The Culling Trials (Shadowspell Academy #2)(32)

“Damn it,” Ethan swore, putting his hands to his hips and looking around, probably wondering what to do now that he had to actually use his brain. Now that he was marooned on a level playing field with the rest of us.

The trickle of warning turned into a flash flood, running through my body and pumping my heart into overdrive. My stomach flipped and the feeling of ants running across my skin made me dance into the cluster of idiots.

“Take cover, something is coming!” I yelled, shoving the guys around me into a human shield. It wasn’t right, I knew that, but sometimes what wasn’t right didn’t line up with not being eaten by a lion.

“Movement,” Orin said, taking a step back.

Pete hissed and spat, waddling toward Orin with his nose in the sky.

“I think…” Wally took a step back. “I think…” She hesitantly pointed in front of her.

“How many?” I yelled, my hands working, keeping the knuckleheads around me at a safe distance—safe for me, that was. I was so going to hell for this. “Wally, get over here!”

“What’s…” Ethan’s voice trailed away as he finally figured out what was happening. He drew out his wand.

“It would sure be great if you’d actually use that this time,” I called.

A tiny crunch caught my attention on Wally’s side of the waterhole. Like a light footstep on dirt.

Wally must’ve heard the noise, too, because she slid back toward me with her arms raised overhead. “Make yourself look bigger. Make yourself more intimidating.”

“Bigger than a wild beast?” one of the knuckleheads asked. “How can we make ourselves—”

“Do not turn your back,” Wally went on. “Often, their first volley is a mock charge. If you turn your back, you’re done for. Ho!” Wally shouted, waving her arms. “Hey! Ho! Make loud sounds. Wave your hands. Hey! Ho!”

“They are freaking people, Wally, not real lions. They can understand everything you say.” I pushed my group of bait toward the water, wanting a larger viewing area. My insides danced with anticipation. “They’re close. They are right here.”

“Where?” one of the knuckleheads asked.

“I can’t see anything,” Wally yelled.

“Neither can I,” Orin said.

Five of them. Surrounding us.

“Five of them,” I repeated, really digging the connection to Pete, though I did wonder why it didn’t extend to the five shifters closing in on us. “All around. Get out your weapons.”

“I can make their dead limbs dance again, but I cannot send them to the dance floor,” Wally said in her Walter Cronkite voice.

“Why did I end up with the strangest people on the planet?” Ethan muttered, his arm shaking as he backed toward me.

“Good question, and get away from my shield,” I said.

“What’s going on?” one of the knuckleheads bleated, trying to drift toward the tree. I yanked him back into my shield formation.

“Five of what?” another asked.

The scene exploded before us. Sleek feline bodies leapt into the clearing, white teeth flashing in the moonlight. A massive lioness, larger than even those that were well fed in a zoo, sailed through the air straight for Wally.

She dodged to the side, but not fast enough. A body slammed into her at the last instant, rocketing her out of the way before the lioness’s paws sunk into her. Orin, who’d tackled her so quickly, his movement hadn’t registered, stood gracefully and looked my way.

One of the beasts launched at my cluster, followed by another. I shoved one of the knuckleheads at those reaching paws, a shameless act that would probably haunt me later. Or maybe not.

“Cheaters never prosper,” I said to ease the blow, if not my conscience, before dodging to the side as the other lioness plowed down two of my human shields. “You’ll thank me in the end,” I said, dancing away behind Pete, whose growl and complete lack of fear was making a fourth lioness review her life choices. She backed up as he charged at her.

Animal kingdom for the win. Orin was right about the honey badger trumping a lion.

Ethan muttered something and a stream of magic erupted from his wand. It smashed full-scale into the fifth lioness. She roared and curled back on herself as Orin zoomed behind me, claws extended, and gouged one of the lionesses attacking my human shield.

Pete rushed forward, snarling and growling, no match for the beasts in size or strength, but plenty tough enough in attitude. The lioness he faced shoved backward and tripped over her own feet, rolling. Still roaring, two of the creatures took off, Orin and Ethan more than they’d bargained for. The third followed, not about to mess with a pissed-off honey badger.

The other two stalked at the edge of the sand. One, the larger of the two, flicked the end of her tail. Her blazing amber eyes focused on me, and a strange feeling crawled through my body. Not warning, or danger. Something else—a promise of what was to come?

Then, without engaging us again, she turned away and loped through the grasses, disappearing into the night. Ethan shot off another spell, but the last lioness was already following, not ready to fight this crew of nutcases solo.

This was why they’d wanted distance between the crews. Not that the other crew had done much—the poor sots all lay bleeding and helpless in the sand—but we’d used them to help mitigate the attack. Instead of having to fight it all ourselves.