Ash ducked behind Xilon's horizontal form as spears whizzed overhead. Demons here had primitive weapons. On Earth, they just used whatever was handy: guns, knives, a long-stretch limo.

Peeking over Xilon's back, she spotted a wave of hundreds of the monsters rushing toward them.

Shit! Her stomach clenched. No way could she fight them all. “I'll take you up on that ride now.” When he didn't respond, she nudged him with her boot. “Xilon?”

A faint whisper in her mind answered, “I can't move. Must have added something to the poison…a paralyzer.

“Fuck.” She yanked out her sword. “What about your dragonfire? Can you blast them?”

“If I could've done so, I would have by now.”

Right. She dashed around Xilon, hoping the creatures would be focused on a twelve foot dragon more so than her. Dodging through trees and purple vines, she slashed through two demons’ heads. Another came at her from the left and she spun low, surprising it, and cutting across the thighs. From behind the trees more swarmed. Legion didn't even cover the amount of demons heading for her.

Too many. Her stomach knotted. She'd never beat them all, but she had no choice. Get them away from Xilon. He was vulnerable right now and her surprise attacks had been noticed.

Jumping over a log, she called out, “That all you got? Come and get me if you can.”

Heavy footfalls echoed around her. She didn't have time to look and see how many followed her. Her hope was that it was enough to keep Xilon safe for the moment. Last thing she wanted was for the first dragon she met to get killed and if she could take out as many devils as she could before she died, she’d be satisfied.

A demon flung itself at her side, but she paused a split-second before impact. The monster crashed into the ground at her feet. She stabbed it in the chest with her sword then ran forward again.

Her breaths turned into heavy pants as she fought the fatigue pulling heavily at her limbs. If she stopped, she was dead. Or worse, possessed and spawning more demons.

Not going to happen.

A demon launched into her back. Its claws digging into her leather jacket.

Bastard! She smashed the hilt of her sword into its face. When it slipped off her back with a howl, she stumbled forward.

Her heart hammered in her chest. She had to get to shelter. A crevice or narrow passage so she could force them to come after her one at a time rather than from nearly any direction.

“Xilon!” she yelled. Would he be able to hear her from this distance? “Is there somewhere close where I can lead them too and force them into a narrow funnel?”

The moonlight provided patches of grey against the dark, but seeing clearly was pretty impossible.

Three demons leaped down from the trees in front of her. Her boots skidded across the ground as she skidded to a stop.

Beyond the demons was a strip of a clearing and a large shape she couldn't make out in the dark exactly what it was. A boulder maybe?

Her gasps softened the sounds of twigs breaking behind her as her pursuers stilled.

She clutched her sword, the hilt digging into her palm. The demon closest to her showed her his fangs and his tiny leather wings fluttered along his back.

“Hard to impress me after I've met a dragon.” She took a step a forward.

“Get out!” Xilon's voice was a hoarse whispered in her mind.

“What do you think I'm trying to do? Waltz with them?”

“Fir—”

“What?” She jerked away as one of the demons tore after her.

A stirring overhead sounded. Bats? The noise came again and the demons around her scattered. What could terrify demons? She didn't want to stick around to find out.

Her first instinct was to head back to Xilon. He had told her he'd take her to a shelter and he spoke English…well, mind-spoke to her and he might be able to help her get home.

She kept her sword in hand and raced through the forest. Fire spewed down from above.

What the hell?

The flames exploded the tree trunks. Thousands of splinters and fragments of wood shot out in all directions. She ducked as she covered her head with her arms and ran. Screams from the dying demons made her heartbeat triple.

White-hot fire burst to her left. Its heat hundred times hotter than any flame she'd ever come close to. It singed the hairs on her arms from dozens of feet away. Had to be dragonfire.

She stumbled over a bush, her knee smashing into the ground. Pain lanced through her leg as she stood. She limped forward, crashing through the foliage.

Smoke billowed around her. She whipped her sword out in front of her until it hit a tree, then she moved around the obstacle and onto the next.

Her breaths turned into gagging coughs.

Was she going the right way?

“Xilon!” she coughed. “Xilon.”

She lifted the edge of her shirt with one hand and covered her mouth. Her lungs starving for more air.

Another blast sounded yards to her left. She limped ahead, using the trees she found for balance.

“Ash,” Xilon's voice in her mind made her falter.

Joy that he was alive claimed her heart. No, her emotion had to be hope that he could get her out this inferno.

“Where are you?” he asked.

“In the middle of shit.” Would he even hear her?

“Seriously. Where? Others of my kind flying over the forest now. Do you have anything you can signal with?”

Yeah, let me get my bike out of the shop and shoot up a flare. She groped around in the darkness for something. But her hands only found dirt and grass. Her coughing started again. Shit, shit, shit!

Her ankle slipped as she stood. A twinge of pain stole her breath.

Okay, looks like the dragon isn't going to save the damsel. So, I'll save myself.