Keys to the Demon Prison

"Over here!" Mark yelled, waving his arms. "Come and get me!"

"Shut it," Kendra snapped, readying her crossbow.

As the nearest wyverns swooped at them, Raxtus rolled and dove. Kendra fired her crossbow, but the evasive maneuver made her quarrel go astray. Claws clashed against dragon scales and Kendra felt Raxtus shudder; then the ocean came rushing up at them with alarming speed. Raxtus pulled out of his dive and skimmed the wave tops, paralleling the shore. Wyverns descended from both sides, keeping pace. With a triumphant howl, one crashed down onto Raxtus, and all of them plunged into the brine.

After recovering from the shock of the impact and of the cold water, Kendra found herself blinded by bubbles. Tearing free from her wolf-hide cloak, she stroked to the surface, the weight of her leather armor and sword slowing her ascent. She found herself beside Mark, fighting to keep her nose and mouth above water. Huge bodies surged and lashed nearby, snarling and splashing, sending up fountains of spray.

A wyvern who had not yet joined the fray swooped at them. Mark raised his arms invitingly, and the wyvern seized him. Kendra grabbed Mark’s leg and was yanked up out of the water, heading toward the beach.

"Leave me alone," Mark growled, kicking at her arms with his free leg.

Kendra clung desperately for a few seconds, then lost her hold and dropped into the foamy surf. The water helped break her fall, but she still hit the seafloor hard, and then a curling wave sent her tumbling forward. Regaining her feet,

Kendra staggered through the shallows toward the shore, throat burning as she coughed up salt water.

On the beach, an arrow thunked into Bracken’s shield as a pair of swordsmen descended on him. Blocking one sword with his shield, Bracken deflected the second sword with his blade, then dispatched one of his assailants with a vicious counterstroke. The other swordsman backed away, weapon ready, waiting for Bracken to make the next move.

The wyvern had dumped Mark on the far side of the beach, near the parking lot and the Hummer. Beside the Hummer, bow in hand, Kendra recognized Torina. Sand clung to Mark’s clothes as he knelt on the sand facing his executioners. He shed his army jacket and tore open the shirt underneath, baring his chest in an unmistakable token of surrender. Torina nocked an arrow, and a man robed in gray from head to foot strode forward, a slightly curved sword in each hand. Kendra recognized him as the Gray Assassin from Obsidian Waste.

"No!" Kendra shouted, running across the damp sand, fumbling with the hilt of her sword, much too far away to reach Mark in time.

Swords clashed as Bracken engaged his foe. Their blades met several times before Bracken skewered the other man. Wrenching his sword free, Bracken raced toward Mark, kicking up sand with every stride.

Kendra reached drier sand and it slowed her. Her waterlogged clothing clung heavily. The parking lot remained hopelessly distant. A falcon dove at the warrior in gray but he slashed it out of the air with a casual sweep of his sword.

Bracken shouted in frustration as the Gray Assassin stood before Mark and issued the killing stroke. Instantly, Mark dissolved into dust, wet clothes flopping emptily to the sand.

Torina switched arrows and took aim at Bracken, who lifted his shield as he charged. She released the arrow, and he caught it on the very bottom of his shield.

"Kendra!" Raxtus called from somewhere behind her.

Turning, she saw a wyvern diving at her. With rage and frustration, she swung her sword above her head. Ringing against razor claws, the sword flew from her grasp. Kendra fell to the sand, hands stinging, the wyvern’s swiping claws missing her by inches. The wyvern banked to come back around, then abruptly crumpled to the sand, head askew. A moment later, with a rush of wind, Raxtus alighted beside her, becoming visible.

Tires squealing, the Hummer roared out of the parking lot. Kendra and Raxtus joined Bracken beside the wet army jacket and jeans. Bracken smoldered impotently. His eyes softened when he saw Kendra. "Are you all right?"

"I’m fine," Kendra said.

Sheathing his sword, Bracken plucked an arrow from his shield. "We were so close!" He glanced at the sky, then at Raxtus. "How many wyverns did you get?"

"All five. Two in the water, three in the air. Hardly a fair fight. Their claws couldn’t penetrate my scales, and I was invisible. They have this really fragile spot, right where the neck joins the back of the head. My dad taught me that."

"What happened to Tux?" Kendra asked.

"He changed into a falcon and tried to help," Raxtus said. "The shape-shifter turned to dust along with Mark."

Bracken kicked the army jacket. "Blasted craven! If only I’d been a little quicker."

"They were watching," Raxtus said. "They knew just how to thwart us. If we’d been a little faster, they might have still tracked me and gotten Mark."

"How did that sword kill him?" Kendra asked. "I thought it had to be phoenix or dragon fire or unicorn horns."

"He had magic swords," Bracken said bitterly. "The hilts were made of dragon teeth, and the blades were enchanted. The magic must have been equivalent to dragon breath."

"Torina was with them," Kendra noted.

"She had a few arrows fletched with phoenix feathers," Bracken said. "Magical as well. They would have done the job too." He pulled the other arrow from his shield and held it up. "She didn’t bother to use the special ones on me."

"They ran from you," Raxtus encouraged.

"I expect they were running from you," Bracken said. "As well they should. You’re becoming quite formidable. I’d give chase, but it could be a trap, and our only priority now is the Eternal in Texas. We could waste time pursuing these clowns while another hit squad moves in on our last hope."

Raxtus exercised his wings. "After our last trip, Texas is just around the corner. Hmmm. Might be time to make an exit."

"The police are coming," Bracken said.

After the comments, Kendra noticed the distant whine of sirens. She looked over to the pier. "People must have seen us."

"I’m not sure what I look like to bystanders," said Raxtus. "Not sure about the wyverns either. But onlookers certainly could have glimpsed people flying around and firing arrows and stabbing each other. Bracken left a couple of bodies on the beach. The police probably received multiple calls. It’s time to flee."

"You’re right," Bracken said. "I’ll try to contact the Sphinx. Meanwhile, get us out of here."

Chapter 23 Vasilis

Seth sat on the rocky hillside while Vanessa consulted the hand-drawn map he had received from the Singing Sisters. She compared it to a second map, consulted her compass, and checked the GPS reading. Up ahead, Newel and Doren were fencing with their walking sticks, wood clacking sharply as they slashed and blocked and stabbed. Hugo loomed over Seth, waiting silently as Vanessa got her bearings.