Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 128061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
We shot forward with a roar, Nathanial and me in the lead and the others in my crew fanning out in a V. Sebastian took up the rear.
I craned my neck to look behind to see if the new gargoyles were following. To my utter relief, they were. Seamlessly. Organized in a way that Austin would be proud of.
At the lead, following right behind us, was Tristan. He was taking my cues and directing those around him, not just his cairn but all the gargoyles—it did not seem to matter that he hadn’t previously worked with them. My God, but he was a helluvan asset. No wonder Nelson hadn’t asked any questions about his past.
We were nearly on them when the mages finally looked up.
The first blast came right for me. Nathanial threw me sideways and dove in the other direction. My team knew to split, and as I careened to the side, I half turned back to throw up a shield before the spell smashed into Tristan.
Then I was back and firing, blasting down at the mages with all my power. Austin would handle the mercenaries.
“Lower,” Sebastian yelled as Ulric flew him by. “Draw their fire away from the shifters.”
I dove with them, quickly caught by Nathanial, my speed increasing drastically. Magic came at us almost immediately, and the mages went from leaning forward to looking up. Hard and complex spells slammed into my shields—these were spells I’d never have the time to pick apart. They didn’t have the power to greatly trouble me, though, not with the improved protection spells Sebastian and I had worked up.
The problem was that there were so many of them. Nine to our two. We had to weed some out before the rest of my crew and the gargoyles could take them.
I flung my hands to release me from Nathanial and barreled down into them, taking their fire at close range and reflecting it back. I nearly made it to one of their mages before a spell came at me from the side, knocking me off course. I tumbled through the air and then along the ground, jumping up in time to throw up a shield for Niamh and Mr. Tom, who’d followed right behind me.
Cyra rained down fire in their wakes, scattering the mages but taking a spell for her efforts. Hollace, too, took a hit, and they careened in opposite directions. Hurt, not dead. They’d be okay.
Niamh’s golden hooves beat at the ground a moment before she slammed her horn into the middle of the closest mage. She’d let the others be a distraction. Mr. Tom scratched along another mage, taking a rough shot from a hasty spell.
Grimacing, I launched back into the sky as Ulric flew Sebastian around the mages, allowing him to fire powerful spells at them from right up close. They must’ve taken potions to help ward away magic, though, because his spells weren’t doing much damage.
Gargoyles scattered every which way, not used to this sort of battle. Not used to the pain of these types of spells. They were out of their element, unsure what to do, scared of what was happening even if they didn’t want to admit it.
As I flew closer, I grabbed the tethers of our new connections, one and all, focusing as much as I possibly could to pull taut every one. That done, I pumped into them comforting support, courage, and a heady promise of victory. Into the air, I pounded a magical message. Fight with me! We will win together!
Working on that but now shifting focus, I swooped back toward the mages as the shifters tore into the mercenaries behind us. Flashes of light blasted from magical guns shot into their ranks. Hollace turned back to them, raining down lightning to cut down the numbers.
Gargoyles once again fell in with Tristan, reorganizing. They dove for the mages, and I hurried to get there first. Spells zipped into the air. Tristan maneuvered better than I’d ever seen, even during the raid. He tilted and dodged, working through the air at an incredible speed. His companions didn’t fare so well. One caught a spell center mass, and it knocked him out of the sky.
I threw a catching spell under him to keep him suspended as I got a block up in time to protect two other gargoyles. Tristan reached the mages, but not before one of them hit him in the side with a spell that made him roar in pain. He snatched up the offending mage and, using both of those enormous arms, pulled the guy apart. Literally ripped his body in two like a piece of paper.
Blood splattered everywhere. The mages around him scattered, scared beyond sense. They kept firing spells, though, now directly at him.
I was there, shielding him from damage, no time to attack with any spells of my own.