“Ogre,” I replied. “They were behind thethirty-third seal.”
Her fingers curled into my shirt. The groundshook, and to the right of us, more branches drove into the dirtand created a crisscrossing web of protection. The nymph cried outand scurried into the branches of the closest tree.
“I take it they’re not fighters,” Hawkremarked as his eyes followed the wave of trees continuing tocreate a wall around us.
“They’re better lovers,” Magnus confirmed.“But they’ll kill someone without a second’s hesitation.”
Releasing River, I pushed her behind me whenhands the size of a table grabbed the tree limbs. Broken andbloodied black fingernails tore at the branches and leaves. Thetrees made an ominous sound before more branches pulled back.Instead of driving into the ground or creating a barrier, the limbsslammed into the ogre.
One pierced through the top of its shoulderand straight into the ground, pinning it into place. The ogre’s redeyes bulged as another limb shot out to wrap around its wrists andyanked its hands away from the branches it clawed at. The ogrehowled as it was drug away into the never-ending night. Bloodsprayed over the branches before the howl abruptly cut off.
“What just happened?” Hawk inquired.
“The trees tore it apart,” I said beforeturning to River. She was five shades paler than she’d been before,but her gaze was steady when it met mine.
“So we should be really glad they likeRiver,” Hawk said.
“Yes,” I replied as the ground beneath myfeet quaked once more.
“What is that?” River inquired as morebranches drove into the dirt and crisscrossed through each other,surrounding us.
“More ogres,” I replied as another onecrashed into the wall of branches.
CHAPTER 33
River
My heart thundered in my chest as anothermonster tore at the trees and shredded the leaves within itsmassive fingers. Noises that reminded me of a cross between arutting pig and a frenzied hyena emanated from the creature. Hawkpulled his gun from his holster as the ogre thrust its head intothe hole it had created.
Two tusk-like teeth, at least six inches inlength, jutted from its lower jaw and over its upper lip. A longstring of drool slid down from its lower lip to plop onto thebranches. Its leathery skin had an orange tint to it. The creaturewas hideous with its beady red eyes and colossal size, but therewas something almost human in its features. The nose and head wereoverly large for a human but still similar in appearance.
I grasped Kobal’s wrist when he stepped awayfrom me. “I’ll be fine,” he said.
I hesitated before releasing him. Hisstrides were purposeful; his claws extended with every step he tookuntil he stood before the creature. Around him, the leaves peeledback to reveal more of the monster beyond the wall.
Kobal was the largest man I’d everencountered, but he looked almost small standing before theten-foot-tall, easily five-hundred-pound monstrosity on the otherside of the branches. The ogre’s hand, which reminded me of anoversized baseball glove, swung through the branches at him.
My breath caught in my throat, but Kobaldidn’t back away when the ogre lunged at him. Instead, he lookedbored as he stared disdainfully at the creature. Guttural noisesrolled out of the ogre, and it took me a minute to realize it wasspeaking in demonish to Kobal.
“What is it saying?” I asked Corson.
Corson’s eyes narrowed as he listened to themonster speak. “He’s saying that he and his kind will eviscerate usand wear our intestines as hats.”
“Wonderful.”
“I’m not sure our intestines will be bigenough to fit him,” Hawk said.
I had to agree.
The ogre said something that caused Corsonto take an abrupt step forward as the skelleins ran toward the twoof them.
“What is it?” I demanded. Kobal turned tolook at me before focusing on the ogre again. “What did itsay?”
“The ogres and many other ex-occupants ofthe seals have only one mission,” Magnus said from beside me.
“Which is?” Hawk asked.
Magnus’s silver eyes were wary when they metmine. “To bring you to Lucifer. He knows you’re in Hell.”
