Page 21 of Crown of Tides and Fury

“Why are we botherin’ with the truck?”

Wickham pulled over between two flowering bushes and hit the brakes. He grabbed the shoulder of Kitch’s jacket and the two of them popped into Jez’s bright living room, to the empty stretch by the window.

“Good Lord,” she said, and lowered a teacup to the tray on the table.

“Grab what ye need, love.” Wickham gestured toward the window. “The devil has arrived in Muirsglen. Ye’re comin’ with us.”

She jumped to her feet, then hesitated. “I cannae leave. People need me—”

“They’re gone. Or soon will be. Ye said ye havenae seen anyone for days. Now we ken why.”

Kitch didn’t take his eyes off the yard. “How did they miss this house?”

“Wards,” Jez answered. “Ye see? I’m well hidden. I’ll be fine—”

“There’s no time to blether,” Wickham barked. “Sarah’s been slaughtered. Doors are standin’ open everywhere. If they’ve made it past the wards on the village, they’ll eventually make it past yers. Now grab what ye need and we’ll go.”

“Wickham!”

He moved to the edge of the window, opposite Kitch. Together, they watched two pair of Orion’s Anubis-type monsters shuffled their large feet along the far side of the road. A short furry thing on two legs followed behind. The fat fangs that hung four inches from its mouth proved it was the same sort that had attacked Everly in Corsica.

Though the creatures’ gazes moved over Jez’s house, they didn’t linger. Apparently, her wards were still working.

“Quiet, now, Jez.” Wickham’s hushed tone brought her to the window. She took one look, swallowed hard. “Wickham?”

“I’ll explain later,” he whispered, then looked her over. “Have what ye need?”

“Don’t ye love it?” The bird’s question was shrill and made all three of them jump. Across the street, those blue-black faces turned. The big feet stopped.

Wickham cursed. He reached for Kitch, but Jez turned and ran into the next room. The two of them followed. “We’re leavin’, Jez. With or without ye.”

She rummaged through a drawer next to her bed, shoved things in her pockets, grabbed a little sack off the dresser, and came back around. “I have to get Fingal. Where is yer truck?”

“No truck. Ye have five seconds to grab that bird.”

Kitch ran back to the window. The monsters stood at the edge of the yard. One of them drew an imaginary line in the air before him. The line itself blazed as if being soldered, and a strange flap of nothingness fell away. A door through the wards?

As soon as the beasts stepped through, they ran for the house.

“Too late!” Kitch rushed to the doorway with Wickham and met Jez coming back with the bird. Wickham grabbed her hand. With his other hand locked around Kitch’s forearm, they popped out.

Jezebel Sorenson blinked and found herself in an enormous room with a single chair pushed into a corner. Wickham and Kitchens still clung to her but stepped back.

“Tell them we’ll be back,” Wickham said, “and we’ll need the hunting party ready fast!” He grabbed Kitchens’ arm and they disappeared.

8

Not Completely Heartless

Kitch was surprised to find himself standing across the street from Jez’s house, watching monsters filter through the destroyed doorway.

Wickham released his arm. “I reckoned the pair of us could take out these five.” He sighed. “T’is the least we can do for any who remain.”

They followed the beasts inside. Kitch grabbed a coat from the entry and threw it over the small bloodsucker. By the time the creature made a sound, he and Wickham had already taken out the first two big ones, slicing them from behind. Another slice took out the bloodsucker and Kitch had to jump back to avoid the bulk of the red gore that exploded from it.

The swing of a long blue-black arm would have taken off his head had he not jumped back. As the claws passed a whisper away, he had an epiphany. But before he shared it, he ripped the back of that swinging arm with his silver blade. The monster screamed in outrage, but the contact with silver was all it took to end him. The universe swallowed the bugger whole.

Kitch held his tongue until Wickham had taken out the last beast, then watched as the air rent itself open a fifth time to take the big carcass back to whatever dimension it had come from.

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