"Somebody's walking behind the Ra'Ak," Tory hissed, turning his gaze on Ry.

"Wait, you can see?" Ry blinked at Tory in confusion.

"Yeah. Don't ask me how, but I've always been able to see better than you in the dark. I think it's that brat who almost killed Toff," Tory added, turning back to the Ra'Ak crawling through the store and the one who crept along behind the giant serpent.

"He's aiming for Mom, and she can't do anything," Ry hissed, slapping his taller brother on the back. "And that brat is aiming for Toff, I'd bet all the money on Karathia on that."

"Yeah."

Ry barely saw it in the dim light emanating from his finger, but a curl of smoke came from Tory's nostrils.

"Dude, he's about to kill Mom. And Sissy, too." Ry knew that the Thifilathi came whenever a High Demon became very angry. He had to fan Tory's anger quickly.

* * *

Trik, Mom can't use any of her power, it'll kill the baby, Nissa sent to Trik. She'd already attempted mindspeech with her father, but it had bounced back into her mind. Somehow, something was blocking any mindspeech sent outside the store. Mindspeech inside the store still seemed to work, however.

What can we do? I can barely see, Trik replied mentally.

See that little bit of light to our right? That's Ry, lighting his way through the store, Nissa sent. Tory is probably with him. If we ever needed Tory's Thifilathi, it's now. Uncle Rigo might be able to slow a Ra'Ak down, but that's all he'll be able to do without some kind of power.

What about our protection jewels? Trik asked.

They might slow a Ra'Ak down a little, but the Ra'Ak are really powerful. My protection jewels are aimed more at two-legged enemies.

* * *

Lissa's Journal

Tiessa, please stand behind me and begin to back the children away, Rigo whispered in my mind. My Hraedan vampire mate, Rigovarnus I, was prepared to give his life in order to protect mine and that of my children.

We're coming, Mom. Ry's voice came directly behind Rigo's.

Baby, run away, this is a Ra'Ak, I returned immediately. I couldn't keep the moan from my mental voice. At that moment, I wished for Erland, Garde, Gavin, the twins and anyone else who might be able to come. My body was trembling with dread as I watched the Ra'Ak approach, his scales scraping over debris from the initial blast. He was almost upon us. I watched in horror as his mouth opened, revealing the usual rows of lengthy, sharp teeth. This one was prepared to devour us.

* * *

"Tory, Mom's scared to death." Ry's words made Tory turn around. A cloud of smoke poured from his nostrils and his eyes were dark and feral instead of clear blue. "She's going to try to save Sissy and the others, and it'll kill the baby. Maybe her, too." Ry kept hammering away at Tory, praying the Thifilathi would come. Tory growled, and it was a sound Ry never expected to hear from his brother's throat.

* * *

Lissa's Journal

Tiessa, do no go to mist yet. Let me make my attempt first, Rigo had a hand behind his back, waving me away. I was doing the same for Nissa, Toff and Trik, begging Nissa in mindspeech to back Toff and Trik away. Telling her to run the moment the Ra'Ak moved again.

* * *

Gren's eyes had adjusted to the semi-darkness. His target—the baby-faced eunuch, was hiding behind the woman. And look, was he holding hands with a little girl? Gren wanted to laugh. Finally, Toff the worm was going to die. He was responsible for Gren's parents' deaths. There was no other explanation. Gren intended to make Toff pay dearly—for all the deaths he'd caused in the Green Fae village. Gren hadn't used any of the power he'd gained from Le-Ath Veronis' core. He was like the sun crystal he'd coveted so many years. He'd collected power and now he'd use it to kill Toff and the other two who stood with him. Gren smiled and gathered power, preparing to launch it and commit murder.

* * *

"Nissa, that's Gren. He'll hurt you," Toff hissed. Toff hadn't failed to recognize Gren, even in such poor light. Toff pushed Nissa behind him.

Toff, I'll throw a spell if he even thinks about it, Nissa replied mentally.

I'm with you, Toff, Trik offered, stepping up beside Toff and keeping Nissa where she was—behind both of them.

He's building power—his hands are glowing, Nissa's mental voice was terrified. She knew what a power spell looked like as it gathered strength. Gren, Toff's old enemy, was prepared to kill all three of them. Please, let our protection jewels hold, Nissa sent up a silent prayer as she peered at Gren through the narrow space between Toff and Trik's shoulders.

* * *

Lissa's Journal

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion from that point forward. The Ra'Ak leaned back, preparing to strike. Rigo's claws slid out and someone ran around the Ra'Ak, his hands up and light forming around them. Gren. Gren was still bent on killing Toff.

"Run!" I screamed at all my children. Three bursts of very bright light, much like old flashbulbs popping in rapid succession came, the store lights blinked on in the building and my half High Demon son in Full Thifilathi, roared as he charged the Ra'Ak.

Chapter 17

Zellar stared in disbelief. Every rumor he'd heard in the past concerning this child bore out his own theories—that a half High Demon would never turn. This one had turned. No matter what he did, now, no matter how strong the spell, Zellar would have no recourse against this one. He still held hope, however, since this was a young and untried High Demon and Tandias was an experienced fighter. Zellar resolved to hold the shields and watch—as long as the battle remained in Tandias' favor.

Lissa's Journal

I kept more screams from escaping as the Ra'Ak charged Tory. Rigo, acting faster than I could think, rushed Gren. Three flashes of light—likely from protection jewels worn by Nissa, Toff and Trik—had blown the Half-Fae back. Tory's Thifilathi was now close enough to neutralize Gren's power, but the young Fae wasn't giving up his quest to kill Toff. Gren had only been knocked back temporarily by Nissa's protection jewels, a testament to the power he'd stolen from my planet. Rising swiftly, he lifted a metal rod from a rack to strike at Toff, Nissa and Trik. Rigo wasn't about to let that happen.

The noise, too, was deafening, as the Ra'Ak attempted to sink long, poisonous teeth into my son's Thifilathi. Tory roared and slashed out with huge, clawed hands. "Back out of the way," a hand and a familiar voice was pulling me away from potential danger—the Ra'Ak's body and his lethal, poison-tipped scales were threatening to roll in my direction while I dumbly stood and watched the monster battle my son.

Gren's blood, too, now drenched Rigo's right hand—the decapitation hadn't taken a blink to accomplish. Gren had no battle experience and he'd only focused on Toff, Trik and Nissa, never thinking an attack might come from behind.

"Daddy?" I blinked tears away as I stared at the one who'd come—Griffin. His eyes, normally a deep, hazel well of knowledge and experience, now held a wealth of pain I couldn't define.

"I don't have much time; I need to help my grandson, there. He doesn't have experience fighting Ra'Ak. I do. I've come from the future. Somebody found me and told me I had to come. I would have come anyway, but I can't deny the order I was given."

With that, Griffin turned to his fighting animal, a huge, brown and gold Gryphon, who leapt at the Ra'Ak, his sharp beak biting deep into the Ra'Ak's neck as the giant serpent snapped at Tory. The Ra'Ak screamed and swept his tail behind him, knocking deep piles of debris aside.

"Ry, Nissa, help me move the people," I shouted, running forward. With that first sweep of the Ra'Ak's tail, unconscious bodies were being buried beneath heaps of wreckage. I prayed that none had come in contact with the Ra'Ak's scales—that was a swift and painful death for most humanoids, even with a healer from the Saa Thalarr present.

* * *

Zellar muttered an expletive as the giant, mythical creature attacked Tandias from behind. Only one race held the ability to become Gryphon now. The gryphons had died out long ago; the Copper Ra'Ak had deliberately destroyed them. And with a Gryphon and a High Demon fighting him, Tandias had no hope of winning his battle. Gren was already dead; Zellar had witnessed the swift beheading at the hands of the vampire. Knowing his demise was only moments away, Zellar did what came naturally to him. He folded as far away as he could and hoped the Gryphon wouldn't come hunting him afterward.

* * *

Lissa's Journal

Nissa, Toff and Trik were behind me as I rushed forward, ducking another sweep of the poisoned tail while Griffin and Tory continued their attack. Ry and Nissa, pulling together, used their power in tandem to lift debris away and dump it in a vacant corner. Only people were left behind, littering the floor like scattered and forgotten rag dolls. Rigo joined us, gathering bodies and delivering them swiftly to the vestibule. At least the store's square entry was still standing and mostly in one piece. Toff and Trik were working together, too, each grabbing an arm of the nearest unconscious person and pulling them to safety as the Ra'Ak's tail made another sweep, barely missing my children.

Griffin squawked as the Ra'Ak, bleeding gouts of greenish-yellow goo, leapt forward to snap at him. Tory took that opportunity to grasp the thick neck with his claws and squeeze.

"Look out!" I shrieked. I knew what was coming, but couldn't do a damn thing about it. The Ra'Ak's tail struck the ceiling as it went into its death throes, bringing ceiling tile and more debris raining down. Nissa screamed and ducked as a metal beam almost hit her and Ry. Toff and Trik, who'd just delivered another unconscious body to the vestibule, turned swiftly as Nissa screamed. Toff, unmindful of the danger, ran toward Nissa, who'd dropped to the floor beside Ry.

Then the inevitable came. The Ra'Ak dusted with a boom and a powerful blast, with chunks rocketing outward at hundreds of miles per hour. Rigo snatched Trik back and dropped to the floor, holding the teen beneath his body. Ry threw a protection shield up, which encompassed him, Nissa and me. The only one who wasn't covered in some way was Toff, who was halfway between Ry's shield and Rigo's protection. A chunk of Ra'Ak, larger than Rigo's fist, hit Toff in the head. I screamed as the blood flew and Toff dropped like a stone. The last thing I remember is the floor coming toward me at an unusually accelerated rate.