CHAPTER#135

"It's gonna take a lot more than dogs," Yuki hollered, her claws spread wide. All three of her tails flailing wildly behind her, igniting with arcane energy as her human form melted away to reveal the beast beneath. Her face was feral now, her lips curled wild around bared teeth.

The cars shook and a swarm of nightmare creatures burst from behind them. The air glowed a sinister color from the portal that had been opened, and the light was now bright enough that she could see four figures chanting feverishly through the car doors.

Abella crashed into the first creature, a beast that looked like a gorilla with no hair. She was quickly swarmed, but her stone hide was proof against both claws and teeth. While safe, she could do very little to stem the tide.

Yuki charged forward, sliding a card into her teeth. Down on all fours, she slashed at the beasts as they surrounded her and tried to pin her down. Waves of frost rippled away from her, flash-freezing her closest assailants, and when she got close to the cars, she threw the card like a dagger into the sky.

The Hierophant card hovered in the air, expanding like a hot air balloon over the bloody scene. The dark sky above cracked open and scoured the yard with beams of holy light. Screams of rage and pain filled the air as the demon tide was blasted into ash, and Abella quickly freed herself and leapt into the air, then swooped down to grab one of the warlocks who had opened the summoning gate, then spiraled up into the bright sky above.

The others fled, and Yuki collapsed to the ground, watching them go from beneath their cars. The first one to pass through the lions was smashed from above by the one that Abella had captured, and the gargoyle swooped dangerously close to the edge of the boundary in an attempt to grab a third. The warlocks yelled at each other in Latin, then vanished into the night, dragging their fallen comrades behind them.

"That's it, I'm calling the cops!" someone down the street hollered, and Yuki let out a chuckle. A war had broken out in the front yard, contained only by the power of the geas, and the neighbors were only concerned by the noise on the street.

Fighting to stand up, Yuki had Abella help her push the cars toward the gate to slow down the next attack. The Pentacle royals emerged from the ground to assist, lending their strength. Once finished, Yuki had them spread across the yard, ready to disrupt any further spellcasting.

The gargoyle looked tired, and the two of them collapsed against the underside of one of the vehicles after tilting it up on its side.

"How much longer do you think we can hold out?" Abella asked.

Yuki pulled out her tarot cards. The Hierophant had taken almost a year to make, now gone in a matter of seconds. Many of her remaining cards didn't have a practical use, certainly not in a fight, and she was officially exhausted. She slid back into human form, her rage subsiding.

"Not very long. Not like this." She looked back at the house, suddenly sensing many eyes on her. "I don't think anyone could have expected this."

Abella threw a look of disgust at Yuki, and then shrugged it off. "You'd better hope that he comes back. These people almost broke the geas last time, and it took all of us to take down just three of them."

"Everyone helped him?" She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. "Some of you can't fight."

The gargoyle leaned against the muffler of the car, bending the pipe. "Fighting isn't always about tooth and claw. It can also be done up here." She tapped her forehead. "Mike isn't a fighter, but that's why he has me. And Sofia. And the others. It isn't about being able to do everything at once, but convincing those who can do little things to come together to make something big happen."

"I don't remember you being so wise."

"Well, I don't remember you at all." Abella turned her head and frowned. "Here comes the next wave, those guys you choked are on their way back. Sounds like you killed one of those demon summoners though, they're hiding the body before the cops get here."

"How many of these people are there?"

Abella counted on her fingers, then gave up. "I couldn't even say." She stood up and stuck a hand out to Yuki. "I'm hoping you have a plan."

Yuki took Abella's hand and stood, her cards fanned out in front of her. She pulled out three of them and held them up. Five years of hard work and dedication had gone into these three cards alone, and it pained her to lose them all together.

Do what must be done. She slid them into one of her sleeves and then looked at the remainder of her deck. The major arcana was now very short on uses she could think of, while the minor arcana still provided plenty of utility. She organized the minor arcana by suit and number and then put them in a sleeve pocket. Afterward, she stuck the major arcana into an interior pocket by her breast. The last thing she needed was to spend time avoiding those last few power cards while in a hurry. Pulling the Moon while she meant to use something else would do her little good.

A weight in her pocket made her pause, and she stuck her hand inside and pulled out the sunstone. It was cool to the touch, and she briefly wondered if she could use it out here. Realizing that it was a surefire way to incinerate the house, she blew on it, encasing it in a thick layer of frost, and then put it back in her pocket. First chance she got, she would put it back in the Vault.