Page 61 of Beauty At Stake
“The Demons can lalek your team directly into the yard.” I waved at the iron gate and the tropical garden beyond it.
A road wound through the expanse of lush plant life to a traditional Thai house with some modern adjustments—such as stone walls. None of the windows were open either. The place looked Thai, but unwelcoming—two things that didn't go together. And there was something else that bothered me about the place, but I couldn't figure out what it was. I continued to ponder it as the teams split up and formed groups with Demons.
“Can we go with you, Ambassador?” Sullivan asked, pulling me out of my thoughts.
I blinked and focused on him. “Absolutely.” I looked around. “Everyone ready?”
They nodded.
“I claim the southeast corner there.” I pointed into the garden.
The Demons each called out a location to lalek to, so no one would land in the same spot, then we clasped hands with our group and laleked into the yard.
And into instant chaos.
As soon as we appeared—and I do mean the very second we formed upon the grounds—magic exploded around us. Flashes of light blinded me for a few seconds, coming at me from all directions. It was as if a series of mini bombs went off. Roars, snarls, and growls wound through the air, and the ground shuddered as if a giant walked among us.
“Killian!” I shouted.
“Twilight!” his voice came from somewhere above me.
I peered through an orange mist, up into my husband's large snake eyes. Then a giant snake head pierced the fog, coming down to my level, its enormous fangs bared and dripping poison. To my left, Killian's barbed tail smacked the ground.
“What the fuck?” I whispered. “Why did you transform?”
“It wasn't on purpose!” He reared up, his head swiveling to stare over the mist. “And I can't shift back!”
“What?”
Through the fog came an eerie avian cry, answered by, of all things, the nasal trumpeting of an elephant. Killian curled his long body around me as the pound of feet came closer. At last, just as the sound drew up to us, the mist cleared. A goldenelephant came to a stop and emitted a painful whine. That's when I saw the spear sticking out of its side.
“Ambassador, I need some assistance,” the elephant said.
“Holy shit,” Killian hissed.
I jumped over Kill's body but I didn't touch the spear. Instead, I reached out a hand as I mentally focused my Apportation Magic. The spear vanished and reappeared in my hand.
“My thanks.” The elephant bowed its shiny head.
“Seren!” Star shouted.
I looked across the garden, my gaze catching on fairies in their alternate forms. Someone I would have called a Harpy, were it not for the fact that it was obviously male, helped a white cow with a feathered tail to her feet. The bird-cow swung its horned head and called out to a pegasus. That's right, a pegasus. Well, technically, Pegasus is a name, so the creature was a winged, white horse, but you know what I mean. This particular winged horse wasn't pure white but had a jet black neck, tail, and hooves. It reared and took to the sky—where it hit an invisible barrier and plummeted back to the ground in an awkward tumble. It landed on its side and whinnied as it struggled to its feet.
Another horse-like creature ran to the winged one, its crimson hide catching my attention. And its bright coloring wasn't the only eye-catching thing about it. Atop its horse neck, a lion's head roared. Its golden mane shifted to red where it merged with the horse body. Just a few feet away, a large snake—but still less than half the size of Killian—slithered toward the horses. It was unlike any snake I'd ever seen, with an elongatedface, pointed nose, and huge eyes that glowed red to match its lips. Yeah, lips on a snake. It also had a cock's comb on its head, like a feather mohawk.
Amid all these strange creatures were things that belonged in Hell. Literally. The Demons had become nightmarish beings with horns, claws, and barbed tails. And when I say “nightmarish” I mean that’s how most people would see them. For someone like me, who was married to a Dragon-Djinn, they were kinda hot.
Oh, and let's not forget the werewolf bounding about. Had to be the Pack Vex. The only ones who had remained unchanged were the extinguishers, the rest of the vexes, and me. Hold on. I looked down at myself. Forget that last bit—I was glowing. And yet not. My body shone with light as if I had swallowed a Christmas tree, but over the glow swirled a dark fog, ever moving—crawling up my arms, over my torso, and around my legs before swirling down again.
“Holy shit,” I whispered.
“Yeah, you're beautiful, babe,” Killian said.
“Seren!” Star roared again.
I hadn't seen him at first. Because Star wasn't himself. The King of Hell stood several feet taller than normal, with thick muscles to support his menacing wings, their points tipped by deadly claws. His skin had darkened into the color of dried blood, and a pair of horns curled up from the sides of his head in ebony glory. Between them, an auric crown glowed gold. Star bared his thick fangs, his barbed tail lashing behind him, and leapt into the air.
Astaroth didn't go as high as the winged horse. It was just a jump, but it took him over the heads of confused Fairies, Demons, and Extinguishers. He landed with a thud, his wings spread wide, and set his glowing green and gold stare on me. “We need to retreat.”
