by Charley Case
The bag was heavier than he had expected and slowed him down just enough that the bottom of his boot was hit by the blast, freezing his foot halfway off the floor.
Swinging the bag of treasure like a mace, he smashed it into the ice, shattering the frozen liquid and knocking his foot free. He didn't waste any time and sprinted for the cave while struggling to get the straps of the pack over his shoulders. The hair on his neck tingled, and he dodged to the side as another blast of frost breath left glistening spikes of ice across the ground.
Finn vaulted a cluster of stalagmites, using them for cover from a third blast. Running at full speed, he looked over his shoulder and saw that the ratmen were in hot pursuit, but he welcomed their masses as opposed to the slithering leviathan that they worshiped.
He ducked into the cave just as a blast of cold breath hit the wall and splashed ice across the opening, sealing it shut.
Finn took a second to catch his breath, his hands on his bare knees. He could see the silhouettes of ratmen pounding on the ice, but it was far too thick for them to get through. After a second of consideration, he guessed the leviathan was headed to the tunnel’s entrance to clear it for his minions.
“I need to do more cardio,” Finn grumbled and started jogging up the cave with nearly a ton of gold on his back, every step reinforced with magic.
It was going to be a long trip home.
Chapter Twenty-One
“The first of the townspeople just came around the corner,” the curly-haired teenage witch said, poking her head through the cracked door.
Mila nodded, glancing at the rest of the bar. Over the last ten minutes, the three teleporters had transferred the twenty or so townsfolk who had been in the bar and were just now taking the last five.
The elven woman and young Peabrain held hands with the remaining five and formed bubbles as the old man in bibs sat on a chair to catch his breath.
“Harvey, do any of the captured people know how to teleport?” Mila asked.
He thought about it, then nodded. “I think Hester can, and I know Gerry does. I’ll pull them aside and let them know what’s happening as soon as they get here.”
“Thanks.” Mila gave him a nod. “Danica, I think you’ll have to take a few trips as well. We need to get these people out of here as fast as we can. The longer it takes, the longer we have to fight.”
“What if you and Penny need to evacuate during the fight? I don't want to leave you exposed like that,” she said with a frown.
“It’ll be fine,” Mila reassured her with a smile. “If it gets too hairy, Carl and his people can get us out. Besides, I just need you to take the first couple of trips. Once the Rougarou arrive, we’ll need you and your bow to pick off targets.”
Danica didn't like it, but she nodded. “I get what you're saying, and it makes sense. I just don't want anything to happen to you and Penny. If the two of you died because I wasn’t here—” She yelped in surprise as she crushed the mostly empty beer bottle in her prosthetic hand. Her face turned red with embarrassment. “Sorry. Sometimes if I’m not concentrating, it can get away from me.”
Mila smiled and went in for a hug, wrapping her arms around the tall woman’s waist and squeezing hard. “It’s okay. It lets me know how much you care.”
Danica laughed and hugged her back. “I don't care about you.”
Mila tilted her head back in surprise to look up at the smiling blonde.
“I love you. There’s a big difference,” she amended.
Mila laughed. “That scared me for a second, asshole. Between you and Penny, I’m surprised I can take anything seriously.”
Danica chuckled and kissed her forehead. “People who take things seriously all the time are boring. And they don't live as long.”
“Oh? Is that your medical opinion?”
“It’s a medical fact. I didn't make it up. They’ve done studies on it,” Danica said with a serious face.
Mila narrowed her eyes. “See, that’s the stuff I’m talking about. I can't tell if you’re serious or not.”
“Very serious,” Danica said haughtily. “I was so serious that I probably took a good three minutes off my lifespan.”
Mila rolled her eyes. “Such an asshole.”
The front door opened, and magicals began pouring in. Obviously, the first couple of groups freed had clumped together on the five-mile run from the sawmill. Thankfully, most magicals could call upon magic to increase their endurance, or some of the older people would have burned out during the flight.
Even with the help of their magic, most of the people immediately either found a seat or sat down on the floor, breathing heavily, covered in sweat.
Harvey went to a woman and pulled her to her feet, talking quietly with her before bringing her over to Mila and Danica. “This is Hester. I let her know what we’re doing. Can you take her to the condo so she can start transporting people?” he asked Danica.
She reached out to the older woman. “I sure can. Be back in a minute.”
She formed a teleportation bubble and vanished as the others teleported back. They looked at all the new people and sighed before gathering the closest to them and preparing to take them.
“Listen up, folks,” Mila said, waving a hand for attention. “We are getting you all to a safe place, but we only have so many teleporters, so you’ll need to be patient.”
There was general mumbling, but it was cut off as more people came into the bar, collapsing from exhaustion.
The two teen witches came rushing in. “The last of them are coming down the street now, but I think the wolfmen are right on their heels. I could hear barking, and it was getting louder,” one of them said, clearing the door as it burst open once again.
This time, along with the press of civilians, the G.A.E.L. team, including Nick who was still in bear form, followed them inside. Carl began barking orders.
“We need to hold them off for as long as possible. Tina, start grabbing chairs and tables. I want a barricade across the middle of the room. Howie and Nick, get those three pool tables over here and on their sides. We can reinforce them and use them as the center of the barricade. Jenny, trap the door. Nothing too big, and for the love of God, make it a shaped charge this time.”
He clapped his hands. “Come on, people. Clear the area. All civilians to the back of the bar while you wait for transport. Move! We only have a few minutes.”
Everyone jumped into action, the civilians scrambling to the back, but a few who were relatively uninjured jumped in and started stacking tables and chairs. Harvey did his concrete trick when the stacks were high enough.
Four men were struggling with one of the pool tables, while Nick in his bear form moved one on his own, and Howard dragged the third across the floor with little effort. In less than a minute, there was a barricade of three pool tables flanked by concrete and furniture walls.
Jenny finished setting up her charges before taking a running leap over the middle pool table. “Clear the door!”
Mila, Penny clinging to her shoulder, crouched beside Carl behind the center table, her Ivar out and Gram extended. “How far behind were they?”
“Only a minute or two,” he said, preparing a bubble in one hand.
Mila saw that all the team members had prepared spells and were waiting for a chance to use them. The room had gone quiet after the scrambling rush to get a defense set up.
A popping sound made Mila spin around, her heart in her throat. She relaxed when she saw it was Danica and Hester returning.
Mila pointed the back of the room out to the two confused women. “We moved them back there. Get them out as fast as you can.”
Danica nodded, rushing to the back. Her medical training kicking in, she pulled the three worst-injured people she could find together and began forming a bubble.
Howling outside made Mila turn to the door. The sound of popping bubbles behind her told her that more people were getting out. They just needed to hold on for a few minutes
.
Another bubble popped, and several people screamed behind Mila just as the front door opened and Jenny’s explosive went off.
There were a flash and loud bang, obviously muffled by magical means to not blind and deafen everyone in the bar as the charge went off and blew the door and surrounding wall to splinters, along with the three Rougarou that were scrambling to get in. Their bodies were reduced to fine red mist as the doorway was cleared for a second before a wave of more eight-foot-tall wolfmen poured in.
The G.A.E.L. team opened up with their spells. Carl’s bubble shot forward, transforming into a long spear of metal that skewered two Rougarou, the momentum carrying them back to tumble into the street.
Tina’s spell hit the dirty old rug and splashed out into a circle, leaving a pink vapor that was almost instantly absorbed by the carpet. After a few seconds, the carpet began to buck and vibrate before exploding into strips several feet long that reached out and wrapped up any legs in the area, pinning several Rougarou in place while they struggled against the restraints.
Tina then pulled her extremely large pistol out and began filling the trapped enemy with large-caliber handgun bullets.
The gun was much quieter than Mila would have suspected until she saw a glowing symbol on the barrel that flashed every time she pulled the trigger. After confirming that the rest of the team had them on their weapons, she assumed it was some sort of silencer spell.
Mila was grateful for the muffled sound in the confines of the bar. Nothing was worse than trying to fight while one of your senses was impaired. She never realized how much she relied on sound in a fight until Finn had made her use noise-canceling headphones for a couple of their sparring sessions.
Penny added her own brand of magical destruction, launching herself at the incoming beasts and flitting from one opponent to another, raking claws at eyes and muzzles, along with sending out searing jets of dragon fire that melted fur and skin alike.
Mila added a bolt of celestial magic from the Ivar to the fight, more out of wanting to contribute than need. The G.A.E.L. team was handling the chokepoint like the true professionals they were.
Mila glanced back to check on how the evacuation was going and nearly collapsed when she saw Seline standing in the middle of the room, her wand out and pointed at the civilians, a mass of dark energy growing on the tip.
Mila didn't think, just reacted. She sprang to her feet, charging in and squeezing off a shot from the pistol as she cocked Gram back for a swing.
Seline seemed to sense her coming and turned in time to put up a spell wall and absorb the celestial bolt before releasing her already prepared spell on the tip of her wand.
Mila had just enough time to turn her arm with the Ivar in it and form a shield, deflecting the blast of black energy upward. It tore a hole in the ceiling, letting in a shaft of dust speckled sunlight.
Mila had not stopped her charge, a trick she had learned from her boyfriend, and swung Gram with everything she had.
Mila felt her magic rush into her arm, giving it more power than she knew she could muster and distracting her slightly as the new ability showed itself. Her swing was not as precise as she would have liked, heading for Seline’s chest instead of her neck, but there was still power enough behind the swing to end the witch.
Faster than Mila could track, Seline pulled a dagger from her robes and blocked Gram’s path.
The magical dagger showered sparks from the impact. Mila was surprised to see Seline blasted off her feet and into a wooden column. She must have put more power into the hit than she realized.
Mila took the second’s reprieve to check on the civilians. She saw Danica pop back into the bar, her eyes going wide at the sight of her fighting with Seline, but she set her jaw and reached out for the next three people and vanished in a blue mist.
Mila blinked, trying to understand what had just happened. It looked like Danica had just teleported without a bubble, but as far as Mila knew, that wasn't possible.
She didn't have time to consider further when movement from the corner of her eye drew her attention back to Seline, who was getting to her feet, her wand flicking forward.
Mila put up her shield, expecting another big spell, but yelped in surprise as a tiny smoking bubble of black and purple magic veered around her shield and slammed into her thigh.
The hit hurt, but it wasn't paralyzing by any means. It did, however, distract Mila enough to let Seline get within striking distance.
The crazed redhead stabbed down with the dagger, hitting Mila's shield and digging the tip of the blade into it. Her wide, insane eyes reflected the golden shine of Mila's shield as it held the point at bay.
Seline hissed a strange word Mila didn't recognize, and black and purple energies flared to life on the bade.
When the tip of the blade energized, it began to send off gold and black sparks as the opposing energies interacted. Slowly the dagger pierced the golden barrier. Seline used her height and size advantage, pushing down with unnatural weight, driving Mila to one knee.
Glancing to the side, Mila saw the last of the civilians vanish in a teleport spell.
“That’s it! They’re out! A little help over here?” Mila called to anyone who could hear her.
Seline seemed to realize for the first time that there were others in the building with them. She looked around wildly, then pulled back, taking the dagger with her and throwing up a shield of her own.
The move was just in time as dragon fire blasted against the magical barrier, blocking Seline from Mila's sight. Penny flared her wings to hover in front of the shield and keep the fire up.
A second later, Penny's flaming breath passed through the barrier, but Seline was already gone.
Carl slid in next to Mila, wrapping an arm around her and beckoning for Penny to come to him. “Penny, we have to get out of here.”
The dragon dove into his outstretched arm and he instantly formed a bubble, teleporting them away.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Mila blinked against the sudden bright light as they appeared in the center of a group of haggard and scared refugees.
They were on the bottom floor of the condo building she and Finn owned, in one of the two unoccupied units. They hadn't found anyone who needed the unit in the six months it had been ready. The walls were bare, so the only color in the whole place was the honey-brown wood flooring and the golden and pink late evening sunlight coming through the western-facing windows.
Mila stood and was immediately consumed in a hug by Danica. “Fuck, I thought you were in real trouble back there.”
Mila hugged her back. “Not going to lie, I thought the same thing.”
Penny landed on Mila's shoulder and patted her on the top of the head. “Shir shee.”
Mila laughed. “Thanks. I felt like a badass.”
“Carl is contacting Preston,” Howard said, stepping up behind them, “and letting him know we need to send up a couple more teams to take care of the Rougarou and Seline. I don't suppose you can contact your sisters and let them know about this Azoth character? He sounds like he might be out of our league.”
Danica put a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, I’m going to start doing what healing I can. There are still a lot of hurt people here.”
Mila pulled her broken sisterhood phone from her pocket and showed it to the orc. “I would love too, but my phone was busted in my first fight with that crazy witch. I don't have another way to contact them until Friday when I don't make my scheduled meeting with them.”
He took the phone and inspected it, turning it over in his hands a few times. “This is a pretty nice work of tech and magic.” He looked up at her. “I can fix it if you want.”
Mila's brows rose. “Really? I didn't know that was possible.”
“Sure, anything is possible with enough know-how and magic. Give me a few minutes,” he said, turning away and heading for the kitchen counter.
“Shee shir. Chi,” Penny called, making the orc tu
rn back.
“I’m sorry Penny I don't speak draconic.”
“She asked if she could come watch you perform the repair. She’s interested in the process.”
He nodded and smiled around his tusks. “It would be a pleasure.”
Penny launched herself onto his shoulder, making the huge man start with fright. Mila had to press her lips together hard to keep from laughing. They made their way through the crowded condo, Howard being careful not to push and shove with his huge body.
“Preston sends his thanks,” Carl said beside Mila.
She hadn't heard him come over and looked up at him in surprise. “Damn. What is with all you big guys moving around like ninjas?”
“I’m not that big,” Carl said, looking down at himself.
“Everyone is big when you’re four-ten,” Mila said with a smile.
“You tell him, sister,” Tina said as she walked past, heading for the front door.
“Did she just speak?” Mila asked, watching the truly tiny witch expertly weave between bodies.
“Height is a sensitive subject for her.” He chuckled. “She felt an immediate kinship with you when we met. Wouldn't shut up about it when you weren’t around.”
“I was just happy there was someone tiny who kicks ass professionally around I could look up to.” She cleared her throat. “Metaphorically speaking, of course.”
Carl groaned. “I can't believe I didn't think of that one first.”
“You joke with your subordinates? Isn’t that unprofessional or something?”
He shook his head. “They’re not my subordinates. We’re professionals, but we don't have a top-down structure. The five of us sit down and decides who’s best at what and why. So we know who’s in charge and why we all decided to pick them. It just so happens that I’m the best at tactics and quick reasoning, so I’m the de facto leader.”
“Interesting,” Mila said, trying to find major problems with it.
“It only works on small teams who know each other well. Otherwise, there are trust issues, and that gets messy. We’re all friends on and off the job. At this point, I know them better than I do my brothers and sisters.”
