Page 88 of The Vampire King's War

“Right.” Julian cast around. “The top of the path! We’ll lead them up there then I’ll teleport us into the building. They’ll think we just disappeared. Sound like a plan?”

“But they’ll still be here with us. And we need to find that gate,” Christian pointed out.

Julian let out a wild laugh. “I can’t think of anything else! It’s gotta do for now!”

Christian didn’t answer as Julian was right. So instead, he booked it back up the path they had just been coming down. The ground shook again, but this time from the ungainly creatures running after them. Despite their size, they were fast. But he and Julian were faster.

They made it to the top of the path where the rockslide cut off their escape. Christian skidded to a halt and spun around to face their pursuers. They would need to wait to teleport until the creatures were almost upon them to confuse them fully, Christian thought. The creatures were far closer than Christian expected them to be. Julian grabbed his hand and laced their fingers together.

“Get ready,” Julian said under his breath. “Get ready.”

The creatures were twenty feet away then fifteen then ten. Their massive fists reached above their sloping heads and that terrible roar-hyena laugh exited their mouth as one as they believed they had their prey. Christian swallowed, preparing his stomach for teleporting. Hopefully, the amount of the interior of the building that Julian could see was enough for him to teleport them to. He smelled the creatures’ foul breath. His eyes flickered over to Julian. Julian though wasn’t looking at him or the building, but at a ledge above them where the loose rocks had rained down earlier.

“I’ve got a better plan!” Julian let out another wild laugh.

Before Christian realized what that plan was, they were teleporting up to that ledge.

“Help me! Help me push this on top of them!” Julian yelled as he launched his right shoulder at a boulder that had slid down, but remained precariously perched on the edge.

Christian didn’t need to be asked twice. He slammed his shoulder against it too. Between them the boulder shifted and groaned. Dirt rained down upon the creatures, but they didn’t seem to understand the danger they were in. Instead, the creatures jumped up and down, arms outstretched towards their prey that had somehow slipped from their grasp.

“PUSH!” Julian shouted.

Both of them strained and the boulder--as big as a garage--moved. It rolled forward and then… free fall! The creatures realized at the last second their fate, but they only had time to open those shove-like jaws before there was a wet splat and the crunch of bone. Blood, looking black and thick, poured out from under the boulder that had found its mark.

“YES!” Julian laughed.

They gave each other a high-five. Christian was grinning from ear to ear.

“That was not as bad as I thought it would be!” Christian confessed. “Kaly really fell down on that defense.”

“They weren’t one of my defenses,” a familiar voice drawled. “They were just two stupid creatures that had wandered into my lair as the world falls down.”

Christian’s head snapped towards the sound. There was a figure in black with platinum hair standing in the doorway, leaning against the door jam with a negligent air of grace.

“Caemorn?!” Julian asked. His voice was full of shock and relief but also confusion.

There was no relief though for Christian. The hair that had been standing up on the back of his neck because of those creatures was still standing upright.

“Caemorn? How are you here?!” Julian laughed. “Not that I’m complaining but--hold on, we’ll come down.”

Christian grasped his best friend’s arm and squeezed it so tightly that Julian’s head jerked to the side.

“That’s not Caemorn… I mean it is, but…” Christian couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen it before. That none of them had seen it. But now, it was as plain as day or night. He would recognize that soul anywhere.

“Christian, what--”

“Julian, he’s Kaly,” Christian said. “Caemorn is Kaly.”

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