Page 119 of Haunted Hearts

“In coming!” Agatha roars.

I hit the ground without pausing to see what trouble is headed my way. A shriek of a Purcian that’sway tooclose for comfort bellows overhead. When it's gone, I’m back on my feet.

The sound of pain coming from up above draws our attention upwards again. Green flames chase the creatures away as they descend upon Willow and her small group. As the lanky reaper beside me said, some of the other creatures hit the barrier from above, trying to break through to get to the warlock. Above us, hundreds of Purcian circle, like vultures, watching and waiting. Theo’s group fights off three of the creatures that lunge for them. More flames from Willow’s group tear through the sky. The cluster of creatures high above scatter, only to regroup a second later.

Oh boy… If we don’t hurry, we’re going to become a Purcian’s lunch. Turning to the reapers, I yell over the ruckus, “We need to break through this barrier!”

Agatha dances out of the way as hail slams into the ground, right where she’d been standing. “Shouldn’t we help Willow? That’s what we’re here for, right?”

It is.

But we can bat these things away from her all day, or we can let the others handle that while we tackle this new, unexpected shield around the house. I say, we’ll be more of a help if we can weaken Fulton’s defenses. This way, Fulton will have to contend with this extra external threat, too. A black metal sword appears in my hand as I clench my jaw and face the house. Huh, guess Death trusted me with a weapon after all.

My eyes land on the blade.

The blade catches the lightning that flashes. As it reflects the green in the sky, I’m hit with an idea. I look up at the house before us. I’m not a fighter. That’s Theo, Viktor, and Kwil’s job. I’m not terribly brave either. I’m not a strategist, or even very clever, either.

But I’m nothing if not resourceful.

Raising the blade above my head, I bring it down against the barrier. My arms are jarred and go numb as my sword bounces away. Without hesitating, I readjust my grip, and hit the barrier again. This time when it makes contact, the barrier flickers into sight. It’s a purple iridescent film that appears and disappears just in front of us.

“I saw that!” Agatha leaps to my side. “Here let me help.”

“On three,” I tell her. “One, two…”

Together, with her scythe and my sword, we hit the barrier. When we pull away, there’s a tiny little crack. I grin before looking over my shoulder.

“Come on! All of you!” I wave them over and they don’t hesitate. “Alright, on my mark!”

The five of us strike the barrier over and over again. Each time we hit it, the barrier becomes more visible. The crack grows larger, splintering like a web. This is going to work! I glance upwards at the chaos up there. Willow’s flames keep the creatures back for the most part, but some are braver than the others. Purcians duck and dive out of harm’s way, reaching for her only to get sliced and cut down by Kwil, Brock, and the others. On the other side, Theo and his group mimic us, striking at the shield with all their might.

It doesn't take us long. The cracks make their way up and around, following the dome shape up to the top. Our cracks and Theo’s group’s meet at the top. The air begins to vibrate as the barrier starts to shake.

“Fall back!” I raise my hand to bring everyone to a halt.

The four reapers jump back, cheering as the magic flickers before us. I follow, making sure to cover them as the energy that begins to come off the barrier intensifies. My bones rattle and my vision blurs as it becomes more and more extreme.

“Brace yourselves,” I warn. “We’re about to meet a mean mother fucker.”

I swallow. My hands on the hilt of my sword begin to sweat despite the freezing cold air.

I did it. I figured out how to get to the warlock.

Now, we just have to kill him.

Chapter39

WILLOW

“Watch your backs!” Caveman roars.

I don’t have time to spin around before the threat is on me.

But Kwil has the time.

He moves so fast that he becomes a blur. There’s a shriek and roar. As I finally turn to face the Purcian, Kwil has managed to bring the creature down from the sky and is tearing through its torso like a dog with a bone. Chunks of meat are torn away from the body while blood sprays like a hose all over us. Kwil lets out a guttural roar, more intimidating than any of these things could produce.

I shiver. Not in fear but in… arousal. Watching Kwil go full monster ishot.

---