Page 70 of House of Vampires and Flame

My heart thundered.

The mage prince strolled toward the male Shrieker. The female had four scaled breasts. Everyone always assumed that males were more of a threat. How wrong they were.

“Kill the male and capture the female alive,” the prince ordered.

Good luck catching the female. I’d wait for the mages to kill the male Shrieker if they could, but no way would I allow the female to live. I’d make my move when chaos resumed, so no one would know it was me.

Cade flung a stream of orange fire toward the male Shrieker. It raised its armguard to block the fire, and the mage fire fizzled out.

Cade snarled, and two large fireballs popped out of his palms. He hurled both at his target. His aim was true, but the potent mage fire winked out against the Shrieker’s half-machine, half scaled lizard chest.

The mages’ fire, even from the strongest of them, couldn’t burn a Shrieker!

Then every mage lurched toward the Shriekers and tossed spells and fire at them. The fire dissipated as soon as it touched the monsters. The spells sank into the creatures but couldn’t do much. The abominations came from Ruin’s magic. Now I was sure only my father and I could kill Shriekers.

Unless the mages used a weapon like Deathsong, the dagger in my hand.

The Shriekers pushed through the torrent of spells toward me, shrieking in glee. Sy snarled, wanting to fight, but I reined her in.

Cade shook his wand. As it vibrated, wind and fire surged toward the Shriekers. They staggered for a second or two before advancing toward me again.

“They’re immune to our magic and spells!” a mage called frantically.

“Cut them! Cut them down!” Cade called, and he yanked out a sword strapped to his thigh and lunged at the male Shrieker.

He swung his blade up at the Shrieker, aiming to behead it, but the Shrieker proved to be too tall. Cade changed his aim, going low at the last second, and thrust his sword at its chest. The creature raised its claws to fend off the strike. The mage prince’s blade bounced off, as if it was hitting impenetrable metal.

Even a supernatural’s weapon couldn’t cut into Ruin’s creatures, but I wouldn’t lend the prince Deathsong to drag myself into shit.

The war mages surrounded the female Shrieker, battering it with their blades to no avail. That kind of attack could cut any other being to ribbons but had no effect on a Shrieker.

“How do we kill these things?” Two mages echoed their shouts while stabbing the Shrieker to keep it at bay.

The prince and the male Shrieker dueled back and forth. Though the prince, an excellent swordsman, ducked the Shrieker’s claws and scored while getting a few scratches, his blade couldn’t bleed his opponent.

Bea darted forward and directed her wand at the male Shrieker to aid her prince. Her spells complemented his, yet they couldn’t take down the creature. More mages joined the siege.

The female Shrieker wheeled like a black wind, its claws sending several mages flying into the air then crashing into the ground. A tall mage was sent flying back through the Veil. The sound of bones cracking made me wince.

Then a mage and a witch fell at the feet of the female Shrieker, one set of its claws cutting into a mage’s neck while its other set thrust into a witch’s chest as she screamed.

The Shriekers had sped up their attacks, eager to end the fight and come for me. More wounded mages littered the blackened field between the Shriekers and me.

“Throw spells and fireballs at them again! They’ve been weakened,” I screamed a lie, my words beating with power.

The mages obeyed. They let their spells and fireballs sail at the Shriekers, chanting collectively. That was when I made my move while no one was watching me. I turned the spells mine by absorbing them then releasing and directing them toward the Shriekers before anyone could notice how the spells had transformed after having changed ownership.

The spells and fireballs tainted with my power sank into both Shriekers and detonated.

The prince and the mages jumped back as the Shriekers were blown apart.

“What a bloody show! Too bad we couldn’t capture the female alive,” Cade said, staring at the chunks of the Shriekers and the blackened land. “The threat that the oracle foretold to come to Mist of Cinder is finally here. We must warn the councils of the abominations and the blight!”

His words struck a chord in me. So, Mist of Cinder had heard about Ruin after all, or at least, their oracle wasn’t so blind. I hoped they truly realized what kind of threat Ruin would pose. Even without me leading him here, he’d eventually have found this last realm of magic that he’d been seeking. It was only a matter of time, even though I’d led him here earlier. The guilt and burden were mine alone, but I’d defend this realm with my life.

Cade turned to me. “You discovered this threat first, Little Bob. I don’t think you’re what they say you are.”

Ice coursed in my veins. Had he discovered me? Should I flee right now?

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