Demon Forged

you.” She looked at Drifter. “Unless you are absolutely desperate.”
    “I was pretty damn desperate. I reckon we might be again.” His brown hair spiked up when he dragged his hand through it. “How do you figure we kill these things? Nephilim, nosferatu—we know it’s the head or the heart. But the dragons? What do we do—just throw anything at them?”
    Alejandro had wondered the same. From the images Ames-Beaumont had projected, he could clearly picture the creatures’ heavy frames, their bodies similar to a rodent’s in shape, with powerful haunches and slightly weaker front limbs that ended in sharp talons. They were enormous, some appearing a hundred feet in length, and as they flew, their bodies possessed a serpentine grace. Fast and sleek, the dragons could dart as quickly as a hummingbird, and dive like a hawk. The iridescent scales that covered their hides were most likely armor, and they belched fire from a maw big enough to swallow five Guardians at once.
    “It is best not to leave it to guesswork,” he said. “We know from Michael that the dragons can be slain with a sword through their hearts. So I suggest two strategies: either strike for the heart or run as quickly as you can.”
    Irena nodded her agreement. The speculative look in Jake’s eyes deepened. He quietly teleported away. Alejandro glanced around the room, didn’t see where he’d gone.
    “He probably figures he doesn’t have enough explosives,” Drifter said.

    Irena didn’t know if explosives would help them.
    Michael and Ames-Beaumont returned, reeking of rot and sulphur. Ames-Beaumont painted two symbols on the wall in his blood, which immediately froze to the iron. When the vampire and Savi lowered their psychic shields, wyrmwolves in Chaos would swarm to the symbols he’d written in that realm, and begin ripping at each other. With enough wyrmwolf blood, the portal would open, creating a bridge from Chaos to the symbols here.
    They might only have to wait minutes after the two vampires opened their shields; they might wait hours. They readied for it now.
    Michael projected a picture of where the portal would open—a sheltered, rocky crag at the base of a black mountain. He called in a large table and spread a sheet of paper over the surface. They gathered round.
    In black ink, he drew a circle in the center. “This is the mountain. On this side is our portal”—he drew a black X on one edge of the circle, then another on its opposite edge—“and here, halfway up the mountainside, is the mouth of a cave system. Several nephilim have been guarding the entrance against wyrmwolves, and more nephilim have been moving in and out of these caves in teams of ten.”
    Even without the image Michael provided, it was easy to picture the nephilim like bees at the entrance of a hive. Irena frowned. “Is their portal inside—and their queen?”
    “I am not certain about the portal,” Michael said, “but it is a strong possibility. Anaria has been outside the caves, however. She’s been focused on the barrier and on the dragons.”
    The ceiling between Hell and Chaos. According to the diagram, the mountain sat near the edge of the enormous, circular span of dangling bodies. “Is she hunting a dragon?”
    Michael nodded. “Once she has its blood, if she casts a spell to open the barrier between the realms, the magic of the symbols will be that much more powerful.”
    The blood of the dragon will create one door and destroy another.
    Irena pushed it away, refusing to glance at Khavi standing next to Michael. Their life would not be determined by prophecy.
    “What is our primary objective?” Alejandro asked.
    “To close the portal is the most important task. We cannot allow a dragon into Earth. Alejandro, Irena, and Alice will search the caves. Khavi and I will clear the entrance for you first, then Khavi will prevent any nephilim from coming in behind you.”
    A cave that might be full of nephilim. Irena swallowed the hot lump of terror, of denial. She would allow Khavi at her back—and Alice, with her razored spiderwebs and quick blade, was the perfect choice to accompany them inside.
    Jake’s mouth tightened. He shifted on his feet, his gaze repeatedly scanning the small diagram Michael had drawn, but he remained silent.
    “The symbols Anaria will have used to make the portal won’t be in Chaos; you’ll have to destroy the portal from this side on Earth.”
    Alejandro exchanged a glance with Irena. “How