by Candy Crum
Within moments, she could hear people running out their doors as they scattered to do their duty before fleeing north. She'd done her part, now she had to protect her unborn child.
Without hesitation, Mariella ran into the stables and mounted her spotted mare, kicking her sides and riding as fast as she could toward Jadid. No more than a minute had passed before a much larger, much angrier roar tore through the night.
She looked back, her eyes widening as a shadow rose over the peak of the tallest house in their community.
John ran down the street, banging on the front door of every home on the western side of the road, knowing Mariella was doing the same at the back doors of those on the eastern side. He saw each house come alive, and families grabbed their things before rushing out and heading to the large stable that held nearly forty horses.
"Hey!" a man shouted from behind the eastern homes. "Hey! Is everyone up?"
John stopped the first man who ran by. "Beat on every door on this side. I'm going to see who that is and if they need help."
The man nodded before running down the street to continue John's job, though he saw most of them already being evacuated. Turning away, John ran between the houses and stopped at the corner, peeking in every direction to make sure he was safe before stepping past the shelter.
He saw a group of men standing forty or so feet away from the community, a large red lump of something lying on the ground. Deciding the risk might be worth it, he took a step forward. "Are you the ones who called out?"
A large medium-toned man with short, kinky hair stepped forward before hurriedly jogging the several feet between them. "Hi, I'm Zuri. Is everyone okay?"
John nodded, looking around him at the seemingly lifeless red lump on the ground. "We are. All the communities around here have a system set up if anything like this happens. We hear it, we don't ask questions. We run and warn the others. We have too many elderly people, women, and children who aren't able to fight." He pointed into the distance. "Is that the thing that made that noise?"
Zuri looked over his shoulder. "It is. We've been patrolling south of the capital. The queen shut down the city and isn't letting anyone in, so we took it upon ourselves to keep an eye on things. We happened to come into the area and saw that beast about to charge into your village."
"John," someone said behind him. He looked back to see a man cautiously watching Zuri. His focus turned back to John. "All the women, children, and elderly have been evacuated. What's going on?"
"It seems we have someone watching over us," John said.
Zuri held his hands up. "Unfortunately, I can't take too much credit. We found a body. I'm not sure if he was one of yours, but it's pretty bad. He was mangled terribly, and his insides... Well, I'm sure you don't want the details. We weren't in time to save him, but I'm happy we could save the rest."
"What about the evacuation?" the man behind them asked.
John turned. "Mariella and I had planned to leave in the morning. This evacuation needed to happen, even if it's just one of them. They found the community. We should all—"
John's words were cut off as a deafening roar forced all of them to cover their ears. He glanced at Zuri, who looked worried.
"There's another one?" John asked.
Zuri turned to his men, only to see one of them flee on horseback toward Jadid. He almost let loose a growl of his own at the cowardice, but he couldn't blame him. He wanted to run too, but he didn't think he'd get that option. Instead of worrying about the other man, he focused on keeping his calm, charismatic character in place. He needed the village man to trust him.
The intermittent clouds in the sky had partially covered the waning gibbous moon, hiding most of its light and casting long shadows in the darkness. Each man stepped farther away from the houses, looking toward the south to see an enormous shadow rise near the end of the row.
The clouds passed on, moving as if everything below were not about to become a bloodbath. As they did, the light illuminated a beast much larger than the one that lay dead on the ground.
It stood nearly twenty feet tall on what looked like a hybrid between human and dogs’ legs. There was a slight curvature of the muscle at the top that moved into an overly curved knee that connected to an angled shin with clawed feet. Its upper body was long but humanoid, with broad shoulders rising into a thick, muscular neck. The head looked like it was part wolf, part man, with a shortened snout, elongated razorlike teeth, and horns extending from its forehead.
John's heart raced as he stared at it. It took a step toward their group, clenched its clawed fists tight, and tilted its head toward the sky as it loosed a hell-scream that shattered windows and forced the men to cover their ears once again.
He remembered his last moments with Mariella. His eyes had flashed blue as he called on his power while preparing to run out. He was ready for a fight if necessary, but the fight never came. Staring down the monster that had come to destroy their land, John's eyes once again flashed blue.
Turning to the men closest to the row of houses, he shouted, "Formation! Now!"
Zuri couldn't take his eyes off the monster, even as John shouted orders at his men. His worries had been justified. The beast had followed Zuri and his men north. While he'd thought it was possible after the beast came through the portal, he'd convinced himself they'd gotten away with it when it only ate what was dead without giving chase.
But he'd been wrong.
So very wrong.
The creature roared before taking a very large step forward as a dozen men ran between the houses to stand behind John. With no hesitation, John ordered his men to fan out. Scared as he was, Zuri wasn't about to let another man show him up, especially when the point of all this was to convince them to join him in his cause.
He shook off his shock and turned to his men. "Asher! You stay by me. Everyone else fan out!"
"Shouldn't we let them handle this? Looks like everyone here has magic, which we don't have," Asher said quietly to Zuri as he came to stand by his side.
"Fuck, no," Zuri said in a proud whisper. "I'm not about to let all this bullshit be for nothing. We had a plan, and we’ll stick to it. Whatever they do, we have to do better. Look at them; they’re warriors. We need them on our side. Now, get ready. You might not be good with your magic, but you're gonna have to use it."
Asher groaned as his eyes flashed black. "Great. Whatever you say."
"Aim!" Zuri shouted. "Find a weak spot, just like the other one!"
"Like the other one?" John asked, his eyes never leaving the large beast as it took another step forward. It looked as though it was sizing everyone up and trying to intimidate them at the same time.
It was an effective strategy.
"They're armored. The demon we killed earlier was an adolescent. We saw another just like it but three times the size. This, however, is a first. The other had a soft underbelly, so we need to find a way through its skin," Zuri said.
John nodded. "Good to know."
"I don't know what magic you and yours have, but if you keep it busy with that, we'll find that weakness."
"No problem," John responded.
"Fire!" Zuri shouted as he lifted his magitech rifle.
His men fired at the beast, earning a loud and painful roar from their target. The monster charged Zuri and his men, but John and the others intervened.
John squatted, his hands moving gracefully as the sand responded to him. When he thrust his hands out, a large pocket of sand darted through the air, striking the monster in the face and temporarily blinding it.
Unable to see, the beast began to flail, sending three of John's men flying into a nearby house. The others shifted power through their legs and jumped higher than humanly possible without magic. While airborne, another of John's men was flung into the wide-open area west of them.
Zuri groaned as he took shots at every part of its body and failed to find a weak spot. He lowered his weapon, thinking about his next move. So far
, the only thing he knew was vulnerable was the eyes. Shaking his head, he turned to Asher.
"I know what I have to do. Give me your khopesh," he ordered. Asher did as he was asked, handing him a sickle-shaped sword. "I need to get behind the bastard." He turned to John. "You guys have super-strength, right?"
John nodded.
"Good. Go for the knees while it can't see. Asher will pull him down, and I will get on its back."
"What do you plan to do?" John asked.
Zuri sighed. "Something really fucking stupid."
Just then, the beast charged Zuri. He briefly felt a hand on his arm when everything went black as a loud crack sounded. He blinked several times and realized he'd moved somewhere else without having flinched.
He looked at Asher. "Did you do that?"
Asher's eyes were wide. "I don't fucking have a clue how, but yes!"
Zuri smiled and turned to face the beast as he heard a guttural and pain-filled howl. John had once again sent a large ball of sand into the beast's eyes as his men attacked the legs. Heart racing, Zuri slung his rifle over his shoulder and unlashed his khopesh from his belt and stuck Asher’s through it before running forward.
"Now, Asher!" he called.
He heard a loud grunt from behind him and saw the beast collapse to all fours. Zuri leapt onto its injured knee, then climbed onto its back. Praying to anyone who gave a damn about him at this point that the beast wouldn't overpower Asher's magic, Zuri ran toward its head.
Zuri straddled its neck just as it broke free of Asher's hold and drew the swords. "Fuck!" he shouted as he hooked the khopeshes around its horns and pulled himself onto the top of the beast's head. Before the monster could stand, he leaned forward and swung hard with both arms. The sharpened tips of the curved blades hooked in each large eye.
The beast screamed in pain, the noise overwhelming from his position. Another scream followed as it flailed, flinging Zuri off and shredding its eyes in its sockets in the process. Before Zuri landed, Asher was able to soften his landing with what little telekinesis he could summon.
Groaning, Zuri rolled over, leaving the gory swords in the sand as he grabbed his rifle from his back and took aim. The beast took several steps forward and then back, clawing at its face.
"Come on, you son of a bitch," Zuri snarled. "Lower your fucking hands."
The moment he spoke, the monster turned toward the sound and charged. Fueled by rage, it reached out in front of it, obviously hoping to get hold of Zuri. Its target, however, had other plans.
Zuri smiled as the monster's face was left wide open. He lifted his rifle, aimed at the damaged and vulnerable eyes, and pulled the trigger twice in rapid succession, watching in horror as the large beast lost its footing and began to fall.
"Asher!" he called as an invisible force pulled him out of the way.
Sand and earth exploded around the body as it hit the ground, everyone cheering as they celebrated taking it down. Zuri stood and lifted his rifle, carefully walking around to its head before shooting it several more times in each empty eye socket. He didn't want to take any chances.
"Tend to the wounded!" John called to his men, and they scattered. The local came to stand next to Zuri, inspecting the corpse. "That was a damn good plan. I'm glad you were here. We would never have survived that."
Zuri nodded, trying to calm his racing heart. He did his best to act stoic, but he was terrified. As long as no one else saw it, his plan was safe.
"You mentioned earlier the queen had shut her city and is refusing anyone," John said. "We just sent all of our loved ones there. What will happen to them?"
"You should send a messenger to stop them right away," Zuri said. "It won't be pretty if they try to get inside. I'm glad I came along because it seems you're in desperate need of an update, and we're in desperate need of people like you."
"Yeah? Why's that?" John demanded.
"Because if the queen has turned her back on us, and we're stuck between the Kemetian army and those things," he said, pointing at the dead hellbeast before them, "which fight do you think we have a better chance of winning?"
John took a deep breath and blew it out in a heavy sigh. "I suppose that's an accurate assessment. Go ahead. I'm listening."
Zuri fought a smile. Everything had gone to shit and they'd nearly died, but there it was—the opening he'd needed. With John's help, they'd have all the villages south of the city on their side. They'd have the numbers they needed to take down the queen and get his revenge for what they'd done to his son.
Chapter Eighteen
Amara nearly cried when she saw the city walls in the distance. After leaving the enemy camp, she’d run on foot for several miles, healing herself when she needed rest so she could go farther. Eventually, she'd worn herself down far enough that using additional magic would be dangerous if she ran into another fight, so she made her way to the first village she could find along the river.
Going home wasn't an option. Going there to get supplies was dangerous because the men she’d run from would check there first, assuming she was a stupid kid. Instead, she snuck into a barn and soothed a horse, willing it to come with her without making a sound.
While she hated taking something that didn't belong to her, especially a horse, her life depended on it, and stopping to ask for permission could be catastrophic.
After two days of riding, stopping only when it was necessary for both of them to get some rest, she'd finally reached her destination. She'd never seen anything so beautiful. Those walls meant freedom.
"What is going on?" she wondered out loud when she saw the closed gates, with guards posted on the ground and above along the wall. The great city was a place full of markets and trading. She’d never heard of the gates closed.
Taking a deep breath, she willed her pilfered horse to slowly walk up to the walls. Both guards stepped forward, their bodies rigid and powerful.
"Good morning," the one on the left said. "What business do you have in Jadid?"
Without thinking about how it would sound, she said, "I need to speak to the queen right away!"
The guards glanced at one another before looking back at her. Once again, it was the man on the left who addressed her. "Why don't you go find your mommy and daddy? Go. Get out of here."
She stared into his eyes for several moments. "That's why I'm here! She and the Queen's Guard came to my house several days ago, trying to catch a man named Zuri. He wasn't there, but they killed a few of his men, and one of them was Zuri's son. He came back for revenge and killed my parents. So no, I can't go find my mommy and daddy. They're dead. I have to warn the queen about Zuri!"
The other guard laughed. "That's one of the better stories I've heard. You're not coming into the city to beg and steal. Go home."
Jadid was supposed to be safe—a sanctuary—and they wouldn't let her in. "I thought Jadid was supposed to be a safe place for anyone under the queen's rule? Why the hell am I not one of those people?"
"Look, kid. A war is coming. The queen is working hard to make sure everyone—even you when the time comes—will be safe. We have to be careful who we let in and out. You're a cute kid, but you have no business in the city. Nothing good, anyway. Your parents aren't around, so you're playing the orphan card. You're filthy, and you have no possessions on you aside from what's on your back, so you're not coming to buy or sell. That tells me you're here to steal."
"But the queen was at—"
"Your house?" The guard laughed. "The queen has been here, working on something important. She hasn't left the city in months for safety reasons. Go. Now. Before I arrest you."
She laughed sarcastically. "Would that get me into the city?"
His brows furrowed. "Go."
She stared at him for a moment, thinking of anything that might help the situation, but all she could think of were insults and childishness. Finally, showing restraint she had no idea she possessed until that moment, she nodded and turned her horse away.
S
he began to ride south, unsure of what her next step should be. She stopped a quarter-mile or so later to think. A smile spread across her lips as she saw a black bird flying overhead. Her eyes flashed gray with green around the edges of her irises. The bird circled around and came to land on her extended arm.
"Hi, friend," she said. "I need your help. Can you fly around the city walls and find a place with weak defenses? I need a place big enough to sneak in without getting caught."
The bird squawked before taking off again. She waited nearly thirty minutes before she heard her new friend call from overhead. Excitement and worry filled her as she thought about what she might have to do. What she would do if the opportunity were there.
"Thank you for helping me," she said as she climbed off the horse. "Wait for me by the river. If I'm not back by the time the sun is at its highest, run back home to your family."
The horse snorted in response, nodding as it scratched its hoof in the sand. After giving the horse one last scratch behind the ears, she followed the bird's lead toward the center of the wall.
She reached out with her senses, feeling for any life force within the area. While she wasn't great with her abilities because no one had taught her how to use them, she had figured out a few tricks aside from her favorites: talking to animals and growing things.
Amara walked up to the wall and placed her hands against it, then closed her eyes and focused, trying to remember the magic her father had tried to teach her. Though he hadn't been very good, her father worked hard to teach her anything he knew that might be beneficial, and she needed it now.
"Come on," she whispered to herself. "Remember. You can do this."
It took her a few minutes, but she finally connected with the elements inside the wall. The concrete within a circle that was large enough for her to crawl through turned to powder and fell to the ground. As it brushed her feet and she smelled the plume of dust, she smiled and opened her eyes.
