by Linsey Hall
“What is it?” Bree cried.
“A demon giant.” Ares’s voice was slightly tinged with dread.
I’d never heard that before. I climbed up onto the front platform next to Bree, trying for an unblocked shot.
“He’s not close enough for my sonic boom,” she said.
I knelt, taking aim, then released the string. The arrow flew straight for the beast’s eyes, the only gap in his armor that I could see. It was only feet from him when he shifted his head. The arrow bounced off his helmet.
Ares leapt off the back of the buggy, racing toward the giant. His vampire speed far outstripped the buggy, which had to weave through the trees.
Ares neared the giant, who swung his club in return. The vampire leapt over the massive weapons, darting toward the giant’s legs. He struck with his sword, but the blade clanged off the metal.
“Enchanted armor,” Ana said.
Shit.
We couldn’t just stand here.
The giant swung for Ares again, bending over far enough that I could see a small opening at the top of his helmet. It’d been damaged and not repaired. His Achilles heel.
I pointed. “Cass! Look!”
“I see it.” As if she’d read my mind, her magic shimmered on the air, a signature so strong that Bree and Ana gasped. Cass might have once been terrible with her magic, but now she was the strongest Magica in the world.
“Drive around the giant!” I called to Ana as I turned to watch Cass jump out of the jeep and roll into a standing position. “Avoid the giant.”
The air around Cass shimmered as she transformed into a griffon. Thank fates she’d stored up some magic from Aidan. As a Mirror Mage, she could mimic magical gifts when she was near a person, or she could store it up for a one-time use later on.
This was our one time, and we’d have to make it good.
Cass, in her griffon form, galloped alongside the buggy.
“Bad ass.” Bree moved out of the way, giving me space to jump off the platform.
I landed on Cass’s back with a thud. I’d swear I heard an oof, but Cass recovered from my ungraceful landing and took off into the air, flying high through the trees.
Ares raced around the giant, aiming for his legs. He caught sight of us above and grinned, then redoubled his efforts, distracting the giant.
Cass flew over the giant’s head, hovering out of reach of his long arms and club. I leaned over her, taking aim with my bow. The gouged-out hole in his helmet was just big enough for my arrow, but it’d have to be the most perfect shot I’d ever accomplished.
When the giant’s club hit Ares in the side, sending him flying through the trees, rage welled in me, sharpening my focus to laser precision. When the giant straightened from his blow, he gave me the perfect in. I released my arrow, which finally hit its mark, slicing through the hole and thudding into his skull.
The giant stopped dead in his tracks, swaying. Then he toppled over, shaking the forest floor with the weight of his fall.
“Get me to Ares!” I cried, but Cass was already wheeling in the air and flying toward him. She dodged the trees by inches, taking the shortest route.
Ana had diverted the buggy toward Ares. It pulled to a stop at his side as Cass landed on the ground near him. I scrambled off her back.
Ares was sitting up, wincing. I fell to my knees at his side. Though I couldn’t see the damage since it was under his clothes, he was really favoring his right side.
“Are you all right?” I demanded.
“That was dumb, losing sight of the giant like that.” He grimaced. “But I’m fine.”
“Well, no one can say you aren’t brave.” I reached for his hand to help him up. Though he let me, he was clearly in better shape than I’d thought, surging to his feet.
“Just a few busted ribs,” he said. “I’ve had worse.”
“The vampire healing has to help, too.” Bree’s voice was wistful. “What a gift that is.”
“Won’t argue there.” Ares climbed into the buggy. I followed. Cass shifted back to human and joined us.
“Ready?” Ana yelled.
“Yeah.” I looked at Ares, who was already back up on the platform, broken ribs either forgotten or ignored.
Ana took off, sticking close to the barrier around my city. More magic sparked on the air, prickling against my skin. The buggy climbed up the side of a mountain, the terrain forcing us farther away from the dome surrounding Elesius.
“We’ve got to be close,” Cass said.
“Yeah. No question.” Not only was my dragon sense tugging hard, but the air was prickling with protective magic. We were close enough that Drakon was really ramping up his protection charms.
“Looks like a valley up ahead,” Ana said.
I stood on the back seat to get a better view. The buggy climbed slowly down the hill into a valley. The other side rose up into a mountain. The dome was to our left. At the top, blue magic shined, a bright glow that was unmistakable.
“Whoa.” Cass leaned forward. “What the hell is that?”
I had no freaking idea. We were in a part of the woods that had an excellent view of our surroundings. I could even see the top of the smoky black dome from here. But it was the mountaintop across from us that had my attention. The magic glinted bright and blue, almost like a miniature dome formed of veins of blue light. It was roughly the size of a house, though scale was hard at this distance. At the top, it formed an arc of blue magic that traveled through the air, terminating at the top of the smoky black dome that froze Elesius. I squinted. It didn’t actually terminate at the top. Rather, it sliced down into the city.
How was I supposed to use my enchanted sword through this?
“That’s gotta be Drakon’s device,” I said.
“Slow the buggy,” Ares said.
Ana complied. I conjured a pair of binoculars and trained them on the glimmering blue dome. It was formed of arcs of blue light, almost like static lightning. Within, there was an orb-like shape that glittered black, and a man.
I gasped. “Alton!”
Chapter Thirteen
“Where?” Cass demanded.
“In the dome.” I squinted, trying to determine if he was okay. He still wore his burnished red armor, though there was a deep gash on his cheek. The blood was now dried and dark against his face. “He’s standing too still. Something is wrong with him.”
“Gimme.” Cass gestured for the binoculars. I handed them over, and she peered through. “Yeah, he’s totally frozen. And that orb is weird. It’s almost like a giant gemstone.”
“We have to save him.”
“There’s no way to approach stealthily,” Ana said. “It’s all open terrain, especially in the valley.”
I studied our surroundings. She was right. We were nearly into the valley, where the trees were thinner. A river cut through, leaving a big open patch that had no cover. The tree line on the other side was thick, a natural barrier that would be hard to get through in the buggy.
A ghostly figure appeared near the dome, slender and small. A woman?
Suddenly, figures broke from the trees. At least a few dozen of them, all mounted on horseback, charging toward us.
“Incoming!” Bree yelled.
Cass snapped the binoculars down to stare at the mounted attackers. “Demons! And demonic horses!”
And damn, were they fast. No sooner had Cass spoken than they’d leapt across the wide river and traveled twenty meters closer to us. I could now make out the horns on the heads of both the riders and the horses.
“There’s at least forty,” Ares yelled. “Retreat.”
“Don’t need to tell me twice.” Ana turned the buggy in a tight circle and cut diagonally across the mountain behind us, speeding away from the smoky black dome and our oncoming attackers.
I climbed onto the back platform with Ares, budging him over to make room. The mounted demons charged toward us, unnaturally fast on their horses. They were gaining on us, able to ride
faster than our vehicle could maneuver through the trees. Ana was fast, but there was no outracing the more maneuverable horses.
My heart thundered as I drew back the string on my bow. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ares clip my harness to the safety bar.
I fired, my arrow finding its mark in the eye of a demon. He flew back off his mount and crashed to the ground. I conjured another arrow and fired. Then again.
“Trade me!” Cass called to Ares.
He climbed down, and she scrambled up, conjuring her fire power and hurling a massive ball of flame at a demon that was breaking away from the pack. They were now only forty meters away.
They fired arrows and threw knives. I dodged one, but another sliced through the side of my thigh. Cass was struck in the shoulder with an arrow. She screamed, going to her knees.
“Faster!” I screamed.
“I’m trying!” Ana swerved through the trees, narrowly avoiding collision every time.
I fired my arrows as quickly as I could, my mind cold and precise even as my heart thundered like a drum and pain sliced through my leg.
In the buggy, it was hard to dodge the blades. An arrow plunged into Ares’s arm, while Bree was sliced by a flying dagger that hit her shoulder.
But there were too many mounted demons, and they were too damned fast. The speed that the buggy could gain on open ground wasn’t possible here in the thickest part of the forest. They gained with every second. There was only thirty meters of distance, then twenty. When they directed their mounts alongside the vehicle, my skin chilled.
“They’re circling us!” Ana cried.
“We need to transport and leave the buggy!” Cass called.
“Hell no,” Bree yelled. “You can bail, but we’re not leaving our ride.”
It was their livelihood. And they were stubborn.
I looked at Cass. As expected, she shook her head, refusing to leave them.
Bree shot her sonic boom at the nearest mounted demon. He flew off his horse and skidded in the dirt. But there were too many!
They raced ahead of the buggy, narrowing in to cut us off. We’d have to plow through them, but would we make it? More demons joined the first, their blades outstretched. They were only thirty meters ahead of us. Two of them unraveled a bright silver cable, stretching it across our path. It sparked with magic. They stretched it farther and farther, making it impossible to drive around.
“A Boom Thread.” Ana took her foot off the gas, slowing the buggy to a crawl. “That’ll blow us up in seconds.”
“Oooh, shit.” Cass hurled a fireball at the demons that were now twenty meters in front of us. The demon dodged, avoiding the blow by inches.
We were in so much trouble. Fear chilled my skin.
Familiar magic sparked on the air.
A huge green and white blur flew past us, hurtling straight for the demons.
Jeff!
And he was huge! As big as a horse.
Cass gasped. “Is that your dragon?”
“Yeah.” I couldn’t believe my eyes. He’d been growing, but this was extreme.
Jeff flew right for the demon holding one end of the Boom Thread. He blew out a huge bolt of fire, lighting up the demon like a torch and avoiding the horse. The fire must have triggered the magic in the Boom Thread, because it exploded in a spectacular show of lights and flame.
“Like the freaking Fourth of July,” Cass said.
“Impressive,” Ares murmured.
Jeff swooped amongst the demons, blasting them with his fire. They burst into flame, flailing. More than a dozen were barbecuing in front of us, a ghastly sight. The horses seemed to like it, however. They actually seemed to be eating it, snapping their heads back to lick at the flame. That was a relief. Even though they were hell horses, I hated to see them hurt.
The rest of the demons fled from Jeff, directing their mounts back toward the valley. More would come after us I was sure, but we had a brief reprieve.
“Go!” Bree yelled. “It’s our opening.”
Ana laid her foot on the gas, dodging between the trees and racing for the clearing. We needed to get far enough away from the other demons that we could call Kelly to transport us out of here.
Jeff flew past us, chasing the demons. He looked smaller than he had been. Almost the size of a large dog.
I spun around. “Jeff! Get back here!”
He whirled on the air, hurtling back toward me. He was definitely smaller. We sped past the burning bodies of the demons with Jeff flying alongside.
“He’s smaller,” Cass yelled.
“Yeah. No idea why.” I gestured him over, and he flew right up beside us, then dived into the footwell. He landed with a thud in the corner, now the size of a house cat.
“You have a freaking dragon?” Bree cried.
“Yeah.” I inspected him as the buggy bounced over the mountainside. He didn’t look like he was shrinking any more, which was a relief.
“Call Kelly,” Ares said. “We’re far enough away.”
“On it.” I dug the charm out of my pocket and pressed it hard with my thumb.
Ana stopped the buggy. The air was dead quiet. Our ragged breathing was the only thing I could hear.
“Come on, come on,” Ana muttered. She climbed onto the seat to scan the surroundings.
The air prickled with tension as we waited. The demons would regroup and come after us, especially now that Jeff was out of the picture. He’d actually fallen asleep in the corner of the seat, slumped against the cushions.
“I guess he used up his magic,” Cass said.
“Yeah.” I petted his head lightly. He snuffled.
“Incoming,” Ares said.
I looked up. On the horizon, back the way we’d come, a group of mounted demons were charging toward us.
“Oh shit oh shit oh shit.” Ana plopped back into her seat and revved the engine.
“No!” I reached out and grabbed her shoulder. “We have to wait for Kelly. This is our only shot. If we start running now, we won’t be able to stop. She’ll be here in seconds.”
“Loooong seconds.” She turned back around to watch the demons, brow creased.
I swallowed hard and turned, watching them thunder toward us. Come on, Kelly.
It’d been almost forty-five seconds now. She’d said thirty. Where was she? My skin crawled, and my breath stopped. The demons were only forty meters off now.
“We’re going to have to run for it,” Bree said from her position on the front platform.
That second, Kelly appeared in the empty passenger seat.
“Go!” Ana cried. “Get us out of here.”
Kelly’s head whipped around, an unconscious reaction to the obvious panic in Ana’s voice. Her eyes widened at the sight of the oncoming demons—which were only twenty meters off now. He threw his hands onto the seat of the car, and his magic welled.
Knives and blasts of fire began to land around us, thrown by the oncoming demons. Right before the ether sucked us in, I caught sight of the shadowy form of Drakon, flying high in the sky.
We appeared in Death Valley Junction a moment later. The hot sun beat down, and the silence was deafening. I slumped in the back seat next to Jeff, my adrenaline finally fading, leaving me shaky and weak. For a moment, all I could hear was the gasping breaths of my friends.
Ares leaned over me in the back seat. “Are you all right?”
I nodded, wincing at the deep pain in my leg. A quick inspection revealed a deep cut that wept blood. I glanced up at Ares. “You still have an arrow sticking out of your bicep.”
He glanced down as if he’d forgotten, then snapped it in half and yanked it out. I winced, turning toward my friends. Bree was cradling her cut arm, and Cass had an arrow protruding from her shoulder.
“Let’s get back to Magic’s Bend.” Cass’s voice was strained. “I don’t have the guts to yank it out myself. I’m going to go find Aidan.”
She disappeared at that, using her transporting gift to go d
irectly to Aidan, who would heal her.
“She’s got the right idea.” I struggled to sit straight, meeting Bree’s gaze. “Are you all right? That wound looks ugly.”
She nodded sharply. “I’ll be fine.”
“We have healers.”
“So do we.” She climbed out of the car, stumbling when she hit the ground. Ana leapt out and wrapped an arm around her waist. “And I’m going to go see her right about nowish.”
“Thank you for the help!” I called after their quickly retreating figures.
The two waved, but didn’t turn back.
“Girls of few words,” Kelly said.
“That’s them.” I smiled shakily at her, pain and weakness making my stomach churn. “Thanks for the help.”
She nodded. “That was a close call.”
“Yep.” I looked at Ares. “Now let’s get out of here.”
He nodded and wrapped an arm around my waist. I grabbed the sleeping Jeff, who was now the size of a house cat, and dragged him against my chest. He didn’t wake, even when the ether sucked us in.
We arrived at the big green door leading to my apartment. Immediately, Del stuck her head out her window on the third story and shouted down. “You okay?”
“Yeah!” I winced when I tried to take a step.
Ares swept me up into his arms.
“Thanks.” I sagged against him.
“That wound has sliced deep. Take it easy.”
Del opened the green door, and Ares stepped inside, heading up to my apartment. I was cradled in his arms, and Jeff was cradled in mine. We were like a weird Russian nesting doll.
Del pushed open the door so that we could walk through, asking, “Where’s Cass? How’d it go?”
“It was okay.” Pain made my breath short. “Cass went to find Aidan so he could heal her. We found Alton. Alert the FireSouls, will you?”
“Of course. Should they come here?”
Aidan set me on the couch, and I slumped there. Jeff woke up and climbed off me, curling up on the far cushion.
Ares knelt by my side. “You’ve lost a lot of blood.”
My head swam. I must not have noticed how bad it was during the fight—but then, adrenaline always made me fight through the pain.