CHAPTER#123

Yuki shuffled the cards quickly, watching Amir approach. Pulling out the card she needed, she held Judgement over her head and winced in advance.

The horn blast from above was loud enough to break the windows of the house. A fierce wind built up, forcing Amir to kneel down to remain in position. Ice and snow blew away, forming large drifts along the front fence of the yard, and Kali made a break for it, sliding between the lions and vanishing into the street.

The sound intensified, lifting Elizabeth off her feet and tossing her bodily over the gate along with the King and Knight of Swords. Amir grimaced, turning his sightless face toward her.

"This isn't over," he mouthed, and then let the wind carry him away. Once airborne, a large rug lifted up from behind the fence and caught him, ferrying him to safety.

Yuki lowered her hand with a gasp, tossing the scorched card to the ground. Most of the ice and snow had been blasted free of the yard, and the gate was a mess. Summoning her magic, she began to rebuild her defenses, her heart racing.

They would be back. Their siege had begun.

--

His mouth was dry, his limbs numb. His heart slammed so hard against his ribs that he was afraid that he would break apart, and the cold feeling in his gut now spread throughout his entire body. The Jabberwock lowered its head to regard him with its remaining reptilian eye. It snorted, a blast of steam filling the air, then used the rim of the opening to pull itself forward, reaching for Mike with its damaged paw.

The magic inside of him uncoiled, ripping through his body. The air around him went cold, and he could feel it like a thousand angry spiders beneath his skin, squirming around and demanding release. As one, they rushed up through his body, spiraling in a tight circle as he took an insanely deep breath. The world moved in slow motion, hot tears springing to his eyes as he opened his mouth and screamed.

"TINK!" The magic came out all at once, moving outward in a wave of force. The room shook, causing dust to fall from the ceiling, and the Jabberwock blanched, jerking its head up and slamming it into the top of the opening. His yell went on for several seconds, his whole body vibrating with power. His own voice sounded like it was far away, and he realized he was hearing an echo from the distant mountains.

It was the rage-filled cry of a banshee.

Letting out another roar, he charged the jabberwock, sliding his dagger free of its sheath. The beast was stunned, but had quickly backed out of the entryway and was flapping its wings, desperate to gain lift. The wind rushed through Mike's thick air, and he was almost upon the beast when it pushed away from the wall, sinking just over the edge.

Mike leapt after it, falling several feet before crashing into its belly. It was covered in so much hair that it was easy to grab a handful of it with his free hand and use the knife to penetrate the Jabberwock's thick hide.

The Jabberwock dropped into the valley, spinning around in an attempt to dislodge him. Mike's whole body tingled now, and his hands moved on their own. When the Jabberwock dove, he would reposition himself, crawling higher on the beast toward its head, then hang on for dear life when it pulled up. Every move it made came to his mind just before it happened, allowing him to remain attached.

Unable to dump Mike, the beast slammed into the wall of the cliff, rocks crunching and falling free. Mike twisted to its blind side, rolling out of the way to avoid being crushed into paste, but unable to dodge the sharp bits of stone that cut at his arms. It did this a few more times, and then started a slow climb into the air.

It soared out toward the edge of the island, the miles passing gently beneath them. When it reached a higher altitude, it rolled on its back and fell while clawing at its own belly. Mike had already tucked himself along its side, where it couldn't touch him.

He stabbed the Jabberwock a few times, but it didn't bleed. Rather, hot mud flowed from its wounds, and he knew it would take drastic measures to bring the beast down. It had no discernible anatomy on the inside, so he wondered if he could try to blind it.

Since his handholds became slick where he stabbed the beast, he slid his dagger back in its sheath and fastened it into place with the snap. The Jabberwock tried to ascend and fall twice more, then turned around and flew back toward the tower.

When it returned, It whipped around suddenly, then dove past the centaurs on the cliff. They riddled the beast with arrows, and Mike was surprised to discover that none of them had hit him. However, the arrows made excellent handles to climb with, and he continued up toward the base of the Jabberwock's neck. It did this again, and Mike realized that it was trying to get the centaurs to dislodge him. An arrow just missed Mike's cheek, and he moved his head in time to avoid two more. The arrows helped him reposition himself on the creature's side.

The Jabberwock fell into another freefall, but Mike grabbed on to one of its four bat-like wings. When it flipped over near the ground to glide away, Mike shifted positions, Naia's magic guiding him, and landed neatly on its back. There was a part of its spine that looked very much like a saddle, so he locked his legs around the bony protrusions nearby and held on.

He was hundreds of feet in the air, finally getting a chance to see the entire island all at once. That alone should have terrified him, but he felt as if the sky had been his home for years.