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The woodland that buttressed against our backyard was a good twenty-acre patch with a path leading down to Birchwater Pond. Overgrown, the thicket was mostly composed of cedar and fir, of birch and huckleberry and fern. Vine maples looped their way through the copse, and an oak stood sentinel here and there, but for the most part, the tangle was so dense that it was nigh to impossible to travel off the path.
"How far is that bird feeder along the path?" I asked. Luke couldn't be very far in to have been looking at our house. In fact, chances were, he was watching us approach right now. There wasn't much we could do about that, but every second that passed gave him that much more time to gather his strength.
"A few yards," Delilah said. "Not far. I hope he didn't slip around through the undergrowth with the idea that he could sneak in the house while we were out."
I frowned. I hadn't thought of that possibility. "We just have to hope and pray that Bad Ass isn't as smart as you are."
Closing my eyes for a brief moment, I searched the area for any sign of demonic activity. Bingo! Over near the gazebo. He wasn't in the woods anymore, and he was headed for the house. Turning direction, I broke into a sprint, yelling at the top of my lungs. No use trying to surprise him, but perhaps we could engage him before he got inside and tore the place to the ground.
The others, taken off guard, followed a beat behind me. I could hear the fall of their shoes on the wet grass as I neared the gazebo. And then Luke stepped out from behind the ornamental pagoda. I skidded to a halt, and Smoky bumped into me. I felt his hand on my ass but didn't have time to shake him off.
Bad Ass Luke was a misnomer. Bad Ass Luke brought to mind a drunken football player, or a hotheaded biker. But Lucianopoloneelisunekonekari was no human thug. Standing a good eight feet high, Luke might be human in shape and form, but all resemblance ended there. No simple demon, either. Hollow eyes reflected the fires of the nether realms, and his arms and legs were vein-shrouded and engorged, muscle-bound beyond any steroid dream. He wore no clothes, and that he was male was rock-hard obvious. It was also apparent that he was strong enough to rip the head off an ox. Poor Jocko hadn't stood a chance, so where did that leave us?
I froze, paralyzed by a vast flow of fear. Smoky broke away, and I wondered if he was going to cut and run, but then I saw that he was trying to gain some distance so he could transform into his dragon self.
Morio pushed his way around me, moving to the side as he stared at the hulk who was slowly striding our way.
"What do we do? Oh, Great Mother, how can we take down that beast? He's huge!" Delilah sounded on the verge of panic. She squeaked again when Luke opened his mouth, and a billow of gas emerged.
"Poison!" Morio said. "He can use poison—I can smell it from here. Do your best to get behind him, because you don't want him breathing on you!"
Holy mother of mountains. Just what we needed. Poison gas, and arms strong enough to crush us. I shook myself out of my paralysis and summoned the Moon Mother.
"I need you tonight, Mother Moon. Pour everything you have into me, even if it tears me apart. Lady, send me your power!" I raised my arms to the sky as the clouds that had drifted over the moon parted. Silver beams shot down to touch my fingertips, and a well of energy rushed through my arms, into my heart, staggering me under the wild night.
Chase pulled out his nunchakus, holding one stick while twirling the other on the chain that connected them. He sidestepped to the left.
"If we fan out, he can't kill us all at once," he said, and I could hear the quaver of fear in his voice. But I marveled that an FBH could face such an enemy and not be cowering under the nearest bush.
"You're right—spread out!" There was no room for doubt, no room for fear. We had a job to do and a duty to both Otherworld and Earth.
Menolly strode past me. "Well, I can't be affected by his poison," she said without stopping. I started to grab her arm but let go when she gave me a little shake. She stormed toward him.
Luke paused, staring at the petite, pale woman who stood before him, her head lowered.
"Sending me the weakest to begin with?" His voice echoed through the yard, but when Menolly raised her head, he stopped laughing. I couldn't see her face from where I stood, but I knew what she looked like in hunting mode. I'd seen it when she attacked the Psycho Babbler. Glowing eyes. Mouth drawn back to reveal long, glistening fangs. Luke took an unsteady step back, and I could hear the sharp intake of breath as he eyed her uncertainly.
"Vampire?" Looking puzzled, he cocked his head for a fraction of a second. That pause was all Menolly needed. She flew in, launching herself into the air with a speed that was breathtaking. Luke roared and tried to leap to the side, but my sister was faster, and she landed on his chest, clinging to him with her claws. She reared her head back, then plunged her teeth directly into his face.
Good girl, I thought. She was trying to prevent him from breathing his poison so we could get in there. His hands were around her waist, trying to pry her off, but she held fast, fangs lodged within his cheek. She ripped at his eyes with her nails, and he roared again.
I broke into a sprint and circled around to the right. As I readied the lightning in my hands, I saw that Smoky had found a place large enough in which to complete his transformation. A majestic white dragon was now rumbling around in our backyard, crushing the rosebushes.
He took aim at Luke, and a buildup of smoke puffed out of his nostrils, but instead of fire—which would have done no good whatsoever—he let out a low roar and stamped the ground, quaking the yard. Everybody stumbled.
I managed to catch myself, and the moment I was steady enough, I aimed for Luke and let the lightning fly from my hands, striking him in the back. Combined with the earthquake caused by Smoky's tail thwack, the attack forced Luke to let go of Menolly. She dropped to the ground, stumbling away to vomit. Good ol' demon blood, all right.
The moment Menolly was out of the way, Morio let loose with "Kitsune-bi!" and a bolt of fox fire flashed in Luke's face. He bellowed, shaking his head as the blinding light lit up the night.
While Luke was rubbing his eyes, Delilah bounded in. I thought she was going to slash at him with her knife, but instead she pulled out a large bottle from her pocket and splashed him with water. Luke's skin sizzled where it hit—she must be using the blessed Tygerian water! He roared again, swinging wildly, and caught her in the side, knocking her a good twenty feet back. Delilah spun in the air, landing in a crouch. Leave it to a cat to land on her feet.
Just then, Luke turned, and I found myself facing him in his full fury. Terrified, for his sight seemed to have cleared and there was nothing to prevent him from breathing his poison in my face or smashing me with one of those humongous fists, I stumbled away, racing for the woods.
As I reached the tree line, I felt the wave of a heat blast behind me and heard the crackle of flames. I didn't have time to glance over my shoulder, but I knew that Luke had let loose his fiery blade. I leapt over a bramble bush, only to find myself ankle deep in a mud hole.
As I freed myself from the muck, the rattle of trees told me the demon was coming my way. I plunged off in another direction, darting around the windfalls and snags until I found myself face-to-face with a log that must have been four feet in diameter. Covered with moss, it was slippery, and as I tried to scramble over it, I could hear Luke's garbled curses as he thrashed through the woods.
What was I going to do? Father had warned us that fire wouldn't work against the demon, nor would charms or guns. Unless we happened to have a tank turret or a hulking big cannon handy, we were plumb out of luck. I finally found a toehold and scrambled over the log, crouching on the forest floor behind the tree trunk. Not the greatest cover, but better than nothing.
