Dark Blood(135)
The bullet flew true, speeding directly at Xaviero’s forehead, right between his eyes. Xaviero smiled, a malicious, vile, spiteful promise of pure glee.
In her shared mind with Zev, Branislava screamed in alarm. Zev, duck, hit the ground. She tore her gaze from Xaviero’s and frantically chanted a protection spell.
That made of lead,
Fired to kill,
I remove your force,
Now shall you be stilled.
The bullet hit some kind of barrier, stopping just between Xaviero’s eyes, hovering there for a moment and then reversing, to streak through the air straight at the shooter. Zev hit the ground and rolled, the bullet obeying Branislava’s order at the last moment, falling harmlessly to earth.
Xaviero saluted her with a small bow, his smile widening until he looked almost grotesque, an unholy monster from another realm. She realized he’d spent time in the very place Xavier was trapped. The three brothers had prepared for the inevitable moment when one of them was killed.
Zev, find his sacrifice. Do it fast, all hell’s about to break loose. She needed help fast. No matter what happens, keep them off of us. Tatijana, Skyler, Ivory. I need you now. We’re in the battle of our lives. Xaviero and Xayvion will strike at us. We’re the only ones able to stop them. You have to protect us. We’ll need time to counter their spells.
The spell of the inverted pentagram had closed the clearing off from all help. She was certain no one could get in and no one could get out. The fog winding up the trees and into the sky, coming together in a dense bank above their heads, was all about preventing Carpathians from using storms, or taking to the skies.
The three brothers had a long time to perfect their ambush and they knew how each species fought. No doubt they had prepared for every eventuality. Zev had been correct in saying three days was too long to give the mages—not when they’d been preparing for centuries.
The fogbank crept out of the forest, surrounding the clearing like a great army. She could see eyes glowing, both red and yellow.
Hellhounds, Zev. He’s got hellhounds coming at us.
They emerged out of the fog. Snarling. Slobbering. Dripping great strings of venom from their muzzles. Lips were drawn back, revealing large razor-sharp teeth. Their heads were massive and many of them had two heads. One had three. Their bodies were the size of ponies, thick and roped with muscle. Black fur appeared spiked and bristling, as if one could get seriously wounded touching them. As they approached slowly, the ground beneath them blackened, the grass withering and curling under each step. Behind each of the hounds was a man, or rather a creature, half man, half wolf.
Sange rau. Branislava breathed the name into his mind.
This was the Lycans’ worst nightmare—an army of Sange rau—mixed bloods, faster, stronger and more intelligent than everyone else.
Take down the barriers he’s built, Zev said. Don’t think about anything else. We’re prepared for hellhounds. We knew he had an army of Sange rau.
His voice calmed her as it always did. He was matter-of-fact. There was no panic in him, no terror. She realized it was the trait that others relied on as well. Zev could truly face danger and not flinch. His mind was always working, always finding a way.
Someone screamed, a high-pitched voice of terror. Branislava swiveled around. The ground erupted, first with insects and right behind them, mutated red-striped toads with serrated teeth. Venom dripped down their chins. They snapped at the insects and as people shifted, the movement attracted their attention.
Toads began hopping onto the nearest warm body and injecting a paralyzing venom into their victim as quickly as possible. Each time a toad sank its teeth into its prey, it emitted a loud croak, calling to the others. More leapt at the hapless targets, attaching themselves on calves and thighs, ripping away clothing to reach the flesh beneath. The accumulated poison brought their quarry crashing to the ground fairly quickly.
The moment their prey went down, dozens leapt on them, swarming over the top of them like in some macabre horror movie. Blood ran into the ground beneath them, but most of the victims were so weighed down by the toads, she couldn’t see them, just the moving mounds of toads. To her shock, the toads appeared to be growing, or they were bloated from the repulsive feast.
Other Lycans tried to help their fallen friends, kicking at the slavering creatures and trying to yank up the paralyzed victims. Those injected with the toad venom could only stare up at their comrades, unable to move or talk or even scream as the toads began to devour them.
Tatijana, you have to take care of those toads, Zev commanded. Branka, get that barrier down and then get rid of the fog.
She wanted to hiss at him in anger. Did he think she was a miracle worker? All around her was complete chaos, Carpathians pouring hyssop oil over them, turning, taking careful aim and firing oil-dipped arrows at the hellhounds.