Chapter Nineteen
“What the…?”
“This is what I was trying to tell you,” Jed ground out. “The Psônen can…”
“Regenerate is the word you’re looking for Little Black Pony,” the Purveyor of Death goaded as with the flick of its wing Jed flew through the air, disappearing into a pile of frozen debris while adding, “Seems like you didn’t let the Little Chicken in on how powerful I truly am.”
“Powerful?!” Elle spat, swinging Gage’s sword as if she’d been doing it her whole life. “I took you down once and I’ll do it again.” Another slash of the blade as she lunged forward, but the blasted Psônen was quicker.
Gasping as she nearly ran into an entire gnarly wall of grotesque, wooly wasps not twelve inches in front of her, Elle sharply inhaled, “Where the hell did they come from?”
Hovering in perfect formation, rubbing their long, barbed tentacles together like millions of evil geniuses, she got a way too close up, extremely too personal look at the venomous beasties. Chills danced up and down her spine as for the first time she realized exactly how they’d gotten their scary name.
Known for hunting tarantulas in the Chihuahuan Desert, they’d been something every mother in Southwest Texas warned the kids about, but never had Elle considered coming up against a million or so at one time. Ten times bigger than any ordinary old wasp, wings as sharp as daggers, lethal stingers on the tips of every single one of their nasty, hairy legs, and their butts, it was the pinchers jutting from their homicidal mugs right under their millions of beady eyes that she knew were the deadliest.
Ewwwwwww, did not begin to describe what was looking her right in the eye, but there was no way she was losing this fight…even if it meant giving her own life.
Sure hope Gage understands…
She’d only just barely thought his name before the big blue feathered freak bellowed, “Surrender now and I’ll let your Lizard Mate go.”
“Fuck you!” She roared, finally giving herself over completely to the Rain Bird. “Get your filthy feathers off of him!”
Fully transformed, her every cell near-to-bursting with the magic of those who’d gone before her, she dispatched the Wasps with a flick of her wing. Lifting off the ground with little more than a thought, she spun towards the Psônen, opened her wings, and dove straight for the heart of the beast.
Dropping Gage and taking off. The Purveyor of Death crowed, “If it’s a fight you want, then a bloodbath it shall be.”
Mirroring its movements, Elle raised her body, hovering upright in the air, staring at her opponent, waiting for the slightest inkling of movement.
Tick… Tick… Tick… FLASH!
Throwing open its wings, barely a flurry flew from its feathers as Elle did the same, bathing not only the Psônen, but the entire cavern in bright sunlight and pounding rain. Flying forward as her enemy tried to retreat, the Rain Bird’s fury conjured booming thunder and murderous lightning followed by softball size hail.
Closer and closer she moved in. Reveling in every hit of her hailstones, every clash of electricity, the pure deluge she created with little more than a thought, Elle refused to give up. She would win. She would save her mate. She would make the world safe. The Purveyor of Death would die. This was the …
“Elle! Elle Stop! We’re drowning down here!” Jed’s cry broke the spell.
Looking down, her eyes landed on the Brave’s long dark hair matted to his head and shoulders as he struggled to keep Gage, Junior, and Tree’s heads out of the water both physically and magically. Dropping her wings, she swooped towards them as fast as she could fly.
“Gage…”
Close enough to lift him out of the water, she pulled her half-drowned, still unconscious mate to her chest, turning to make her way to one of the few standing glaciers. Pain struck, every muscle in her body froze, the Purveyor of Death had struck. In her race to save Gage, Elle had completely disregarded the Psônen, leaving the door open for the big blue feathered freak to fight back.
Spiraling towards the overflowing cave floor, unable to control her descent as she fought against the blanket of dirty magic, Elle’s mind reached for Gage’s. If she could get him awake, get him to transform, then they would have a…
“NOOOOOOO!”
The roar of what could only be a Dragon filled the cavern. Bright, white magic burst to life. A clap that sounded like hundreds of bolts of lightning all striking the same spot of earth rocked the cavern as once again every single thing stopped.
Another ripple of magic. Another mighty roar. She could see the Dragon, or at the very least that’s what she thought it to be, out of the corner of her eye and what she saw was damn near unbelievable.
Standing at least ten feet tall, covered in gleaming amethyst scales, the Dragon’s talons were at least twice as long and thick as any she’d ever heard of. The tips of his wings were curled into his shoulder blades creating what could only be described as massive buzz saw blades with long poisonous finger-claws lining their edges. The word ‘Berserker’ flashed in her mind followed by instant recognition of the fabled Warrior Dragons that had been lost over three centuries before.
Opening his shortened snout, Elle saw three rows of deadly teeth and fangs as he bellowed, “Today you die.”
Clapping his enormous scale-covered paws then thrusting them forward, Elle stared in wonder as thousands and thousands of gallons of water rose into a giant spout, exiting the grotto through a colossal hole overhead. Pointing directly at the Psônen, the Berserker gave a single jump, darted through the air, and ripped the blue feathered freak out of the air. Landing with a loud thud, the huge talons jutting from the ends of his feet dug into the melting ice.
Slamming the Purveyor of Death onto the ground before him with such strength that once again the melting walls of the cave shook like the long metal tubes on a wind chime. Smashing his foot onto the Psônen’s chest, the Berserker again clapped his paws, releasing Elle and the others.
Landing on the other side of the battered and beaten Purveyor of Death, Elle didn’t have to be told what to do. Spreading her wings, she dropped to the ground, created a ‘tent’ over the blue feathered freak and listened to the death screams of the wretched being who’d dared to murder her family and attack her mate.
Bounding to her feet, shocked to find not only the Psônen, but also the Berserker gone, Elle barely got to take a breath before Jed yelled, “Cave in!”
Taking flight, she scooped Gage, Tree, Junior, and Jed off the crumbling floor, swooped toward the enormous hole the Berserker had created and raced towards the surface. Emerging nearly five-hundred yards from where she’d been sucked underground, Elle gently set her precious cargo onto the sand, transforming back to her human form as she descended.
No sooner had her feet touched the scorching desert floor than she heard Owen’s anguished cry, “Gage isn’t breathing! He isn’t breathing! I can’t get him to breathe.”