A Clash of Storms (A Shade of Vampire #50)(27)

Below, hidden beneath large swatches of dark green forest, were allied forces—Bajangs, Maras, Tritones, imps, succubi, and even incubi, all waiting for my signal. I pulled my satchel open, and handed the shifters several small pouches with fuses attached, along with matches.

Mount Zur rested quietly in the south, and Mount Inon farther down, smoke and ashes rising from their incandescent peaks.

“I’ve shown you how to use these, so you know what you have to do, right?” I asked the shifters.

They looked at the pouches that Draven had filled with flammable powders, then back at me. They nodded, grins slitting their faces. My faces. Ugh.

When Jovi’s voice came through, I took a deep breath and stood up on the branch. It creaked under my weight as I stretched my wings and strapped the hatchet to my belt. I left the opening loose on my satchel to give me easy access to the many pouches left, so I could pop them out and easily set them on fire during my flight.

“It’s show time, fellas,” I said to the shifters, who immediately sprang to their feet.

I took off in a clockwise trajectory around the castle. I kept a one-mile distance from it, but I was soon spotted by a pack of Destroyers, who changed their direction and darted toward me, their horses neighing and their poisoned spears drawn.

The shifters headed out and intercepted them from two different angles. For a split second, the Destroyers were temporarily confused by their resemblance to me—the split second that the shifters needed to sink their poisoned teeth into their horses. One by one, the stallions fell. The shifters moved fast, dodging spears and swords as they kicked several Destroyers off their mounts and ripped others’ throats out. It wasn’t enough to kill them, but definitely enough to incapacitate them.

I grinned as I flew forward, Destroyers dropping behind me. I started lighting the pouches one by one, tossing each into the air. They blew up in colorful fireworks—they drew the attention of the other Destroyers circling the castle, but they also signaled to the alliance that they could move toward the castle.

I glanced back at Mount Zur and the distant Inon, and saw their peaks die out. The Dearghs were doing their part, putting the volcanoes to sleep and cutting off Azazel’s power supply. I could almost hear Azazel’s veins popping from where I was.

Below, I noticed movement. The incubi were spread out in rectangular divisions, the drums thudding violently behind them. More Destroyers came after me, but I kept an irregular flight pattern, while more fireworks exploded behind me. My shifters were doing a fine job on their own, so I increased my speed to gain some distance and light up some more, as I’d only covered half of my trajectory.

The allied armies began spilling out of the woods beneath us. Hundreds of them, roaring and charging the confused incubi on each side. A couple thousand Tritones had made it, launching rapid and bloody attacks on the north side. The Lamias came in hot from the west, accompanied by succubi and Grezzi’s incubi troops.

Explosions rocked the east side, splitting the small valley between the two hills flanking the castle, with Maras, Bajangs, and incubi pouring in from the woods. Imps staggered among them, setting small explosive devices on fire and throwing them at Azazel’s incubi.

A few dozen Destroyers swooped down, their spears piercing several rebels and their swords coming down hard, and more came out of the castle. The horns of war were constantly blowing. Blades clashed, thousands of arrows shot through the sky, and more explosions spread along the south side, making the ground quiver. Azazel had gathered his monsters from all over Calliope to strengthen his defenses.

I lit up more pouches and threw them over my shoulder. They blew up in millions of colorful flashes—just in time, too, as several Destroyers were gaining on me. The pouches exploded in their faces, burning and blinding them. Their horses jerked back, scared by the loud bangs, throwing the riders off. I watched them fall, their thick serpent tails flailing desperately.

The Lamias used their Druid magic, taking on clusters of incubi with simmering fireballs and energy pulses. The soldiers were fast and ruthless, but many were not strong enough to resist a plethora of combined forces, as Bajangs pounced from behind, shredding them to pieces across the battlefield.

The Maras used their mind-bending tricks to confuse their opponents, while Grezzi’s incubi infiltrated their ranks and killed them from within. The Tritones were incredibly fierce, gliding across the tall grass and launching their flaming arrows at the Destroyers above and the incubi guarding one of the castle’s gates.

The succubi were even more brutal, going straight for the incubi’s throats as the alliance forces tightened around the castle and pushed the soldiers back. More explosions ripped through the south side as Destroyers converged and launched another wave of poisoned spears. The allies roared and sent out a rain of arrows. I couldn’t help but squirm at the sight of the sharp projectiles piercing through eyes and throats like needles through fabric.

Dark red blood sprayed from above as Destroyers fell. Dark red blood glazed the grass below, as hundreds of allied troops fell, mingled with the silver blood of even more incubi. Thundering roars sent chills down my spine; I looked back and saw Dearghs tumbling into battle.

The massive stone giants had abandoned their volcanoes, using what was left of their energy to fire themselves up and set every hostile in their path ablaze. The Destroyers knew better than to try to go after the Dearghs, from what I could tell. They pulled back and focused on the other species coming after them.