From the Gateway a brilliant fireball struck his chest and passed through his body. The impact nearly lifted him off of his feet. He stumbled backward, flailing his arms to keep his balance before he sank to his knees. He took a deep gasping breath as he realized the flame that had passed through him had extracted the alien from his body.
The alien’s bellow of rage forced Asahi into action. Though still dazed, he drew his dagger, twisted, and threw it with deadly accuracy. Nali swept past him as he collapsed in an exhausted heap. She swung Ashure’s enchanted sword with a primitive war cry. The two magical blades pierced the malevolent being—one through the chest, the other in the center of its forehead.
Asahi forced himself to his feet and beheld the winged creature who had emerged from the Gateway. She looked like a phoenix—
No, a dragon, he thought as she spewed a dazzling torrent of fire. The small dragon was covered in flaming, black downy feathers and shielded with golden armor. He instinctively turned away and lifted his arm to shield his face from the flame, only to lower it when he didn’t feel any heat. He stared in awe at the flaming bird-like dragon hovering above the shrieking alien.
“What is that?” Nali breathed in disbelief, dropping her sword and staggering back.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She gripped his shoulders in shock. They both jumped and turned their heads, protecting their eyes, when a brilliant light engulfed the alien, temporarily blinding them.
Asahi carefully lowered his arm and straightened. He studied the alien’s rigid form, forever frozen like the ash-covered mummified bodies at Pompeii. It looked like a plaster casting.
He tightened his hold on Nali when she tried to pull away from him. They looked at each other, then turned toward Xyrie, still shocked to see her as a woman made of living gold instead of a unicorn. She came closer and stood beside them, and then all of their attention was arrested by a young adolescent—a black-haired girl who suddenly replaced the bird-dragon. The girl stood with her feet spread apart, staring back at them with a wide-eyed and wary yet curious gaze. She gently caressed the head of a gigantic golden creature that resembled the golden Xyrie, only instead of a gold woman, it was a dog with long droopy ears.
The girl kept looking at them and then at the encrusted alien. She was clearly trying to discern if they were a threat. Asahi stepped in front of Nali and raised his hand.
“It’s alright. We won’t hurt you,” he said in a calm voice.
“It’s not me that I’m afraid you might hurt,” the girl replied.
The sound of thumping and the cracking of the crust surrounding the alien drew their attention. Nali grabbed Ashure’s sword from the ground. Asahi urgently waved his hand at the girl when she stepped closer to the alien.
“Stop!” Asahi warned.
“Will someone get me out of here?” Mr. Gryphon demanded from inside the crust.
“Mr. Gryphon?” Nali exclaimed in a shocked voice.
“Get me out of this pie crust!” the Golden Dagger growled.
A small golden paw appeared through a hole. Asahi hurried forward and began pulling pieces of the crust away. Mr. Gryphon stuck his head out of the opening and glared at him.
“If I wasn’t an animated object, I would need therapy for this!” Mr. Gryphon yelled, trying to wiggle through the opening. “My dagger’s stuck,” he added with a grunt.
“Stand back,” Nali said, lifting her sword.
Asahi stood aside as Nali smashed the hilt of the sword against the crust. Long cracks appeared, spreading outward. She hit it again and it crumbled. Asahi caught Mr. Gryphon in mid-flight. He held the dagger with one hand and cupped the exhausted lion with the other. He frowned when Nali grabbed his arm and pulled him back a step.
“Asahi!” Nali said with alarm.
Something under the pile of crust was moving. He gripped the hilt of the dagger, ready to use it. Everyone warily watched as a slender golden arm appeared.
“Don’t hurt her,” the young dragon-shifter said.
“Stay back,” Asahi ordered.
The girl ignored him, stepped forward, and carefully uncovered the woman. He glanced at Nali and then at Xyrie, who was glowing.
“She won’t hurt you,” the girl said, helping the woman sit up.
“Who are you?” Nali whispered, staring at the young adolescent.
“Her name is Phoenix,” the golden woman responded. “She came to help me. You heard my plea,” she said with a smile.
“Aminta?” Xyrie murmured with concern, stepping forward.
“Xyrie, wait! This may be another trick,” Nali warned, holding her arm out.
“No. The alien is finally dead. I’m no longer infected,” Aminta said, rising to her feet with Phoenix’s help.
“How can we be sure?” Asahi asked.
Aminta smiled at Phoenix and then looked at Asahi. She shimmered, turning almost transparent. When she held out her hand, there was something in it.
“The Goddess’s Mirror!” Nali exclaimed.
“A gift given long ago to the Empress of the Monsters to help her watch over and protect the Seven Kingdoms,” Aminta said, holding out the mirror to Nali.
Nali lowered her sword and took the mirror. In its reflection, Asahi could see Aminta giving the mirror to the first Empress of Monsters. The image shifted, and he saw Aminta watching over the creatures living in the Seven Kingdoms with the pride and joy of a loving parent. He looked at Xyrie when she spoke.
“Aminta is an ancient. She is among the few of our kind who still remain from the creation of time. When we thought she was destroyed, we vowed to do what we could to protect this world,” Xyrie confessed.
“Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you help us?” Nali exclaimed in shock.
Aminta shook her head. “It would be easy for us to solve the problems of all the realms we have created, but it would also be a disservice. We learned long ago that after we give birth to new worlds, it is best to restrict our presence as much as
