"The Collector is displeased," she whispered, suddenly sounding uncertain.
The shadow behind her surged forward, briefly enveloping her before pulling back. Morgana stiffened, her posture changing subtly. When she spoke again, her voice carried an older, deeper resonance.
"Amusing diversion," she said, her mouth moving slightly out of sync with the words. "But insufficient."
With a single gesture, she sent Mayor Grimble and Elder Thornberry flying backward. The Mayor crashed into a bush, his scroll wrapping around him like a mummy's bandages. Thornberry simply vanished mid-air with a pop and the smell of butterscotch.
But the distraction had served its purpose. Sam caught Delilah's eye across the clearing, their gazes locking with newfound understanding.
The battle for Assjacket had begun.
16
Sam launched himself forward, bones cracking and reforming as he shifted mid-leap. His clothes tore away as black fur erupted across his body. The transformation completed before his paws hit the ground, his wolf form larger than any natural canine had a right to be.
A shadow creature lunged at him, its formless body stretching like liquid darkness. Sam ducked beneath it, teeth bared in a snarl that rumbled through the clearing. He needed to draw attention away from Delilah and Zelda, who were working furiously at the edge of the ritual circle.
Mac's voice cut through the chaos. "Alpha pattern! Surround and isolate!"
Shifters moved with military precision, some in half-forms with extended claws and glowing eyes, others fully transformed into their animal aspects. They encircled the outer ring of shadow creatures, creating a barrier between the witch and potential escape routes.
Sam caught glimpses of Delilah through the mayhem. Her hands moved in intricate patterns, purple energy crackling between her fingertips as she and Zelda worked to disrupt the ritual. The artifacts continued to pulse with increasing intensity, their connections forming a web of light above the clearing.
"Behind you!" Delilah shouted.
Sam spun, narrowly avoiding a tendril of darkness that whipped past his ear. He snapped his jaws, catching the shadow substance. It tasted like ice and electricity, making his teeth ache.
Across the clearing, Vic danced between three shadow creatures, wielding a cane that had transformed into an elegant, sharp sword. His movements were fluid, almost bored, as he sliced through the darkness.
"I charge extra for apocalypse prevention!" Vic called out, parrying a strike with theatrical flair. "This is coming out of your tip, Wolfe!"
A shadow creature dissolved under his blade, reforming seconds later. Vic sighed dramatically. "And resurrection fees are double!"
Sam growled in response, unable to form words in his wolf form. He circled back toward Morgana, who stood at the center of the ritual, her silver hair floating around her like mercury in zero gravity. The shadow behind her had grown larger, occasionally merging with her outline before separating again.
"The Convergence cannot be stopped!" Morgana's voice echoed with dual tones. "The Collector has waited centuries for this moment!"
Zelda's familiars darted between combatants, Fat Bastard somehow managing to trip three shadow creatures despite his size. Boba Fett and Jango Fett worked in tandem, carrying small pouches of magical herbs that exploded on contact with the shadows.
"Left flank's collapsing!" Mac shouted, his body shifting between human and wolf so rapidly he appeared to be both at once. "Need backup!"
Sam changed direction, bounding toward the struggling shifters. From the corner of his eye, he saw Mayor Grimble free himself from the scroll-cocoon, his miniaturized hat somehow producing a tiny fire extinguisher that he aimed at the nearest shadow.
At the center of the chaos, the ritual was reaching its climax. The artifacts had begun to spin, forming a vortex of light that tore at the fabric of reality. A portal began to form—a jagged black tear in the air itself.
"It's happening!" Zelda shouted, her hands glowing with counterspell energy. "Delilah, now!"
Delilah's eyes glowed with the same purple light that surrounded her hands. "I can see it—I can see through!"
Through the widening tear, Sam glimpsed a figure standing in darkness. Its features shifted constantly, faces forming and dissolving like clay under invisible hands. One moment it wore the face of an elderly man, the next a young woman, then something inhuman and ancient.
The Collector.
Sam howled, the sound cutting through the magical cacophony. He charged toward Morgana, determined to break her concentration before the portal could fully open.
A wall of shadow slammed into him, sending him tumbling across the clearing. He crashed into a tree, the impact forcing a partial shift back to human form. His mouth filled with the copper taste of blood.
"Sam!" Delilah's voice reached him through the pain.
