"Did you see its nose?" I asked Cam. A gust of air whipped around us and out to the edge of the ruins. The beast was circling us, under its cloak of cover. Cam nodded, swallowing.
"Someone cut it," he muttered. "Why?"
"Maybe they got in a lucky hit before the creature got them in its mouth," I said. Clambering footsteps made me turn to see Arlonne and Chandry back at the scene. Chandry glanced from Joseph to Jessica.
"There were more people?" Arlonne asked.
"Just this one," I replied. "Be careful, the monster is back." On cue, a breeze struck us from one side as the creature blew past. It was back to its basic strategy of circling and closing in while invisible, giving it time to recover from our attacks. If it keeps doing that, we won’t be able to really land a good hit on it.
“It really wants Jessica,” Sike yelled.
Arlonne snorted. “Let it have her.” Nonetheless, she and Chandry took up a guard position between the humans and the creature’s path, leaving a few yards between Cam, Bryce, and me. Jessica stayed behind me, clutching her ears.
“My head hurts,” she said faintly. I focused my eyes on our surroundings, hoping to see a flash of white. Maybe using her powers gave her a headache. She’d mentioned having one earlier.
“Stay quiet and stay down,” I commanded. After getting Joseph to a safe position, protected by Sike, Dorian ran over to help. The monster shifted back to its visible white form, but only in splotches—a claw here, an arm there, then a leg over there. Bryce and Cam lined up their shots as Chandry volleyed herself toward the beast.
Like last time, though, the monster had no interest in Chandry. She cursed as it slipped past her. It was smart; it had picked up on her tricks. Arlonne rushed it from the side and managed to clip its tail. The creature flew to the side, rolling into the debris, but quickly sprang back up and headed toward us. I pulled Jessica out of the way. She let out an ear-piercing scream, tears running down her face as she desperately clutched her head.
“We need the creature to open up a portal,” Sike yelled. “It’s the only way out of here.”
“My thoughts exactly,” I huffed as I tucked Jessica behind me. Chandry and Arlonne darted in front of us, keeping watch for the beast. It seemed to have run off, but it would be back. “But first, we need to get this thing cornered. It’s got to feel threatened.”
“We can manage that,” Arlonne said with a clenched fist. “We’ve done it before.”
We had done it before, but it had fled to its lair. I wasn't sure it would flee its own territory. I grabbed Jessica firmly by the shoulders. “You said it was hiding in the last building. Do you think that’s its home?”
She sniffed. “I don’t know. I just know it was there.” If we made the monster think we were threatening its home, maybe we could force it to open a portal. I yelled my plan to Dorian.
“It’s worth a try,” he said. “Sike and Bryce, take Joseph. We need to run as fast as possible before that thing comes back.”
I hauled Jessica along with me, ignoring her complaints. I had to get her to safety. She would be suffering from more than a headache if that monster got its claws on her.
“Come on,” I told her and added, “We might find Dan there.”
“It might take us to the Immortal Plane or the Mortal Plane,” Chandry said as we ran. “I can hold the portal open for us to get through, but we might be unleashing it on a nearby community.”
Dorian grunted. “It’s a risk we have to take.” We passed through four destroyed buildings. Hopping over rubble, I half dragged Jessica with me.
“It’s coming for us,” she whispered frantically, and then her eyes widened. “Are you going to take me to the place where those supernatural creatures come from?” That was a discussion I didn’t have time for. We’d take her and Dan anywhere we needed to. I said nothing as we ran. A wall abruptly crinkled inward before the monster blasted through it. Cam fired off a warning shot as a flash of white scales greeted us. The creature pulled back, leaving us to dart into the last building.
It had to be the monster’s lair. This building was the most intact of any of them, but its entrance was as wide as a garage, which meant the beast could easily slip in and out. In the corner, a stack of rubble on the first floor resembled a makeshift nest.
“Dan’s not here,” Jessica announced, quickly scanning the room. Suddenly, the wall beside us burst into pieces. I threw myself forward, taking her with me to the ground. The beast roared and lashed out at Arlonne, sending her flying into the other wall. She cursed and rolled to the side.
“We have to distract it,” Dorian shouted.
Chandry glanced at Jessica. “I’m on it.” Without a word, she ripped a piece off Jessica’s left pant leg. Jessica let out a startled protest, but Chandry merely vaulted forward with the fabric.
“You want some of this?” she called to the beast. The monster’s upper half was visible. It sniffed the air audibly and groaned, lurching for Chandry. Apparently, it had a very strong nose, which might explain why someone had attacked it there. Chandry evaded the creature by flipping and running all over the room. Slowly
