There, perched in the trees over our heads, were hordes of small, wiry creatures with yellow eyes and crooked, bat-like wings. Long, clawed arms clutched the branches.
“Uh-oh,” Allison whispered.
Chapter Twenty-Six
We had been pulled into a trap. And with another awful, screeching howl, the imps descended from the trees like a wave of horrendous bats.
“Stay together!” Eldon shouted.
The first imp flew toward me, its clawed hands grasping for my face. I swung the hammer upward with two hands, smashing it right into the imp’s disfigured grey head. The imp went sailing backward, crashing into two other imps and sending all three cartwheeling out of the air into the grass.
Another imp landed on my back, and I used the handle to smash the creature in the head. It collapsed onto the ground. I wasn’t even thinking. I just had to fight.
Beside me, Allison was firing arrow after arrow into the night sky, shooting down one imp after another. For a second I thought we might win the battle easily.
And then the goblins crashed into us.
I saw Liz topple to the ground as the first wave of goblins rammed into her, her sword flying from her hand. Eldon just managed to kill a goblin as it tried to skewer Liz with a spear. I turned to help with the goblins when an imp landed on top of me, clawing deep into my arm. Blood rushed out of the wounds.
Grimacing, I elbowed the imp, knocking it off my arm. Beside me, Allison threw her bow aside and drew her sword. She cut through a goblin with a graceful swing before dispatching an imp with a hidden knife. I was glad I never got into a real fight with her.
“Laura!” Eldon cried, fighting wildly at the front. “You have to find the leader.”
“That should be easy!” I shouted back, looking over the swarm of creatures attacking us in the darkness. Between the imps blotting out the sky and the goblins pouring out of the dense trees, there were monsters everywhere.
How was I going to find the leader?
The Swords broke apart, hacking and swinging and stabbing on all sides. I charged to the front of the group beside Eldon, taking a massive swing with the hammer as I did. It connected with two goblins, sending them both flying. The crimson rubies on the hammer flared to life, pushing back the darkness, and I saw the fear in the goblins’ disfigured faces as it grew brighter and brighter.
I scanned the monsters, looking for the biggest one.
Finally, I saw one near the back, standing just a few inches taller than the rest. He wore the same black chest plate and dented metal cap as the rest of them, but his long green arms were corded with wiry muscle, and his crooked sword was particularly large and jagged. I saw his yellow eyes flashing as he shouted orders at the other monsters.
“There!” I shouted.
Using the hammer like a battering ram, I charged, knocking the goblins back. I saw Eldon pull an injured Liz to her feet, and Laren and Steven formed a protective circle around her. I knew we didn’t have much time.
I felt every muscle in my body straining as I drove the hammer forward, trying to break through to the leader. Allison was trying to stay with me, but it was complete chaos. Monsters hacked at us on all sides, and I just kept moving forward. The goblins fell back, stumbling to keep away from the hammer, which was now blazing red. The horde finally parted, revealing the leader. His yellow eyes flashed as he lifted his sword with two hands. Gripping my hammer, I prepared to charge.
But before either of us could move, another goblin burst out of the woods and shouted something. The leader looked at it, and then turned to me and smiled evilly.
“Fall back!” it shouted.
The goblins instantly fled into the trees, while the imps flew off into the night sky, disappearing through the canopy. Eldon and the others killed a few as they fled, but in seconds the forest was empty again. I could tell Eldon wanted to chase them, but then Liz immediately dropped to the ground, clutching her side again.
“Are you all right?” someone asked me.
I turned and saw Allison looking at my cut. Blood was pooling onto my shirt and cloak, where the claws had ripped right through the material.
“Yeah,” I said, cringing. “Fine.”
She cut a piece of fabric off her cloak and started wrapping my arm.
I looked at her in surprise. “Thanks.”
“No problem,” she muttered.
“What was that all about?” I asked.
“No idea,” she said softly. “But I’m sure it’s bad.”
“We need to get Liz back to Arnwell,” Eldon said, helping her up. “Whatever just happened, at least they fell back for now.”
We started back for the house, slowly picking our way through the trees. Eldon and another Sword were supporting Liz by the shoulders, but she was very weak.
Something felt very wrong about the whole attack. Obviously the monsters had been waiting for us. But if it was an ambush, why did they retreat before the fight was over? We were still outnumbered. It didn’t make any sense.
“I know,” Allison muttered beside me, clearly guessing at my thoughts. “I don’t like it either.”
We were almost to my house when I saw lights through the trees. Lots of lights. Frowning, I hurried to my backyard. Every light in my house was on. Feeling my stomach twist, my eyes fell on the back door. It had been ripped clean off the hinges.
“No,” I whispered.
I sprinted across the lawn, lifting the hammer. I didn’t care who saw me. They were in my house.
“Laura!” Eldon shouted.
But there was no way I was stopping. My brother was inside. I was halfway there when a hulking figure suddenly grabbed me from behind. I struggled to free myself, but a familiar voice stopped me. “It’s too late,” Uncle Laine said, carrying me
