"I see. Okay, and neither one of you saw anything unusual," Reese said, making sure Withers was writing the answers down.
Withers shook his head and started writing. Then he looked up and frowned. "Is there anyone else here?"
Dan shook his head and frowned. "No, just the two of us," he said.
"I could have sworn I just saw someone open the tent flap," Withers said, pointing with his pen.
Megaera turned and opened the tent flap wide. The tent was empty except for a bedroll and two cots. She looked at the young lieutenant and smiled. "No, just us."
Before Reese could ask another question, the driver stepped out of the lead Humvee. "Sir. Just got a report of two hikers east of here making a report of seeing a..." the sergeant was silenced by the sight of Megaera.
"Seeing a what, sergeant?" Reese yelled, not taking his eyes off of Megaera.
"A dragon, sir," the man replied, then he ducked back into the Humvee.
Reese finally tore his eyes off of Megaera and grabbed Withers. "Thank you for your time, Lanahan. If I think of any more questions I need answered, I'll be in touch."
"Do you need my cell number?" Dan asked.
Reese paused by the open Humvee door, and replied: "No, we have ways of getting in touch." He slammed the door, and the Humvees took off in a cloud of dust.
Dan turned to Megaera and drew her into a tight embrace. She pushed him back and shook her head.
"Don't forget, sweetie," she murmured. "Brianna is still here. That was who that skinny army guy spotted."
"How?" Dan asked, eyes searching the area.
"She is growing stronger." Megaera narrowed her eyes. "Did you tell that man I was your wife?"
"Uh, yes. Was that wrong?"
"We'll discuss that later." Megaera sighed. "Let's break camp and haul ass. I'll wear you out when we get home."
<<<>>>
Burning Man Aftermath
People wandered around the remains of the Burning Man festival.
Connor sat near the famous Burning Ma
n sculpture, which did not have the chance to be burned this year. He surveyed the area, and for every festival goer, there was a cop or military person.
They had shut the festival down in the early hours of the morning, due to what was being called a terrorist attack. He tried, and failed, to recall what had happened. He remembered talking to a couple of guys as firemen, then it was all blank.
He simply sat and watched a group of people working to pick up trash and another group was trying to figure out how to pull down the main sculpture. The Burning Man was always set on fire, and allowed to burn down to ashes, so no one had a plan to haul it away. An engine roared, and a small twin-engine airplane lifted off, then turned to the south, heading towards Reno.
Across the area, Valerie wandered in a daze. The feeling was unusual, but she missed the huge monster that had attacked her. This feeling made her unsettled. He'd raped her, but how could she report it? Was it a large man in a costume, or was it actually a monster?
She'd checked into an aid station to report the rape when all hell broke loose. She was on the exam table, her feet in stirrups, when the medic and a nurse rushed out, not to return. Later several men in army uniforms showed up, questioning everyone. Anyone who had witnessed the "terrorist attack" was led away. Victoria did not mention the monster who had attacked her, so they'd left her alone.
Connor spotted her as she wandered around, trying to stay out of the way. He ran across the dusty plateau, and arrived by her side, out of breath.
"Hey," was all he got out. Victoria surprised him, and herself, by turning to him and grasping him in a tight embrace.
"What happened?" was all she could get out. He held onto her and calmed down inside.
"I don't know, some type of attack," Connor said.
"Do you remember what the man looked like who attacked me?" She asked, looking up into his eyes.
"Kinda. Big? Right?"
"Yes, huge."
"It's all fuzzy after that. He almost looked like the terrorists," Connor said, returning her gaze.
Descent into Tartarus Page 28