Apocalyptic Mojo Read Free Page B

mucus and bone marching stiffly toward them. The zombie’s bloodied, jagged teeth were bared in a warning hiss. When her magic hit, the thing surged backward, a huge chunk of its chest sloughing away under the force of her witch fire.
    The zombie bounced into the pale-faced monster at its back and started forward again. Sirius leapt on the next monster, carrying it to the ground and very efficiently removing its head with a single jerk of his massive jaws at its throat. Blood and goo sprayed upward but Sirius was already gone, having flung himself onto the next zombie coming through the door.
    Draigh pulled one of his knives and leapt on the lumbering monster nearest him, slicing the knife cleanly through its spongy neck with one swipe. Putrid-smelling green slime sprayed in an arc from the blade of his knife, saturating Draigh’s face and arms. The head dropped to the ground and rolled away, and the body sank slowly to the earth.
    When Draigh looked toward the door again, he was facing a small army of the mangy creatures, though Sirius had left a trail of carnage in his wake. Ardith stood beside him, her eyes flashing and her fists fizzing with unshed magic.
    He glanced at her. “I hate zombies.”
    She gave him a slow smile. “You wanted exercise. I think you’re gonna get it.”
    Then she leapt into the fray, witch fire flying, and Draigh reluctantly followed her in.
    ~ A M ~
    They found the sister on the main floor. What was left of her. Apparently Edwige hadn’t wanted the sister to tell what she knew.
    “Gods, what a horrible way to die.” Ardith touched a severed hand, the fingers curled in a way that bespoke the victim’s pain and terror.
    “This cannot go unanswered,” Draigh said. “Come, a meal and a shower, and we can search for her tonight. She does most of her devilry once the sun goes down.”
    Ardith reluctantly stood. “I need to dispose of the body.”
    He frowned. The witch was right. If they didn’t completely destroy the remains, the girl might rise with the moon, to join her murderers in their deadly plunder. “I’ll watch the door.”
    Leaving her to her disgusting work, Draigh climbed the steep flight of stairs toward the street. Sirius had been busy extinguishing the remains of the zombies they’d killed. All that was left was a wisp of foul-smelling smoke that was quickly drifting away.
    Draigh was alarmed to see that the sun was already descending. Edwige would be sending her pets out to forage and terrorize soon.
    At least the streets would be fairly empty. The watchers monitored the city via aircraft once the sun was fully down, to ensure that no lights were visible in the night sky. It was a precaution the humans had adopted following the great wars.
    Their enemies couldn’t bomb what they couldn’t see.
    The sound of rapid footsteps on the stairs caused him to turn. The witch was still the pasty, unhealthy color she’d acquired in the street, only now she was covered in a fine sheen of sweat too.
    “Done?”
    “Yes.” She dropped her hand to Sirius’ surprisingly tidy fur, too weary from her emotional journeys to even snap at him. Not a good sign. Draigh made a sudden decision. “Come. We have a couple of hours before we’ll need to return to search for the witch. If we hurry, it will be enough time to clean up and grab sustenance.”
    She started to shake her head. He figured she dreaded the thought of descending below the earth to one of the hotels in Devil’s Glen.
    “We’ll leave this place.”
    She fixed him with a thoughtful gaze and then seemed to lose some of the tension tightening her limbs. Inclining her head, she fell into step beside him, following him to the portal.
    ~ A M ~
    The first thing she noticed, as they stepped from the portal, was the sound of water rushing and roaring nearby. Her next realization was that, despite his rough demeanor, Draigh lived like a king. Not many mages had a portal in their homes.
    A startled cry drew her gaze to a young