Shaking his head ruefully at his friend, Jai sighed. “You heard him.”
Without another word, Ari let the flames of the Peripatos erupt around her and then she was gone. Jai felt his heart begin to race as he turned to Trey and gave him a sharp nod. “Let’s do this.”
In seconds he was in Rancocas Park, hidden in the Cloak, following Ari as she hurried through the thick of the trees. Trey, you there?
Right beside you, following Ari.
Good. Jai focused on his girl now. We’re right behind you, Ari.
Okay, she answered, her voice shaking in his head. Charlie’s just up ahead.
They hadn’t even been walking two minutes when a blast of magic shot past Ari, barely missing her head. It exploded against a nearby black oak tree. The air rippled around her as she prepared her energy to defend herself. Needing to be at her side, Jai rushed toward her only to discover they had ventured into a small clearing. Charlie stood off to the side as Pazuzu and the Ghulah walked slowly toward Ari.
Jai tensed, remembering his last encounter with the ancient being.
Pazuzu’s face was part human, part lion. The flesh of his mouth curled in an upside-down heart shape, huge fangs peeking from between his lips. He had human-shaped eyes and nose, except completely flat where the bridge should be. His skin was almost black, his amber eyes glowing eerily against the rich dark chocolate of his flesh. His fingers were like long twigs. The creepiest aspect of his physical appearance was the way his left hand twisted downward and his right up.
The Ghulah, on the other hand, passed for an attractive human woman, until she opened her mouth and her jaw elongated to reveal huge, sharp teeth.
Ari, you bind Charlie and get him out of here. We’ll take care of these guys. Trey, you ready?
As I’ll ever be.
To give Ari distraction time, Jai removed the Cloak and with a blast of ember sent the Ghulah flying through the air to smash against the trees. Pazuzu’s attention was momentarily diverted and Trey stepped out of the Cloak behind the ancient Jinn just long enough to incapacitate him with a black-out enchantment. It would last only a minute on a being as old and powerful as Pazuzu.
Jai shot a look at Ari. She had Charlie on the ground. He groaned in pain as Ari wrestled the emerald from him.
“Jai, now!” Trey snapped his attention back and focused on joining his energy with his friend’s. He forced his power out and it spread through the air quickly, seeking Trey’s. He felt the moment the two energies merged, the familiarity of Trey’s essence flowing through him until his muscles felt stronger, his feet lighter, his whole being like the slightest but impenetrable metal.
“Aahh!” his friend yelled as the Ghulah launched herself at Trey. Consequently, his power started to seep from Jai’s body. They struggled on the ground, fighting with fists and magic. Jai moved to help him only to draw to a halt when a hard squeeze circled around his throat.
His anxious eyes sought the ground where Pazuzu had lain unconscious. Sure enough, the ancient wind demon had awoken, his right hand held out toward Jai as an invisible grip worked toward asphyxiation.
“I remember you, boy,” he sneered.
Pulling on his defensive magic, Jai cut through the charm choking him and blasted Pazuzu with his own explosive heat. Pazuzu merely stumbled and then launched himself at Jai like a hopping spider. Lacerations opened up all over Jai’s body moments before Pazuzu took him to the ground. Fighting through the pain, Jai forced ember-glowing hands up toward the wicked Jinn’s chest and burned through the bastard’s T-shirt, the sizzling, sickening scent of burnt fabric and flesh filling the air. Pazuzu cried out at the same time a scream rung through the clearing.
Pazuzu cursed and collapsed on the ground next to Jai. Bleeding all over and not healing quickly enough, Jai took a minute to gather himself as Trey held Pazuzu down. “Jai, come on! We need to merge our magic.”
A glance around the woods told him Ari had Charlie frozen and bound and was watching the events with Pazuzu unfold, helplessness stretched across her face. Her magic was channeled into binding Charlie. She couldn’t help them. Jai curled a lip at the sight of the wounded Ghulah Trey had stabbed in the side. As she struggled to her feet, Jai shot an anxious look at Ari.
“Ari, go!” he called out roughly.
She shook her head, her body at war with the plan. She trembled with the obvious need to step in.
Trey cursed on a pained cry, drawing Jai’s attention back to him. Blood dripped down Trey’s cheek from a laceration. Cutting someone’s flesh into little shreds seemed to be Pazuzu’s favorite form of warfare. A flash of ember shot out of Trey’s hands and jolted into Pazuzu with such force, the wind demon shuddered, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as he slumped on the ground. Trey twisted his head around in Ari and the Ghulah’s direction before jerking back to Jai. “Get that bitch.
I’ve got this.”
Not needing to be told twice, Jai got to his unsteady feet and forced strength into them as he strode toward the Ghulah. She arrogantly taunted Ari before attacking her, but whipped around just in time for Jai to knock her back with the powerful thrust of a magically powered uppercut. Blood dribbled from between her lips as she lowered her chin, her eyes narrowed dangerously on Jai now.
Months ago he’d faced this Ghulah and almost watched her suffocate the life out of Ari. That wouldn’t happen again. Most of the time, hand-to-hand combat wasn’t long and drawn out, as portrayed in movies. The shorter a fight, the fiercer and deadlier the attack, the better the chance of survival. Opponents well matched could dance around each other for a while, but when one uses talismans to illegally juice up their power, it means causing deadly damage as quickly as possible.
Last time Jai had danced with this bitch. He’d given her an in. By the glitter of excitement in her eyes, she was expecting the same.
Ari cried out at something, but Jai couldn’t be distracted. This had to end; otherwise, the Ghulah would just keep coming for her. Hand behind his back, Jai conjured the Kilij sword he’d admired in Michael’s weapon cabinet. With a war cry, Jai swung it out from behind him, the curved blade slicing through the Ghulah’s neck.
With a bitter cold triumph, Jai watched her head topple to the muddied ground and roll toward a tree. Her body swayed and then dropped with a thump.
“Jai!”
He jerked his head around to Ari’s distressed cry and saw her pointing behind him. Blood rushing in his ears, Jai turned to find Trey on the ground, Pazuzu straddling him, his long, gnarled fingernail scoring deep across Trey’s throat.