Blood Reunion

Chapter 17

Zellar stared in disbelief. Every rumor he’d heard in the past concerning this child bore out his own theories—that a half High Demon would never turn. This one had turned. No matter what he did, now, no matter how strong the spell, Zellar would have no recourse against this one. He still held hope, however, since this was a young and untried High Demon and Tandias was an experienced fighter. Zellar resolved to hold the shields and watch—as long as the battle remained in Tandias’ favor.

Lissa’s Journal

I kept more screams from escaping as the Ra’Ak charged Tory. Rigo, acting faster than I could think, rushed Gren. Three flashes of light—likely from protection jewels worn by Nissa, Toff and Trik—had blown the Half-Fae back. Tory’s Thifilathi was now close enough to neutralize Gren’s power, but the young Fae wasn’t giving up his quest to kill Toff. Gren had only been knocked back temporarily by Nissa’s protection jewels, a testament to the power he’d stolen from my planet. Rising swiftly, he lifted a metal rod from a rack to strike at Toff, Nissa and Trik. Rigo wasn’t about to let that happen.

The noise, too, was deafening, as the Ra’Ak attempted to sink long, poisonous teeth into my son’s Thifilathi. Tory roared and slashed out with huge, clawed hands. "Back out of the way," a hand and a familiar voice was pulling me away from potential danger—the Ra’Ak’s body and his lethal, poison-tipped scales were threatening to roll in my direction while I dumbly stood and watched the monster battle my son.

Gren’s blood, too, now drenched Rigo’s right hand—the decapitation hadn’t taken a blink to accomplish. Gren had no battle experience and he’d only focused on Toff, Trik and Nissa, never thinking an attack might come from behind.

"Daddy?" I blinked tears away as I stared at the one who’d come—Griffin. His eyes, normally a deep, hazel well of knowledge and experience, now held a wealth of pain I couldn’t define.

"I don’t have much time; I need to help my grandson, there. He doesn’t have experience fighting Ra’Ak. I do. I’ve come from the future. Somebody found me and told me I had to come. I would have come anyway, but I can’t deny the order I was given."

With that, Griffin turned to his fighting animal, a huge, brown and gold Gryphon, who leapt at the Ra’Ak, his sharp beak biting deep into the Ra’Ak’s neck as the giant serpent snapped at Tory. The Ra’Ak screamed and swept his tail behind him, knocking deep piles of debris aside.

"Ry, Nissa, help me move the people," I shouted, running forward. With that first sweep of the Ra’Ak’s tail, unconscious bodies were being buried beneath heaps of wreckage. I prayed that none had come in contact with the Ra’Ak’s scales—that was a swift and painful death for most humanoids, even with a healer from the Saa Thalarr present.

* * *

Zellar muttered an expletive as the giant, mythical creature attacked Tandias from behind. Only one race held the ability to become Gryphon now. The gryphons had died out long ago; the Copper Ra’Ak had deliberately destroyed them. And with a Gryphon and a High Demon fighting him, Tandias had no hope of winning his battle. Gren was already dead; Zellar had witnessed the swift beheading at the hands of the vampire. Knowing his demise was only moments away, Zellar did what came naturally to him. He folded as far away as he could and hoped the Gryphon wouldn’t come hunting him afterward.

* * *

Lissa’s Journal

Nissa, Toff and Trik were behind me as I rushed forward, ducking another sweep of the poisoned tail while Griffin and Tory continued their attack. Ry and Nissa, pulling together, used their power in tandem to lift debris away and dump it in a vacant corner. Only people were left behind, littering the floor like scattered and forgotten rag dolls. Rigo joined us, gathering bodies and delivering them swiftly to the vestibule. At least the store’s square entry was still standing and mostly in one piece. Toff and Trik were working together, too, each grabbing an arm of the nearest unconscious person and pulling them to safety as the Ra’Ak’s tail made another sweep, barely missing my children.

Griffin squawked as the Ra’Ak, bleeding gouts of greenish-yellow goo, leapt forward to snap at him. Tory took that opportunity to grasp the thick neck with his claws and squeeze.

"Look out!" I shrieked. I knew what was coming, but couldn’t do a damn thing about it. The Ra’Ak’s tail struck the ceiling as it went into its death throes, bringing ceiling tile and more debris raining down. Nissa screamed and ducked as a metal beam almost hit her and Ry. Toff and Trik, who’d just delivered another unconscious body to the vestibule, turned swiftly as Nissa screamed. Toff, unmindful of the danger, ran toward Nissa, who’d dropped to the floor beside Ry.

Then the inevitable came. The Ra’Ak dusted with a boom and a powerful blast, with chunks rocketing outward at hundreds of miles per hour. Rigo snatched Trik back and dropped to the floor, holding the teen beneath his body. Ry threw a protection shield up, which encompassed him, Nissa and me. The only one who wasn’t covered in some way was Toff, who was halfway between Ry’s shield and Rigo’s protection. A chunk of Ra’Ak, larger than Rigo’s fist, hit Toff in the head. I screamed as the blood flew and Toff dropped like a stone. The last thing I remember is the floor coming toward me at an unusually accelerated rate.

* * *

"Stand aside, this is why I came." Griffin shoved Ry and Rigo aside to get to Toff. "I was sent to do this," he added, kneeling beside Toff’s unconscious body. Trik held Nissa against him nearby as she wept—Toff had tried to help her and he’d been severely wounded in the attempt. The teen comesula had been struck when the Ra’Ak dusted and now Toff was unconscious on the floor, his head bleeding profusely. Griffin and Rigo knew it was a killing blow the moment they saw Toff’s wound.

"What happened?" Drake and Drew, followed by Gavin, Roff, Tony and Karzac, appeared nearby. Roff moaned in agony as he dropped to the floor beside his son.

"Karzac, I need you to keep Toff alive until I can give him blood," Griffin ordered, ripping back a sleeve and extending his arm to Rigo. Rigo sliced Griffin’s wrist as Karzac knelt beside Toff and placed his body in stasis.

* * *

Lissa’s Journal

"My blood is a gift to you, Toff." My father’s voice was the first thing I heard when I regained consciousness.

"What?" I struggled to sit up. Something was holding me down.

"Lissa, just lie still until Karzac can come." My vision swam, but I would recognize Gavin’s voice and scent anywhere.

"What happened?" I lifted a hand to rub my forehead, still feeling dizzy and confused.

"Cara, Toff was hit when the Ra’Ak dusted. Your father is saving him the only way he can now be saved. He is too young for the turn, you know this."