Page 23 of Shifter’s Thunder

Tippizoars shrieked, a dual-voiced sound that hurt his ears. “Bring back my children!” The monster surged forward, knocking aside keepers and necros with its massive armored legs and lunging toward the remaining children. The children screamed and cowered as Tippizoars scooped up the unconscious form of Sazanel. “Ours!”

Tippizoars backed up, holding the small girl with its mid-thorax hands. “Retrieve our legacy!” The knot of keepers surged forward toward the Timoki, Rutera, and the children.

Rutera cursed and shot three of the threatening keepers. She stood firm, covering Timoki’s exit. The necros suddenly turned on her in a mindless wave.

She backpedaled, firing in short, controlled bursts. Her heel caught on a ridge of the uneven floor. She went down hard. The rifle skittered across the slimy surface, spinning out of her reach just as the closed necro went for her leg.

Maysan dropped her cattle prods and dove for the weapon. She came up in a crouch and fired with scary competence. Four necros’ heads disintegrated in a spray of gross black fluid.

Rutera kicked it hard enough to break its neck, then scrambled to her feet and ran after Timoki.

Tanner beheaded another necro.

Maysan looked at the monster clutching Sazanel, then at the open corridor. Her young face twisted in agony. She turned and sprinted after Timoki and the others, disappearing into the dark.

They’d accomplished their mission. But Sazanel was still in the hands of a monster. Tanner locked eyes with Avelunne across the gory room. He knew that look. She wasn’t leaving. And neither was he.

Tippizoars roared at Avelunne. “You are defective stock! We should have eaten you!” The monster’s upper hand danced over the control box. Reality warped with portal energy. A creature slithered into the space in front of Tippizoars.

A basilisk. Huge snake-like body. Purple scales banded in red and black, an avian-like head crowned with feathers, and armed with a lethally sharp black beak. A dragon-killer. The control charm embedded in its skull flashed an angry red.

“Kill the lying dragon and the worthless human!” Tippizoars shrieked.

The basilisk hissed louder than an overheated espresso machine and slithered forward. Avelunne froze. Tanner stepped in front of her. Two unwary necros collapsed into rotting heaps as the beast’s scales touched them. The rest cowered and slunk into the empty shifter pen.

Tanner struck. His talwar, honed by alfar magic, bit into the basilisk’s flank. It was like hacking at petrified wood. Green blood welled up, but the cut was shallow. The beast screamed and snapped at him, undeterred.

He slashed twice more, aiming for the eyes to draw its focus. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Avelunne drive two cattle prods into the last keeper, her magic surging through the weapons. The keeper exploded. Black blood sprayed across the basilisk’s face, blinding it. The monster shook its massive head, momentarily distracted.

Tippizoars roared and hammered the control box. The gem on the basilisk’s head glowed solid red. Its beak unhinged.

Tanner was knocked off his feet when Avelunne tackled him hard, driving him to the side. A jet of viscous white fluid splashed beside them, hitting the fleshy ground where they’d been standing. The floor hissed and bubbled into a widening trough of necrotized goo.

They scrambled up and out of the way as the basilisk slid into the melting floor and thrashed, temporarily stuck. Tanner readied his sword.

A voice cut through the chaos, speaking the ancient tongue of the thunderbirds. “Distract the basilisk. I’m going for her jewel.” Timoki. He’d come back again. Did he have a deathwish? He was circling the perimeter, a shadow in the gloom.

“Speak real words!” Tippizoars demanded.

Tanner trusted his wily cousin with his life. He launched a flurry of slashes at the basilisk’s soft underbelly. The beast reared back to strike him. Timoki launched himself from the shadows, landing on the creature’s feathered crown. He drove a cattle prod into the red jewel and channeling a blast of thunderbird magic.

Bespelled crystal shattered. The basilisk screamed, bucking violently. Timoki flew off, bouncing against the wall before hitting the floor.

Tippizoars snarled and stabbed a button on the remote. Nothing happened. The basilisk whipped around, eyes locked on her tormentor.

Tippizoars scuttled forward and struck with one of their scorpion tails. The stinger skidded harmlessly off the basilisk’s scales. Faster than a striking cobra, the basilisk bit. The scorpion tail severed with a wet crunch.

Tippizoars shrieked, hurling the useless control box at the beast. Clutching the unconscious Sazanel, they turned and fled down the widest corridor.

“Evloss! Look at me!” Timoki shouted.

The basilisk’s head swung around toward Timoki. He pointed toward the exit tunnel past the cowering necros. “Freedom is this way.”

The basilisk hesitated, glancing between the fleeing enemy and the open path. Survival won. She spat a glob of poison onto the remaining necros and slithered toward the exit at unnerving speed.

Tanner moved to check on his cousin, but movement caught his eye. Avelunne scooped up the discarded control box and a fresh cattle prod. She didn’t look back. She sprinted down the wide corridor after Tippizoars and the child.

Tanner spoke to Timoki in the old tongue. “Go! Darataya is waiting for you!”