Magic Rises

He batted it aside and sliced the man’s throat.
    Raphael and Andrea backed away, toward the gates.
    A huge woman, six and a half feet tall and wearing armor, ran at them. Eduardo wheeled about and charged, back toward the fight. Andrea and Raphael stepped to the side and he rammed into the woman. They struggled, locked in a deadly grappling match. Eduardo clamped her, and Raphael and Andrea ripped at her from both sides. She shuddered.
    At the gates, Aunt B handed George to Keira, spun around, and headed back.
    The three shapeshifters dragged the Iron Dog down, ripping her apart. An arm flew, tossed aside.
    The rest of the Iron Dogs were almost on them. I squeezed my fists. What are you doing? Go! Run.
    Aunt B grabbed Raphael and Andrea by their shoulders and hurled them back. Eduardo reared. She screamed at him. He hesitated a moment and ran toward the gates. Aunt B followed.
    The Iron Dogs were closing in, Hibla in the lead.
    Raphael and Andrea cleared the gates. The werebuffalo charged through with Aunt B at his heels.
    It wouldn’t help. The Dogs would chase them all the way to the ship. That ship couldn’t pull out fast enough.
    Aunt B stopped before the gates.
    No. No!
    She hit the winch on the side of the gate. The metal portcullis crashed down, cutting her off from the rest of the shapeshifters.
    Andrea screamed. I heard her even through the roar of the fire. Raphael grabbed the steel grate.
    Aunt B planted herself in front of the winch. She could scale the wall, but she stayed where she was. She was buying her son and Andrea time.
    Someone pulled Raphael away from the portcullis from the other side.
    The Iron Dogs were almost there.
    I had one more power word left in me. One more. I wasn’t getting off this tower anyway. I pulled together what weak magic I had left and spat it out. “Osanda.” Kneel, you bastards.
    The world turned red. The pain bent me in half. I slumped over the parapet. Magic burned my lips—blood streamed from my nose over my face.
    Three Iron Dogs directly by the keep plunged down. The rest closed on Aunt B. My magic didn’t reach far enough. It didn’t reach all of them.
    The first Iron Dog leaped, unnaturally high. He sailed over the flames, his human face turning into something monstrous, inhuman, and covered in needles. Aunt B jerked him out of the air, tore open his stomach, and threw him into the fire. He flailed, burning.
    Run! Go, climb the wall, get out of here. Go!
    A towering man charged at her from the left, swinging a huge blade, while another, smaller and faster one, lunged at her from the right. Aunt B grabbed the giant’s sword and tore it out of his hands. The smaller man sliced her side, and she backhanded him into the fire.
    The giant grabbed at her. The bouda thrust her claws into his gut and wrenched his intestines out. He howled, his mouth gaping open, and she pushed him aside.
    The Iron Dogs circled her, wary. Maybe she would get out of this. She had to get out of it.
    Hibla raised her hand. A man behind her bowed his head and began to chant. A mage.
    Aunt B shifted from foot to foot, watching them with red eyes.
    Get out of there, I willed. Go!
    The mage jerked his arms up and out. Three silver blades shot out of him, dragging silver chains behind them. Aunt B shied to the side, but the blades turned and pierced her chest and stomach, biting into the ground, their ends fusing at the last moment into a silver knot. For a second she stood frozen, the silver chains stretching behind her, wet with her blood.
    Oh God.
    The mage brought his arms together. The chains snapped taut, anchoring Aunt B in place. She strained, roaring—the silver was burning her. But the chains held. She could barely take a step.
    Hibla waved her arm. Two Iron Dogs stepped forward with crossbows.
    No, damn it, at least fight her. Fight her, you bastards.
    The first two bolts tore into Aunt B, the impact shaking her. She snarled, straining.
    Hibla nodded. I would find that bitch if I had to turn the entire fucking planet upside down. I would find her and I would kill her slowly.
    The crossbowmen reloaded. Two more bolts tore through her. I jerked as if I’d been shot.
    Another two.
    There would be no more sundresses.
    Two more bolts.
    She would never see her grandchildren. I wanted to cry. I wanted to cry so badly, but my face was dry.
    Two more bolts.
    She screamed and screamed and they shot her. And I was stuck here on top of the tower. I couldn’t even help her.
    Aunt B