Page 43 of Land of Monsters

BOOOOM!

The jeep flew up into the air, a fireball exploding from the belly, twisting the frame as it flipped down the road, the shriek of metal tearing through the quiet sky, scraping the pavement.The guards reacted instantly, running toward the jeep, their hollers mingling with the roaring inferno, creating more chaos.

“That wasnotthe plan,” Dzsinn hissed next to me.

“No, but it worked.”

Taking advantage of their distraction, we slipped out from the woods, darting across the street. The sounds of more men shouting from above, heading for the commotion, drove up my adrenaline.

This pretty much just announced my arrival.

“Grab onto me and don’t let go,” Dzsinn ordered me, pulling up his cloak and displaying his pale arm. I had to be touching him directly for the spell to let me go through too. I squeezed his forearm as he pulled us through the enchantment, running through the arched stone gate. Normally, going through fae doors or spells was like stepping through jelly. It rubbed at your skin, the energy fizzing around you, but this felt like it recoiled, sucking back, not wanting to touch us. Like we were the ones who had a barrier around us, giving us room to walk through.

The moment we were inside the grounds, we darted for the specific structure. The blueprint showed the tunnel started right under one of the outbuildings.

“It’s locked.” Dzsinn tried the handle.

I peered around for my two companions. The reverberations of another car rumbled down the hill from us, the shouts of men just feet away. At any moment, they could return and find us here.

“Where the fuck are they?” Dzsinn snapped. The sound of boots hitting the gravel caught my breath. Two figures came around the building, freezing us in place. Deep in our dark wool cloaks, we pinned ourselves into the shadows as two soldiers, leaving their guard posts along the forest behind, ran by. My finger pressed on the trigger, ready to fire, my pulse hammering in my ears. The guards barreled past us toward the commotion.

“Too close,” Dzsinn muttered. “We can’t stand here. We have to find another way in.” The genie twisted for the steps heading up, the dark forest providing more cover.

Right then, my attention caught on something scurrying toward us through the darkness, my chest heaving with relief seeing Opie scamper up the steps to us. “Your saviors are here!”

“Saviors?” I clipped, swiping down and picking him up, Bitzy snug in his backpack, flipping me off. “You practically screamed we were here. I asked for a subtle distraction, not this.”

“Thatwassubtle.” Opie frowned.

“To Warwick, maybe.”

“We had to improvise.” He shrugged.

“Hey.” Dzsinn motioned for the locked door. “Talk later. Unlock this door now.”

“So bossy.” Opie put his hands on his hips. “Sounds like you might need your lamp rubbed again.”

Chirp-chirp.

“I was not volunteering myself!”

“Just unlock the door!” I hissed, peering over my shoulder. The noises from the fire and the men drowned us out, but I could feel their interest in the explosion waning. No longer looking for the how, but looking for the who. “Hurry.”

“The broomstick is back up your ass again, fairy.” Opie stretched his fingers together, using my hand as a perch. “Relax.”

“I’ll relax when you get us in.”

“How many times have I failed?”

I slanted my head.

“Okay, how many times today?”

“Just get us inside.”

He started to fiddle with the lock, his face scrunching up. “Ohhhh, this is old school.” He bit his lip. “I thiiinnkk I goottt it…”

“Hurry!” Dzsinn whispered hoarsely. The screech of an army jeep pulled through the archway, the headlights beaming along the back, but it would only be seconds until someone looked over and spotted us in the doorway of the building.

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