The shadow crept toward us slowly, its tentacles of mist wrapping around each of the cars and feeling inside the windows and open doors, hoping to claim human lives.
I jumped up on the back of a car, and heard the others doing the same. Using them as stepping-stones, I ran forward, swords at the ready.
We attacked the shadow as best we could—Yuri using abandoned cars as weapons to hurl at the mists, giving us a few moments’ respite between each fresh wave of the enemy’s onslaught.
I glanced over the side of the bridge. Micah, Kira and the rest of my group were all hunched low on the rooftops of the boats, waiting to leap to defend the humans below. Most of the tourists and locals recognized us as GASP. For once I was glad of our fame—it meant that we didn’t have to worry about terrifying civilians while trying to protect them.
We continued to slice through the shadow army, but before long the mists had started to seep over the sides of the bridge, looking for easier prey.
They weren’t going to find it.
The werewolves tensed, watching the shadow’s approach. The humans started screaming, no doubt feeling the dark, oppressive dread that the armies could inflict.
Arwen and Eli were dragging the truck driver from the water, making their way to a small emergency boat that was zipping around below the bridge. The emergency team helped the driver climb aboard, and embraced Eli and Arwen, trying to get them to step into heat-retaining blankets.
“Build a barrier!” I called to the sentries behind us. “Make sure it doesn’t get any further inland.”
If we could isolate them here, saving the humans who were gathered by the massive movie theater, and fight our battle on the boats, we’d have a larger chance of success. The ministers and the guards leapt into action, using the tall buildings to stretch the barrier over one end of the bridge.
Yuri and I jumped off the railings, both landing on a tourist boat beside Micah. A second later, Arwen had helped Claudia, Ash and Ruby to do the same from the emergency boat, sending them flying through the air to join Kira.
The shadow was quick to surround us. I abandoned my swords, finding it easier to rip and tear with my hands. Soon we had quite an audience. The humans below us yelled out helpful tips like, “Behind you!” and, “Yeah—get ’em! Get ’em!” I rolled my eyes at Yuri. Somehow our battle had turned into a spectator sport—but at least the crowds were no longer screaming in horror.
“I hope they hurry up and locate the entity,” I called out to Yuri. “This isn’t going to stop otherwise.”
I looked over to where the sentries were lined up at the end of the bridge. Their barrier was holding up well—the shadow had mostly merged down into the water—but there weren’t enough of us to hold it at bay forever.
“We need to evacuate these people!” I called to Arwen, hoping she could hear me. A moment later I heard the emergency boat pull up alongside the bigger tourist yacht.
“What can I do, Bastien?” Arwen asked, sending out spells toward the shadow while she spoke. The mists leapt back momentarily, but didn’t let up on their assault.
“We need to get the people out of the boats. If we get called to another location because of the entity, all these people are going to be left defenseless.”
“I’ll think of something,” the witch replied. “Cover me, Eli?”
Eli, who was positioned nearby, nodded, moving at the speed of light to make sure that the younger witch was protected.
She took over from the driver, speeding the little boat out into the middle of the river. There, she cut the engine. She rushed to the side, her hands stretched out over the water.
I continued to fight off the shadow, but kept one eye on the witch. The river water, previously fairly still, was now growing choppier by the second. It was rocking our boat and some of the others, sending the werewolves skittering around the covers of the yachts, unable to get a good grip.
“Careful, Arwen,” I warned under my breath, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to hear me.
The waters started to rear up. The witch was creating a whirlpool, its force so strong it was practically starting to drain the riverbed. The boats knocked against one another, juddering on impact. But it was working. The mists were getting drawn into the water. A typhoon-type spiral reared upward, slowly becoming level with the skyscrapers in the distance. It sucked in more of the shadow till the waters became as black as night—the howls of the soldiers could be heard emanating from the mists. It wasn’t destroying them, but it was holding them at bay.
The spectators from the boats started to whistle and cheer. The mists that surrounded us and the werewolves were drawn away. Eventually, Yuri dropped his swords—there was nothing left to fight.