CHAPTER#134

The golem tried to attack the dial, but upon impact, its wrecking ball fist had cracked. A lightning storm danced across the yard, and one of the new assailants had burst into flame, tossing elementals across the yard. Amir stood toward the back, directing dark clouds across the yard to take up position and begin burning runes into the soil. Whatever he was up to required a fairly large rune, and Yuki had quickly been outmatched by their assault.

When she tossed the Hanged Man card into the yard, it had folded itself into smaller and smaller squares before disappearing with a pop. The effect took several seconds before anyone noticed, but the Society broke into a panic once they did.

Without any air to breathe, a few of them had collapsed to the ground, clutching at their throats, the air sucked from their lungs. One of them had been dumb enough to rip off their blindfold in a panic, and Yuki was fast enough to stone one of them where they lay, her lips tightly sealed to hold in what little oxygen she had left. Thinking she had outsmarted the Society, she was disappointed to see Amir rub that cursed ring of his and summon the djinn.

The djinn surveyed the situation and gave a nod. Amir made a pair of hand signs that Yuki didn't recognize, and a dark cloud billowed over the Society members, turning them to smoke and then rushing away across the sky. Across the yard, Abella was soundlessly bashing away at the golem.

Yuki stumbled up the porch and summoned snow and ice to grab the golem by the feet, slowing it down. Abella managed to get ahold of the cracked hand and begin peeling it apart. Whoever had made the golem had done so in a hurry, for the beast was hollow past its elbows, and Abella eventually scrambled into the large hole she had torn to attack it from within. Stumbling back and forth, it eventually it collapsed in front of the house, and Yuki had been on the verge of unconsciousness when the card's magic expired. A heavy breeze blew over the yard as the outside air rushed in to replenish it.

There was a loud rattling sound inside of the golem and it tipped forward, Abella squirming out from inside of it. Her body was covered in rust, and she tumbled out onto the yard, her wings stretching out on the grass.

"That was close." Abella held up one of her hands. Scorch marks stretched along her fingertips. "The core was in the head. Whoever put it together left a hole just big enough for me to reach in and crush it."

"Mmm." Yuki's head pounded, and she leaned forward and put her head in her hands. "We only have a few minutes until they come back. I have no idea where that key is. Honestly..." She looked over her shoulder. "It might be best if you just ran. I appreciate the help, but this will only become more dangerous."

"Heh. I wouldn't be doing my job if I left. Speaking of..." Abella rose and walked toward the house. "If Mike was dead, the house would be hibernating. They would be able to come and go as they please, never seeing a single thing of value. If he's alive, then I know he's coming back."

"You have that much faith in him?"

The gargoyle nodded. "He's different than the others. Since the beginning, he has treated us as equals. Even Sofia likes him, but she won't say it out loud."

Yuki chuckled. Sofia was not one to like a human easily, that was for sure. "I need to run out back and unfreeze the others. They can help us."

"Can't you do it from here?"

"No." Yuki tapped the side of her head. "Eye contact only."

"Is that the only way?"

Yuki nodded. "Yeah." She stood up and was immediately caught in the high beams of a small sedan that drove onto the yard, tires squealing in the mud. It slid to a stop and was followed by another car and they formed a V. The doors opened, releasing their passengers into the shadows where she couldn't see them.

Damn. She pulled more cards from her deck and tossed them into the air. The Page and Knight of Pentacles appeared from the ground, bursting forth from beneath the slush piled up by the porch. The King and Queen of Pentacles appeared shortly after, standing taller than their compatriots. They all turned to Yuki for direction.

"Shake the ground. Buy me time." They nodded and sank into the dirt. The whole yard shook, causing the cars to rock from side to side. Yuki ran for the front door, her hand on the knob, when she heard a low growl from behind her.

"Oh shit!" She turned to look into the blistering eyes of a pack of hellhounds that crawled over the cars. When they charged the porch, Abella was able to intercept one of them, but the other three made it to Yuki in a hurry.

Growling, Yuki's face distorted and her entire body shook as white fur burst from her skin, her fingers elongating into razor sharp talons. She snagged the first one out of the air and slammed it into the porch hard enough that the wood splintered and the hound disappeared underneath. Sharp teeth sank into her arms, but her fur hide was thick enough to spare her the worst of the harm.

Snatching up one of the hounds, she stared into its face with the gorgon's eye. The beast turned to stone, and shattered when she threw it into the yard. A swirl of smoke formed over its remains as the beast reassembled itself and charged her again.

Two more hounds came across the top of the car, and then the earth shook again, the alarm on one of the cars activating. Yuki let out a shriek of rage and summoned a spike of ice to drive through the skull of the first, the beast exploding into ash. The next one leapt on top of her and power streamed through her arms as she sucked the heat from its body and tossed its frozen corpse to the ground.

Abella crashed into the ground from above, her hellhound exploding into ash. The two of them turned their attention toward the cars.