CHAPTER 88

"They're luring the snowmen away from here. Leeds is out there too, taunting Bigfoot further into the woods. This is intentional, he's spreading us too thin! I think he knows the Nirumbi don't pose a threat, but this..." she paused to hurl an icicle at the Wendigo. It shattered on hard, white flesh. "This thing is something else."

"Let's see if we can buy ourselves some breathing room." He held up the potion. "I don't think I can throw it from here without missing."

Velvet looked over at him and snatched the potion from his hand. "Seriously, a Dragon's Breath?"

"Yep. Will do some damage, chase it off maybe."

"Roll to hit, add in that Dex modifier." Velvet smirked, then launched the potion. It soared through the air and shattered on the Wendigo's chest, coating the creature in a thin film of red.

The Wendigo immediately tried to remove the clinging slime, but only succeeded in smearing it across its chest and stomach. Frustrated, it tried to wipe its hands in the snow, but whatever Zel had added to turn the fine powder into a liquid wasn't coming off.

Mike watched in satisfaction as it started scratching.

"That's right, itches, doesn't it?" He grinned when the Wendigo let out a growl, followed by a whimper. It had stopped grabbing Nirumbi and was now just scratching itself. A few Nirumbi had been exposed to the substance and were already rolling the snow in an attempt to get it off.

"Magic itching powder?" Velvet cocked an eyebrow. "Seems a little—"

The Wendigo roared, then broke free of its prison, scratching furiously at its chest. The red liquid had turned crimson, staining the Wendigo's paper-white skin. It tumbled about in the snow, trying to rid itself of the Dragon's Breath.

Mike expected the Wendigo to bolt. Instead, he was horrified when it crouched down and dug large nails into its own flesh and started peeling. Yuki gagged when the Wendigo yanked a large strip of its own skin off and tossed it to the side where it slapped loudly against a tree.

Yuki tried to encase it in ice once again while it proceeded to skin itself, but it was enraged now and easily broke free.

How the hell were they going to stop this thing? If they couldn't hurt it, then maybe they could trap it? But how? Yuki's ice wasn't slowing it down much, and the guns couldn't kill it. As long as the Nirumbi kept lining up to be snacks, there was no way they could continue to keep it away.

The Wendigo tossed the rest of its ruined flesh to the ground and then regenerated by stuffing its face with more Nirumbi. It moved toward them, growling ominously.

"Retreat!" Yuki summoned another series of ice walls. "Into the cabin!"

Velvet went in first, followed by Mike and then Yuki. Once inside, they bolted the door shut and ran around to the nearest window. The Wendigo had reached the porch, and it rammed its foot into the front door.

Mike expected it to explode, showering the room with shrapnel. Instead, the kick was little more than a muffled thud. The Wendigo repeated the attack, then shifted over to a window and punched it. Instead of the glass breaking, the Wendigo's knuckles split apart, revealing bone.

"That's not what I expected." Velvet put her hands against the glass. "You can't even feel the vibrations from the hit."

Mike shook his head in disbelief. "So you're telling me the exterior of the home is unbreakable?"

"Guess so." Velvet shrugged. "It's not like this has happened much. Even during the goblin attacks, their arrows would stick in the exterior. They never wielded anything bigger than a club, and dad would shoot them before they got close."

"Well okay, then." He would have to bring Ratu out here and figure out how to do something similar to the house defenses.

"We may be safe for now," Yuki said, her arms crossed. She was in the kitchen, her attention directed outward. "But we're trapped. Bigfoot and Dana are out in the forest, Abella is missing, and help isn't coming. I'm trying to bring the snowmen back, but they're outnumbered and I don't think they'll do any good against the Wendigo."

Mike groaned, then looked back outside. The Nirumbi had formed an outer perimeter and the Wendigo, whose flesh had regrown, was busy trying to rip the siding off the house. Every time those sharp claws dug into the side of the cabin, they seemed to slip right off. Would the magic that protected this place be enough? And if so, how long could they hole up here?

Up on the roof of the barn, Leeds reappeared. His laugh became a screeching sound, filling the air like thousands of angry cicadas. The Nirumbi were lighting torches, their angry little faces highlighted by the flames.

"Uh..." Velvet backed away from the windows. "I really hope this place is fireproof." She was wringing her hands together, her unblinking eyes stuck on the torches that had surrounded her home.

The Wendigo roared, then punched the front door again. This time, the wood groaned and a split appeared in the wood.

"Yuki?" Mike's throat had gone dry. "Have any tricks up your sleeve?"

"Always." Dark lines had appeared on her face and she was shuffling her tarot cards. "Is there a back door to this place? I'll hold them off while you run."

"You can't hold them on your own," he whispered.

"Probably not." When she looked over at him, there was a wild look in her eyes. "This is a bad situation, Mike. Very bad. That thing out there is possessed by some type of spirit that possesses an affinity for the ice. I can't hurt it."

His heart raced when he realized that she was planning to buy them time with the cost of her own life.