Another dull thud sounded, a little dust falling from the ceiling. Drum must have called for reinforcements, and they were very determined.
“Riordan, sweetheart, you don’t have to do this.”
Riordan’s blue gold eyes were blank, even as big fat tears began to roll down her cheeks, leaving icy trails in their wake. Poor kid, on some level she was very aware of what she was doing, but just couldn’t stop herself. He shared a look with Gigi, both accepting the truth. Neither liked the idea of hurting Riordan, but Sunny’s well-being came first. They’d do whatever it took. Delay and protect, that’s what their goal was here, Drum would, given enough time, get that bloody door down.
Hathor’s expression remained smugly confident, she clearly didn’t think that Gigi or Nico were much of threat to her plans. “…fetch Mama’s little ray of sunshine.”
The guards started forwarded.
Gigi squared her shoulders, beyond pleased as Nico pulled a knife from an ankle sheath. Unfortunately it looked puny against the four long swords carried by Hathor’s men, but it was better than nothing. Okay, they had Nico’s knife, and her magic. With a thought she stripped out two elements from the guards’ roman sandals and instantly the leather shrank, strangling their feet. Two fell to the ground, reaching frantically for their footwear, the other two managed to hobble forward.
Patricia was going to tear strips off her, but that was a concern for later, as Gigi grabbed six books off the nearest shelf and reworked them into a four foot long almost harder than wood staff. Blocking a sword strike and then several more, as her hobbled opponent pressed onwards, despite the pain in his feet. Aware of Nico engaging the second guard in a series of blocks and parries. Using his knife, fists and booted feet.
Two against two, the odds weren’t bad, maybe, this was doable. Gigi’s stomach abruptly dipping as the two guards at the rear stood up, having cut their strangling footwear off. Damn. Double damn. Two against four, not good odds.
Instinctively she glanced back to check on the babies. Theo in his car seat staring at the action intently, a growing pile of barbed acorns and three corner jacks on his lap. Canary hopping back and forth in front of Sunny, in protect mode. The baby girl’s big blue eyes placidly drinking in all the action.
Which just left Asher… gone, his car seat empty, the straps dangling, swaying in a non-existent breeze. The odds had just changed, hopefully in their favour.
“Asher’s loose.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Mierda. Hathor’s guards had thousands of years of training under their rope belts. If it hadn’t been for his superstrength, Nico doubted he’d still be standing. Even so, he had a cut across his right hip and the back of his left wrist that were sluggishly but steadily bleeding.
He thanked the Saints above for Gigi’s magic and all those self-defence lessons she’d been taking. That staff she’d created was keeping her opponent engaged but also at arm’s length. Handily blocking each of his attempted thrusts and strikes.
Unfortunately, it meant that their two buddies and Riordan could slip around behind them and head for baby Sunny. He was just about to do something insanely desperate when one of those guards abruptly screamed and began hopping about on one foot, only to scream again, and hop some more.
What the…? Nico kicked away his opponent, glancing back. The carpet surrounding the two babies still in their car seats was littered with sharply pointed, spiny, thorny prickles the size of a baby’s fist. Nico ducking beneath the sword swinging for his head, trying to keep his attention on both his opponent and the two guards heading in Sunny’s direction. Watching out the corner of his eye as the second guard bent and swiped his sword back and forth across the carpet, clearing the way so they could walk freely.
Bloody Hell, why wasn’t the bunny doing anything?
Oh, of course, it needed specific instructions from Gigi to attack and she was too darn busy fighting for her life to give him any. Probably she’d set Canary to protect mode and unless someone actively tried to hurt Sunny, he was basically inert. Fuck.
Ducking another sword swipe and then side stepping a thrust. Hell, Nico needed a proper weapon, this guy’s training was too good. Contemplating for a brief moment throwing his knife. But it was a fight knife, the balance weighted for hand to hand. It was official though, after today Nico would start wearing a bandolier of throwing knives.
He just needed this guy to flinch, just once. They were running out of time. The other two guards were mere steps away from Sunny. With his back to them, Nico had no idea why one of them yelled out in pain again. More cacti? Something whizzing through the air, too fast for Nico to tell what it was, but it made his opponent jump, flinch abruptly, and gasp in pain. Spreading blood staining his toga just below the right shoulder. Was that a crystal pendant from one of the overhead chandeliers embedded in his opponent’s body? Yes!
“Down.” Relieved Gigi followed his instructions as suddenly the cavernous space was criss-crossed by sparkling projectiles.
Asher, it had to be. Somehow the genius little fiend had managed to put together two makeshift cannons that were spitting out sharply pointed crystal chandelier pendants. Hah, just goes to show the little fellow hadn’t been idle in here all these months, strapped in his car seat. He’d been strategizing.
Confusion reigned. The guards and deities not seeming to know what was happening or where the threat was emanating from. Neith and Qetesh cowering behind their mother, who’d raised some kind of personal shield for protection.
Nico rolling forward in the confusion, coming up and under his opponent’s defence, stabbing him in the belly, dragging his knife up past the man’s stomach and into his chest. Pow. Flinching as a pendant clipped his left arm, leaving a bloody trail, Nico ducking down once more, following the collapsing body of the guard to the floor.
Swivelling on his knees, Nico was glad to see one of the guards near the babies was lying motionless on the ground, a pendant protruding from his eye. Horror taking hold though as he realised Riordan was just standing there in the open, blank eyed. She hadn’t been hit, yet, but even as he watched, a pendant came so close to her that it sheared off a lock of hair. The moment it detached from her the lock returned to the vibrant red of Riordan’s normal hair colour and fluttered to the ground. Nico biting back on the urge to yell at her to duck, knowing she wouldn’t follow his instructions. He could tackle her, but that would probably result in him taking friendly fire.
A gasp of pain followed by a gurgle only a few feet away pulled his attention away from Riordan. Hah, his faux girlfriend had just used the end of her cobbled together staff to stab her opponent in the throat. Clearly having waited for a distraction to magic the end of her book staff into a hardened wicked pointed shaft.
Abruptly everything went deathly quiet. Asher’s cannons had finally run out of ammunition. Nico clambering to his feet, Gigi beside him, he was aware of the last remaining guard doing the same. Problem being, he was less than two feet from Sunny. Nico tensing, getting ready to dart forward, knowing Canary at least would buy him some time. Grateful the purple bunny was in the process of opening his mouth. Something liquid and vile about to be vomited out into the world.
But unfortunately Riordan was faster. A stream of glittering ice particles hitting Canary’s offering and freezing it solid, and from the looks of it, the entire bunny as well. Unable to move, blink, or even twitch his tail.
“Canary!” Gigi horrified as the connection between her and her pet and faithful treat tester was cut abruptly. Praying, as she’d never prayed before. Canary wasn’t immortal, what if being flash frozen snuffed out whatever magics were holding him together?Unfortunately there was no time to check on him, things having just taken a more dire turn, as Hathor’s guard bent over Sunny, scooping up her car seat.
The baby reaching out, brushing the tips of her fingers against his bare shin. A bright flash followed. Behind closed eyelids Nico could still see the outline of the guard but when he opened his eyes again the guard was gone. Nothing but two burnt footprints left to mark his passing on the carpet. Sunny’s car seat on the ground, rocking slightly in place, the baby looking unharmed and weirdly calm. Sunny’s gaze shifting to Riordan, who was now approaching her.
