"Maybe trim it to here?" Joey drew a finger across the small of my back.
"Yeah, that would be a good length, I guess."
"And cut the bangs. Just a little," he grinned, leaning down in front of me. "Oh, shit," he said.
"What?" He, Franklin and Norton were standing in a blink.
"The Saa Thalarr are getting attacked. We have to go."
"I'm coming too," I said, grabbing Joey's arm before he could fold away.
* * *
"Stay back," Franklin shouted at me. What met my eyes when I was tossed onto the dry grass of a winter field in the middle of nowhere was nothing less than total chaos. Sixteen Ra'Ak and at least a thousand spawn were there, fighting with the Saa Thalarr who were available to come. I saw Lok and Aurelius appear not far away. Their focus was on the spawn—they didn't even see that I'd come. Drake and Drew were already engaging one of the monster Ra'Ak while their father, Dragon, dealt with another. I saw a huge, white Unicorn, a Black Gryphon and a beautiful Snow Leopard.
Over our heads screamed a giant white Eagle with black wingtips. Then, if that wasn’t enough, another twenty Ra'Ak came. Aurelius had told me over the years that the Ra'Ak that remained were likely hiding, sending their spawn out to create more of their kind. Now, many had chosen to appear at once. Dragon was attempting to fend off four of the creatures and Drake and Drew had more to deal with as well. The Eagle overhead was popping heads off spawn, but the moment she came close to one of the Ra'Ak it leapt at her, snapping its poisonous teeth.
"No!" Joey screamed as a Ra'Ak scraped its teeth against the side of the Unicorn. Dragon, too, roared in pain and frustration as he was nicked by one of the four he fought. There wasn't much time. I was High Demon. I and my race had been created for this. King Lendevik had conveniently forgotten that, but I hadn't. Turning quickly to my larger Thifilatha and pulling energy from the stars over our heads as I ran, I raced to take on the Ra'Ak.
My gold scales were shining like a yellow sun by the time I arrived, and the Ra'Ak attempted to get away when they realized I was among them, but I wasn't having it. I was filled with energy from the stars, glowing with it, pulsing with it. They had no ability to escape me in my present state; I made sure of it. No power worked while I was such. Even the Saa Thalarr were backing away; their folding skills wouldn't work until they got quite far away, actually.
With the precision of a laser pistol, I pointed fingers and released what I'd gathered. Ra'Ak exploded before me, barely able to shriek before they died. Did the spawn think to attack me? They fizzled out of existence upon coming into contact with my scales. Like tiny, flying predators that burn against an insect lantern, they winked into sparks and blew away.
Only three Ra'Ak remained and I killed them leisurely, almost, screaming at them. "Did you think to escape me?" I cried out, scalding tears dripping down my scaled cheeks. Had I realized I was crying? Not until then. "You will never harm again, I promise it," I wept and killed the last two before dropping to the ground and curling in upon myself.
"Reah, we have to go! Dragon and Kiarra have poison in their systems!" Norton shouted up at me. I barely heard him over the sounds of my sobs.
"No," I moaned. Dragon was lying on his side, still in dragon form, but the Unicorn had become someone I recognized—Kiarra of the Saa Thalarr. Her head lay in Joey's lap and he was trying to help her, but the rake she'd received was a severe one. I knew the Ra'Ak poison was running through both of them. Using the short fangs I had while Thifilatha, I bit into my own hand, opening a wound on the palm. High Demons were immune to every poison, including that of the Ra'Ak.
Skipping to Dragon's side, I slapped my hand over his wound, allowing my blood to mingle with his. I knew when the poison was neutralized; it didn't take long. "He's all right now," I said, before going to the woman.
"Here," I became humanoid and knelt, completely naked in a winter field, shivering and placing a bleeding hand over Kiarra's wounds. I smeared my blood from one end of the wounds to the other, going by feel again until I knew the poison was neutralized. Joey stared at me when I finished. "You should be able to work your mojo now," I said. "I got rid of all the star power."
"Is that what it was?" Joey blinked at me in confusion.
"Yeah. It's cold here, did you know?"
"Here." Kevis wrapped a blanket around me and lifted me from the ground. My feet were completely frozen, I think, and it wouldn't take much to snap them off. "I'll meet you back at the house; Dad's about to have a fit." I stared at Kevis Halivar as he folded—yes folded—me somewhere.
Karzac was waiting as Kevis settled me on a stone floor inside a beautiful kitchen, and when I saw Kevis and Karzac next to one another, I knew exactly what was going on. "I ought to punch you," I poked a finger in Kevis' chest. He was Karzac's son. I saw the resemblance with them so close together. "No wonder I never saw you in the same room together." A sandy-blond man that looked very much like Adam Chessman snickered behind Kevis.
"Reah, you're naked," Kevis pointed out. My blanket had dropped to the floor.
"Yeah? I thought you were a doctor. Surely you've seen this before," I snapped, poking him in the chest again.
"Reah, it's a little undignified, arguing naked in my mother's kitchen," Kevis sounded embarrassed.
"You were the one who brought me here," I reminded him, lifting the blanket and wrapping it around me. "I'll go home now." I started to skip away.
"No!" Karzac and Kevis shouted in unison.
"Young one, you most certainly will not skip away until we have examined you and determined that what you just did harmed the child in no way. And your hand is bleeding," Karzac grumped.
"I had to bite it to neutralize the poison in the others," I huffed.
"And Dragon is very grateful. Kiarra is still in shock, I think."
"Is she all right? They didn't hurt her too badly, did they?" Now I was worried.
"She is fine, she just had no idea who you were at the moment; she was in too much pain. She also had no idea where you came from or why you were naked and smearing blood all over her stomach. I had to send someone to explain." Karzac was almost tapping his foot with impatience.
"Why don't you go help her?" I turned back to Kevis. "It sounds as if she's scarred for life, now." The sandy-haired man laughed out loud when I said that.
"Come along, you," Kevis lifted me off the floor and hauled me down a lengthy hallway. Karzac, trailing behind us, slapped the door shut when at least three other people attempted to get inside. I didn't recognize any of them, although the sandy-haired man was one of the three.