Page 111 of The Monsters We Are

“I’m good,” said Xavier, panting. “Got shot a few times but healing fast.”

Delilah and Hattie shifted to their usual forms. Their skin streaked with blood, they prodded at the few non-lethal injuries they sported and then announced that they too were fine.

“Then it’s time for us to get back in the jeep,” said Wynter, crossing to the driver’s door. “We have a town to invade.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

As the SUV Cain rode in whizzed past the spot where Wynter had fought the keepers, he noticed that the jeep was gone. Which meant she’d already joined the sea of speeding vehicles. He hoped she wasn’t in the front, but he wouldn’t put it past her to lead the charge.

There was no way to creep up on the town. Not when there was nothing but prairie land up-ahead, giving them no cover, making it easy for the people in the watchtowers to spot them. As such, they’d all chosen to drive toward Aeon at top speed, using the vehicles as shields of a sort.

Despite the rumbling of so many engines, Cain heard bells ring in the near distance. “The alarm has been sounded.”

Sitting beside him in the rear passenger row, Azazel nodded. “I wonder if they’ll guess it’s our people who’s coming at them.”

“Whatever the case, they won’t guess that any Ancients are part of the army. Our presence will take them off-guard for certain.”

Azazel grinned. “Which makes this all the more fun.”

Cain studied the curtain stone wall—one covered in rotting moss, thanks to Wynter—that shielded the town. It wouldn’t be necessary to take it down in order to enter Aeon. Which was good, because it was solid enough to withstand blasts of power and even the impact of crashing vehicles. The grand wooden doors in that arched opening, however? Not so much.

“Arrows,” said the aide in the driver’s seat.

A thin wave of flaming arrows flew through the sky and rained down on them. They bounced off metal and windows, harmlessly hitting the ground courtesy of the protective spells cast by the many magick users.

Everyone sped on. And so more arrows came. And more. And more. Then came bullets and blasts of magick, all of which did no damage to the vehicles.

Cain sometimes heard the screech of metal grinding against metal coming from somewhere outside, suggesting that maybe riders of bikes had been hit and subsequently lost their balance. But most everyone continued making a direct beeline for Aeon.

And they were almost there.

Near the entrance, a harsh wind abruptly built in the air and then came racing toward the vehicles.

Cain pushed open the roof hatch and released a surge of power. It crashed into the wind and turned it into a spinning vortex. A vortex that soon shifted into a horrendously large swarm of angry wasps. Wasps that then zoomed toward Aeon.

“The keepers are abandoning the watchtowers,” said the aide riding shotgun, a smile in his voice. “Shit, they can’t move fast enough.”

Cain returned to his seat. “It won’t matter. Those were killer wasps. Their stings are fatal.”

Azazel looked at him. “After that show of power, they’ll know the Ancients are leading the army—or at least suspect it. Adam won’t want to believe it.”

Cain shrugged. “They’d have learned it soon enough anyway, because we’re almost there.”

“Hey, I’m not complaining. That wind would have tossed the vehicles here, there, and everywhere. We can’t afford to lose people.”

“Here comes the first line of defense,” said the driver as the wooden doors burst open and troops hurried out of it.

The troops didn’t charge at the vehicles. They formed three lines and gathered in front of the entrance, guns raised or orbs of magick in hand. They didn’t attack, though. Cain suspected they were waiting for the invaders to exit the vehicles and expose themselves.

Close to the entrance now, the vehicles began to slow . . . with the exception of the cars in front. They charged right at the troops, mowing many down but stopping short of the curtain wall.

Mere moments after all the vehicles came to a halt, passengers were hopping out and then racing toward the troops. There were roars of fire, crackles of magick, whooshes of power, and the thunder of bullets. The troops fell quickly, ridiculously overpowered.

Abaddon led the charge as everyone poured through the arch or—in the cases of dragons and many avian shapeshifters—cleared the curtain wall. From outside it, Cain heard battle cries, the firing of yet more bullets, and the roaring of animal shifters . . . which meant many troops awaited them. The arch was only wide enough for five people at a time to barrel through the gap, which meant those in front were going to meet with the resistance without much backupinitially. He hoped it didn’t mean they were taken down.

When Cain was finally inside the walls, he almost rocked back on his heels. The once lush landscape was a sad sight. Trees were black and gnarled. Grass was brown and covered in fungi. Shrubs were leafless and thin. Ponds had dried up or become swampy bogs.

Excellent work, pretty witch.

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