Wyvern and Company (33 page)

He paid them little mind.

The Ra'Ak hadn't come for them.

He'd come for us
.

If I'd bothered to
Look
right then, I still wouldn't
have seen the giant serpent. Something blocked his presence—whether from inside
or outside his body, I had no clue.

Mom did what she could, telling Gina and Mrs. Allen to wait
until we were out of the vehicle before getting out behind us—so we could
protect them. We were forced to get out, after all—a crevice had opened in
front of the SUV and we'd fall into it if we didn't leave the vehicle behind.
That meant that Merrill, Darzi, Mack and I would face the worst monster we'd
ever seen while trying to save our lives.

Fifty feet, from snout to tail, he roared at us as we opened
doors slowly and stepped from the car, his fangs too many to count and dripping
with venom.
Teeth or spike injuries can be fatal if they're not treated
immediately after the Ra'Ak dies
.

The worst poison of all—teeth or spikes. I saw the spikes,
then—the Ra'Ak's tail whipped about, knocking cars across multiple lanes of
traffic before falling into widening cracks. Mack cringed; the monster's roar
was deafening.

Behind me, Gina screamed again.

I go,
Darzi spoke into my mind
. Stop bombs. Have to.
No choice
.

He disappeared, causing Mack to shout his name. We needed the
tough, lion snake shapeshifter.

There were three of us left, now, to combat a Ra'Ak and too
many spawn to count.

I've already tried to send mindspeech
, Mom informed me.
It's bouncing back, just as it did for you in Florida. I think our Ra'Ak
friend, there, was Sirenali when he was turned
.
He's keeping everything
blocked. We're on our own, honey
.

The SUV dropped into the crevice with a crash behind me, its
horn blaring relentlessly as Gina and Mrs. Allen screamed.

* * *

"Mr. President, sir, there are six warbirds heading
toward Texas, and another two toward Oklahoma," the Chief of Staff
interrupted a meeting to inform the President.

"What the hell is going on?" The President stood,
demanding answers.

"I don't know. There are no communications getting
through to the silos. Sir, there's something else you need to know," the
Chief of Staff said.

"What's that?"

"Those bombs have been altered."

"What?"

"I only have sketchy information, from photographs taken by
our Air Force jets," the Chief of Staff replied. "But our experts
confirm this—the guidance system is different and they can't explain it. It's
likely these substituted bombs are much more dangerous than the original
warheads. We have no idea who is responsible, or what we're about to be hit with,
Mr. President. If we fire on them while in midair, we could cause Armageddon."

"How much time do we have?" The President asked.

"As of now, less than ten minutes. If these are nuclear,
the fallout alone can kill millions."

* * *

Justin's Journal

Mack fought his way out of his clothes and became wolf.
Merrill's claws and fangs were already out. I had no choice—the wyvern told me
so.

When Gina screamed again behind us, I imagined she was
terrified of the Ra'Ak and the spawn closing in on us. She wasn't alone—I was
terrified, too.

What I didn't expect was what happened when the giant serpent
lunged toward Merrill, who was doing his best to stand between it and Mom.

Merrill's spelled ring blasted the Ra'Ak backward when it
activated, the Ra'Ak's head jerking back as if it had been punched on the snout
by a giant hand.

Anybody else might have gone down right then and not gotten up
again.

It was merely the opening volley for a Ra'Ak, as it turns out,
who snapped back at Merrill so fast it was blinding. If he hadn't been vampire,
he'd have died.

* * *

Adam's Journal

Mindspeech from Darzi might have been the last thing I
expected. Not only did he send words, he sent images, forcing me to my feet so
fast it might make anyone else dizzy.

Dragon and Lion, who'd been discussing the current state of
affairs with me by the pool, were included in the lion snake's sendings.

Without a word, all of us folded space to an intersection in
Fresno, where things had already gone critical. There we found Kiarra, Gina and
Marie Allen, Mack's wolf, Justin's wyvern and Merrill, whose claws and fangs
were evident, standing on an island of concrete.

Around them lay a deep, rough fissure filled with spawn,
wrecked vehicles and fire. "There's a shield up," Dragon growled.

He was right. It was as if someone had dumped a huge,
impermeable glass bowl on top of that island, trapping all of them inside with
a Ra'Ak.

Outside the bowl, spawn raced after humans attempting to run
away. I nodded to Dragon and Lion—if we combined our energy, perhaps we could
penetrate the shield. I was terrified that my family would die while I watched,
helpless to do anything but weep.

* * *

Darzi's Journal

Nenzi best at fixing machines. I not as good. Still know some
things.
Look
. Find Ranos missiles inside bombs. Not good. I have to fix.

Fast.

* * *

Adam's Journal

We threw our best at it, and even attempted to come from beneath
the concrete. The shield was a sphere we couldn't damage or destroy. Mindspeech
was useless as I watched Merrill, with blinding speed, whirl around the Ra'Ak's
torso so swiftly he left gaping wounds and strings of cuts upon the serpent's
body.

Merrill had no shielding capability. If he allowed any of the
Ra'Ak's greenish blood to touch his skin, he'd be poisoned by it. He was there,
protecting Kiarra and the others with everything he had. That should be me. I
was equipped to handle the monster, after all.

Kiarra had pushed Marie and Gina as tightly against the side
of the bubble shield as she could, to keep them out of harm's way. For the moment,
Merrill kept the monster occupied. The moment he tired, he'd be dead.

The moment he tired, they'd all be dead.

* * *

Justin's Journal

Things might move as fast as Merrill in the movies or in a few
cartoons I'd seen. I never imagined seeing it in person, under such dire
circumstances.

The Ra'Ak snapped repeatedly at Merrill, but his teeth always
closed on empty air—where Merrill had been less than a blink before.

What would happen when Merrill tired?

He'd die.

The Ra'Ak wanted all of us dead, that was plain to see, he was
merely waiting for the right moment to take Merrill, thinking the rest of us
would be easy targets.

Merrill had one spelled stone in his ring, and it had already
emptied itself.

Mom had two stones in the earrings she wore.

Mack and I wore wristwatches with a dozen stones fixed to the
bands. What would that do to the Ra'Ak?

Could we get Merrill safely away so we could attack the
monster?

A part of me realized that Mack and I would likely die
attacking a powerful Ra'Ak. The thing was—if we took it down with us, the trade
would be worth it. Our lives for his.

Dude
, Mack's mindspeech came.
You thinking what I'm
thinking?

At least the nearby mindspeech worked, just as it had in
Florida.

If you're thinking of jumping that thing to activate our
spelled watches, then yes.

You know what that means?

Yeah. Take him down, man. Whatever it takes
.

Exactly. You think we can get Merrill out of the way first?

I'm not sure we have time. Let me send mindspeech. See what
he says
.

I sent mindspeech to a vampire flying so fast around a Ra'Ak's
body, he was a blur.

Don't wait, Justin. Attack now
, Merrill replied.

He was tiring, and only the force of his will kept him moving
so swiftly.

Let's go
. My wyvern nodded to Mack's wolf. Together, we
leapt toward the enemy.

* * *

Adam's Journal

I'd seen Dragon use the same tactics before, only he could
shield his teeth, tongue and mouth from Ra'Ak blood and poison when he did it.

Justin and Mack, almost without warning, leapt on the monster,
their teeth fastening on the serpent's throat, just below the head. Merrill
stopped still and buried all ten claws into the creature—to the tips of his
fingers and past that, I think.

That's when two dozen Grey House jewels activated, causing the
explosion inside the bubble shield and spewing huge chunks of Ra'Ak dust against
the surface. I screamed my fear and sadness to the world as I watched the
shield fall with the Ra'Ak.

Everything inside the perimeter was covered in Ra'Ak dust and
unmoving.

* * *

Darzi's Journal

Tiny seconds. All I had. Used them.

Changed insides to harmless.

Nenzi be proud.

* * *

"Impact in ten seconds, Mr. President."

"Nine."

"Eight."

"Seven."

"Six."

"Five."

"Four."

"Three."

"Two."

"One."

Chapter 18
 

"What the hell?" The President stood, watching in
disbelief as warhead after warhead hit the ground across two states, bounced,
broke apart and threw up sprays of dirt, rock and debris before the pieces came
to rest.

A few of those pieces lay on the lawns of the capitals in
Oklahoma and Texas.

Rescue workers and military vehicles were on the way, with
everyone dressed in haz-mat suits, but they weren't needed.

"What the bloody hell," the President repeated wearily
before dropping onto his chair with a sigh.

* * *

Adam's Journal

"Adam?" Dragon's hand dropped to my shoulder. I
realized then that I sat on a tiny pier of concrete in the middle of what used
to be a busy Fresno intersection.

"We've checked the rubble. There's nothing there,"
he said.

"No," I moaned, dropping my face into shaking hands.

They were gone.
All gone
.

Dragon dropped to the concrete beside me and brushed tears
away. The chop-chop of a helicopter sounded in the distance. To my ears, it
appeared to be having mechanical problems. Probably a poorly maintained news
chopper, coming to record the grisly wreckage for six o'clock entertainment.

"The spawn disappeared—when the Ra'Ak dusted," Lion
sat on my other side, his boots scraping against damaged concrete as he settled
there. Pain was etched across his face as he studied the scene before us.

"Bombs gone," Darzi said, appearing before us.
"Find Larentii. Need."

"Are you hurt? What bombs?" Dragon croaked. Darzi
didn't look injured, but in my numbed state, what did I know?

"Ranos missiles, like nuclear bombs. Enemy try to kill
Texas. Oklahoma. Cannot say why."

"They were sending bombs at the same time they attacked
here?" Lion asked, shaking his head.

"Yes. Exact."

"Holy, fucking hell," I mumbled. My profanity was
the proper response, there just wasn't any feeling behind it—I was too numb.

"Why do we need the Larentii? To see how we failed in all
this?" Dragon shook his head.

"To fix. Heal. They come."

* * *

Justin's Journal

I didn't have enough power to fold space a second time. Likely,
it was the Ra'Ak poison coursing through my body. I felt it—knew it was there.
Still I flew, my wings making an uneven noise as I carried the bubble
containing Mom, Mrs. Allen, Gina, Mack and Merrill back from Yosemite.

I'd folded there earlier, when the Ra'Ak exploded—the location
was still fresh in my mind and was an almost automatic destination when it
became necessary to find one. If I hadn't folded away, the Ra'Ak's dusting could
have killed me.

The bubble I gripped carefully in my claws? That's what Mom's
earrings had done at the last, when the Ra'Ak dusted—protected the others,
encasing them in a small bubble shield.

I'd had a shield for my body—I learned that at the last, but
didn't think fast enough to shield my teeth and tongue.

That's how the poison entered my body.

Mack and Merrill were in the same boat—the three of us were
dying after coming in contact with the Ra'Ak. Mom wept as she held both of them
close; I gripped the bubble tighter in my claws, hoping to land in Fresno
before I lost consciousness and fell out of the sky.

I could see Dad, Lion, Dragon and Darzi in the distance as my
flight wobbled. Struggling to remain aloft, I worked to glide the last few
hundred feet.

Somehow, it had been possible to fold space out of the Ra'Ak's
shield, just not inside it. Like one-way glass or something.

The Ra'Ak planned to get away like that, after he killed the
rest of us. It ended up just the opposite, except three of us would still die.

With limited knowledge of Ra'Ak poison, I had no idea how much
time we had left.

I don't remember touching the ground.

* * *

Adam's Journal

Justin crashed onto the street behind us while Lion, Dragon and
I threw shields to cushion the landing.

What appeared next I may never have an explanation for.

Pheligar arrived, with an army of Larentii. All I recalled
later was a sea of tall, blue men as bodies were lifted and folded away,
including mine.

* * *

Kifirin

More than twelve thousand spawn, all obsessed by a Ra'Ak who'd
been Sirenali, once. Those spawn would carry their obsessions until they died.

I watched them, now—they'd scattered across the wasted
landscape that had once been Tiralia.

This was the proper place for them. I held shields about
myself—even I wouldn't risk the poisoned air about the planet. The spawn had no
such capability and would die within a day.

It was fitting. They were more than dangerous, and I wanted
none of them to fall into other enemy hands. I'd gotten permission from the one
who owned the planet to place these here, so they would no longer trouble
anyone by their existence.

My word is law
, she'd said.
As is mine
, I'd
responded.

* * *

Justin's Journal

"Where's Gina?"

Those were the first words I spoke when I opened my eyes.

"She's at home—she and her mother weren't hurt," Mom
said, taking my hand. "Justin, she, uh, saw your wyvern."

"So?" I croaked. I was thirsty and dry as a Nevada
desert. Still, I wanted to know about my girl, first. Explanations concerning
my miraculous recovery could wait until later.

"Honey, this should wait; you're still recovering,"
Mom said.

What was going on?
Something was up, that's for sure.
"Tell me," I said. "I have to know."

Mom hesitated, ducking her head and shaking it. That meant the
news wasn't good.

"You said they weren't hurt," I accused.

"Justin, that's not it." She closed her eyes for a
moment, as if what she had to say hurt her.

"She called you a monster, and says she doesn't want to
see you again," Mom blurted, gripping my fingers. I could tell she was really
upset by what she had to tell me, too.

"That makes things a bit awkward, as she's still living
in our old house," Mom added. "Agent White called your father this
morning—he said Gina's father's remains are on their way home." Mom helped
me sit up and handed me a glass of ice water. "I went ahead and just sent
money to the proper people, so they'd release the remains."

I ignored that and went straight to the thing causing the most
pain. "She called me a monster? Mom, that can't be right," I
struggled to push covers back and almost spilled the water. I drank the whole
glass while waiting for Mom's answer. What she was saying couldn't be right.

Couldn't be
.

"Justin, sometimes people don't know how to react,"
Mom said, looking away uncomfortably. "I can have your father play the
entire conversation for you—he can do that with power."

"She called me a monster?" I croaked, wishing for a
second glass of water.

"After you saved her life—and her mother's life. I know
you care about her. I'm sorry it turned out this way, honey."

"What about Mack?" I felt like crying and did my
best not to let that happen.

"Mack is recovering, just as you and Merrill are. If the
Larentii hadn't come to help, you'd all have died. I tried to explain that to
Gina, too. I think she was just too traumatized—after all, her best friend was
killed by a monster. Perception colors everything, I'm sad to say."

"She couldn't tell me this in person?"

"Honey, she said she wanted no contact. We have to abide
by that."

"What about her mother?"

"Mrs. Allen sends her apologies, but she wants no
contact, either. You were more than brave, sweetheart. We've all been hit by
this blow. Compulsion had to be laid, and Randall and Raymond Pierce are still
out there somewhere. The police are looking for them. I think your Dad can find
them, now; their allies have disappeared."

I no longer cared about any of that. My girl—whom I'd just
begun to love, had called me a name and walked away.

* * *

Adam's Journal

I felt like the prize idiot when Kiarra handed my official
birthday present to me. Justin, Mack and Merrill had only begun to wake after
several days of unconsciousness following the attack. The Larentii had done
exceptional healing, however.

If they hadn't, all three would be dead.

"What's this?" I asked, accepting the large, manila
envelope from my wife.

"The deed. To your family home in England," Kiarra
said and walked away from me.

I almost dropped the envelope, I'd gone so numb. She'd bought
the damn thing for me? I felt like more than a fool.

"Sweetheart, no," I ran after her. If she'd been
able to fold space, I might not have caught up with her. Instead, I lifted her
in my arms and began kissing every inch of her face.

Fuck the deed. Fuck the property. Fuck everything else except
what really mattered. Her. She mattered. Justin mattered. Mack and Merrill
mattered. They'd taken on the enemy and defeated them with few assets and a
universe of courage.

"Adam, you're tickling my nose," Kiarra complained
when I kissed it for the third time.

"I love you. My God, I love you so much," I mumbled.

* * *

"You think they'll be back?" Randall Pierce tossed
rabbit bones onto the campfire before wiping greasy fingers on his jeans.

"No idea. Made a lot of promises. You see where we are
now," Raymond Pierce complained. "Supposed to get a cabin up here. A
big one, with a fat bank account."

"Hey, something just bit me," Randall shouted,
standing up.

The snake bit his father, too, before Randall died during his
fall to the ground.

* * *

Justin's Journal

Eight months later…

Mack and I finished our senior year classes with Joey and
Bearcat, and with special permission, were allowed to graduate with our former
class at Valley High. Roughly a month earlier my sister, Anna Kay Griffin,
joined the family. Barely a week later, Lion and Marlianna became parents to
twins—Rush and Rachel.

Today was graduation day
.

Dad shaded Mom and little Anna Kay with power where they sat
in the bleachers, while Mack and I stood in the sun—on the same football field
where we'd fought spawn the first time. Things had settled down after the Ra'Ak
incident in late September the year before, but Mom said not to get
comfortable. We were targets, and the enemy doesn't forget.

She also said there was a surprise when we got home, but I
couldn't imagine what that might be.

Maybe we'd move again. Who knew?

I watched Gina from where I stood, waiting for my name to be
announced so I could cross the stage and get my diploma. She'd glanced my way a
time or two, but that's it.

No awkward hellos, only painful good-byes.

I considered, too, that the world had been in danger and Mack
and I had helped save it. I listened while lists of accomplishments and awards
were named when former classmates were summoned to receive their diplomas.
World saving wasn't one of the things listed when Mack's name—and then
mine—were called.

* * *

Gina found me when the ceremony was over. Mack and I were
removing our caps and gowns in a classroom so we could return them before we
left.

"I'll, uh, just go see what the others are doing,"
Mack said and walked out the door.

"Justin," Gina said. I watched her fingers twist
together while she ducked her head—she was uncomfortable talking to me.

"Gina."

"I heard that Randall Pierce and his father were found up
in the mountains. At least their remains were found. The coroner thinks they
were bitten by a snake of some kind, and that's what killed them."

I ducked my head to hide the half smile. Darzi had done what
we'd all wanted to do. "Does this mean you want to be friends again?"
I lifted my head to look at her—she wouldn't meet my eyes, still.

"Justin, I know it's not fair. I know you and your Uncle
and Mack saved our lives. I—I just can't deal with that. Being with somebody
who isn't human. Whose family isn't human."

"If we'd been human, Mack, Merrill and I, we'd all be
dead," I pointed out. We almost were anyway, but I didn't say it.

"A part of me understands that. Please try to see it from
my perspective. I have plans, Justin, for my life."

"And those plans don't include a wyvern, do they?"

"Is that what it is? I thought it was a dragon."

"No. Uncle Dragon is a dragon. You should see that,"
I snapped. "He's bigger and better than I'll ever be."

"Look, I just wanted to say thank you, and leave it at that.
I didn't want to fight with you," Gina sighed, her shoulders sagging.
Finally, she looked at me. "It's always so trite to say it's me and not
you. In this case, though, it's true. I can't help that I'm human, Justin. You
can't help that you're a wyvern."

"And to you, that means we can't be together, is that
right?"

"For me, it is. I'm sorry. I really need to go."

I watched her leave, steeling myself against the pain of it.

Things could have been so different.

I'll never forget what Darzi said, though, before he left.

"Better coming," he said. "Not worry."

* * *

"Justin, Mack, this is Belen," Mom said, smiling at
Mack and me. We'd just gotten home and Mack and I were headed to the kitchen
for a celebratory soda when Mom made her announcement. I blinked. Belen was so
bright, I almost couldn't look at him.

"Not unusual," Belen smiled before extending his
hand.

"I name you auxiliary Saa Thalarr," he proclaimed,
placing his hand on my head. "You and Mack, here," he touched Mack's
head, too. "You will fight spawn for us when needed, and in exchange, you
will be granted power and abilities only the Saa Thalarr hold."