What is wrong with me, she asked herself. That's my death approaching and I want to laugh? I have to get a grip.
Her shield radiated its pure, yellow light. It was like sunlight and so bright that the drakes were lit up clearly before they were halfway down the hall. Sarah had never gotten a long, close look at the monsters until that moment, but seeing them in greater detail sent chills down her spine and choked off any desire to laugh that she might have had. They were hideous.
The beasts looked like miniature versions of the dragon, except that they had no wings. Their snouts were over two feet long and their mouths filled with sharp discolored teeth, like sharks. Their burning yellow eyes glowed, even in the light of her shield, and thick black scales covered them from head to tail. They were thick and heavy and their feet scraped against the floor, claws grating loudly as they came. What made them even more terrible to look at was that all of their mouths seemed to be stained with dried blood.
Was it human blood, Sarah wondered fearfully, or goblin? There was no way to know, but it added to the horror of her situation.
The drakes seemed to be in no hurry. She didn't know if their slow, deliberate approach was meant to terrify her or not, but what she really felt was relief. The longer it took for them to attack, the more time her friends had to escape.
Take your time, you evil monsters. Take all the time in the world.
She wiped her left palm on her jeans, switched the wand to that hand and wiped off the other one. Then she tucked her hair behind her ears and took a deep breath. She was as ready as she would ever be.
I wonder what it feels like to die?
A sound from below her in the stairwell distracted Sarah from her dark thoughts and she listened closely, keeping her eyes on the drakes as she did so.
She heard a murmur of conversation and smiled. It was her friends! The sounds got louder and she felt a rush of excitement. Bobby had done it somehow. He had convinced the others to grab their things and run. They were climbing the stairs to reach the second level and get out through the emergency exit tunnel.
She felt weak-kneed with relief. It didn't matter what happened to her, as long as they were all safe. But it would take them some time to get to the exit and out of the complex and she had to give them that time.
Sarah focused on the advancing enemy.
All right then, she thought with a grim smile. Come and get me, if you can.
One drake was more eager than its fellows and bolted ahead of the others. It let out a shuddering scream and leaped at her. Sarah braced herself for the blow and staggered back a step as the monster hit her shield and fell back with a scream.
The stench of burnt flesh made her gag and she almost vomited when she saw the ruin that her shield had made of the drake's head.
Half of its muzzle had been sheared off by the shield's power and the drake's tongue, what was left of it, hung limply out of the hole where its jaw had been.
Even more horribly, the shield had only partly cauterized the wound, so there were little squirts of blood like tiny fountains shooting out of the beast's face in time with its heart.
The drake's yellow eyes were wide with agony and it scurried back, barely able to whimper.
If Sarah had thought that seeing their pack-mate's injuries would scare off the other drakes, she had been mistaken. The rest of them went into a frenzy of rage, howling and slobbering, sending ribbons of thick drool everywhere. They glared at her furiously and attacked en mass.
Fortunately the drakes' fury hadn't made them any smarter. They crowded together and fought to reach her, resulting in them piling on top of each other, hissing and clawing in their haste to attack.
Sarah stood firm, knowing that only one of them could fit through the doorway at a time. Her shield had dimmed slightly when the first drake had hit it, but it had strengthened again and was now blazing as brightly as ever. The injured drake was dragging itself along behind its pack, apparently still determined to reach her regardless of its gaping wound.
My God, they are just mindless beasts, she thought with a mixture of horror and disgust. It must be in agony, but it still wants to kill me.
The drakes piled into the doorway and she took a step back to let them fight it out between themselves as they tried to reach her. The landing at the top of the stairs was about six feet square, surrounded by an iron railing. Sarah wasn't afraid of falling backwards and realized that the drakes would have a hard time even squeezing themselves through the doorway. It gave her an idea.
Below her, she could still hear some people running up the stairs. She took a chance and looked down over the railing. Her shield was almost touching the barrier and she was careful not to let it make contact with the metal.
She caught sight of several of the Changlings and then she froze. On the stairs across from her position, one level down, Bobby was standing still and staring up at her.
She smiled at him and gave him a quick wave. He waved back.
“Are they almost all out?” she yelled over the sound of the drakes at her back.
“Yeah. Just a couple left. You okay?” he called back anxiously.
“I'm good. Listen, Bobby, I've had an idea. Once they're all out of the stairwell, yell up and let me know, would you?”
“Sure. Why?”
She looked over her shoulder at the mass of writhing, clawing drakes.
“Because I think that, if I can get one of them to wedge itself in the doorway up here and then kill it, I can plug up the opening and then retreat to the second level. And once I'm through that door and have closed it behind me, they'll have a hard time following us.”
Bobby's expression brightened.
“Hey, that's a great idea! But be careful. One wrong move and...”
“Yeah, I know.”
Chapter 22
Two of the drakes were flailing their viciously-clawed forelimbs at Sarah through the doorway, but were blocking each other at the same time. It would have been funny if it wasn't so terrifying.
She stayed away from the opening, waiting for one of the monsters to get the upper hand.
Come on, you brainless morons, she thought urgently. Come on. At this rate, I could be down to the emergency exit and gone by the time one of you gets into the doorway.
It was a tempting thought, but she knew her duty. It was just as likely that if she began to retreat, one of them were get into the stairwell and leap on her from behind. Shield or not, just the weight of a drake crashing down on her would crush her. No, she had to wait.
She looked at the grasping claws, took a breath and stepped forward. Both of the drakes slashed at her at the same time and the ends of their forelegs slammed into the shield. It flared bright yellow, giving the monsters' hides a disgusting tinge of lemon, and then two puffs of smoke and the stench of burnt meat followed. The drakes shrieked, a weird chorus of pain, and pulled back with half of their legs missing.
Well, that's two more injured, she thought with satisfaction. They won't be running anymore, that's for sure. Which leaves three drakes still in one piece. Not too shabby.
There was a momentary withdrawal as the monsters appeared to pull back to regroup. They might not be smart, but it was obvious that the drakes also weren't used to their prey fighting back. Maybe they were actually feeling a little bit of fear. Maybe.
“Sarah!”
Bobby's voice echoed up from below.
“Yes?” she called back, watching the doorway cautiously.
“They're all on their way. I'm the last one in the stairwell.”
“Fantastic! Okay, go after them and keep them safe, Bobby. I'll follow as soon as I can.”
“Hey, I could help you, you know,” Bobby shouted. “Between the two of us...”
“No, Bobby! You're the only one in the group who has a real weapon. They need you. I'll be fine. Now get going, please.”
“Yeah, okay. See you soon.”
“Absolutely.”
At least I hope you d
o, she thought grimly.
The darkness out in the hallway shrouded whatever the drakes were up to and her light wasn't bright enough from inside the stairwell for Sarah to see exactly what they were doing. All she could see were vague shapes moving in the shadows.
Now what are you planning, she wondered.
Without any warning, a drake leaped out of the gloom straight at her, its maw gaping widely. Sarah fell back with a cry and there was a flash as her shield hit the railing behind her and vaporized it. She staggered, trying to regain her balance, and teetered on the edge of the landing. The drake surged forward and slammed into her shield. Its heavy head disintegrated as it hit the magical barrier, but the blow threw her off her feet and over the edge. She began to fall.
It was as if everything was suddenly moving in slow motion. Sarah saw the drake collapse in death, its head a ruined mass of smoking flesh. Her shield disappeared as she fell backwards, hurtling down the stairwell toward her death.
So this is how it ends, she had time to think. Well, at least my friends got away. And Bobby. Dear Bobby. I'm going to miss him. I'm going to miss him a lot.
The landing above her receded and Sarah closed her eyes, waiting for the pain of the impact when she hit the stairs below her.
“Got you!”
She landed in a heap with someone underneath her and both of them rolled down several steps before they ended up wedged against the curve of the wall. Sarah gasped as she felt stabbing pains shoot down her back and legs. But she pushed through it in a panic, thinking about the last two drakes that were still unhurt above them. They could be racing down the stairs at any moment.
“Well, that worked. Sort of,” Bobby muttered.
He sat up with a groan, holding his hand to his head. Sarah had managed to hang on to her wand again, somehow, and its light showed Bobby's face. There was a new cut across the bridge of his nose that was leaking blood, but other than that he seemed to be okay.
“Bobby? What are you still doing here?” she asked in surprise.
She stood up painfully and offered him her hand.
“Saving your life, apparently,” he said with a touch of humor as he took her hand and got up. “You're welcome, by the way.”
“But I told you to leave!”
“And I ignored you,” he replied. “How many times have you told me that you're not the boss? And since you can't give me orders, I decided to come back.”
Before Sarah could argue with him, they heard a chorus of shrieks from the top of the stairs.
“We can discuss this later,” Bobby exclaimed hastily. “Let's get the hell out of here.”
He trotted down the stairs to the second level landing and Sarah followed him, limping in pain but doing her best to ignore it.
When they reached the door, Bobby pulled it open and let Sarah go through first. He followed her and slammed the door shut behind them.
In the hallway, Bobby had left a torch burning in a bracket next to the door. He grabbed it and gestured at the entrance to the emergency exit.
“They should be almost to the end of the tunnel by now,” he told Sarah. “Once we're all out of here, we should be free and clear.”
“Where does the tunnel come out?” she asked as they hurried across the hall.
“Some kind of shed or small barn. It's hidden from the air and far enough away from the entrance to give us a head start on any drakes that might still be around the front of the bunker.”
She grinned in relief.
“Finally, we get a break. As long as that dragon can't see us, we'll be able to get away.”
Sarah opened the heavy door to the tunnel and stepped inside. She held up her wand and looked down the narrow passageway.
“I can't see anyone. Can't hear anything either. They must be almost out by now.”
“Yep. Now we should...”
The door to the stairwell crashed open and a drake leaped into the hallway, snarling and slavering as it whipped it head around to glare at them.
“Crap!”
Bobby pushed Sarah ahead of him and leaped into the tunnel, slamming the door behind him.
“Go, go, go!” he shouted.
Sarah didn't need to be told twice. She began to run, aches and pains forgotten, and Bobby waited a second until she was several yards away before he followed her. He'd always been a faster runner than she was.
The narrow section of the hallway was easy for Sarah to run through but Bobby kept bouncing from one wall to the other in his rush to escape. It slowed him down a little and Sarah quickly disappeared around the bend in the tunnel ahead. Another great crash from behind him made him to stop and look back.
He could barely see the door in the light of his torch, but two slitted yellow orbs reflected the flickering glow and, for a second, Bobby was reminded of Sarah's own amazing eyes. But these eyes were huge and glared at him in rage. The drake was in the hallway.
He hesitated a moment. Would the monster even be able to fit its large body into the narrow space? He had to know.
The drake lunged at him and then stopped. Bobby almost laughed as its eyes widened in surprise. The stupid thing was stuck!
It scraped its claws against the floor, frantically trying to pull itself forward. For a moment, Bobby was sure that it wouldn't be able to get any closer and he felt relieved. Maybe they would be able to get away after all.
But that relief was dashed as the creature's claws somehow managed to dig into the cement floor and it dragged itself ahead several feet.
Oh crap, he thought. It won't be fast, but the damned thing will still keep chasing us. And once it hits the wider section of the tunnel, it will be able to run again. And where's the other one?
That question was answered immediately as he saw another set of evil eyes glowering at him from behind the drake.
He turned and ran.
A few minutes later, Bobby caught up with Sarah just as she reached the ladder. She stopped and looked at him.
“Where were you?”
“I wanted to see if the drakes could follow us. Surprise! They can.”
“Damn,” she muttered. “And they'll easily be able to climb this ladder.”
Both of them looked up at the square of light far above. As they watched, they saw the outline of someone's head looking back at them.
“Hey, you two!”
It was Eric.
“What are you waiting for?” he asked loudly. “We have to go.”
“You know, if we climb up and seal that hatch, it should slow down the drakes a bit,” Bobby said quickly. “It won't be that easy for them to force it open if they're hanging off of this ladder, right?”
Sarah looked dubious.
“Yeah, maybe. Well, I guess that's our only option. I mean, I could stay here and...”
“No!” Bobby exclaimed fiercely. “The others need you. You're the only one who has any defensive magic right now. Risking your life again would be stupid. Now let's go.”
She stared at him in surprise.
“Well now, where did this assertive person come from?” she asked with a teasing smile.
He grinned, a little embarrassed.
“I guess he just woke up. Come on, Sarah. We have to get out of here.”
“Right.”
She slipped her wand through a belt loop and scrambled up the ladder. Bobby waited a moment and then tossed his torch away and began to climb up after her.
When he got to the top of the ladder, someone reached down and helped him out of the hole. It was Magnus.
“You did well down there,” the shaman said quietly.
Sarah was being hugged by Caroline and Miesha. All around them, the other Changlings looked both relieved and happy. Everyone seemed to be wearing a backpack and Bobby was reassured by that. At least they weren't completely unprepared for whatever the future might hold.
He glanced at Magnus.
“So far,” he said replied. “But we have at least two drakes on our tail and not a lot
of time. We have to move.”
The man nodded and Eric, who was standing nearby, looked alarmed.
“Oh crap. They got into the hallway down there?”
“Yeah. They've been slowed down for the moment, but once they get through the narrow section, they'll be free to move at full speed again.”
“All right then,” Caroline said loudly. “Everyone, we're leaving. Miesha will lead. Follow her, single file through the trees. Eric, please take the center of the line with me, and Magnus and Bobby, bring up the rear if you would.”
There was a murmur of fear from the others, but they obediently lined up at the door of the barn behind Miesha. She opened the wooden door with a squeal of hinges and peered outside.
“Looks clear,” she said over her shoulder. “Let's go.”
One by one, the Changlings hurried outside. Eric waited until about half of them had left and gave Sarah, Bobby and Magnus a little wave as he exited the building.
“Go ahead, Sarah,” Bobby told her. “I'm going to try to lock this hatch and maybe pile some of these garden tools on top of it. Might slow down the drakes a little bit.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“Do you really think that a few shovels and hoes will slow down those creatures?” she asked skeptically.
He shrugged.
“Couldn't hurt. Go on now. If there are any monsters lurking in the woods, the others will need your help with them.”
She looked around in concern and watched the last of the Changlings leave the building.
“You're right. Okay, I'll meet you both later. Don't take too long.”
Sarah smiled at Magnus and gave Bobby a quick hug, which he returned gently. Then she hurried to the door and left the barn.
The shaman watched her leave and turned to look closely at Bobby.
The Changlings (The New Earth Chronicles Book 2) Page 32