I reloaded and raised my sights.
The dragon had stopped climbing. Its wings still beat the air, but it wasn’t rising. I set my sights again and just as I released the bolt, the dragon’s mouth opened and a torrent of blood poured out.
Blood rained from the sky, reaching the ground in seconds.
I had dropped my shield while firing my crossbow, but now I triggered it, almost in time to keep from getting drenched. I wiped at my eyes with the back of a gloved hand and stared upwards.
The dragon’s wings had slowed. Blood kept fountaining from its partially open mouth, but my arrows couldn’t have done that much damage.
With a thrill, I understood that Raphael was still alive!
Only Rafe could be swallowed by a dragon and then kill the dragon.
I felt a breeze and heard the sound of wings, feathered wings.
I glanced up to see Maia touching down behind me.
“It’s not safe here anymore. Please come with me,” Maia said.
“What? When has it ever been safe here?” I wondered.
She looked up, and I understood what she meant. Without another word, I gripped her neck feathers and swung onto her shoulders. She leapt from the ground before I could even get seated properly.
A great shadow passed behind me, more felt than seen, as we fled toward the east, and a mass of air shoved us faster.
Then there was a gigantic splat and what sounded like trees snapping, as the dragon smashed into the ground. Just where I’d been standing a few moments before.
I looked back, saw its broken body, and spent blood and said, “Take me back, Rafe needs me.”
Maia reversed course without comment. Before we could land, Beast touched down beside the dragon’s misshapen head. As we landed beside him, he began using his claws on the dragon’s head. Great chunks of flesh flew off with every pass of his forelimbs.
I slid off Maia and ran to Beast’s side.
“Is he alive?” I asked.
Beast growled something without pausing.
I moved back a step to avoid the spray of blood and flesh that he flung to either side as he worked.
“Can I help?”
“I’ve got this,” Beast growled.
Suddenly, he stopped. Reaching a paw into the deep wound he’d torn in the dragon’s face, Beast seized something and pulled.
In a couple of seconds, I saw Rafe’s leathers come into view. I ran forward as Beast gave another tug and Rafe popped out of the gap and onto the ground like some bizarre birth.
Even as I ran, I pulled Loki’s amulet from beneath my own leathers. Dropping to my knees beside Rafe, I placed the amulet’s leather strap over Rafe’s head and then cast the healing spell I’d learned. There was a pull of energy as the spell activated. I reached for the ley line with my mind and drew more energy into me.
Lowering my face to Rafe’s, I could feel a slight movement of air as he exhaled.
“He’s alive,” I cried.
If he was alive, then the healing spell and Loki’s amulet should restore him, no matter what the damage. I wiped at his face, trying to clear the blood and some kind of weird green gunk from his eyes, but it didn’t do much good. My leathers were already covered in dragon’s blood and wiping at his face just smeared it around.
“Allow me,” Beast growled.
I looked up as he lowered his face to Rafe’s. Beast’s long thick tongue came out and dragged across Rafe’s cheek. Where Beast licked, Rafe’s skin was burned. Places were raw and others blackened from fire. Beast made a spitting sound, and a glob of the green gunk hit the ground near us.
“What’s that stuff?” I asked.
“You don’t want to know,” Beast said as he went back to licking Rafe’s face.
I ran my hands over Rafe, checking my boss for injuries. The obvious ones were the legs missing from just above the knees. I felt for broken bones and anything else, but except for his missing legs, his only damage was the burn on his head.
“We’d better get him out of here,” Maia said.
“Why?” I asked as I looked around, expecting to see that bastard Rowle getting back to his feet. I could see no sign of Rowle. The black energy from Rafe’s night magic tattoo had vanished.
Good, the spell must have totally dissolved him.
I realized the gods had all disappeared. A few of Rowle’s minions had survived both the flood and the battle and were moving in this general direction. I could probably try to finish them off. Between Rafe’s Colt and my crossbow, I might be able to get them all.
I stood up and unslung my crossbow.
“There won’t be time for that,” Beast growled. “Maia’s right. We need to leave, now.”
I followed Beast’s gaze. Coming up behind me, I saw dozens of flashing red lights.
“Oh, well I guess you’re right. Beast, can you lift Rafe onto Maia? I need to find Rafe’s boots,” I said as I slung my weapon across my back again.
“His boots can be replaced,” Maia said.
“But his knife can’t be. I can’t leave it behind,” I said.
“I’ll get his boots and knife. Just get on Maia,” Beast ordered.
Maia knelt, and I slung a leg over her neck. As soon as I was settled, Beast lifted Rafe’s unconscious body and draped him across her neck in front of me.
“Maia, can you glamour us? I haven’t learned how, yet.”
“It’s already taken care of,” she said. “Hold on.”
She leapt into the air. I looked back for Beast, but all I saw was a hawk sailing low over the battlefield. Without Rafe’s enhanced senses spell, I couldn’t see through Beast’s glamour. Maia, of course, looked natural to me because she’d cast the glamour on her passengers also.
We rose up into the morning sun, gaining altitude and staying away from the half dozen helicopters that had shown up. The news helicopter
