by M. O. McLeod
30.
Phantom versus Raptor
Kurma now had a band of girls who were coming to help. She didn’t have to do everything alone. She would have smiled at the thought. However, she was face to face with Phantoms that had her brother face down on the ground.
The old wharf in the east of Alexandria was known for its many piers where ships docked and unloaded their goods. During the day it was a sight to behold with its clear waters, sea animals, and bountiful fleet of ships jazzing the old wooden place up. At night though, as Kurma walked the deck, she saw only morbid black shadows, and smelled only the sickening scents of seaweed and blood. There were six Phantoms and only one of her. Kurma’s brother lay at the feet of Santino, who stood in the middle of his gang.
“I knew you would come for him,” Santino said.
“Shut your face!” Kurma yelled.
The Phantoms didn’t like that. They all growled at her and showed their hideous teeth. Kurma hissed back, defiant even though she was out numbered.
“You don’t understand. I never wanted any of this to happen,” Santino said.
Kurma didn’t want to hear any lies. She just wanted to get her brother back to her mom and away from things like her and Santino. He didn’t belong in this kind of world, where creatures ate one another and where rules didn’t apply. Allie needed to be where order was, where safety meant something.
“Give me my brother back.”
Two of the Phantoms moved. Santino looked restless and put his hands in his pockets. “I don’t think that would be wise.”
“I don’t give a damn what you think,” Kurma screamed. She inched down the deck toward them.
Santino almost jumped at her scent. She smelled so good—good enough to eat. He gulped deep and said, “Don’t come any closer. Your brother has to stay with me. Do you understand?”
“Over my dead body, you sadistic freak!”
“Kurma, listen to me. It’s not what you think.” Santino couldn’t tell her the truth. She would hate him forever. He couldn’t tell her that Leon had gotten away and gone on a Phantom-spreading spree. He couldn’t tell her they had tracked him down hiding out in the Flora Plume Club, where her brothers happened to be. He absolutely couldn’t tell her that because of Leon, her brother was now a Phantom halfway through his transmutation. Santino would have to clean up Leon’s mess. He was an older brother; he had done things like this before, and he would do it again.
“I’m going to give you five seconds to let me take my brother,” threatened Kurma. If she had to slice through every one of these souped-up freaks then she would. She would take the blond one first, the one she had seen in the club attacking her brother, then Santino because he had done nothing to stop it. She and Santino had some unfinished business to settle too, but that would come later. “Otherwise all of you will be at the bottom of this waterfront. Even the seagulls won’t touch you.”
“How are you going to do that?” VIN yelled out from the pack. “There’s only one of you, doll, and about five more than you can handle.”
“Five.” Kurma ignored the bulky one’s comment. “Four, three—”
“Kurma, don’t make this any worse,” pleaded Santino. He felt his stomach growling at the thought of her. He did not want to eat her like this.
“Two, one.” Kurma prepared to morph. She zeroed in on her brother’s lifeless body and knew she would have to fly him up out of the brawl. He would weigh so much more than Rimselda.
Oh well, Kurma thought. “Zero!” She ran at the men screaming, and they yelled back.
31.
The guardian
