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When we were done, I noticed that the other two piles were also packed into the
backpacks, and Stan, Janie, and Bernadette now stood in the room.
 Okay, we re ready. Geri said. They gathered around her for a group hug, Alex caught
my hand and pulled me in too. The energies were strong and pleasant. They felt like family and it
had been a long time since I d had family ties. My dragon mother died when I was born and my
druid father died over a thousand years ago. Silently, I hoped this wouldn t be the last time this
little family banded together.
 We all know where we re going and how we re getting there, Geri added.  Good luck
and may Mercury speed us on our way. She picked up a big travel mug of tea that she d set on
the table and swung one of the backpacks over her shoulder.
A howl rent the darkness as we stepped out of the door. All of the streetlights were out,
up and down the street not a single porch light or street light shone. Another howl shredded the
night.
 Crap, they re already here! Larry said.
 Which of you is the best shot with a gun? I asked as I raced to the truck. Thinking we d
be faced with more werecreatures, I d packed a little assistance. I was tired of wasting good
magical energies on werecreatures if I didn t need to. Silver bullets worked just as well with less
energy expenditure.
I pulled the back door open just as the first werewolf loped into view. It was a large one.
He chose to come in monster form, that in-between form not quiet human, but more than a little
wolf, which offered high fright value. I grabbed the first pistol I d stashed under Alex s bag on
the floorboard. The werewolf had almost reached the car when I straightened, fired and
splattered his brains halfway down the block. These new firearms with powerful ammo that
delivered lots of punch beat the hell out of flintlocks any day.
Multiple howls erupted up and down the block as several more werewolves appeared
from behind cars and hedges. I tossed the gun I had just fired to Terry as he appeared at my side.
I also handed him a handful of silver bullets.  Silver, cover the others as they get to the cars.
There may be vampires with them as well, silver won t slow them down much, so don t waste
your shots there. Another wolf charged in full wolf form, leaping over the truck at us. Terry
fired, catching it in the chest as it cleared the roof.  Good shot. I pulled out another gun for
myself, and then I felt a chill I hadn t felt in a very long time. I looked up and the werewolf
whose head I d blown off stood up. The damaged head hung loosely over his right shoulder. The
gore that bubbled down his chest from the open neck added to the horror of the monster form.
We now faced zombie werewolves along with the live werewolves to heighten the fright value
even more.
Zombies are nasty to deal with and the sorceress who can create them from a distance is
very powerful. I was about to call a fire ball when one flashed past me, striking the werewolf in
the chest sending it back down the road in a blaze of burning fur. I flash fired the one under my
feet before it could get up.
Stan signaled to Bernadette and Janie that the car was clear and they piled into it. Geri set
a magical shield around it that glowed with the silver dust she tossed from smoking hands. Then
Stan backed the car out of the drive. Two wolves rushed it as it headed down the street. They
screamed in pain as they hit the shield much like a cow hitting the cattle guards they put on trains
in the old days. They flew to the sides with long burns striping their fur. Terry took out the one
on the left while I took out the one on the right and Geri followed our shots with fire bolts.
Alex tossed his bag in the back seat of the Pathfinder and took up a position at my back.
 I think there are only a couple more, he whispered.
 I agree. I counted three that I could sense. That didn t mean there weren t more, but
that was all that I could detect. And so far, I couldn t sense any vampires. That surprised me.
 We re clear here! Larry called from Geri s car after checking it for lurkers and tossing
the backpacks into the trunk.
 We ll cover you then! I hollered as they piled into the car. The werewolf behind the
fence in the next yard decided to make his move at that point, looking like a creamy comet
streaking over the fence. Terry saw the movement and fired out of the passenger side window,
catching him in the shoulder and sending him rolling off the hood of the car. Geri slammed the
car into reverse and the little red Beetle buzzed out of the driveway. Before the werewolf could
get up, I fired a clean shot into his heart, tearing his chest neatly apart. Alex delivered the
flaming coup-de-gras.
That left two more on the other side of the house. They were probably hoping that we
didn t know they were there, but too late. Werecreatures leave a distinctive magical feel. I did a
quick scan and unless someone or something was well shielded, these were the last.
I gestured for Alex to follow me, and we headed around to the where the wers were
hiding. A burst of speed carried me around the corner before the first one could react. My bullet
caught him square in the head. Unfortunately, the second one moved a bit faster than I planned,
and Alex s fire bolt for the first one only singed the second. He caught me square in the shoulder,
knocking me to the ground. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]