The entire hive went from near-dormant to downright warlike in a matter of moments.
Another explosion rocked the domed building and Cordelia’s arm shot out on the mattress to steady herself.
Oldeera caught a lance from the wingless girl handing them out.
“I don’t know! But someone is going to die for this!”
With her furious Hornets at her back, she quickly swarmed out of the hive, Cordelia calling after them.
But the rage that burned in the warrior queen’s breast withered as she took in the sight of the black winged figure casually hovering in the night sky and casting globes of darkness at the wall of her home in the moonlight.
“Took you long enough, I can’t believe I had to knock more than once. Were you fucking in there or something?”
The Chimera’s voice was cold and mocking as she called to the queen, while the Hornets buzzing in the air around her.
Oldeera recovered quickly, turning to one of her girls.
“You know your mission! Go, my seneschal! Warn Myrina! We will hold her here for as long as we are able!”
The Hornet shot into the night faster than the eye could follow, making a beeline for the cottage.
Evadne didn’t blink, in fact she yawned at the dozens of Hornets around her.
She raised one hand straight into the air, her fingers spread wide, and abruptly a heavy miasma of darkness choked the night, tiny motes of shadow hung in the air like dust in a sunbeam.
“So here’s how this works. You come with me, along with the rest of your hive, or I kill all your girls. And if that isn’t enough of a threat, I’ll also go and kill everyone in podunksville over yonder.”
She vaguely gestured towards Kettering.
Oldeera drew herself up, her wings and the wings of her fighters buzzing around her.
“I have a better idea you ugly bitch! We turn you into a pin cushion, then we tear out your eyes and take it in turns to fuck the eye-holes with our lances!”
In unison the Hornets all leveled the selfsame weapons at the Chimera.
“That… was pretty graphic for a queen.” Evadne nodded, almost with respect.
Oldeera charged, her hive right behind her.
“Oh bother.” Evadne pouted even as a shield of darkness formed at her front.
But Hornets were some of the deftest flyers around, and they parted around the sudden obstruction with ease.
Starting with Oldeera each one took a stab at the Chimera’s flanks as they flew past her. Dozens of weapons each struck home as the swarm streamed by and flowed upwards in a perfectly ordered spiral.
But although she wasn’t wearing her dark armour, Evadne’s natural fortitude was enough to resist the glancing blows from the barbed weapons, reducing what would otherwise be grievous injuries into little more than paper-cuts.
As the Hornets swarmed around her again, she sighed.
“You’re being difficult.”
Oldeera shifted her grip on her lance and drew her chin up at the condescending words.
“We have not even begun to show you difficult!”
The warrior queen lunged in with her lance outstretched, but she had to swerve at the last moment to avoid the Chimera’s snake tail.
But a queen never attacks alone, and her Hornets were just as annoyed as she was.
Dozens of fighters darted in after their monarch, and Evadne had to cross her arms over her breasts and fold her wings around herself as their lances struck home with more force.
On the defensive as the speedy flyers swarmed all around, stabbing at her, she dropped ten feet before unfurling her wings again, knocking the Hornets away.
The barbed lances had the Chimera bleeding in several places, but the wounds were still minor, and the pain they inflicted was inconsequential to the dark monster.
Evadne raised her hand again as the Hornets prepared to charge.
“I’m bored.”
Without warning the heavy miasma of darkness suddenly detonated, each of the tiny motes of shadow letting off a pop as a concussive wave overtook the sky in a split second, dropping the stunned Hornets out of the air.
The sudden absence of their buzzing wings was deafening, though it was quickly followed by the numerous thumps of their bodies hitting the ground.
Still in the air, Evadne looked down at her handiwork, while dazed monster girls were trying to get back to their feet, their wings twitching spastically.
She set down amongst them, her own wings folding to her back.
“Huh, wasn’t sure if that would work. Okay then, where did that pesky queen go?”
With all of the Hornets laid out around her she was having trouble spotting her quarry.
“Silly insects, thought you could sting me, but you don’t even know what I am. You get to live though, take the queen and you take the hive. Come on out queenie! Or I start pulling off wings!”
The Hornets were starting to pick themselves up off the forest floor, still ready to die in defense of their queen, but Evadne seized one by her antennae and held her aloft as the wounded girl shrieked in agony.
“This one looks tired of flying, I’ll start with her.”
Evadne gripped the poor creature’s wings, but before she could deliver on her horrible promise a furious Cordelia burst out of the broken side of the dome, the wingless Hornet right on her heels, though she went in search of her queen as per her bond-mate’s orders.
The brunette was brandishing a lance of her own, naked save for the crown askew on her head, and she recklessly flung herself at Evadne.
“Leave my Hornet alone you fuck-head!”
With a cry she brought the weapon down on Evadne’s head with all her strength.
But it rebounded off, and the Chimera barely flinched, though she did release the whimpering Hornet.
Evadne turned to the fiery woman, her expression one of puzzlement.
“What… was that?”
The desperate fear in Cordelia’s heart for her new bond-mates made her crazy and she wanted to buy time for the wingless Hornet to help Oldeera to escape, so she channeled all of the stupid bravado that she had ever learned from Brandon.
“That was a stick! And this is a kick to your balls!”
Cordelia drew her foot back, aiming her little foot at Evadne’s groin, but before she could deliver the kick Evadne’s snake tail snapped forth and wrapped around her throat.
She was overpowered instantly and her face quickly turned red as her hands pattered at the serpent’s body choking her, the lance falling to the ground.
Evadne eyes tracked over the flailing naked girl for a moment, and then she smirked.
“Isn’t that precious? You were fucking in there. Okay bug-queen, come on out or I pop the head off of your feisty little pet.”
“No!” Oldeera’s voice cried out from amongst the Hornets.
The wingless girl had helped her to her feet, but the queen had landed badly, one wing broken from the fall and her left arm hanging useless at her side.
All the same though, she could not sit still in the face of a threat to her bond-mate.
Though her hive had recovered their weapons and mostly regained their feet as well, they were still shaking off the effects of the Chimera’s magic and were helpless in the face of the evil woman’s threat.
“Oh good, this one is important then. Here’s the deal, all the bugs come with me. This pretty little sack of human gets to stay with her organs still on the inside. You really should-”
Out of nowhere Milly sprinted out of the trees and body-slammed the Chimera from behind, holding her spear in a bar in front of her exactly as Yana had done.
Evadne stumbled forwards at the sudden blow from the enraged Minotaur, while Cordelia slid out of the grasp of her tail.
The Hornets didn’t waste the distraction.
Three of them scooped up the naked girl and flew away on unsteady wings, while several of the others who were able likewise fled with their wounded queen and
sisters.
The evil monster girl was furious at being interrupted again and turned to slaughter the pitiful creature.
“You worm! I’ll-”
But she didn’t finish as Milly’s fist connected with her jaw and snapped her head to one side.
A Minotaur had more strength than an Amazon, and an angry Minotaur was stronger still, the cow girl had put all of that power into the blow and the Chimera felt it.
Acting on instinct, Evadne’s snake tail lashed out with a sharp hiss sizzling past its wicked fangs, but the surprisingly quick cow parried it with a deft twist of her spear and smacked it to the earth with a mighty overhand swat of her off-hand.
Just as Yana wanted, Milly wasn’t thinking, the instincts that the Amazons had been hammering into her had taken over.
The snake was still dazed from the powerful swat, so the Minotaur stomped one foot down and pinned its head to the ground with her hoof before driving her spear in a downward arch, piercing completely through its body and deep into the forest floor.
Evadne shrieked at the unexpected pain, but managed to knock the girl back with a solid backhand to her chest, though her tail remained stuck to the ground as Milly lost her grip on her spear.
With the Minotaur out of her face for a moment, the Chimera gripped the snake with both hands and tugged on it with a grimace, looking like nothing more than a woman whose dress had gotten snagged on something.
“I am going to drink every ounce of your blood! You have no idea who you are fu-”
Once again she was interrupted when Milly lunged in and seized her shirt with both hands. With a terrifyingly loud low, the Minotaur slammed her head forwards in a vicious head-butt before Evadne could react to the sudden grip.
This wasn’t a move anyone had taught her, she was just pissed off.
Once, twice and then yet again she smashed her forehead into the Chimera’s nose as dark blood splattered across the cow’s angry face, until Evadne’s shirt was torn from her chest, her pale breasts spilling into view.
The evil monster stumbled back while the Minotaur cast the shirt aside, her arms held out to either side, fists clenched and muscles tense as she bellowed another challenge at her foe.
The force of the blows had broken Evadne’s nose and caused her weight to tug painfully on her wounded tail. She was aghast at the amount of punishment the cow had inflicted in a matter of seconds.
And Milly was far from finished.
While Evadne was distracted with her hands cupped to her broken face, the Minotaur seized her spear and tore it free of the snake-tail-thing, the sudden loss of support causing the dark monster to curse and stumble as her wings flapped, struggling to retain her footing.
She is just a fucking cow! No match for Chimera!
But even as the desperate thought went through her mind, Milly gripped the spear of Kar Brael with both hands and used the same spinning thrust maneuver that Myrina had been teaching her to drive its bladed tip completely through Evadne’s midsection with another bellowing low.
There was a long pause as both monsters absorbed the shocking turn.
Evadne blinked as she looked down at the spear protruding from her belly, then back up into the face of her attacker, crazily noting that her soft blue eyes seemed wildly out of place on her warlike face.
Milly sucked in a breath as the lull in battle allowed her to find her words.
“That was for KAR! You… you big meanie!”
Having delivered her most devastating insult, the Minotaur exhaled through her nose, her lips tight as she snorted aggressively.
The woods were suddenly still as the two glared at each other, each now gripping the spear between them with both hands.
They stood like that for several seconds; the grievous wound had marked the end of Milly’s assault and had restored Evadne’s calm.
She was a creature of singular focus and dark purpose, and being impaled did nothing to change that, so despite the agony in her belly she cocked her head to one side as she measured the young monster girl before her.
After a moment the wounded Chimera chuckled, though another grimace flew across her face at the pain the laugh brought out in her gut.
“I have to admit -aahhh- I wasn’t expecting that. Not from a dumb herd animal. It takes a lot to impress me. Well done. But the sad thi-urgh-” She spat a gob of black blood onto the ground, before spreading her bloody lips into a sneer; “The sad thing is you think you’ve won.”
Abruptly shadows burst out from the dark monster with the force of a small bomb, and the stunned Minotaur was thrown back several feet before slamming into the glossy dome and slumping to the earth.
The Chimera stood tall as liquid shadows swirled around her, forming her black armour with the tinkling sound of breaking glass.
While the darkness flowed up her body she glared at the weapon impaling her.
Without the eyes of her snake she couldn’t tell if the tip was barbed or not, so with a cry around new-formed fangs she deliberately pushed the spear the rest of the way through her midsection, one hand gripping the slippery haft behind her while the other pushed from the front.
Once the offending weapon was free from her gut it slipped from her bloody and trembling claws while the wound was quickly staunched as her obsidian armour formed over it.
Even with her determination though, she couldn’t help but gasp at the pain.
So when her glaring black eyes found her enemy again she ground her teeth together as her anger peaked.
“An entire hive of Hornets didn’t need me to use this power. But you...”
Her voice was now resonating and deep as she panted from the dark power consuming her.
Milly regained her feet and gave her head a shake to clear the daze before she matched the Chimera’s glare.
But Evadne the ancient Chimera was far more experienced in battle than Milly the gentle Minotaur, and without the advantage of surprise, the younger monster knew she was in trouble.
Her courage never faltered, and, unarmed now, her fists rose defensively just as she had been taught.
It ended quickly.
The Chimera lunged in and methodically worked past the Minotaur’s guard to slam her elbow into Milly’s cheek just below her eye.
The cow girl’s head snapped back and her whole body rebounded off of the dome again, the wall cracking from the forceful impact of her skull. And Evadne soon followed up with a knee to her stomach that stole the wind from her lungs.
A couple of blows later and Milly was on her knees, while the Chimera gripped the beaten and insensate monster by one horn and cruelly bent her head backwards to expose her throat.
The dark creature drew her other hand back, deadly claws extended.
“You impressed me, so you die clean.” She hissed.
Milly struggled weakly in her grip as she saw her death coming, barely conscious but still willing to fight.
But before the Chimera could drive her natural weapons home, an angel kicked her in her already broken nose.
Volka had folded her wings close and dropped the last thirty feet in a shallow dive over the dome, her armoured boot extending to catch Evadne square in the face.
While the dark creature spat blood and cursed, the Valkyrie quickly regained her feet and dropped into a defensive crouch with her shield braced, Milly slumped against the dome behind her.
Evadne snarled.
“Three times in a row I’ve been interrupted!”
“Demon-touched! You fall this day!” The Valkyrie proclaimed on the heels of Evadne’s complaint, though she had yet to draw her sword of light.
Black blood splattered out of the dark monster’s gushing nose and mouth as she stared death at the Valkyrie.
“You couldn’t best me with the Amazons at your back! How do you hope to do so alone while shielding the cow?!”
Volka smiled grimly and gestured with her chin past Evadne.
“Oh, I’m not your opponent. She is.”
&
nbsp; She then turned and threw her body over Milly, her glowing wings and shield forming a solid golden barrier as Evadne couldn’t help but look behind her.
A deafening roar caused a wave of trees to fall to the earth like so many blades of grass in a storm, and the mossy forest floor of the clearing was ripped up to reveal the raw dirt beneath as the earthen mass joined the flying debris to slam into Evadne and part around the dome behind her.
While Volka’s defensive magic weathered the storm for her and her bond-sister, the Chimera had to cross her arms before her face and brace her legs to counter the assault.
Her demonic armour was a match for mere debris, but the force behind it was another story.
After several moments, the roar ended and Evadne’s narrowed eyes looked to find its source.
It didn’t take long.
A tiny figure holding a massive hammer stood in the moonlight falling into the new clearing in the woods, dreadful intent writ across her face.
There was a beat, then the little giant pounded one fist against her breast aggressively.
“CHIMERA!!”
Once more the shockwave of the mountain’s challenge caused Evadne to stagger back, though there was no more plant life to demolish, the way to the giant’s enemy having been laid bare by her rage.
“Gigas! here?!” Evadne cursed at the new threat.
Her focus was so firmly locked on Nina she didn’t even notice as Myrina and Helena darted through the rubble behind her and hefted the barely conscious Minotaur away from the fray.
The Amazons’ blood screamed at them to leap into battle with the creature that had so injured their friend, but their hearts knew this was not their fight so they focused on getting Milly clear.
Evadne took a couple of steps towards the tiny red girl, but faltered when she realized that her tail was limp at her back, her nose was thrice broken, and despite her armour, her belly was on fire from the Minotaur’s spear.
She was in no condition for a battle of this magnitude.
And to make matters worse, despite the Valkyrie’s words, once the Minotaur was safely away Volka soared over Evadne and did a flip in midair to reorient herself and land beside the Gigas.
Without delay the blonde angel quickly enveloped her bond-sister in her protective golden aura, which would make the Chimera’s own magic all but useless.
Home of Consequence Page 30
