Alexandru moved through the shadows. The sword in his hand hummed with the power of elfin magic. He sliced through the skeletal guards that he encountered.

What concerned him the most was watching more of the supernatural creatures rise from the ground. Jorge was becoming more powerful. Crossing the yard, Alexandru drew to a stop when several other creatures turned toward him. These were not beings raised from the dead. These were creatures made from dark magic.

Each of the creatures was nearly fifteen feet tall from the ground to their shoulders, with an extremely broad torso and an arm span nearly as wide. They were covered in thick dark gray, leathery skin. Their black beady eyes reflected the surrounding area. Large gaping jaws filled with rows of sharp teeth along the top and bottom were enough to dissuade Alexandru from wanting to get too close. The putrid smell of their breaths made a skunk smell like a bunch of Get Well flowers from the local florist.

Alexandru resisted the urge to cover his nose and mouth. There were some times in life when being a vampire with enhanced senses sucked and this was one of them. Two of the creatures turned toward him. He didn’t have much choice. He could either go through them or above them. Deciding he would conserve his strength, and stay away from the sharp jaws, he shifted into a large crow.

Alexandru lifted off the ground. He soared upward, circling over the creatures that were beginning to multiply faster than the rabbits that his cousin Lacey liked to raise. He swerved to the side when one of the creatures opened its huge mouth and snapped its tongue out at him.

Forget rabbits! These are like mammoth bullfrogs, he thought, trying to avoid becoming a midday snack, he rose higher.

In the distance, he could see Legend and the group of men closing in on the village. Turning his head, he saw Ka’ya emerge from a hut near the river. His heart caught when she drew an arrow and shot it up into the sky. He saw it soar upward before it exploded – the boundary fencing was disabled.

He released a loud warning cry when he saw several of the skeletal creatures rushing toward her. She heard his warning and refocused her attention on the creatures. Blinding fear rushed through him when three of the creatures below him suddenly rose from the ground not more than thirty feet from Ka’ya. She was trapped between the fence surrounding the village and the creatures.

He turned in a tight circle toward where Legend and his army were approaching. More of the monstrous creatures, along with Jorge’s skeletal army had risen in front of them, cutting off their advance. Locked in battle, there was nothing they could do to help Ka’ya or himself.

Alexandru started toward Ka’ya, unwilling to leave her alone to face the increasing number of Jorge’s army when one of the creatures appeared on the roof of the gathering hall. He swerved to miss the gaping jaws and dove for an opening between two huts. He had almost cleared the roof when the creature’s tongue struck his left wing. Pain exploded through Alexandru and he plummeted to the ground – a silent call for help was carried away on the threads of magic.

* * *

Blood dripped down from the cut on her arm. There had been one of the skeletal guards in the hut when she entered. It had struck a lucky blow before she put the end of her bow through its nostril cavity.

She had used the undead’s sword to jam the gears on the water wheel. Afraid that one of the creatures might somehow remove the sword, she had also caused an increased pressure in the tanks by closing off the release valves. Pouring more oil into burners, she closed them too so the pressure would build faster. She would have only a few minutes before the increased pressure caused the tanks to explode.

Ka’ya strode back to the door of the boundary hut and peered out. She stepped outside, and had only gone a few steps when two of the skeletal guards turned the corner and saw her. Quickly notching an arrow, she released it before turning on the other guard. It ran too quickly for her to pull another arrow and she was forced to use her bow to deflect the sword it swung at her.

The sword flashed to the right, then to her left. Frustrated, Ka’ya kicked the creature between the legs before swinging the end of her bow with all her might. The skull of the creature popped off and flew through the air, rolling several times before coming to a stop. A loud, piercing cry from overhead warned her that something was amiss. No sooner had the alarm sounded than Ka’ya saw the swirl of dust rising from the ground and forming into an even more hideous shape.

“Black magic!” she hissed, watching as another monstrous dark gray beast rose from the ground.

Ka’ya released a shuddering breath at the size of these new magical creatures. She pulled one arrow after another, firing as fast as she could. She watched in dismay as the arrows were deflected by the thick hide. One of the creatures opened its gaping jaws to reveal sharp teeth and a long, narrow tongue. She was forced to dive to the side when the beast’s tongue snapped out at a blinding speed. Pulling her sword, she twisted to the side when another tongue barely missed her.

She grabbed her bow and rolled to her feet. Flattening her back as much as she could against the off-white plaster of the hut, she warily eyed the creatures. For a brief instant, her gaze strayed to the hut she had just left as she tried to figure out a way to escape. She could see the gauges of the boiler were reaching a critical level. If she didn’t get away soon, the creatures would be the least of her concerns.

She scooted back along the wall when the creatures started forward. Near the end, a wooden door stood ajar. She glanced through the interior, seeing another door across from her.

A malicious smile curled her lips and she pushed the door open so she could step partially inside. Sheathing her sword, she pulled an arrow with an explosive tip from her quiver and notched it.

She waited until the three creatures were struggling with each other to get into the narrow passage between the two buildings. Aiming through the window of the boundary hut at the pressure tank, Ka’ya released the arrow before turning and bolting for the other door. The explosion ripped through the surrounding buildings. Ka’ya felt her feet lifting off the ground as she exited the other door. She was thrown close to twenty feet before she landed and rolled, covering her head as debris from the destroyed buildings rained down around her.

Rolling onto her back, her ears ringing from the explosion, she blinked, trying to make out the faint image of the black bird that had warned her of danger. A smile curved her lips. She knew it was Alexandru. The smile turned to horror when she saw the dark shadow of one of the gray beasts rise up into view on top of the gathering hut. Alexandru swerved to miss the snapping jaws. Ka’ya thought he was clear before the dark magic creature struck out with its tongue. A cry of denial escaped her when she saw the bird falling to the ground near Jorge’s hut.

* * *

Alexandru scooted back behind a rain barrel and repeated every curse he had ever learned. A glance at his left arm told him it was broken. If the level of pain wasn’t enough of an indicator, the odd angle most definitely didn’t need a doctor’s diagnosis.

Reaching over, he wrapped the fingers of his right hand around his left wrist. His eyes glittered with pain and he gritted his teeth. This was going to hurt like hell. He didn’t bother counting or waiting, he just pulled until he heard the bone click back into place.

Sweat beaded on his brow and he saw red dots in front of his eyes. A frown creased his brow and he blinked. Unfortunately, the red dots seemed to be multiplying and swirling and had – lace on the border. Shaking his head, Alexandru tried to clear his vision.

“Oh, Alexandru! What have you done?” a soft, concerned, and very familiar voice asked him in a worried tone. “Charles, get Nonny to come help me.”

“I’m fine, Mom. I just broke my arm,” Alexandru muttered, leaning his head back.

While he waited for the bone in his arm to heal, he wondered vaguely if he was about to join Jorge’s army of the undead. His head rolled to the side and he frowned. What the hell?

“Topper? Mom? Dad? Nonny?! What the hell?” Alexandru exclaimed.

“Language, son, you know how your mother is about using inappropriate language,” Charles reminded his middle son. “Looks like you’ve got an out of control Egyptian artifact.”

“No shi…. I mean, yeah. Some human playing with magic he doesn’t understand,” Alexandru replied with a wince. “Mom, I’m fine. It’s already healed. What the hel… heck are you doing here?”

“You sent out a distress signal,” Nonny said. “Oh, dear. I think those things have made Topper mad.”

Alexandru turned his head to watch his Great-Aunt Topper grab the tongue of one the gray creatures and yank it forward to snap her umbrella on its nose. The creature crumbled to dust.

“I really need to learn that spell,” he said, blinking when the ground shook.

He glanced up as a shadow passed by. He knew his mouth was hanging open when his grandmother gently pushed it shut. Must have been one hell of a distress signal, he had the whole frigging town of Magic here.

“Hi, Alex,” Hugo the Giant said before he turned to Topper. “You want us to step on them all, Topper?”

“You’re damn right I do. Those magical perverts tried to stick their tongues up my dress,” Topper snapped.

“We’ll take care of the skeletons and send them back to their graves, Topper,” Sheriff Buchanan called out. “Let’s take them down, men.”

Alexandru watched the ghostly sheriff from Magic and his posse charge after the skeletal guards. He glanced up at his father. His father reached a hand down and helped him up.

“Mom, Nonny, I need you to find someone for me,” Alexandru said in a thick voice.

“Of course, dear. Who?” Sophie Carson asked.

“Ka’ya, she’s my wife,” Alexandru said, scanning the center of the village. “She was near the river. Those creatures had her cornered and then there was an explosion. I have to know that she is safe – but I also need to stop Jorge. He has her little brother.”

“Oh, Alexandru,” Sophie whispered, her eyes shimmering with tears and a huge smile on her face. “Of course we’ll find her.”

“I’ll help you, Alexandru. I spent quite a few years in Egypt when I was young,” Charles said.

“What do you know about the Amulet of the Heart?” Alexandru asked.

“Enough to know we were better off when it was lost,” Charles replied in a dry tone. “Some humans really need their heads examined.”

“This one is going to be losing his instead,” Alexandru replied grimly.