What if every magical creature you'd ever heard of was real, driven into hiding by an army of violent zealots? This is reality for Sarah Heisen and Porter Collins. Sarah is a sphinx living a life of luxury in her family's mansion. Hidden from all da...
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Chapter Forty Three
(Porter)
"You can open your eyes now."
Porter felt like he was frozen in place, flinching from an attack that would never come. Faska's voice was cool and reassuring, and besides that Porter couldn't hear the sounds of the battle anymore. With his heart still hammering in his chest, he opened his eyes.
"Where are we?" he asked. Their surroundings didn't look at all different from any other part of the forest he'd been in over the past few weeks.
"Miles from the Slayers' base," the elf answered, putting his bowstaff in a sling on his back. "We should be safe here."
Azkular, who was still hanging onto Porter's back, got down and hopped until he could lean against a nearby tree.
"Unless one of them decides to trace the spell," he growled, rubbing his leg stump gingerly.
"I don't think they will," Faska reassured him. "We were only three targets, and we left behind an entire tribe."
Porter turned to glare at him, a scathing remark already at his tongue, but he stopped when he saw the agonized expression on the elf's face.
"I'm sure they got away all right," he said instead.
Faska raised his head and attempted to smile. "I'm sure they did. It's just that... my first day as leader, and I've lost more of my clansmen than Lowatai did in a thousand years."
Azkular stiffened, and then spun around with tiny plumes of fire erupting from his skin.
"What did you just say?" he demanded, hopping over to grab the elf by the front of his cloak. "What do you mean you're the leader? What happened to Lowatai?"
Faska turned pale, but before he could answer Azkular threw him to the ground and rounded on Porter.
"You!" he yelled, pointing at the young man. "What did you do to her?"
"I didn't do anything!" Porter protested, taking a step backwards. He flexed his hand, ready to summon Flicker if the djinn attacked him.
Instead, Azkular glared at him for a few tense seconds, and then seemed to wilt. He leaned back against a tree and sank to the ground.
"No," he moaned, putting his hands to head. "This can't be happening. Why her?"
"If it's any comfort," Faska said, straightening his cape, "Mistress Lowatai gave her life for a cause she believed in with all her heart. It wasn't for nothing."
Azkular didn't look up.
Turning back to Porter, Faska asked, "Did you find what you were looking for?"
Porter nodded. "Yeah, I found it. We're going to 332 Graybark Drive."
(Mortoph)
Normally Mortoph tried to keep the terror he radiated to a minimum, or else risk causing serious damage to anyone around him. Right now, though, he was angry enough that didn't care if some of his men woke up with white hairs in the morning. They instinctively cleared a path for him as he made his way back toward the castle, squirming as though they suddenly had bugs crawling up their clothes. Granger was picking himself up, rubbing the side of his head where the elf had struck him.
