“Wanda, get out of the way!” Toni screeched just before inhaling again and spraying the bats with a stream of molten fire.
“Her heart, milady!” Dannan bellowed over the noise of the squealing bats, using the king’s dropped scepter to swat at them. “You must get Angria’s heart to stop her!”
Toni stopped then, right in the middle of the madness, as the bats and the women screamed in unison, as the walls fell about her and the room turned from magical to a nightmare.
Her heart? How the hell was she going to get her heart?
Seriously?
But Toni’s body said, Hello in there, Sissy-Pants. You killed a GD dragon while riding on his back. And let’s not forget, you whacked the head off a sea bitch. Surely you can figure out a way to get your hands on an organ.
Now her mind? Well, it had other ideas. Are you fucking nuts? Did you lose every last brain cell you ever had back in that damn forest? The queen’s ten times the size of you and she’s got a bag o’ tricks that even David Copperfield would envy. She’ll jack you up so hard you’ll feel it in the afterlife. Like Wanda said. Stop, drop and roll right on outta here, kid!
No. This time she would not run away. No matter what happened, she would not let someone else have control over her life.
Not. This. Time.
Angria rose again, like some demented Thanksgiving Day parade float, wavering back and forth, swiping her arms above her, directing the bats in a bizarre dance just before a bitter wind began to rip through the room and chunks of glacial ice crashed to what was left of the ballroom floor.
Racing toward a very weak Nina, Toni ducked the falling ice while Marty and Wanda made an attempt to stop Angria by hacking at the knees—literally, with swords they’d grabbed from the fallen guards who’d unsuccessfully attempted to stop her.
Toni skidded into Nina, who wobbled and gripped her arms. “Listen to me!” she yelled to the bedraggled vampire above the noise. “I have an idea. When I say go, help knock her down. Do you still have the energy?”
Nina’s mouth twisted in pain, her eyes riddled with the agony of her lack of nourishment. “No, kiddo, don’t try anything crazy!”
“Nina! Trust me, please. I trusted you, now you have to trust me! On the word go!” she bellowed as she yanked her arm from the vampire’s and ran, waving her hands at Jon.
Jon swiped his sword at Angria, striking uselessly at her midsection.
“Jon! Go for her legs! Get Marty and Wanda and Dannan and knock her down!” she hollered to him, dropping to the floor where the king was sprawled.
She dragged him upward out of the line of fire, sweat pouring down her face, shivering violently from the merciless wind and snow pelting at every inch of her exposed flesh. “King Dick, stay out of the way. Stay right here,” she ordered, spitting her hair from her face.
“Nay! I shall help!” he said, giving her a shove. “Go! I’ll aim for her legs as instructed!”
Dannan came crashing toward her then, his suspenders hanging from his big body, his arms and chest covered in gashes, his sword swinging.
“Dannan! Pick me up!” She held her arms up to him and as he ran by, he scooped her up, tucking her to his chest.
“Milady, what do ye plan?”
“I need to knock her down to get to her chest!” she yelled, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. “Don’t fight me on this, just throw me right at her head and then take the bitch down! Be safe! On the word go, okay?”
As they neared Angria, her hands throwing out one torture after another at them, her eyes wild with hate, Toni sent up a little prayer.
Dear Realm,
I could really use a win. Whatever you want, take it—even if it means taking me.
Preparing her body for launch, she yelled to everyone, “Gooo!”
Dannan dropped his sword midstride and grabbed her at the waist, propelling her at Angria’s head.
Toni landed on her shoulders with a thud, her heels sinking into the queen’s flesh, her feet finding that familiar tingle. She grabbed her hair, knocking the queen’s heavy crown to the floor in the process. As it crashed and broke into golden pieces, Nina, Marty, Wanda, Jon, King Dick, and Dannan all began hacking at Angria’s legs as though they were chopping trees.
Angria screamed her outrage, rearing her head back while Toni hung on to her slick black hair, bellowing a long, furious howl as the queen began falling to the ground.
Pulling the knife from between her breasts with one hand, slipping down along her shoulder, Toni clung to the front of the queen’s gown and, when she landed with a thud, debris flying up all around them from the impact, she raised her arms high, gripping the long knife, preparing to sink the steel deep into her heart.
The queen’s irate eyes rolled to the back of her head, her mouth opening wide as she wailed a protest just as Toni lifted the knife to embed it in her flesh.