“What the … ?”
The brittle cornstalks rustled and swayed and the growling grew closer.
“They’re coming through the corn,” I said.
And we were literally boxed in.
Pete had said that I should have smelled them coming, and now I did. Rotten meat and sour milk. Ahks and gelals, I thought, as dark figures burst through the cornstalks into the clearing. I recognized a few of them right away from my time imprisoned at the warehouse.
Shadow Kings. At least ten of them. Surrounding us
from every direction. “Guess what?” I said to Daniel. “This was a trap.” “I see that,” Daniel said. The circle of monsters slowly closed in on us, their
growls melting together into a collective noise that made my eardrums rattle. I snatched up my dusty stake, and Daniel and I stood back to back, our weapons raised.
Chapter Twenty-three
AMBUSH
TEN NOT-QUITE-BUT-ALMOST-HYPERVENTILATING BREATHS LATER
The beasts closed in on us, slowly, as if savoring the drama of it all.
“Now would be a good time to pull out some of your true alpha mojo,” I said to Daniel. “Maybe convert some of these guys to our team?”
“Good idea. Except none of these guys are Urbat. My mojo doesn’t work on Akhs and Gelals. Caleb is certifiable, but he isn’t stupid. He’s not going to risk losing any more of his followers to our side.”
“Dang. So what do we do now?”
“Fight like hell,” Daniel said, and lunged out with his stake at a Gelal who’d broken from the circle and come barreling at us. I was amazed at how fast Daniel moved. The Gelal went flying, clutching at the gaping wound in his chest.
“Watch out for the acid!” I yelled, just as the dead Gelal exploded into acrid green ooze that could melt through just about anything. Daniel moved quickly again, shielding both of us from the rain of burning acid with his long black jacket.
“Oh man, I really liked this coat,” he said as the green slime ate holes through the leather.
“Me, too. But better that than your face,” I said.
“Good point.”
The growl of the demons shifted into a loud screeching, like a chorus of vultures. They chomped their teeth and clacked their claws in our direction. Daniel and I stood, ready for the next one who’d dare break away from the circle.
“I’m just glad you got my text,” I said. “Or else I’d be facing these guys alone.”
“Yeah. Nine against two isn’t the worst odds ever,” Daniel said. “Wait, what text? I didn’t get a text from you.”
“But then how did you know to come to the maze?”
Daniel shrugged. “I just knew.”
“Huh. Gabriel says you and I are connected … Oh crap. How do you feel about the odds of nineteen against two?” I asked, as I noticed a second wave of ten more demons waiting in the stalks of corn. Ready to join the fray when needed.
Daniel swore. “Caleb’s been busy.”
The high-pitched screech of the monsters reached a deafening crescendo, and I had to clamp my hands over my ears to keep my eardrums from bursting.
And then, as if someone sucked all the sound out of the clearing with a vacuum, it fell completely silent—every beast cutting off its cry at the exact same moment.
One of the beasts pointed a long claw at us, a Gelal from the smell of him. “First we kill you two, and then we kill every last human at this party,” it said. “And then this city will know that the Shadow Kings rule.”
“Can you say ‘overdramatic’?” I asked.
Daniel snorted. “Yeah, but I don’t think he’s kidding.”
“Kind of wishing we hadn’t told the boys to stay inside. A little backup would be nice.” Even if we shouted at the top of our lungs, they’d never hear us over the noise of the party. “Well, ready or not,” I said as the first wave of nine beasts came rushing at us in a flurry of claws and teeth.
Daniel sprang into action immediately, pulling his coat off and using it to entrap two of the monsters at once, and then flung them into the wall of cornstalks in a move he must have picked up from a Jackie Chan movie or something. He staked both of them before they even knew what had happened. I realized he’d been holding back with Pete.
Daniel went after another one, and I had two demons of my own to deal with. I kicked one away and staked the other.
“Wait,” I shouted to Daniel. “Can’t you call the boys, like psychically? They always knew what you wanted when you were the white wolf. And you knew I needed you here.”
Daniel kicked a demon, sending him flying into the dummy of Dr. Jekyll. “I don’t really remember how I did it.”
“I don’t know. Maybe just think real hard about what you need them to do.”
“I’ll try.” Daniel pointed behind me. “Watch out—”
I felt a sharp stab as a Gelal raked its claws into my back. Screaming in pain, I used my own weight to flip the beast over my shoulder. It scrambled away from me, and my stake sank into the soft ground instead of flesh as I tried to stab it. “Ahh!” I yelled, trying to regain my balance.
Daniel went after the Gelal and wrestled it to the ground.
The sound of rustling cornstalks made me look up just in time to see the ten more beasts come through the corn barrier into the clearing.
“Now would be a great time for that backup,” I yelled, as an Akh came at me with vicious swings of his taloned hands.
“I’m working on it,” Daniel answered. I heard him grunt, but I wasn’t sure if it was in response to the force of taking out another demon, or a cry of pain.
I staked the Akh, and then tried to turn toward Daniel to check on him, but another Gelal must have noticed my distraction. I caught the sight of it out of the corner of my eye, launching in my direction. I flinched, knowing I wouldn’t have time to block its blow, but its body suddenly lurched backward like a dog caught at the end of its lead.
I saw the glint of metal protruding from his chest, and I realized it’d been skewered on the end of a sword. Talbot’s sword, I saw, as he came bursting through the wall of cornstalks. He swung his arm with a forceful movement, flinging the dead Gelal off the end of his sword and onto the ground.
I jumped back to avoid the acid spray. “I told you to go home.”
“Good thing I didn’t listen,” he said, seeming far more sober than just a few minutes ago. “I thought I heard someone asking for backup.” He stepped out of the way, and Brent, Ryan, Zach, and Slade pushed their way through the cornstalks, all with weapons ready. They rushed right into the clearing and joined Daniel in the fight against the fourteen beasts that remained. Talbot followed, taking off the head of an Akh with the swing of his sword.