Shit.It might have been easier if Lazarus had simply released some natural disaster or deranged beasts. Instead, Killian had to protect the civilians from each other.
“With me!” he commanded Elyse as he pulled her through the disorder. He elbowed a path down to the pagoda, dodging flailing fists. He spotted Zubir making his way through the crowd as well, a handful of his cousins close behind him.
A row of guards had already formed a blockade at the entrance to the pagoda. They stood shoulder to shoulder, holding their halberds out to fend off the feral civilians. People were screaming at the guards and hurling whatever they could get their hands on. Killian pushed Elyse ahead of him as the guards parted wide enough for them to slip through, then made sure Zubir and the shifters got in safely as well.
All eyes shot to them as they entered the pagoda. Manny and Sera were urging the rulers and their guests to stay calm. Soldiers stood at the ready, weapons drawn as they awaited instruction.
Instruction, Killian realized, they were seeking from him.
For the briefest moment, his terror got the better of him. He couldn’t be in charge. He’d been kicked out of the Guard for a reason. He had let his emotions get the better of him, had let them cloud his judgment. He wasn’t fit to lead anyone. He would certainly escort them all to their demise.
Elyse gave his hand the subtlest squeeze. And suddenly, he wasn’t quite so afraid. He was exactly where he was meant to be.
“I need four guards on each of the rulers,” he barked over the cries of the crowd. To the kings and queens, he said, “Stay here. Moving you would put you in more danger. You have ten seconds to appoint your guards.”
He took a moment to appraise the arena. Civilians had jumped the far balcony and were sprinting toward them across the dirt floor. Others scrambled to try and find safety. Lazarus had wandered out of the hidden salt circle and was cackling at the pandemonium he’d created. But for now, at least, he wasn’t causing any more trouble.
Killian turned to the rest of the Guard. “I need eight men each—here, here, and here,” he instructed, pointing to the entrances of the pagoda. “No one crosses these lines. Another eight need to head down to the arena floor and keep anyone from climbing up here. The rest of you spread out across the stadium. Find anyone who’s injured and get them to the infirmary as quickly as you can. Understood?”
“Yes, sir!” the soldiers shouted back.
Killlan’s heart swelled with pride at that, but he didn’t have time to bask in the feeling.
“Killian,” Elyse said, her voice urgent as she tugged at his sleeve.
He twisted toward the railing, expecting to see Lazarus slaughtering innocents. What he saw instead caught him off guard. On the other side of the banister, down on the arena floor, stood an enormous man whose red beard was drenched in sweat. Behind him were twenty more warriors, all armed withvarious weapons. Killian recognized the other competitors—the swordsmen and archers, and even the woman who had thrown knives for show. They all looked menacing, like they were hungry for a fight.
“Remek!” Killian called down.
Never in a million years could he have predicted what Remek did next.
“Lieutenant,” he answered in that gravelly voice of his. “How can we help?”
Killian’s lips curled into a smile. “Split up. Help as many as you can get out of the arena safely.”
“Aye,” Remek said as he raised his sword in acknowledgement. Then he tilted his head toward Lazarus, who was shooting balls of fire into the stands. “You got a plan for that bastard?”
“Yeah,” Killian almost laughed. “I’ve got a plan.”
Remek nodded. “Make it a good show, will ya?” He turned away and began spouting off directions to the others.
Killian shook his head, clearing his jumbled thoughts as Remek and the others dispersed. The guards in the pagoda had taken up their posts and were successfully fending off the crowd. Killian was about to convene with Elyse when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye.
A swirling purple mass was forming at the north end of the stands. It swallowed up the air as it moved and flexed, undulating in the sunlight.
“A portal,” Sera uttered.
Indeed, the shimmering mass seemed otherworldly, like a glimpse into the fabric of the universe. It grew rapidly as civilians shrieked and sprinted away from it.
Killian spotted Lazarus, still on the arena floor. He was moving his hands like a conductor, coaxing the portal to bloom wider, even from a hundred yards away.
“Is he leaving?” Manny asked. He sounded as confused as Killian felt.
“No,” Elyse answered, her brow furrowed in concentration. “He’s bringing something here.”
Killian squinted. Horrified, he saw what she meant. Dark figures lurked behind the shimmering layers of the portal. He could hear their snarls, as if the magic was amplifying the sound.
A single snout poked through the portal, followed by a massive, dripping maw with mangled teeth. It took a curious sniff. The creature must have decided it was satisfied with the fear and blood it scented, because a second later it came barreling through the portal.
