“Shit. Retreat,” I yell, stepping back and blocking my friends.
My hands blur as I shoot lightning at any monster that comes too close. A shield appears before us made from shadows and I send Jayden a grateful nod.
“We need a distraction. We need to get you inside the temple, Draven.” I scan the area but come up blank.
More monsters and demons than ever before circle Jayden’s shield. There are hoards of demons testing the shadow shield but Jayden grits his teeth, holding it steady.
“How long do we have before you lose control and the whole thing turns to shit?” I ask him.
“Maybe half an hour but probably less.” A demon takes its claws down the shield and Jayden whimpers in pain.
“Fuck this, we’re not hiding. Jayden, Raven, Greyson, and Adrian, you’re with me on the distraction duty. Kira, Thad, and Dax, protect Draven and get him to the temple. Do not go in with him under any circumstance.”
“What do we do?” Kira asks.
“Whatever you have to. We need him to get the caduceus no matter what.”
“I got this,” Dax says, pulling out his battle ax as well as a broad sword. “I’ll clear a path.”
“I’m not without my own talents.” Thad grins, twirling his trident in a wide arc.
“Okay, Jayden. Drop the shield,” I say.
Jayden sighs and his shoulders slump as he drops the magic, but we’re instantly overrun with demons and monsters. I spin my whip, crackling with white lightning as it flicks at a demon, incinerating it on the spot. Adrian fires one arrow after another faster than I can blink, taking out five demons in a matter of seconds.
“This isn’t distracting them enough,” Raven shouts over clashing metal and roars for blood.
“A group are attacking the others. They have us split up now and they think the other group is vulnerable,” Jayden says as his shadows sweep a group of demons back to the underworld.
I spin again with both my sword and whip crackling with white fire, taking out the demons who dare get close. Water blasts into several monsters only a hundred yards away as Thadand Dax hold them off, backing slowly but surely to the temple to get Draven inside.
This has to work. They can hold them off with their magic until Draven gets the caduceus and we can get the hell out of this place and work on the next god’s power and the coming war because this won’t be the end. It will never be the end until the queen loses once and for all.
“Beth, watch out,” Jayden screams.
Searing heat tears through me as claws rake down my back. Blood sprays the monster’s face as I spin to meet a demon with razor-sharp fangs and beady red eyes. My blood mixed with too much ichor drips from its talons.
“That was the way wrong move,” I snarl.
My magic flares and black threads through the white lightning in my weapons as a battle cry roars from my lungs and I lunge at the demon. My sword spins and I point it directly at the demon’s chest as fire spews from the blade so hot it doesn’t even touch the monster to incinerate it.
“How much juice you got?” Raven asks, sidling up to me with her ax. “Dax and Thad are flagging. They’re only about fifty yards away from the entrance but the monsters are closing in.”
“What did you have in mind?” I ask, twirling and taking the head of a slightly humanoid monster attacking us.
“The sun is shining and the weather is nice, perhaps a little too nice?” She hands me a piece of beef jerky and I stare until another monster lunges at me.
“You’re just carrying around snacks in the midst of battle?” I ask, popping the jerky into my mouth as I flick my whip at another beast.
The beast howls in agony and I take a closer look, cursing when the chimera snarls at me. They really can’t come up with more creative monsters? How many times have we killed that thing now? At least two.
“Yeah, we need the fuel since you know our magic is stronger and drains us faster.” Raven swings her battle ax.
Fire spews from the chimera straight for me. I dive to the side and the fire hits a demon that was creeping behind me. It screeches as it explodes to ash. I twirl my sword as I flip over the chimera and land on its back.
My sword pulses with a mix of white and black. I stab directly into the lion’s back, and it roars just before it explodes into ash. I jump away from it before I fall, leaving myself vulnerable.
“All right, time for a distraction.” I loosen my control on my power and it pulses, darkening the sky with clouds overtaking the sun.
