It came for Angie now. She cast Shockwave again, but the demon flew into the air, evading her spell. As it came down toward her, she had only a moment to wonder if the Shade King could protect her against something that large.
But then an all-black were-jaguar collided into the airborne demon, knocking it away from Angie. Tec had risked his humanity to transform and save her. Demon and were-jaguar rolled along the ground, each ripping at the other with talon, claw, and fang.
Angie scurried back as Tavi pulled her away from the chaotic battle. Erin and Jay moved about the beasts, looking for an angle to fire without hitting Tec. They were wasting their time. Bullets couldn’t hurt this thing. She couldn't see Rowan or Casey, didn’t even know if Casey was even still alive.
Tec bit and clawed at the demon, roaring like a jungle predator, but as powerful as Tec was in his were-jaguar form, the demon was much stronger and nearly invulnerable. The demon caught Tec in its claws and lifted the were-jaguar high over its head. Tec roared in pain as the demon tossed him casually at Angie. She cast Shutter, transporting herself away just as Tec slammed into the ground with bone-crushing force. The were-jaguar rolled along the ground and then went still, his body already transforming back into a man's. Oh, God, is he dead?
Angie cast Shockwave again, once more hammering at the demon, but this time it shrugged off the spell, its fiery eyes fixing on Wyn Renna again. "Come, Elfling, someone wishes to play with your blood."
The night lit up with a bright flare as a flaming projectile struck the demon in its chest, detonating with an ear-popping roar of black smoke and shrapnel. The Shade King threw up a shield around Angie, protecting her from shrapnel. Rowan stood nearby, a still-smoking M72 light anti-armor weapon on his shoulder. A moment later, another rocket slammed into the demon, sending it staggering back, one of its wings ripped apart. Casey, blood running down his scalp, discarded his own smoking LAW tube.
The demon roared in fury, but its wing hung ruined, fire smoldering in its membranes. Two rockets, and all they had managed was to wound it.
Angie hated giving control over to the Shade King but knew she was outclassed. "Please," she whispered, "we can't fight this thing. Will you help?"
THIS TERROR IS TOO MUCH FOR YOU, the Shade King's alien voice spoke to her, communicating with her for the first time in days. IF YOU FACE IT, YOU WILL DIE.
"I ... I can't," she gasped, her heart lurching into her throat as the demon advanced on Wyn Renna. "Help me fight it! I'll let you control my body again, cast your own spells."
"You," the demon spoke again, stopping its advance on Wyn Renna to stare at Angie. "What are you? What is that obscenity you carry within you?"
IT FEELS ME. FLEE, urged the Shade King. WHILE YOU STILL CAN.
"I'll find out," the demon taunted. "I'll bring you as well. The dragon only wants the elfling. You I can keep for myself. I'll peel your skin back and discover what hides within. I'll break your bones and suck out the marrow. Then I'll bring you back to life and kill you again. I am Sudden Bloodletter, the Death Bat. I am the end of all things."
"Do something," Angie begged the Shade King.
YOU ARE NOT READY. WE ARE NOT READY. YOU RESIST ME STILL.
"Help me, please!" She screamed in fear as the demon surged forward, the ground shaking beneath its hooves.
I'LL TRY.
Then the Shade King took over her body, as it had before during the battle at the Home Guard airfield. Almost as if she were in a trance, she watched her hands rise and gesture at the demon. Blue flames arced from each of her fingertips, tendrils of blue-white fire that wrapped around the demon and tightened like chains. The demon screamed in rage, thrashing against the bonds. Shivers of fear coursed through Angie.
YOU HAVE NOT THE STRENGTH, the Shade King repeated. NOW RUN!
Then it released her, and she fell to her knees, dizziness coursing through her. The demon raged against the blue flames holding it. "We need to run!" Angie gasped.
Erin helped Angie to her feet, pulling her along with her. Rowan, Casey, Tavi, Wyn, and Jay were there as well, and Casey had slung Tec over his shoulder. "We need to get the hell out of here," Erin yelled to Rowan.
"Horses are gone," Jay yelled. "We'll have to leg it."
"Never make it," said Rowan, his voice finally showing fear. "Go, run. Move north. Follow the runway."
They stumbled away, with Erin helping Angie and Casey carrying Tec. The demon's roars pursued them. They hit the broken asphalt of the old runway and ran down its length. The sun was beginning to rise in the east, a red glow along the horizon.
"How long will whatever you did hold that thing?" Erin asked.
"Damned if I know," she gasped. "I didn't do it."
Just then, a piercing cry of a predatory bird shrieked down on them, followed by a chorus of others.
"She comes," Wyn Renna yelled triumphantly. "I told you she'd come."
Angie looked up to see a dozen giant birds highlighted against the dawn's glow, each with a wingspan thirty feet long, soaring down toward them.
"Rocs!" yelled Wyn Renna. "From the Hollows. But how?"
The rocs, each resembling a truck-sized eagle with bright-blue feathers on its head and a golden beak, landed with a flurry of beating wings, buffeting Angie and the others. Atop each roc, on an elaborately carved leather saddle, sat an elf with a crossbow in one hand and reins in the other. Seated atop the largest of the giant birds was a young elven warrior Angie recognized from her visit to Queen Elenaril's court on Coronado Island: her son, Prince Kilyn Star-Sword.
"Hurry," the prince yelled, motioning them on. "Whatever that thing is, it is breaking free."
The demon screamed in rage. "I’ll bring you to hell, woman! I’ll find you again. I promise."
"Get Tec to one of the birds," Angie yelled frantically, but Erin was already hauling her by the arm toward Prince Kilyn's bird. "Tec!" she repeated, but Erin thrust her up into the elven prince’s hands as the giant bird lowered its head and neck, and the next thing she knew, she was sitting before him, his arm wrapped about her waist.
Her stomach lurched as the giant bird beat its wings and took to the air. She gripped the elven prince's arm as the ground fell away, looking about wildly as the other birds rose in a V formation on either side of her. Her friends sat in saddles with elven riders. She cried out in relief when she saw Tec lying facedown over one of the saddles. "Don’t be dead," she whispered.
The demon roared once more. Then Prince Kilyn turned his roc north, toward the Coronado Fey Enclave.
They had escaped.
Chapter 9
The sun rose to the east as the giant bird flew north over the Sierra de Juárez Mountains. Angie gripped the saddle horn so tightly her fingers began to throb with pain. Prince Kilyn Star-Sword flew with one arm around her waist and the other loosely holding the reins, but, as near as Angie could tell, the giant eagle-like roc flew itself, gliding on the wind currents and only using powerful beats of its wings when necessary.
Kilyn, his chest tight against Angie's back, leaned forward to yell into her ear. "You won't fall. Stonebeak won't let you."
"Stonebeak is the bird?" she asked, amazed she could speak at all.
"Roc, and yes."
The other rocs soared in their V formation, the closest about a hundred feet away. She saw her friends, each gripping their own saddle horn with an elven rider behind them. Tec was on one of the other birds farther back, but she was too terrified to turn and look for him, certain she'd slip if she did. Is he even alive? Yes, somehow, she was certain she'd know if he were dead. Their dragon-marks tethered them.
"I'm not used to this," she yelled, forcing her mind from Tec. "I'm not going to lie. I don't like it."
"I know. I can feel your heart pound. Look to the left of the saddle horn. There are straps. Hand them to me."
"I ... I can't let go," she stammered. She had been so terrified she hadn't noticed the straps before, even though their ends kept slapping her thighs.
She took long, deep breaths, then pried her left hand free of the saddle horn. Pain throbbed in her fingers, but she quickly clutched at one of the straps and thrust it behind her. The moment Kilyn took it, she grasped at the saddle horn once more. He passed the strap around her waist and back again, seemingly completely at ease, and then secured its end to the saddle with a click. "Now the other."
This time it was slightly easier to let go of the horn, but she still desperately thrust the other strap behind her. Once more, he wrapped it around her waist and secured it to the saddle. Now two straps held her in place, and her panic began to subside. The wind whipped at her, and she was still hundreds of feet above the golden mountains of Baja California, but she no longer feared she'd fall off.
Or at least, she didn’t fear it as much.
Kilyn leaned forward, keeping his lips near her ear, his chest against her back. He wore armor of some type, she realized, feeling the hard ridges against her T-shirt. "That thing, that monstrous beast that looked like a bat," he asked. "What was that?"
"I ... a demon."
"Stars above and below! Mother always said they were real, but I never expected to see one."
"Happens to me all the time."
His laughter was sincere. "Well. We've left it far behind."
She swallowed, praying he was right. It had named itself Sudden Bloodletter. And she remembered the name now. Tec had described it in Canyon City, the more powerful brother of Gouger of Faces.
Kilyn kept talking to her as they flew, speaking with calm tones to put her at ease. The tightness began to lessen in her muscles, the pain lifting from her shoulders and back. She began to feel better, even risking quick glances over Stonebeak's neck at the ground far below.
It was mostly barren scrubland and sparse yellow vegetation, much like Canyon City and the southern part of the Commonwealth of Cascadia, what had once been southern California. The Pacific Ocean was on their left. She had no idea how fast they were flying, but the land sped past beneath them, and the wind whipped her hair about. They flew over small settlements and once saw an Aztalan walled town, but Kilyn banked Stonebeak and the other rocs away, well beyond the range of even a heavy machine gun. Then they saw the signs of military mobilization and Aztalan outposts. Once they saw a long line of men on horseback, Aztalan soldiers riding north. The horizon was black with smoke. Soon, they overflew burned settlements with thick plumes of smoke rising from the charred ruins.
"The war is not going well for your people."
"Not my people. Nortenos. I'm from the Commonwealth."
"I'm not sure it matters," he answered in a voice laced with sorrow. "Your kind can only kill one another."
There seemed little point in arguing. Even without the Tzitzime and their dragon masters, humans needed no excuse to fight one another. As the Home Guard intelligence officer, she had been involved in planning numerous small-scale operations to secure resources that didn't really belong to the Commonwealth. At the time, she hadn't cared, had felt no shame in taking the resources. There was little point in pretending outrage now.
What did that say about her?
Kilyn guided Stonebeak toward an open clearing with a stream that was surrounded by woods. The other rocs followed, and in moments, all landed in the clearing. Relief surged through Angie, especially when Kilyn unstrapped her and helped her climb down and set her boots on hard ground once more. She swayed in place for a second, and the elf held her elbow, a smile on his angular features. When she nodded, showing she was okay, he let go of her elbow and handed her a leather water gourd.
"See to the Jaguar Knight. We can only rest a short while. My mother expects us."
That was the first time she realized that the elf had recognized Tec, but she shouldn’t have been surprised. Tec had been well known to Kilyn’s mother the queen because of his long service to the winged serpent Quetzalcoatl.
Angie ran to the roc on which Tec was strapped. Rowan and Casey joined her, and they lifted Tec down, laying him on the ground. His chest rose and fell, but blood coated his dark hair, plastering it to his scalp. More blood glistened on his naked body, and she saw long cuts and gashes that still oozed. How much blood has he lost? Rowan ran his fingers over Tec's frame, prodding the injuries. Tec groaned but remained unconscious. Rowan sat back, his hands on his knees.
"Well?" demanded Angie. She winced internally at the sharpness in her tone but couldn't help herself.
One of the elven riders brought a leather sack containing bandages and other medical supplies, including human medicine—antibiotics and even ampules of morphine. Most people who didn't know any better assumed all Fey scorned technology, but the truth was that most, including the elves, were far more practical. The Fey didn't much like humanity, especially the elves, but they did appreciate many of humanity’s inventions. Char had loved indoor plumbing and pre-Awakening music, especially hip-hop.
"He was lucky, I'd say," answered Rowan. "Some broken ribs and a nasty puncture here. Must have been a claw." He pointed to an oozing hole in Tec's left side between the ribs big enough for her to shove her thumb into. "But nothing that'll kill him ... I think. There might be internal bleeding, maybe some head injuries I can't see."
"You don't know?"
Erin joined them, followed by Tavi. Erin placed her hand atop Angie's shoulder. She still wore only her T-shirt, a load-bearing vest, and underwear but seemed completely at ease. "Rowan knows injuries, Angie. He'll be fine."
Calm down, she told herself. He's a friend, not your husband. Get a grip. But she couldn't. Nor would he ever be just a friend. She stared at the dragon-mark on her left palm and then made a fist.
"We'll know soon enough," Rowan said as he began to pack gauze into Tec's wounds, literally ramming the material into the holes, especially the large one near his ribs. Erin took one of the ampules of morphine, injecting it into Tec's hip as Rowan worked.
Angie only relaxed when she saw Tec breathing more easily, the morphine working through his blood. They wrapped him in a blanket and let him sleep.
Tavi handed her a hunk of bread and an apple. "You need to eat," she said.
She saw the others were eating now as well, and the elves moved among them, sharing more food. The horses, the weapons, all the supplies they had taken from the Aztalans had been left behind. She still wore Nightfall, thank God, but otherwise she was unarmed. She bit into the apple, the sharp tang delicious, and then wolfed down the piece of elven bread, finding it surprisingly filling. She joined the others, who were now seated together and talking quietly as they ate.
Jay was speaking softly to Tavi, his hand on her knee. The young woman shook her head, her face pale, and Jay seemed unhappy. They were in her people's territory now, Angie knew. Those burned settlements had been her settlements, her people. That must have been messing with her. Angie would have felt the same way if they had been Commonwealth farms.
The conversation died down. The others were lost in their own thoughts, and she kept looking to Tec.
All too soon, Kilyn joined them again. "We need to fly. We're exposed here."
They rose and helped secure Tec to his roc, strapping him facedown again, but padding him as well as they could, with the blanket still wrapped around him. Then Angie let Kilyn lead her back to Stonebeak. Once again, the intelligent bird lowered his neck for her, folding his wings against his frame. Kilyn cupped his hands for her foot and lifted her up into the saddle. Once she was settled again, he wrapped the straps about her, securing her in place before seating himself behind her. The bird turned his golden head and regarded her with clever eyes, then extended his wings to either side and shivered in anticipation of flight. A moment later, they were airborne again, Stonebeak's wings buffeting the ground as they surged up. This time, Angie's fear was lessened. She’d never like this, but it was becoming easier.
The others followed, and they flew north.
Two hours la
ter, near midday, they flew over the ruins of Tijuana. This time she saw a vast armed camp on the northern side of the ruins with countless tents and campfires. Kilyn banked Stonebeak out over the water, keeping far from the camp. "Aztalan army," he yelled. "May their food rot and their water turn foul."
She didn't say anything, but it was obvious the Aztalans were mobilizing to come north—straight for the Coronado Fey Enclave. She remembered the map they had captured that showed the invasion plans.
The rocs dropped in altitude as they glided over the white-tipped waves of the Pacific Ocean. The smell of fresh air and saltwater was intoxicating. The sun sparkled on the waters, and when she saw the dark shape of a whale beneath the depths, her breath caught in her throat. Then she saw the coastline of San Diego on their right, and just ahead of them, the heavily forested Coronado Island and the isthmus that connected it to the mainland.
"Silver Strand," Kilyn yelled out. "We kept your human name."
They soared over the long, narrow isthmus and approached the island. She saw military fortifications, sandbagged trenches cut into the narrow strand, and armed elves moving about, their spear points sparkling in the sunlight.
"Phoenix Guard warriors," Kilyn declared. "When the Aztalans come, they will find us ready—to their doom."
Angie kept her mouth shut, but her doubt weighed heavily. There were probably hundreds of elven warriors down there, maybe thousands, but that wouldn't be nearly enough. Besides, spears were all well and good up close but useless against firearms, and the Aztalans were very well armed. Elenaril is no fool. She must know that.
Then they flew over the thick forests of Coronado Island, following the western shoreline to the queen's palace, the old luxury hotel she had converted into her palace. Its red-domed, castle-like spires gleamed in the bright sunlight. The elves had reworked it, building new stone portions and growing gardens all about it. Thick vines snaked around the towers. It looked like a fantasy dream.
Kilyn guided Stonebeak and the other rocs toward the sand. The moment they landed, elven handlers surged forward, taking care of the rocs and leading them to a walled-in pen.
Firestorm Page 8
