CHAPTER#116

"Wait. I've got it!" Beth touched Tink on the shoulder. "I need a pen and paper, quick!" Tink disappeared, then quickly returned. Beth drew a rough map of the yard and quickly explained her plan.

"That's absolutely insane," Mike said. "It puts everyone here at risk, including yourself, and has a very low chance of succeeding." A grin spread across his face. "And I think it will work."

Beth beamed, and they huddled up, speaking loudly to each other over the roar of magic gathering outside.

-

Through the eyes of her serpents, Kali watched the storm on the lawn from inside the front yard and from the street. Fearing outside interference, she had placed them all along the street, knowing that their thermal vision would see any living thing that came near her. Up above the vortex swirled, lightning arcing through the clouds. The Geas resonated with her magical blows, her magic taking years off of her lifespan to manage the tremendous energy required to keep up the storm while cracking the protective barrier of the house. She had centuries to burn, and could always acquire more.

However, from the street, the storm was contained. The skies grew darker with every crash of magical thunder, but the magic of the home somehow contained the maelstrom within, giving the appearance of a thunderhead building up above. A neighbor four houses down was out mowing, oblivious to the magical battle nearby.

"The perimeter is clear," Sebastien told her from the snake riding his shoulder. He was over by the garage, crouched out of sight. It was difficult to maintain a consciousness that permeated so many beings, but the spirits around her neck were helping her. The large python near her feet kept watch on her physical body as her mind jumped from place to place, making certain she wouldn't be interrupted. Another distraction during the dangerous part of the spell could finish her off, and she intended to live until tomorrow.

Behind her, in the bushes, another Sebastien waited. In case the snakes failed, it was his job to see that she finished the spell.

The snakes hissed, the front door of the home opening. Through their eyes, she saw Mike Radley emerge, a ridiculous pair of goggles on his head. He stood at the top of the stairs, weird lenses sliding back and forth across his vision. He waved his hands in the air. Kali could see the spectral trail of his fingers activating hidden runes, symbols that danced away from him and sunk into the ground, vanishing from sight. The snakes gathered at the foot of the steps, hissing their warning. Kali could sense their anger at the magical barrier that prevented them from swarming the house and attacking her enemies. Once the Geas was broken, she intended to send them in and incapacitate the occupants of the home with their venomous fangs.

She would let the High Priest decide what to do with them. One of her many voices shouted into the sky, causing thunder to answer her. The light rain whipped itself into circles, but Kali knew better than to flood out the home -- she feared giving the nymph any more water to work her magic on.

The snakes slithered across each other, bouncing off the barrier on the steps. A large figure stepped in front of Mike, gazing across the yard. Kali couldn't see her at first, but with another crack in the Geas, the woman came into focus. Nearly eight feet tall with a single eye, the cyclops swung a blade that unfolded itself. In disbelief, Kali watched the cyclops step into the yard, casually beheading the snakes closest to her.

The swarm moved toward her, and her movements became a dance, her eye glowing with its own inner light. Mike followed close behind, and no matter how many snakes moved toward her, she always pushed Mike out of the way, her sharp blade bringing a quick end to the slithering beasts. Kali's face twisted in concentration, and she pumped energy into the storm up above.

The blast of lightning blinded her, even through her closed eyes. When her vision cleared, she saw that the bolt had scorched a large mark in the yard, burning snake and grass alike.

Several yards away, she saw Mike standing in the open, his fingers making more trails of light in the air.

"How?" she demanded of the storm, grabbing one of the heads on her necklace. How had they dodged a bolt of lightning? It made no sense. She summoned the Iwa hidden within the skin pouch, a spirit being made of teeth and fangs, then hurled it at her prey. The cyclops placed herself between Mike and the Iwa, her blade blurring between them. The snakes were closing in, hissing in anger while they moved closer to Mike.

A rock struck her in the shoulder. Growling, she turned her attention back to the house. Beth, the estate agent, stood on the stairs of the home, but something was wrong. Her eyes were the inky black of a moonless night, and the large stones below the porch were levitating into the air, then flinging themselves. A goblin jumped the railing behind her, moving toward the garage.

"Keep going," Sebastien said, placing two of himself between her and Beth. His sandy body easily absorbed the blows of the stone, reforming after every strike. The snakes had moved away from the porch, allowing Beth to descend and fire from along the trellis. They were moving toward the garage, and Sebastien moved in on them. Kali was too distracted to cast any more lightning, her eyes suddenly focusing on Mike through dozens of eyes. He was running toward the stone wall at the edge of the yard, the cyclops calling out his name. The Iwa prevented the cyclops from reaching Mike in time.

"I have you," Kali hissed, commanding the snakes to attack. She could taste his flesh in her mouth with every strike, her heart pounding in exhilaration as the venom flowed freely from their fangs. They constricted around his body, pinning him in place. Sebastien sprung from the edge of the yard, using his cane to push Mike against the ground.