Fantasyland 04 Broken Dove (53 page)

There was no time to cheer, however, the others closed in.

One was close to me and I ducked like I saw Apollo duck when he was in the swordfight back at the inn. His sword whiffed over me and I came up, already thrusting my dagger forward. I plunged it in his gut and he fell back.

“Bad magic,” Meeta whispered, and I turned to her to see her beating back another one.

I also noted the one whose head she cut off didn’t fall even as I noticed Loretta was down, back on her hand, her own short sword raised, fending off a third.

No, the one with his head cut off just stood there as another head was growing in its place.

And worse. Another creature was growing from his severed head!

I had no time to totally freak right the fuck out at this; another one was rushing to attack me.

“Aim to maim!” I shouted. “You cut something off, it grows a new one.”

Alas, Loretta had managed to cut the arm off the one she was fighting and get back to her feet and the severed arm instantly started forming another creature.

I got my dagger in one and he fell back from me only for another one to close in.

“Keep moving toward Brunskar!” Meeta shouted, leading the one she was fighting in the direction we’d been going.

It must be said, I liked her mettle, but we couldn’t see any light through the trees. Even if we were heading that direction, the castle was far away. We couldn’t fight and make it there.

The good news was, I was a total amateur and I could tell these—whatever-they-were—were not real good at this shit.

The bad news was, their arms were longer, as were their swords, and as I fought the one I had on my hands, I noticed two more form out nothing.

“She sends more,” Meeta snapped, sounding peeved.

Just peeved.

Seriously?

Then I felt even more but I couldn’t tell seeing as now I was battling three.

All with one dagger.

We’ll just say I was doing a lot of lunging, ducking, swaying my torso back and rolling through the snow.

My dress was totally ruined.

As were my cloak and shoes.

And I was pretty certain I’d lost a comb along the way.

This all sucked.

What sucked
way
worse was that I knew we were all dead.

This was because we were surrounded. I couldn’t miss it even as I battled on, breathing heavy, my heart thumping in my chest, my blood roaring in my ears. I heard Loretta’s terrified pants and Meeta’s grunts of effort.

We were surrounded.

They were pressing us in.

I felt Loretta’s back hit mine. Then Meeta’s.

If just one of them got a good swipe in, they could take all three of us out.

We were done for.

I was going to die with two fabulous women who somehow had come to my aid and who I wished I had a lot more time to get to know.

I wasn’t ever going to see Élan dressed for her first gale.

I wasn’t going to see Christophe become a soldier.

I was never going to feel Apollo’s hands on me again. His mouth. See his smile. Take in all the beauty that was him.

I was going to die in the cold and snow of a parallel universe having tasted a beautiful life I knew I’d grown to love but had not allowed myself to trust. Tasted it for a brief snatch of time and then it was going to be whisked away.

“You guys are the freaking greatest!” I shouted, grunting as I lunged forward and got one in the gut.

He fell back.

Another took his place.

“I die with you in my heart, Miss Maddie and Meeta,” Loretta yelled, Meeta’s name ending in a pained yelp and I knew one clipped her.

“
We do not die tonight!
” Meeta screeched, her voice so shrill, it was like she was trying to make that be by putting everything she was into her words.

I admired her grit.

But she was heartbreakingly wrong.

One of the things did an overhead slice and I caught it with my short blade sideways, but the strength of the slice took me down to my knee. My arms over my head, struggling to hold my attacker’s blade, the rest of me was ripe for the pickin’s.

But if I let go, he’d slice me in half.

I let out an ear-piercing scream of frustration, terror and heartache and his sword disappeared.

He didn’t. He stood before me but he was looking over his shoulder.

I shot to standing and noted both Loretta and Meeta pressing to my back but I heard no grunts of exertion nor did I feel movement.

This was because all of the creatures were looking back.

I was about to start jabbing at random to create a hole in what looked like a six or seven creature-thick wall around us when all hell broke loose.

And by that I mean I heard barking, growling, yapping, snarling and suddenly a line of sight cleared and I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Wolves.

All around.

Dozens of them.

No.

More.

Maybe
hundreds.

All of them attacking the things.

“Oh my God,” I whispered. “What’s going—?”

I didn’t finish.

This was because, behind the wolves, more of the creatures formed out of nowhere just as a line of wolves ran, scampered or crawled on their bellies through the snow and the now battling-with-wolves bird-men toward Meeta, Loretta and me.

We pressed back to back.

Great.

Bird-men and now wolves.

If certain death already wasn’t bad enough.

I lifted my dagger but didn’t use it.

This was because I was staring in shock as the wolves formed a circle around us, snarling, growling, snapping and biting at the bird-men who were pressing in.

Holy cow.

They were protecting us.

More wolves shot to the circle to keep the bird-men back.

Holy cow!

The wolves were totally protecting us!

How cool!

I reached out and grabbed Loretta’s hand. “You okay?”

“Flesh wound, shoulder,” Meeta answered for her. “It’s deep and bleeding profusely, Miss Maddie. We must get her aid. She pales.”

There was my Spock. Logical, for of course Loretta needed aid.

I just couldn’t get it for her when we were surrounded by bedlam.

“Stick with us, honey,” I said on a squeeze of Loretta’s hand. “You with us?”

“Yes, Miss Maddie,” she whispered, her voice trembling.

At the exhaustion, pain and fear in Loretta’s voice, I decided that next time Spock and I went on an adventure, we were leaving the honor roll cheerleader behind.

Not that I had a choice this time.

“We’ll get you taken care of as soon as this calms down,” I assured her, hoping I wasn’t lying.

“Right,” she replied, holding my hand tight, her voice holding no hope.

But keeping an eye on the activity, although our ring of wolf protectors was prevailing, and although I could see in the distance the shadowy shape of more wolves heading our way, the bird-men were popping up everywhere.

And as if to prove that true, two popped into the circle close to the girls and me.

They didn’t even get turned toward us before five wolves jumped them and viciously ripped them to shreds.

Blue sparks flew everywhere and the bird-men disappeared.

Wild.

Scary.

And totally fucked up.

The wolves didn’t hesitate to close ranks and continue snarling and snapping at the pressing bird-men.

And blue sparks were flying everywhere.

Yelps of wounded wolves came fast and thick. I even saw some unmoving wolf bodies on the forest floor.

More bird-men formed.

Lots more.

I squeezed Loretta’s hand.

The wolves around us backed in tighter, their tails brushing our skirts.

This was not good.

The wolves were losing.

Shit!

Then it happened.

Suddenly and with little warning, bedlam turned into Armageddon.

It started with wolves in the forest suddenly turning tail and running.

That did not give me a good feeling.

It continued with the wolf circle around us falling to their bellies and pushing snout first through the snow.

This definitely didn’t give me a good feeling.

But it ended with Meeta shouting, “Down! Now!”

I hit the deck mostly because Meeta shoved me there, on top of Loretta, Meeta coming down on top of me.

Then a fiery blast of heat seared over us as the forest all around us burst into flame.

I just had the chance to peek up from under Meeta’s arm that was wrapped around my head and, I kid you not, no joke, no fooling, flapping their webby wings terrifying overhead, breathing fire all around was not one…not two…but
three
gigantic dragons.

I stared in shock and awe, my mouth hanging open as they stopped breathing fire. Only one was in sight and I watched it flap down and settle his ass to the scorched earth, forked tongue out and snaking around, eyes intelligent and aimed in the distance.

Meeta got up and pulled me up. I pulled Loretta up.

And we stood there, staring around us.

This was because everything but a five foot diameter of now-melting snow around our feet was totally incinerated. Charred. Leveled. Still smoldering but there was nothing left.

Nothing but three big dragons with thin, lolling tongues and a circle of wolves who were now sitting around us, some cleaning themselves disinterestedly, some just panting, one was scratching behind his ear.

Meeta pressed close and Loretta made a noise of fear.

I looked into the smoldering shadows.

Through midnight and smoke, a man and woman appeared.

The man was tall, built and seriously hot.

The woman had fabulous white blonde hair.

They came to a stop ten feet away and he opened his mouth to speak.

But I beat him to it.

“I take it you’re Finnie and Frey.”

He closed his mouth but used it to smile.

Yep, hot.

She grinned.

And she was cute.

Right. With dragons in the mix, I had a feeling everything was going to be okay.

So I smiled back.

Chapter Twenty-One

The Path to Vengeance

Apollo rode Anguish hard through the snow, the needles of the pines whipping unheeded against his face and body, his torso ducking and swaying to avoid branches.

His destination: where he’d seen the dragons’ blaze.

His lungs were burning fire throughout his frame.

His neck and shoulders were solid with tension.

His thoughts were tortured.

He hit the smoking wasteland and saw them.

Meeta and Loretta were there for some gods forsaken reason.

Finnie and Frey were there, which was surprising but not, considering the dragons and their fire.

His wolves were there, which was as he’d arranged.

And then there was Maddie, looking wet, cold and disheveled.

But standing.

Breathing.

Alive.

Alive.

He rode straight to her, not slowing Anguish, and the huddle swayed out of his way as he threw his leg over the saddle and dismounted with Anguish still at a run.

His legs bore the impact of his dismount but he didn’t feel it.

He took two long strides to Madeleine, lifted his hands and framed her face. Unable to stop them, he moved them over her hair, down her neck, under her jaws and back to the sides of her head as his eyes scoured her face.

Standing.

Breathing

Her eyes open and looking into his.

“I’m all right, Lo,” she whispered and he felt her hand light on his stomach as she leaned in. “I’m all right, baby.”

At her words, he crushed his mouth down on hers, thrusting his tongue in, tasting her, drinking from her, devouring her.

Her arms curled around his middle and went tight as she tipped her head back to give him what he needed.

More.

Approaching horses and voices pierced his extreme relief and he tore his mouth from hers. When he did, he cupped the back of her head, shoved her face in his throat and curled an arm around her, hauling her deep so she was tight to his body and he could feel her everywhere. Smell her close. Absorb the fact she was still alive.