Sarah swallowed hard, clutching Two’s quivering hand.
“Amazing!” Jeremy said. “Empathy. Such a useless chemical reaction.”
Sarah picked up Liam’s battle scepter, taking aim at Jeremy. “Don’t make me do it.”
Jeremy and the reptiles stopped moving. He held a hand out in a mocking fashion. “Careful little girl. That just might go off.”
“Back away. Or else!” Sarah screamed. She swung the scepter at Jeremy, arcing a stream of yellow plasma in a wide trail but he quickly sidestepped it.
“This would be so much easier if you just did as you were told,” Jeremy said, shaking his head. “Let’s have a look at what you can do with those worms of yours.”
“I won’t do it!” she cried. “I won’t do anything for you!”
“For me? No. This isn’t for me, sweetheart. This is for your dear old dad,” Jeremy said. His lips curled into another disgusting smile. “You wouldn’t want to let him down now, would you?”
Sarah felt her heart leap up into her throat. She let her arm go slack. “Wh—what?”
“Oh, right,” Jeremy chuckled. He put a finger to his lips. “My mistake. I’m just no good at keeping secrets, you see. But I guess there’s nothing I can do about that now.”
He took another step toward Sarah and she lifted the scepter. “You’re lying! I warned you!”
Sarah swung the scepter as hard as she could, mimicking a phrase she’d heard Liam use earlier in the battle. The end of the rod flashed a bit and then fizzled. Jeremy and his gang of reptiles burst into a fit of laughter.
Before Sarah could try again, a pale, ragged arm hooked Jeremy around his neck. His eyes bugged as he was dragged backward into a silent army of the walking dead climbing up from the railing behind where he stood. They swarmed the unsuspecting reptile warriors as well.
Jeremy broke free, drew his wand and shook it vigorously as he chanted. “Make our team an invincible, electrical shield.”
The wand began to twitch and vibrate, ripples pulsing from his hand and across his reptilian troops. Their bodies became a blur before erupting in a monstrous electrical discharge that knocked the zombie-like creatures off of their feet. Before Jeremy and his warriors could fully recuperate, a new horde of zombies aggressively latched onto them as quickly as the others were ejected.
While they were distracted, Sarah and Two helped Liam to his feet and hobbled back through the library. Sarah looked over her shoulder as another wave of zombies were cast off by another blinding electrical discharge. Behind them, she could see Number Three grinning and holding a book above his head like a trophy.
Jeremy desperately reached out and grabbed a hold of a nearby book and read aloud. A new portal spread before him and he leapt inside before returning moments later with a small army of tribal warriors. He pointed to the zombies and they immediately attacked.
Jeremy limped away, laughing as they clashed. “Bon Appétit, cannibal freaks!”
Sarah and Two ducked down a vacant aisle with Liam in tow as the feeding frenzy raged behind them.
“Can you stand?” Two asked.
Liam took a shaky step forward, still clutching his side. He grunted. “Yes. I—I’ll be all right. Thank you both.”
Sarah nodded and turned back to the arena below them. It was strangely silent. Both Cato and Seth were at an impasse— neither besting the other. They silently circled one another like caged animals.
Suddenly, clanging alarms rang out, echoing throughout the entire library. Dozens of Squirries fluttered down from the rafters. Strange gears and mechanisms began to engage high on the perimeter walls and several sets of large granite doors opened along the upper walls of TwoSpells. A dozen massive machines slid forward on tubular metal rails, billowing white steam from metallic chimneys as they stirred to life.
The machines were comprised of two large cylinders, each with a bronze boiler. Coiled copper tubing extended from various ends and apparatuses. Each machine had a large, bright red alarm bell with three brass hammers clanging wildly. Pistons and gears pulled and twisted as electrical charges flashed, belching thick smoke from the stacks protruding from their tops. Their engines blazed to life as they hovered precariously across the library.
“What are those?” Sarah asked.
“Rainmakers,” Liam replied, looking around frantically before pointing at smoke rising from a distant exhibit. “There! There’s a large fire in the building!”
He winced as his headset crackled loudly in his ear.
The blaze was clearly visible now in several areas of the library. The machines grumbled and wheezed, boiling plumes of white spewing feverishly from their exhaust systems. The newly born clouds rolled over the fires and sprinkled a light rain atop them. But it wasn’t enough. The fires raged on.
Several Orcan guardsmen discharged their plasma weapons into something Sarah couldn’t see. That something shrieked obscenely and fled between a series of towering bookshelves. Nearby, Jeremy had engaged in hand to hand combat with a squad of Elfin warriors.
“Jeremy’s toying with them,” Liam said. He coughed into his hand. “He wants to draw us out.”
“How do you know that?” Sarah asked.
“He could destroy those warriors with a snap of his fingers,” Liam replied, taking a step toward the battle to peer out. “What—they’ve got a dragon. It’s a crimson dragon…”
Sarah scoured the battlefield in search of it. “Where?”
Liam stumbled forward and unsheathed a sword from his side. “We need to get moving. That’s no ordinary fire down there. The rainmakers aren’t equipped to handle acid based fires.”
The three of them took off down the hall toward the prehistoric exhibit.
“Dinosaur,” Two grunted, keeping watch near the entrance. “Good choice.”
Overlooking the bookshelves in this area were life size replicas of various species of dinosaur. Several were perched in mock attack positions, guarding several large flat screens that ran video taken from actual expeditions into their Jurassic world.
“Check these out,” Liam said, flipping through a few book titles.
“What if the dinosaurs attack us?” Sarah asked. “I’ve already been through that once before with that blue thing.”
“Don’t worry. There are spells for that,” he reassured her. “Now stay with Two. I’ll be back.”
Liam trotted a few yards away and began reading. He was quickly engulfed in a brilliant white light that pulsed several times before a portal burst open. He leapt inside and returned moments later with a flock of pterodactyls soaring through the opening behind him. They swooped across the arena, seemingly confused, some impaling themselves on antlered chandeliers and others crashing through the stained-glass windows adorning the hall.
The majority of the flock shook off the effects of transference and began gliding low through the library. Jeremy paused in his battle with the Elfin warriors and watched them circle the library.
Liam drew another book and flickered inside. Moments later, a pack of velociraptors poured through the open portal, charging between the bookshelves and crashing into exhibits. He communicated to them in an odd set of chirps and grunts and they set off toward the battlefield.
Jeremy cast a massive pulse wave at a group of advancing Orcan troops. They rolled like tumble weeds, crashing through the stone railing dividers and plummeting ten stories down into a circus exhibit. They slowly staggered to their feet, shaken and injured but returning to a nearby stairwell to reengage.
The flying dinosaurs began buzzing Cato, teeth gnashing and talons slashing. He used his battle scepter to expertly defend himself against the ravenous carnivores.
Liam found another book and began reading while the pack of velociraptors sprinted through the aisles on the hunt. Several battered Orcan saw them coming and stepped aside as the they swiftly passed by.
An incredible bellow shook the library walls. Sarah finally saw it—two massive, horned heads appeared. It was
the dragon.
One head breathed acid fire and the other icy plumes. Its body was lined with heavy, crimson scales. It drew its wings in close to protect its underbelly and swept its thorny tail through a bookshelf, scattering books in all directions.
It belched a massive acid bath of fire that immediately engulfed several brazen velociraptors and a few surrounding bookshelves. Within minutes, the library was teeming with the translucent bodies of hundreds of burning two-dimensionals birthed from the flaming, dripping texts. The velociraptors ran shrieking through the aisles on fire, bouncing from shelf to shelf and destroying displays as they convulsed.
Two rainmaking machines followed the burning velociraptors, attempting to put the fires out. The dragon swept across the arena in pursuit of the machines, breathing a crystal plume of ice. The rainmakers seized up, spun off balance and fell from the air, crashing into the library below.
Several velociraptors had scaled a ladder and were taunting the dragon from above, leaping from one bookshelf to the other and dodging its fiery breath.
Liam burst through a portal beside Sarah with two massive tyrannosaurus-rexes. The beasts slipped and slid across the stone floor as they got their bearings in this new world. He turned to face them and chanted a spell to the tip of his wand before whirling it into the air. Green mist swirled around the dinosaurs as they inhaled deeply.
A few seconds passed. They shook their heads and locked eyes with Liam. He pointed at the crimson dragon and they lumbered off, bellowing. One of the tyrannosaurus-rexes charged the dragon and took hold of it by the leg, yanking it down a flight of stairs and tumbling into the arena. Flames spewed in a long trail, splashing across the outer walls of the library. A cold stream of icy slush followed, raking the bookshelves and several fluttering squirries with sleet, knocking them from the air.
A half dozen velociraptors leapt from the tops of bookshelves onto the dragon, clinging to its wings as it attempted to get airborne again. They dug in deep behind its horned heads, gnawing and snapping. It fought to shake them free, tumbling through a squad of Jeremy’s reptilian warriors.
The second tyrannosaurus-rex leapt from the shadows and snatched a hold of the dragon’s thorny tail. The fight slid across the library, brawling in a twisted death match, flailing fire and ice in all directions. The stench of burning flesh filled the area as burning velociraptors raced through the library, trying desperately to escape the flesh devouring heat. Orcan warriors dispatched the pathetic burning creatures with a few quick plasma bursts.
The dragon roared, readied its heads for another burst of flame and ice, and was silenced by the two tyrannosaurus-rexes snapping its long necks in a few swift blows.
Across the arena, Jeremy slunk away between the shelves.
“He’s on the move!” Sarah cried. “He’s coming!”
CHAPTER 37
CATO AND JEREMY APPROACHED Sarah and Liam from the level above them, the last of the serpent children slithering along behind them.
“A family reunion,” Jeremy said, chuckling. “This is heartwarming.”
“It’s inevitable,” Cato boomed. The bookshelves rocked as his voice shook the stone floor. “I forgive ya’ for puttin’ up ah’ fight. Your resistance is only natural, but it’s time to end this.”
Jeremy turned his back and began mumbling. His body wavered and glowed.
Sarah reached out to Liam. “What’s he up to?”
Before Liam could answer, a portal splashed open beside Jeremy and he casually stepped inside. When he returned seconds later, he quickly stepped aside as hundreds of immense logs poured through the opening—bouncing and crashing through the metal railing, chipping and breaking the granite stairway as they rumbled downward after Sarah and Liam.
“I’ve brought you some housewarming gifts!” Jeremy cackled.
Sarah and Liam fled down the stairs as the timber closed the gap between them. They reached the arena and leapt aside just as the logs smashed against the floor below, shattering the flagstone and launching fragments the size of small cars across the arena.
Liam held his scepter aloft and a bright light shot up toward the domed ceiling and burst into a beautiful red lotus flower.
“Celebrating already, are you?” Jeremy called back down to them. “There’ll be plenty of time for—”
A barrage of arrows and throwing stars peppered the duo as a brigade of ninjas leapt into the fray.
“Not the warm welcome I was expectin’,” Cato snarled, splitting his battle scepter into a set of short swords. “But it’ll have ta’ do.”
Jeremy stood at attention performing a complex incantation as Cato and the reptile children guarded him. The chandeliers began to flicker above. Sarah’s ears popped as if the altitude had changed. The light streaming through the library’s stained-glass windows seemed to fade and ripple. Goosebumps rolled up Sarah’s arms. Something odd was happening.
The ninjas leapt forward to attack, but Jeremy was faster. Insanely fast. He moved around them with impossible speed, slashing and punching and blocking their every move.
The world seemed to be moving in slow motion. Sarah moved her hand in front of her face, mesmerized by the sluggish trail it left in her vision.
“What’s happening?” Sarah tried to ask, but her lips struggled to form the words.
Liam slowly turned to look at her, his voice a sluggish drawl. “Time. Spell.”
The bodies of the ninjas were cast into the air, fluttering like kites over the railing and down the stairway. Sarah watched weapons soar past her, the sound reaching her ears out of time sequence. Jeremy’s sickening high-pitched laughter echoed and reverberated around them.
Two voices chanted behind her. Sarah turned and saw that Seth and Liam had positioned themselves at the base of the stairs, wands in hand and vibrating wildly.
Seth and Liam flashed up the steps at hyper speed, joining the battle. Their swords and weapons clanged and sparked against one another in a terrifying blur.
The battle continued for what seemed like hours, exhausting all the combatants. Liam and Seth, both bested by Jeremy’s superior swordsmanship, retreated to the lower level where Sarah was waiting. Cato and the few surviving serpents surrounded Jeremy, warding off the few remaining ninjas.
Jeremy staggered and stumbled over the heap of bodies strewn about. Bloodied and bruised, his knees buckled and he collapsed at the edge of the steps. His breaths were labored. He was sweating profusely. Cato swept him to his feet and held him close as they hobbled out of sight.
Liam and Seth collapsed at Sarah’s feet, exhausted and wounded.
“Go, Sarah,” Liam wheezed, trying to catch his breath with his head between his knees.
“What?” Sarah asked, holding his face upright.
“Now. While Jeremy is drained,” he gasped. He crumpled to the floor.
“Without you guys?” Sarah asked.
Seth didn’t answer. He struggled to compose himself.
Sarah pulled the microphone close to her mouth. “Help! Please help us!”
Liam moaned, rose to his feet and drew his sword. He took a couple of deep breaths and took to the stairs once more. Sarah helped Seth to his feet and they followed, reaching the fourth level just as the sound of heavy hoof beats began to drone.
Hundreds of riders on horseback poured down from the floor above. Without time to retreat, Liam pushed Sarah and Seth to the ground and pressed himself up against the lip of a single step. The horseman barreled down the stairs, some stumbling to the ground where they were trampled to death as the mob swarmed.
Sarah and Seth managed to crawl to safety on the catwalk adjacent to the handrail. Liam wasn’t so lucky. He tumbled into the stream of horsemen. Number Three leapt from the catwalk and landed atop Liam, using his body to shield him. The horses trampled across Three’s back as they stampeded over them.
Sarah poked her head out from under the damaged handrail and saw the piles of dead horses and men who hadn’t made it down the stairs. She
’d lost sight of Liam and Three in the chaos.
Dozens of the horseman rode into the arena, hooting and shouting and rounding up a herd of confused wildebeest. Sarah crawled along the bloody, mangled bodies on the stairs in search of Liam and Number Three.
She heard a grunt that sounded vaguely like Liam and scrambled down toward it. She found Three, his body badly broken and twisted. With every ounce of strength she had left, she tugged at his arm and lifted him free enough to allow Liam room to crawl free. He gasped for air and clutched his arm.
“He saved you…” Sarah trailed off, turning away from the motionless bodyguard. Her eyes welled with tears.
Liam gazed down at Three. Without a word, he pressed his palm to Three’s forehead and it shimmered slightly.
CHAPTER 38
SETH HELPED THE TWO OF THEM down the stairs and away from danger. They huddled at the dead end of a deep corridor, resting before being joined by two more numbered golems.
“How did everything slow down before?” Sarah asked.
Liam wasn’t paying attention. He was too busy examining the stone wall with his good arm. “Huh?” he muttered.
“The ninja fight,” Sarah reminded him.
“Oh that. Nothing slowed down. We sped up,” Liam explained. “It’s a very dangerous velocity spell. It acts like nitrous-oxide for your body. But it can explode your heart.”
She grimaced and held her shoulders, slumping against the corridor wall. There wasn’t time to think over his answer. There wasn’t time to cry or consider what they’d lost. It was all happening so fast.
Liam and Seth’s hands roamed the surface of the dead end wall. Suddenly, Seth paused, his palm glowing a pale yellow as it left a mark on the stone. He leaned his forehead against the wall and mumbled a few words. They took a step back and the granite began to change into what appeared to be a steamed up bathroom mirror. Liam looked across at Seth. “You still got it, brother.”
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