21. Asher

TWENTY-ONE

Asher

T he explosion slammed me into an SUV, my spine taking the brunt of the impact.

I hit the asphalt, shards of glass falling with me.

By the gods!

My head spinning, colorful dots in my vision, I got to my feet. Car alarms screeched and humans screamed. Terrific heat licked at me from all angles, the sounds of wings beating and swords clashing activating my stony skin.

What just happened?

Despite the surge of adrenaline, I wobbled, staggering to the side. The SUV really did a number on my back. The pointy end of my sword scraped the ground as I used it to steady myself, listing slightly to the right.

I rubbed my eyes with my free hand, scrambling for a clue, my synapses all higgledy-piggledy.

An explosion. Fire around me, the café burning.

Whoa.

Screaming, screaming, screaming. Luke inside the SUV.

Muddy puzzle pieces slammed together, reality kicking down any confusion.

“Luke!”

The vehicle was upside down, the windows smashed, smoke billowing from the engine, engulfing the rest of SUV’s insides. I sprang into action, diving onto the ground, ignoring all the pain.

Seth crawled out of the smoke, coughing his lungs up. Luna followed him.

“Luke!” I called, sliding to the next window, sticking my head inside. My eyes burned, the smoke immediately overwhelming.

I choked and coughed, reaching for him, pawing at leather seats and broken glass. Every time I opened my mouth to call his name, I gagged, filling my lungs with smoke.

Shit.

I pushed myself out into the fresh air, staggering away to cough and vomit, trying to sense him.

A body crashed into me, tackling me to the ground. Such a move from a human wouldn’t normally take me off my feet, especially with my stone skin on. But this knobhead succeeded in catching me off guard.

I landed on my side, springing back to my feet in an instant. Fresh adrenaline forced me through the effects of the smoke, my knight skills firing on all cylinders.

The gas mask human swung a curved blade at me. I jumped back, lashing out with my tail and swept him off his feet, then rushed him as his spine crunched on the ground, driving my sword into his chest.

He bled out quickly.

Another came at me with an axe, going for a downward slice. I twirled, fury descending like a veil. My sword cut through her neck, her masked head bouncing away, the rest of her crumbling into a heap.

“Luke!” I cried, choking on my words.

Pissing smoke!

Seth got to his feet, stumbling forward all bleary-eyed, slipping in blood. “What’s going on?”

“Sir!” Billy appeared, soot smeared on his lovely face, his blond locks filthy.

I froze, watching him watch me, stunned into stillness.

For about four seconds.

Only Luke mattered.

Returning to the SUV, I pushed myself back inside. Hunting like a crazed dog. Exploring every area as meticulously as possible. But there were no other bodies in this vehicle.

Shit!

Crawling out, taking a moment to recover, I took to the air, smoke-induced tears streaming down my face.

“Luke!”

I scanned the area, really getting a sense of the situation now.

What remained of the café blazed furiously, debris everywhere. Dead bodies smoldered, injured survivors screamed as others tried to help them or hid from the flood of gas mask humans running around the place.

By the gods, there was so many of them. At least thirty fighting with the gargoyles. Attacking with weapons and magic, some even slaughtering those humans who tried making a run for it.

Chaos and carnage, no sign of Luke.

“Asher!” Billy cried.

An enchanter leaped onto a car bonnet, hurling a potion in my direction. I flew out of its trajectory in an upward swoop, getting enough distance as it exploded. Red dust mushroomed in the air, transforming into liquid. It came down on Luke’s SUV in an aggressive deluge.

Whoa!

The metal fizzed and melted away within seconds, leaving behind a bubbling crimson pool.

Shit. Not good.

Billy grabbed Seth and Luna under each arm, taking them into the air, looking as magnificent as always.

I shook off rising memories of better times with him, eyeing up the scene again, staying vigilant.

“Luke!”

“The key will be with the queen!” a chorus of voices boomed from above.

Six chimeras with humans on their backs, all red, were coming in like fighter jets. At the same time, a torrent of multicolored motes swept into the carpark in a case of seriously bad timing. They went everywhere, creating monster after monster, serving up a buffet of horror.

“Such glorious fun!” a voice hissed from the burning café.

A snake burst out of the flames, as radiantly orange as the fire, five eyes in its massive head.

The screams of the poor humans caught in this crossfire hurt my soul.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

“Luke!” I prepared for battle, getting no sense of my mark. “Luke!”

A glow on the bridge crossing the motorway caught my eye. The same glow the shark monster launched at us. Humans marching beneath the glitter light, the glow shaped like an egg.

Luke was inside that thing.

I’m coming!

Before I could move, the chimera unleashed their fire.