“Yep, a big one,” I said. “We’re going to try to retrieve the ancientus spell.”
“Ah, right.” Understanding flicked in Nix’s eyes as she looked at Lachlan.
Del nodded. “Well, seeing as we’ve finished with our other emergency task—because you found him—we’re happy to help.”
“We’ll be backup,” Cass said.
“Anything for the people who saved my brother,” Claire added. She was a Fire Mage and mercenary, the closest friend of the FireSouls trio.
Heck yeah. With these four as backup, our odds of success had just doubled.
Claire handed her brother the sack that hung around her body. “Your potion bombs, brother dear. I thought we might need to fight our way out if we found you.”
“Thanks, sis. You know the way to my heart.” He handed me the sword I’d loaned him back in the Creeper’s lair and patted the bag. “I’ve got my weapons of choice now.”
“Thanks.” I took the sword, then updated the newcomers on our plan to find and storm the garden, then turned to Bree. “Can you use your illusion to conceal us?”
“Partial invisibility, coming right up.” She grinned. “Just enough to keep others from spotting us, but if we stick close, we’ll be able to see each other. Barely.”
“I’ll dampen our sound,” Lachlan said.
“Perfect,” I said. “We’ll head for the garden.”
Bree’s magic swelled on the air, and my friends disappeared. I squinted, just barely able to make out their outlines.
We set off at a jog across the vineyards, running up the rows of dormant vines toward the walled compound on the hill. Luck was with us, because there was no guard at the little gate. I turned the key, and we slipped inside, one by one.
I remembered seeing part of an amazing garden as I’d been carried in over the demon’s shoulder. So I turned that way, whispering for my friends to follow.
They did, and we moved quickly alongside the outer edge of the house. A demon walked by, then stopped. He peered hard in our direction. Tension tightened my muscles, but he just shook his head as if he were seeing things and kept walking.
I grinned and kept going. We turned the corner of the house, and the familiar garden caught my eye. In the distance, a row of hedges stood. They looked merely decorative, but I doubted it.
We were close.
Then the hounds appeared.
Oh, crap.
Six of them stood in front of us. They were the size of large dogs, and each was covered in scales.
“Bad news,” Bree muttered next to me.
The hounds looked toward us, confusion in their dark eyes. Around me, the faint outlines of my friends disappeared. Bree was upping her magic, making us fully invisible. I couldn’t hear a single breath or rustle of grass beneath anyone’s feet, so Lachlan had our sound completely dampened.
Then the hounds sniffed the air, their nostrils twitching.
Dread slipped like ice through my veins.
As one, the hounds lifted their heads and howled, their loud cries echoing in the night.
Demons burst out of the house to our right, spilling from three different doors. The hounds ran for us, circling our group. Helping the demons find us.
There had to be two dozen of them, all different species. Burnished red skin, gray, pale white, and dark green. Many were draped with weapons, but others were empty-handed, clearly planning to use just their magic. We were still fifty yards from the hedges.
“Drop the illusion, Bree!” I cried. We’d have to fight, and we didn’t need to hit each other by mistake.
I didn’t know if she could hear me through Lachlan’s silence charm or if she just had the same idea as I did, but we all appeared.
The demons charged. So did we.
Caro, the Water Mage, shot a jet of water straight at the closest demon. It plowed through his chest, shooting out the other side as a pink stream of blood-tinged water.
Haris did his usual, sprinting for a demon. A half second before he reached him, he turned invisible. Then the demon jerked upright and turned around, raising his hand and shooting a fireball at another demon. Haris would keep it up until his host was almost dead, then he’d jump out.
To my right, Lachlan shifted into his lion form. His black fur and mane gleamed in the light of the moon, and his roar shook the insides of my chest. He leapt toward a crowd of demons and tore off the head of the largest one. Blood sprayed, a violent display in the moonlight.
Rowan fought with her sword, fast as a burst of wind, while Bree struck down a demon with lightning.
Nix conjured a small fort made of sandbags. From their protective covering, Cass and Claire shot blasts of flame at the demons, taking them out one by one. Connor stood at their side, hurling his potion bombs with deadly accuracy. Del transformed into her Phantom self, a pale blue apparition that fought with a sword. Nothing could hurt her in that form, and she raced through the crowd of demons, dealing blows wherever she could.
But there are just so many of them.
More poured out of the house, heading straight for our group.
I flung a dagger into the chest of a nearby demon who blocked my path toward the garden. It pierced his heart, and he fell backward, arms whirling.
The battle raged all around as I fought my way toward the garden, Bree and Rowan at my side.
It was slow going, and no matter how many demons we killed, more appeared. Whoever owned this place was armed to the max. They purposely blocked my way to the garden, which only fueled me more.
The spell is in there.
Cass caught my eye. “Go! We’ll cover you.”
She and Claire began to shoot fireballs right into the crowd of demons who blocked our way.
It lightened the crowd, but it was still fierce.
There had to be twenty between us and the entrance between the hedges. It seemed impossible to get through.
Until Lachlan appeared at my side and knelt low on his front legs. The message was clear.
Get on.
Whoa. That was really personal. After our kiss, it’d be insanely personal.
But we needed to recover the ancientus spell before it could be used to bring back terrible magic from the past. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to climb on.
I climbed onto his back, almost immediately overwhelmed by the sense of him. Strength and honor and determination and fury.
He was enraged by what was happening, determined to do anything it took to make it right.
My heart thundered at the connection between us, at the raw ferocity of him.
Lachlan took off, bowling through the crowd of demons. I clung to his back, crouching low. Ahead of us, lightning struck as Bree took out some of the demons. Others fell to fire blasts and Connor’s potion bombs.
Bree and Rowan raced after us.
A demon with long claws swiped at me, raking his claws across my arm as we ran by. Pain flared and blood flowed. I clung harder to Lachlan, wind tearing at my hair.
We plowed through the demons, and I leaned out with my sword, taking the head off one. Another reached for me, claws glinting in the moonlight, but I took off his arm.
Finally, we reached the entrance between the hedgerow walls. I looked behind, just briefly, catching sight of the FireSouls, Claire, Connor, Caro, and Haris holding off the rest of the demons.
We wouldn’t have stood a chance without them. But there was more ahead.
I turned to face what was coming.
15
The garden was quiet inside. Though a few demons tried to follow us in, our friends on the outside picked them off with fire and potion bombs.
Lachlan slowed his sprint as I clung to his back, muscles aching from desperately trying to hold on. Bree and Rowan caught up, slowing to a walk as they caught their breath. The four of us passed through multiple rows of hedges.
“This place is way bigger than it looks on the outside, isn’t it?” Bree asked.
“Definitely,” I said.
Beneath me, Lachlan rumbled his agreement. He moved with leonine grace, stalking toward the topiaries.
Should I get off of him?
I didn’t really want to. This was fun.