CHAPTER#142

"We wait. This is... I don't even know. It's pure chaos out there." Ratu frowned and looked at Tink, who gazed at the scene through her goggles. "Do you see anything?"

"Magic everywhere," Tink whispered in awe.

The cacophony lasted for several minutes, the house showered in mud, fire and bits of trash that had been strewn around the yard. A Society member blew against one of the windows, cracking the glass. A blast of light from the house blew them across the yard, where they tumbled in a smoldering heap across what remained of the front walk.

"I can feel it winding down." Ratu closed her eyes, placing her head against the glass. "This might be your best chance. When the storm subsides, race for the dial and we will be right behind you."

"Okay." He swallowed the lump in his throat, his whole body tingling in anticipation. He hadn't expected to see this, and he couldn't take his eyes away from the scene before him. Moments earlier, the three-tailed figure had been desperately trying to crawl away, but had been caught up in the storm and tossed around, smashing into objects, people, and eventually, the ground. Yuki had gone completely limp, the wind ruffling the fur on her tails.

The house shuddered when a massive gust of wind blew against it, and then the world outside went quiet.

"Go! Now!" Ratu ran around the corner and opened the door for him.

Mike stepped through it, marveling at the chaos before him. Members of the Society were struggling to stand up, and he hopped over the broken railing of the house, landing in a crouch behind what was left of the bushes. Nobody made a move, so he sprinted across the yard, tightly clutching the emerald in one hand and the dagger in the other.

When the chill hit his gut, he ducked and slid underneath a black and gray mass that threw itself at his head, then twisted away from a feeble lightning blast. All around him, he could hear the angry mutters of witches and warlocks fighting to recover, to stand up and stop him. Wild magic swirled around the yard, picking up both people and debris and tossing them about. He hopped over a spiraling whirlwind that tried to take him off his feet and slapped his hand down on the sundial.

Feeling the magic of the house connect with him, he gave it a quick twist. The magic radiated outward, and the lions standing at the front of the house blazed to life, turning their heads to survey the intruders still on his lawn as they stepped down from their perches.

"Mr. Radley." It was Amir who spoke, standing up several feet away to brush the dust from his dark suit. Part of his face was gone, smeared behind him like a poorly painted shadow. His body was still reassembling itself, coagulating like oil. "I am so very tired of seeing your face. I'm tired of dealing with you, with your creatures, and..." he spat out a rock and coughed up a few blades of grass. His body had accidentally pulled bits of debris inside of him, and he was now gagging on what looked like a shingle that was too large to pull out of his mouth.

"You should run." Mike slid the emerald into his pocket and stepped around the dial, raising his dagger. "Because if the lions don't get you, I will."

Amir fixed MIke with a look of pure hatred, then bent over and vomited, frantically trying to break apart the chunk of housing lodged in his mouth. Screams of terror filled the yard as the lions turned into blazing balls of light and attacked, tearing their way through the intruders.

They scattered. Amir backed away from Mike, summoning a shield of light that a lion bounced off of, knocking him to the ground. A pair of Society members were reduced to ashes by the lions, and Amir was grabbed by Elizabeth, who pulled him by the shoulder. She fixed Mike with a fierce gaze and opened her mouth to say something.

"Yeah, yeah, you'll be back." Mike told her. He tucked the dagger into its sheath and crossed his arms. "And I'll be waiting."

A blast of lightning tore across the yard toward him, only to be deflected by a wall of stone summoned by Ratu. She summoned a massive flame of her own and casually tossed it toward those who were still escaping, many of whom were simply vaulting over the wall. In the distance, he heard car doors slam and tires squeal on the pavement as they left.

"Thanks for the assist," he told Ratu, trying not to let his voice shake. Now that they were gone, he could feel the adrenaline in his system depleting, leaving him a nervous wreck.

"Anytime." She smirked at him, then looked across the yard. "Though I won't take credit for this. This was all her."

"Yeah." Drops of water hit his face and he looked up at the misty cloud that had formed overhead. Drops of rain suffused with light now fell on his yard, the wild magic slowly fading away into the environment. Looking down, he saw what was left of a tarot card. He lifted it up, revealing that it was now blank.

Surveying the ruins of his yard, he thought It resembled a junkyard now, the sidewalk torn apart and a pair of mangled vehicles by the entrance. Where the grass hadn't been set aflame, it had been bogged down in mud or frost. Behind him, Tink was busy helping Abella free herself from the ruins of the front porch while Ratu used pillars of stone to lift the roof off of them.

He let out a sigh, water running down his face. It was cold and miserable out, and the rain wasn't helping. Yuki lay face down, her fingers curling and uncurling in the dirt and her breath coming in painful wheezes. He knelt down and tapped her on the top of her head.