Hot Blooded

by Amanda Carlson

  Jesus.

  Right as Eamon finished his sentence, a huge boulder flew from beyond the cliff face and into the trees, taking out everything in its path.

  It slammed into the dirt not ten feet from where we stood.

  12

  “Where did that come from? Did anyone see?” I screamed. The force of the impact had flung us all backward, but being supernaturals, we recovered in an instant. I stood over a dazed Ray, my legs splayed across his body, eyes searching for the next attack. “Boulders don’t just shoot themselves up in the air!” I scented the air, but the only thing I could detect was the bitter scent of the winged devils.

  Naomi took flight in a blur. Eamon had disappeared sometime between the boulder’s impact and the recovery.

  Danny rushed over to Ray and me, scattering pine needles out of his hair. Tyler had gone to retrieve the cooler and had yet to return, thank goodness. “Whatever flung that rock over the crest was no small being,” Danny said. “Either the boulder was spelled or something massive tossed it. Either way, not a great scenario.”

  A large groan rent the air as a hand the size of an armchair reached over the rock face and grabbed on to a lone tree. It bent the small trunk to the ground as it started hoisting itself over the top.

  Before we could see what the head looked like, Naomi and Eamon simultaneously landed in front of us. “What the hell is it?” I asked. “Hurry up!”

  “We could not go past the tree line because of the devils, but we did go straight above as far as we could,” Naomi said. “It is our belief it’s some kind of mountain troll, based on its size.”

  “A troll?” My voice held stunned surprise. “Selene has a troll? How do you even control one? I thought they were confined to Eastern Europe. What’s it going to do when it’s done smashing us with rocks? Eat us?”

  “No,” Eamon said with irritation. “You’re talking about a bridge troll. A mountain troll is used to defend a mountain. It’s deft at throwing anything and hitting its target with accuracy. If we linger in the sky, it could take us out by knocking us to the ground with a boulder, and then crush our bodies beneath its feet before we could recover. Do not underestimate a mountain troll.”

  “But it doesn’t smell like anything,” Danny complained. “I would assume a troll would have a scent. I’ve smelled many a bridge troll and they have a nasty, fishy stink.”

  “It doesn’t matter. We’re about to find out exactly what it is,” I said. “It’s cresting the top now.”

  All eyes focused on the dark edge of the mountain. Behind me, Ray staggered into an upright position. “I can’t see a thing,” Ray complained. “Are you telling me we’re about to be attacked by a giant creature who carries a club with spikes on it and eats people?”

  “That sounds about right,” I said. My eyes were riveted on the other gigantic hand as it sailed over the edge in a loud crash, sending pieces of the mountain flying down into the gorge.

  There was noise behind us as Tyler burst into the trees, the cooler hoisted strategically above his head. “I heard an explosion. What happened?” He set the metal box down with enough force to bury the bottom. “I ran all the way back here. It sounded like part of the mountain sheared off—”

  A huge body emerged over the edge, ending all discussion.

  Its dark stony eyes arched in our direction. It wasn’t a troll. It appeared to be made up completely of rocks. My wolf let out a long howl. What is it? She barked in rough staccatos.

  “No,” Naomi whispered. “It cannot be.”

  “I take it that’s not a troll,” I said impatiently. I hated being a newborn. Everything was new to me. “Whatever. I don’t care what it is. We just have to find a way to defeat it.”

  “I believe it’s a Mahrac,” Eamon said with a touch of awe in his voice. “They are very rare and very strong. It is much worse than a troll. A troll bleeds and breathes and has a heart that beats, making it possible to bring down. A Mahrac is the stuff of nightmares. A spirit being. Impossible for us to kill. We will not be able to best it.” He made a move to leave. “We must turn back.”

  I grabbed ahold of his arm before he could go anywhere. “We aren’t going back,” I said, my voice just short of full-on rage. “I am not leaving.” My wolf snarled her agreement, teeth flashing. “Tell me what a Mahrac is and then we’ll figure out how to defeat it.” As I spoke, the thing hoisted itself to its full height. It towered at least fifteen feet high and six feet across, completely massive. Its whole upper body was made up of a series of rocks hanging together in space. “The rocks don’t look connected. What’s holding it together? If we can disconnect the parts, it falls apart. Correct?”

  “Wrong,” Eamon snapped. “It’s a spirit being made entirely of the rocks from its environment. If it loses one, it pulls another. It is not sentinel. I told you, there is no way we can defeat it. We do not have the right skills,” Eamon said with confidence. “We must clear the area. It can sense us better than a troll.”

  The thing let out a deafening howl. From someplace other than its mouth, because it didn’t have one. Then it leaned over and grabbed hunks of stone from the ground, like a child scooping sand from a sandbox. It started to pace toward us, the mountain shaking under its weight in a seismic vibration. “We have to split up,” I yelled. The thing arched a stony arm and launched its booty. Rocks and boulders crashed into the trees, breaking them perfectly in half like some sort of cartoon. A huge boulder raced straight toward Danny. “Danny,” I screamed. “Move!”

  “Already a step ahead of you,” Danny called. Using his preternatural speed, he dodged it no problem. “No need to worry about me. Get yourself under cover.”

  I turned to Ray, who appeared to be in shock. “Ray! Wake up! We might recover from a crushing blow, but you have zero chance. Run back to the Humvee and wait for us there. Crawl under the damn thing if you hear it coming down the hill.”

  Ray didn’t move. The spirit monster turned and lumbered toward my voice. “There’s no getting away from that thing,” Ray said quietly. “Its parts aren’t even fully connected. How is it moving?”

  “It’s enchanted in some way,” I heard myself yell as I grabbed on to Ray and ran. “Selene is using it to do her bidding, like a golem. If there’s a way to break her mind control over it, it might fall apart or lose interest in us.” I shoved Ray behind a big tree, pinning his back to the bark, and ordered, with a finger up, “Stay here. If one of those rocks hits you, you’re dead.”

  I didn’t wait for him to answer. I slipped behind the trunk and sped for Tyler. The Mahrac turned slightly when it noticed me running through the trees. It didn’t seem overly hurried in its assault on us.

  I reached Tyler, leaping behind a mass of earth to land next to him. Danny darted through the trees toward us. Naomi started doing a little jig in front of it to keep its attention.

  “She’s going to distract it as long as she can,” Danny said, joining us. “Anyone know how these things operate?” There was another deafening sound as a boulder exploded into the trees. “I’ve never even heard of a bloody Mahrac before. Golem, yes; Mahrac, no. It must be regional to some faraway land. Where does she come up with these things?”

  I looked around. “We need Eamon,” I said. “None of us knows what it’s capable of besides him. Eamon!” I yelled, glancing around me. “Where did he go?”

  There was wind in my ear one second before he landed in front of me. “I’m here, but I will not stay for long.”

  “Does Selene have mastery over it completely?” I asked. “Or does it have its own soul?”

  Eamon’s lips curled. An expression I currently wanted to slap off his face. Hard. With an open palm. My fingers twitched. “I do not know. I have already told you, I don’t know how to best this monster. Mahracs live deep in the Altai Mountains. They were created by Mongolian shamans centuries ago to protect their people. They defend what is theirs, to the end. I know this only because Selene bragged about learning spells as a young witch f
rom a very powerful shaman. The technique shamans use is very different from a witch’s magic. It took her years to perfect it.”

  “It’s like brain control, then,” Danny urged. “The shamans control the monsters that way and now Selene does.”

  “It takes trained power to manipulate them,” Eamon said in an exasperated tone.

  “How do they do it?” I asked. “Come on, Eamon. You know more about this than anyone else. Think!”

  “I know of a sorcerer who wrested control of a golem,” Eamon finally said. “I witnessed him dip his hand into the clay body and physically grasp its mind. But none of us is a witch or a sorcerer. It’s doubtful the Vampire Queen could even achieve it. We cannot defeat this being. We must leave here.”

  And go where? The only option was to go back down the mountain. But there was no guarantee the Mahrac wouldn’t follow us. Likely, now that he had us in his sights, we wouldn’t shake him. We had to stay and fight.

  My wolf brayed in my mind and showed me a picture of us glowing. I know we have power. I can feel it—especially since we came together—but nothing like what Eamon is talking about. Even if we could put our hands inside, how would we know what do once we had it? We aren’t skilled in wielding magic. She barked and then scratched at the ground. Slowly something appeared in my mind. It was a box of some kind. It had a lacquered top, inlaid with some kind of Scripture. I didn’t have time to see what it was because the Mahrac turned and bellowed, done with Naomi’s dance.

  The thing flung a huge piece of earth the size of a couch at us.

  It took out everything in its path. I dove to the side, my wolf fueling me with a big dose of adrenaline. My claws extended as I flew through the air, my canines dropping to points. We’re going to need more if we’re going to defeat this thing. I rolled once and was on my feet. I turned to see where Tyler and Danny had gone right as the Mahrac let out a cry of joy.

  A prone figure lay on the ground.

  Tyler.

  The Mahrac headed toward him gleefully, each step sounding like a trash compactor crushing everything in its path. If it reached Tyler, it would step on him, crushing him and his spinal column.

  Before I could react, Danny shouted, “Come here you pansy-arsed piece of shit! Why don’t you come and get me? Don’t bother with that one; he’s already dead. I’m still alive and ready to nail your rocky bum to the wall.” Danny launched the canteen we’d used to douse the venom at the Mahrac. It hit him in the side of the head with enough force to knock a small piece out. It had no physical, weakening effect on him, but it was enough to gain his attention.

  But instead of using rocks and earth as its weapon of choice, it grabbed on to a huge fir tree with its massive fist and plucked it straight out of the ground, roots and all. In the next motion it swung the tree at Danny. Even though Danny was already running, the top branches caught him, knocking him deep into the woods.

  Naomi landed in front of me. “I’ll catch his attention once again. You need to jump on its back.”

  “And what do I do once I’m there? I can try to tear its head off, but won’t it just find another one?”

  She looked at me with exasperation. “I heard everything Eamon just told you about the sorcerer. If there’s enough power in your blood to disintegrate venom from the Underworld then there is enough to control this beast. Now go!” She launched herself into the sky.

  The monster gave a howl and turned. Naomi put herself right in front of it, waving her hands, but the thing ignored her. It turned back toward my brother. It had a single-minded intention. And its intention was to kill Tyler.

  No more time.

  Here we go. I took a running leap, infusing myself with power, absorbing it greedily from my wolf. She howled along in a rush. My muscles coalesced quickly, fusing together under my skin, growing three times their size in a single heartbeat. Fur erupted along my arms and I let out a fierce snarl. I flew through the air and caught the thing squarely in the back, digging my claws deeply into the stone. My nails penetrated easily, providing me with a good grip. The thing bucked immediately, trying to shake me off, but I scrambled up like I was rock climbing—which technically I was. It wasn’t particularly flexible, which worked in my favor, and as it tried to bat at me with its clumsy fists, it succeeded only in smashing the surrounding trees to pieces.

  “Go for its head,” Naomi shouted.

  “Then what?” I muttered. “That’s the real question.”

  I wrapped my hands around its neck, which was a wide, square rock, with both hands, digging my nails in again. I gave an experimental squeeze to see if I could wrest the block out and hopefully dislocate the head from the body. It didn’t move. Not even a millimeter. It was stuck in place with some kind of crazy supernatural cement.

  The Mahrac continued to twist us in a circle. It wouldn’t be long until it smashed me into a tree. There’s nothing for me to grab. What do I do? My wolf barked and began to uncover the box she’d showed me, right as the monster started spinning quicker, trying to dislodge me. If it was smart enough to do that, it had a brain. “You’re not getting rid of me,” I hissed at the back of its head. “This ride isn’t over until you are.”

  It slowed, almost like it’d understood me.

  “That’s right. You heard me,” I growled. “I’m not getting off until you agree to stop all this. Care to give me any insight?”

  The thing let out a gravelly howl and spun in a slow circle, like it was pondering its options. Then it took off through the trees. For a moment I wasn’t sure which direction it was heading in, and then it burst through the tree line, making its way straight to the edge of the mountain it had just climbed up.

  The Mahrac was going to take me over the side.

  Like hell it was.

  “Jess, it’s going over!” Danny yelled behind me. “You have to jump. Jump!”

  Naomi was in the air at the edge of my peripheral vision, coming at me quickly, covered in winged devils. For some reason they hadn’t gotten to me yet. “Naomi,” I screamed. “Get back! I’ve got this.”

  I had no more time to think. We were almost to the end of the road. In one solid motion, I arched my arm back and struck my fist into the back of its head. A portion at the base exploded into pieces, leaving a gaping hole. The thing didn’t slow for a second. I rocked my fist back one more time, using supernatural speed, and plunged it into the opening with a snarl. This time I kept it lodged in there. The Mahrac faltered for a moment as I opened my hand inside the hole, feeling and searching for what made this thing tick. It slid to a stop, shaking its head, and it took everything I had to keep my hand inside.

  My wolf started to bark frantically. What? What do I do now? My wolf gave an impatient growl. Show me! I don’t get it. She leaned down and nosed the box open. The lid fell back and a blinding light rushed out, racing through all my senses like someone had plugged me in. My first instinct was to shut my eyes against it—it was too much. But I knew I had to absorb it as fast as I could. As I took it in, my consciousness flooded totally to white. Power flushed through me like someone had finally pulled the master switch.

  My hand started to tingle inside the Mahrac.

  A low pulse in the middle of my fist wound up my arm. I could almost taste the essence of the Mahrac now. It tasted of sorrow. I shivered. The monster had stopped right at the precipice of the cliff. One false move and we would go over. I closed my eyes and focused on its Otherness. It was dense and heavy, and extremely strong.

  I edged a single finger in farther, prodding its essence with my nail. It cried out.

  Then I felt something else.

  It was layered on top like a thick coat of sticky slime. In my mind it manifested as dark red, throbbing with menace. It was choking the Mahrac, forcing it do to its bidding. Selene. Her power was here, inserted like a sickness where it didn’t belong.

  Something reared up in my psyche so strongly I almost let go. Everything in me wanted to crush the evil thing inside this being. It made
me angry beyond measure—beyond any words. Going only on instinct, I twisted my hand quickly, scooping up as much of its essence as I could in my palm. And with everything I had, I threw all the blinding power I’d gathered from inside the box and sent it hurling at the ball of life in my hands.

  I needed to purify it. I needed to set it free.

  The monster arched its back and flung its arms out, letting out a sound of echoing thunder. My light encapsulated it completely. Then a shock wave of power ran though my body like a tremor, ending with a huge burst of power that snapped my head back and forced my eyes and jaw to snap shut.

  Everything went still.

  The light in my mind broke apart and dissipated.

  Without any warning, the Mahrac tossed me backward, catching me by surprise. I let go, releasing my hold on it from the inside of its head. I landed on the ground hard, not thinking to right myself, just thankful I was off the beast.

  The Mahrac gave me one look before it turned and launched itself off the cliff.

  I didn’t have time to be relieved or exhilarated. I was drenched in sweat and completely spent.

  And covered in winged devils.

  13

  They tore at my flesh, their greedy mouths lapping at my blood. My limbs felt heavy and I was so tired. I shook myself, but none of them dislodged. My wolf snarled and barked, trying to force me to move. I know. I know. Adrenaline hit my system in a rush, exiting my nerve endings, and I managed to stand.

  I was still in my Lycan from, and surprisingly I didn’t feel much pain from their bites. From what Danny and Naomi had gone through, I’d thought there’d be more agony. Why doesn’t it hurt?

  One of the devils feasting on my arm suddenly fell to the ground.

  In the next moment it disintegrated, leaving a thick smear in its place.

  Did you see that?

  A few more dropped. They each made sizzling sounds as they died.