The glowing patch that swirled over Nephthys’s lithe body moved at the speed of thought. It appeared at her shoulder where the first ball struck it, then seemed to instantly appear at her hip, where the second shot struck. Nephthys was staggered from the force of the balls, but the only effect was to elicit an angry grimace from her. Two shots from the Lancaster could have dropped an elephant. She continued to weave her spell.
Malcolm raised the gun again and took aim. He fired and the bright patch appeared on her forehead, where the ball struck it with a spark. Her head snapped back violently, but then lowered again. She snarled from pain but didn’t cease conjuring.
Simon pressed Malcolm’s arm down. “She’s wearing a dragonscale necklace. Don’t waste your ammunition. We need to stop her summoning spell.”
“I’ll stop her.” Kate lobbed a vial at Nephthys.
The ground in front of the sorceress erupted and a huge, horrid shape rose into the snowy night. The creature swept its huge claw and batted the vial. The glass shattered, filling the air with an amber cloud. The snake-thing roared and thrashed within the mist. Nephthys backed away as amber hardened over the creature’s arms and shoulders.
Pinned as it was, Simon and the others got a clear view of the thing. Its horrible worm-like body was covered in strange, undulating scales that had pushed it through the dirt. The torso and arms were those of a strong human male. A large head with two staring eyes was surrounded by a mane of thick, fleshy tendrils. The gaping mouth bit angrily at the amber that trapped it.
“It’s a chnoubi. A Coptic earth demon.” Simon drew the sword from his walking stick. The blade flashed blue.
“Simon!” Malcolm shouted. “There are more coming in. We have to go!”
The chnoubi opened its mouth and drooled a viscous liquid over the amber trapping its arms. The crystal began to sizzle and melt away. As the creature tore itself free of the amber, Simon ran to the coach. Malcolm climbed onto the driver’s bench and started reloading his pistol. Simon had his hand on the door, but Kate followed Malcolm up.
She took the reins. “I’ll drive. You two keep those things off us.”
Simon slammed the door and hopped onto the side step like a footman. From this vantage point, he saw three new furrows moving in from the darkness behind Nephthys who continued to gesture with light through the driving snow. Malcolm pulled his second pistol.
“Walk on!” Kate called. The horses started off, pulling slowly. The coach creaked forward over the last of the large furrows. They couldn’t afford a busted wheel now. She clucked at the team, urging the Friesians to strain against their collars.
The first snake-creature shook off the remnants of the amber and started crawling for the lumbering carriage. It was well ahead of its brethren. Malcolm aimed forward and fired. The heavy ball slammed the thing back onto the ground, but it immediately started to rise. The coach gathered headway with aching slowness. Malcolm shot again, smashing the creature down once more as the carriage rolled past it. When it tried to rise again, another shot smashed it into the dirt.
“Get up!” Kate shouted at the horses. “Get up now!”
The creature ceased its pursuit and slithered back toward its master. Simon almost cheered until he saw the other raised mounds shifting direction in pursuit. They tore through the grass, throwing up dirty snow like a wave crashing on the shore. Kate snapped the reins and the coach rocked back and settled into a bone-rattling pace. She gripped the heavy leather straps with her bare hands, staring forward, studying the ground as best she could through the blinding snow. The trail ahead was barely visible beneath the thickening white blanket on the ground.
Malcolm slipped a pistol back into the holster so he could hold on to the bouncing carriage for safety. He gazed forward, then looked back at the pursuing wakes with an expert eye. He tapped Simon on the shoulder and pointed. “We’ll be shifting south soon and those three have no chance to catch up. If we can keep our pace.” He indicated another furrow coming from the south. “That one could catch us.”
“Can we go off the path?”
“Too dangerous. A horse stumbles or we hit a stone, and we crash. We dare not be afoot.” Malcolm quickly leaned over to help Kate see the trail, indicating the timing and angle of turn. She wheeled the galloping horses southward admirably, keeping the carriage rolling along the flat path avoiding the worst of the ruts in the road. He patted her arm with an encouraging nod and turned back to their pursuers.