Some of the humans, not such helpless sheep as the rest, were shooting, but either they did not hit Vonhausel or they were not using silver ammunition, or both. Vonhausel did not turn aside but raced straight toward the burning church; he had some aim in mind, but Alejandro could not tell what it was–
Ezekiel caught him before he reached the church.
The yellow-eyed black dog had no choice but to whirl around to meet Ezekiel’s rush. The impact of their meeting seemed to shake the earth. They tore at each other, a blur of bulk and flashing claws and snapping jaws; the bitter scents of ash and black ichor filled the air; they were locked in a battle that had suddenly become not merely a fight but also a duel. Vonhausel’s remaining black dogs crouched in a semicircle along one side of the street, all of them watching with avid, burning eyes.
The Dimilioc wolves matched them along the other side of the circle. Both Harrison and Benedict were missing, and though Alejandro would have said Dimilioc had been winning the battle, wasn’t there a word for a victory so hard-won it destroyed the victor? But Alejandro could not remember that word either in English or Spanish.
The townspeople had mostly fled, which was the best thing they could do, though where they could go, with the church destroyed, Alejandro did not know; but he did not really care, either, and forgot them at once. Only a scattering remained, armed with their useless guns, but not shooting; they covered the retreat of the rest and maybe wanted to fight, but the man leading them kept them from shooting, wisely avoiding the attention of Vonhausel’s black dogs. And even those were retreating slowly, which was also wise.
To Alejandro’s amazement and fury, he saw that Vonhausel was matching Ezekiel. The black dog was heavy, strong, powerfully muscled and extraordinarily fast, even faster than Ezekiel – then Alejandro finally remembered that of course the Dimilioc verdugo had come into this battle already tired and injured. Then he saw that Vonhausel was not merely matching Ezekiel, but overmatching him. Vonhausel took injuries fearlessly and they closed instantly – he somehow seemed to rid himself of wounds without needing to shift to his human form, which was impossible, but it was happening. Alejandro understood suddenly that Ezekiel might actually lose this fight, and with it the battle, and maybe the whole war…
Zachariah, too, saw Ezekiel’s danger. Ignoring the conventions of the duel, with a cry that began as a bellowing roar and scaled up and up into piercing shriek of rage, he flung himself forward to attack Vonhausel.
The leader of the black dogs spun about as though to meet Zachariah’s rush, but this was a feint, for he whipped right around and struck Ezekiel instead. And this time Ezekiel had mistaken his enemy, for he did not quite evade the blow. Vonhausel ripped claws right up through his belly and then on the backstroke tore out his throat, and Ezekiel, driven for once involuntarily into human form, collapsed to his hands and knees in a spray of ichor and blood. But though Ezekiel shifted so fast and so completely that he survived those terrible wounds, even he was not able to call his shadow back immediately, but was left helpless before his enemy.
Vonhausel did not pause to savor his enemy’s defeat, but struck again in a blur of speed, meaning to finish Ezekiel immediately. But Zachariah crashed into him before he could touch the verdugo, and immediately the two were locked in a tight blur. Thaddeus lunged to tear into that battle, Ethan a beat behind him, and then all of Vonhausel’s black dogs surged forward, and the Dimilioc wolves rushed to meet them, and Alejandro found himself fighting two black dogs who were both larger and heavier than he was, with a shifter harassing him from behind.
If his opponents had worked together, Alejandro might have died then, but one got in the other’s way and they turned on each other, snarling, and then Grayson was beside him, taking advantage of the black dogs’ distraction to kill them both with efficient speed before lunging past, with a deep, guttural snarl of loathing, to hurl himself into a thick knot of enemies.
Alejandro followed the Master, or tried to – Grayson had disappeared into the melee. Alejandro could not find Ethan or Thaddeus or any Dimilioc wolf – he glimpsed Keziah, cutting a deadly swath through enemy black dogs, Amira behind her, and leaped toward them…
The church collapsed, and for a moment all the fighting ceased in the overpowering roar of falling stones and fiery timbers. Then Vonhausel leaped up out of the battle, onto the smoldering rubble. He howled, a long savage sound of hatred and triumph, nothing at all like the howl of a wolf. All around the burning ruins of the church, his black dogs flung back their heads and answered, and, as though in response to their cries, the burning earth cracked open below the ruined church.