Right now, his eyes are filled with fire, which means that instead of his damaged mind, he’s being controlled by Phobetor’s no less dangerous intelligence.
Valerian narrows his eyes at the screen. “So this is where he went. I hope the guards get him.”
The guards do not. They’re too busy with the chort.
Asha curses again as a giant jumps out of the gate.
At first, I think it’s Colton, but no. This one is female, and she’s at least two heads taller.
The guards not too busy with the chort shoot at her. Just like with the orcs, the guns don’t seem to work due to the female giant’s size. With steps that shake the forest around them, she lumbers toward the guards nearest her.
Rattie hangs back, as do all the regular-sized Overtaken as they stream in through the gate.
Before the giant gets to her destination, the guards in her way drop their guns and ready their swords. She smashes into them without any attempt at self-preservation. Ignoring the sword a brave guard sticks into her left thigh, she grabs him and uses him like a club to bash the others.
A couple of swings later, a dozen guards are on the ground.
Rattie and a small army of the Overtaken must’ve been waiting for just this opening. Without bothering to finish off the downed guards, they vault over them and launch into a sprint.
When I realize which way they’re headed, ice fills my stomach.
They’re running to our side of Soma.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“What do we do?” Idi gasps out.
“Make a stand.” Bebe rushes to the nearby table and takes out small earplug-like devices.
Idi limps over to the weapon pile, but Bebe grabs his shoulder. “We need someone to stay back and update us on the developing situation.”
She thrusts an earpiece into Asha’s hand, and my sister shoves it into her ear, then grabs a gun and a sword.
Kojo frowns at the weapons in his wife’s hands. “Why don’t you stay with Idi?”
There’s a ferocious gleam in Asha’s eyes. “My child is in this building. The only way the Overtaken are getting in is over my dead body.”
Mine too.
I snatch up an earpiece for myself, then stride over to the weapon pile and pick up a gun and a sword.
Valerian grabs my wrist. “I want you to stay with Idi.”
I twist out of his hold. “I’m going to protect my family.”
He stares at me for a tense second, then sighs. “I had to try.”
He takes up weapons of his own, and Bebe, Maxwell, and Kojo do the same.
With grim determination, we sprint out of the building.
Once outside, I discover we’re not the only ones who’ve gotten this idea. A group of armed people are already here, as well as more teams by the entrances of the other buildings nearby.
Bebe’s rousing speech must be the cause.
“We need to form a tactical formation,” Bebe says and orders us to stand like a firing squad, backs to the building and guns pointed at the edge of the forest.
I end up on the rightmost end of the line, with Bebe on my left, Asha on her left, then Valerian, then Kojo, then Maxwell, then people whose names I don’t know.
A second later, a pair of elves dash out of the forest—a male and a female, both dressed in sleepwear, as most Overtaken are.
“Illusions!” Bebe shouts.
Valerian and one of the other defenders shoot the Overtaken with arcs of energy.
The elves freeze. Then the female attacks the male, tearing out his hair. He smashes a fist at her face, shattering her nose. She gouges out his left eye—which is when another pair of Overtaken appear out of the forest.
An uber and a dwarf.
“We don’t have four illusionists,” Bebe shouts. “Fire on my command!”
The elves stop fighting. Now that the Overtaken outnumber the illusionists, Phobetor can’t be fooled.
The four race at us, the gravely injured elves oblivious to pain.
When they’re fifteen feet away, Bebe hollers for us to fire.
I shoot the rightmost Overtaken—the dwarf.
He collapses, tripping one of the wounded elves in the process.
I shoot the downed elf as my allies take care of the rest.
“The giant is finally dead,” Idi’s voice says triumphantly in my ear. “Oh, wait, now there’s an orc.”
“Give us tactically critical information only,” Bebe barks into her earpiece. “Can’t afford to be distracted.”
“Understood,” Idi replies.
Another group of Overtaken—all naked—streak out of the forest, so we gun them down. An even larger group barrels out next, but we destroy them too. This pattern repeats until my trigger finger is cramping from all the squeezing.
A pair of dwarves fly out of the forest like birds.
I resist the temptation to rub my eyes.
It soon becomes clear that they’re not actually flying. More like hovering ten feet off the ground. Under them is another motley crew of Overtaken.
They all charge at us.
“There’s a telekinetic in that group.” Idi’s voice is somber. “He’s caused chaos back at the gate and is now causing the dwarves to float.”