* * *
"The plan's been compromised!" Wildrif's voice screeched into Diamond's cell. "The warlock and his people are fighting for their lives. You'll have to take the children away yourselves."
Diamond nodded to Ruby, and he and his brother each grasped one of Pierce's arms and disappeared before Pierce had an opportunity to shout at either of them.
* * *
"We're on our way." Rend, the Dark King's Destroyer, ended the call he'd gotten from Wildrif—it was almost identical to the one Diamond had gotten from the wild-eyed clairvoyant. "Come on, those stupid spell-casters have managed to muck this up," Rend informed his three brothers. "Sorry, it will expend too much energy if we take you along," Rend informed Josiah and the six werewolves that stood before him. "Here's your money," Rend tossed a heavy bag to Josiah. "We'll be in touch." Rend, Slash, Grind and Crush all disappeared before Josiah could say a word.
* * *
"Quick, get in the storm shelter," Ashe had carried all his passengers to the shelter between mobile homes. They'd never used it until now, but it was built of strong material and buried in the ground, with a thick door that could be latched once they were inside. Ashe could still hear the noise of fireblasts being hurled at the entrance to Cloud Chief, while werewolves, vampires and a few shapeshifters attempted to fight off rogue spell-casters. Steven Pendley and Rocky Hill carried Director Jennings between them; the Director still hadn't wakened.
"Hurry," Luanne and Edward were lifting the shelter's heavy door so the others could get inside. Bryce, Keith and Macy helped shaky mothers down steep steps after Director Jennings was taken in first.
"Son, shouldn't you come with us?" Michael Caldwell, Keith and Bryce's father placed a hand on Ashe's shoulder.
"I need to check on Sali," Ashe winced as another fireblast exploded at the gate.
"I'm not going in there," Philip Raymond announced as his mother attempted to pull him down the shelter's narrow steps. Smoke from burning grass filtered past as Ashe stared at Philip Raymond. Philip backed away from the shelter entrance, refusing to go inside with his mother.
"Dang," Ashe breathed and prepared to mist Philip inside the storm shelter.
"You stupid," the sentence wasn't finished as a voice shouted directly behind Ashe. Jackie Raymond screamed as a bullet tore through her shoulder. Ashe whirled to find the man who'd attacked him and his mother inside Cordell Feed and Seed. Behind that man stood two others Ashe didn't recognize, and both were just as shocked at what the man had done as Ashe was. None of them, however, were expecting what happened next.
Philip had been angry for a very long time, and his anger found an outlet that night. Turning to mountain lion, Philip hurled himself at the one who'd once called himself Philip's father. Philip Raymond Sr. had been a CIA spy for many years before going rogue and acting as a double agent. Until he'd been discovered. He'd disappeared after that, and Jackie Raymond had tearfully lied to her son, telling him that his father was dead.
Now, Philip slashed and clawed at Philip Raymond Sr.'s throat, even as the gun his father carried fired. Ashe and the others watched in horror as father and son fell to the ground, dead of their wounds. Jackie Raymond kept screaming as four more men appeared from nothing, immediately engaging the first two strangers in a firebombing battle. Only these blasts were fifty times more deadly than those hurled by the warlocks and witches at Cloud Chief's entrance.
A mobile home behind Ashe was hit and tossed high into the air, exploding with a resounding boom that flung Ashe to his knees and forced him to cover his ears. Michael Caldwell dragged a weeping, bleeding Jackie Raymond toward the shelter as the battle continued around them. Another mobile home blew apart as Ashe struggled to stand. The remaining homes were hit and exploded while Ashe watched the battle between Dark Destroyers and Bright Jewels. He ducked flaming debris as it blasted outward and rained from a smoke-filled sky. A fireball was aimed directly at him and he was prepared to turn to mist when everything slowed and then stopped in midair.
"What the?" Ashe could move, but everything else had stopped where it was. Ducking away from the fireball that had almost reached him, Ashe studied it in terrified curiosity. He could have walked between other fireblasts if he'd chosen to do so; the fireballs hung in midair between combatants.
"We must hurry; there is little time. If I suspend everything for more than a few of your Earth minutes, others might suspect and attempt to undo what I have done."
Ashe nearly jumped at the eight-and-a-half-foot blue giant that appeared at his side. "Ren?" he whispered, stunned at the sight of his friend, who was now an adult.
"I have always been your friend, Ashe, and always will be," the adult Ren smiled, flashing brilliant white teeth at Ashe. "But we have little time. Bring your friends out. You are going to save them."
"But how?" Ashe stared at Ren. "How are you here and doing this? And how can I save everybody?"
"Adult Larentii are quite powerful, Ashe, but even they might not do this," Ren swept out a hand, indicating the suspended action surrounding them. "You might say I've grown past their expectations, although time holds no constraints for any of my race." He smiled again. "Come, you will do this. We must hurry."
"Do what?" Ashe still didn't understand.
"Open a gate, young Ashe. I believe you concentrate on making the gate, while sweeping your hands like this," Ashe watched in wonder as Ren imitated the very movements that Elizabeth's ghost had been making for days. "And no other living Elemaiya is capable of making a gate anywhere they please; only you have that talent. The others must rely on fixed gates that exist upon certain worlds. There are two of those on Earth. Come now, time is ticking away. Make the gate Ashe, and call the others out of the shelter. We will send them away tonight."
"Send them where?" Ashe asked as he attempted to do as Ren instructed.
"Trust me, friend. All you have to do is open the gate. People will be waiting on the other side to take these to safety."
"All right," Ashe drew a shaky breath, concentrated as hard as he could, mouthed the words "Open Sesame," and pulled his arms up in an arc over his head. Shocked beyond comprehension, Ashe stared as a bit of light formed and then spread until a twelve-by-twelve portal opened before him. Even more shocking was what he saw beyond that portal—several people waited there expectantly, one of them a woman made almost entirely of light. She shone so brightly that Ashe couldn't make out any features; he could only see a female outline.