A man stood behind the monster, holding it in place with a black iron rod attached to a metal crown around its skull.
The clanking came again as the people holding Magnolia up dropped her onto the ground facing a boat scrapyard.
She glanced in the direction of the clanking and grunting.
Two men dueled amid the wrecked vessels. One man held a spear, and the other wore a horned helmet covered in dried skin.
The man with the spear jabbed at the air, but his weapon wasn’t long like a normal Cazador spear, and his arm looked too short. Then it dawned on her: the spear was the man’s arm.
King Xavier…
Memories flooded her mind. She remembered everything up until the moment Horn sneaked up on her in the building. What happened after that was hazy. She knew only that the leader of the skinwalkers had taken her captive, choked her unconscious, and was now fighting X to the death. And she was a spectator.
Both men seemed sluggish now, their strikes weak and slow, as if they had been at it for hours.
On their knees nearby were two Barracuda soldiers and Victor, hands tied behind their backs. None of them said a word, but Magnolia managed to mumble, “X.”
A short figure suddenly blocked her view, removing its helmet to reveal a smirking wrinkled face. The green eyes of Carmela Moreto burned at Magnolia.
“You fucking bitch!” Magnolia blurted.
Moreto nodded proudly. “Sí, claro.”
The two men holding Magnolia tightened their grip as she regained command of her body. A rush of adrenaline was all she needed to get the use of her limbs back.
She nearly yanked free, but they pushed her to her knees, right in front of Moreto.
The old woman warrior leaned down close enough that Magnolia smelled her barbecue breath. Then Moreto leaned left to examine Magnolia’s head. Reaching out, she grabbed the bandage covering her burns and yanked it off.
Magnolia yowled in pain.
X glanced over, and Horn used the distraction to kick him in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Her vision flooded with red, but she saw X roll away to avoid Horn’s boot. He stomped the ground where X had fallen, then swung one of his axes.
Moreto turned to watch.
Explosions flashed on the horizon, providing another distraction.
Magnolia spotted Shadow and Raven’s Claw. The warships had come up alongside each other, and although she couldn’t see it, she had a feeling General Forge and his men were in hand-to-hand combat with the skinwalkers.
This is what it all comes down to, she thought. Swords and spears.
And from what she could see, which wasn’t much, her side was losing. She could only hope that the forces at the Vanguard Islands were faring better and that the Hell Divers had completed their Africa mission just in case the machines had reached the islands.
Tin, Les, Layla, Rodger, Miles, X—everyone she loved in this world was in danger.
And not just them. The entire human race was at risk, thrust back into the apocalypse. The fate of the survivors would be determined by what happened in three far-flung locations.
Filled with rage, Magnolia jerked free of the two men and tackled Moreto. The old woman hit the ground hard, and Magnolia grabbed her around the neck, screaming.
This caught Horn’s attention right as he held both axes high, ready to bring them down or throw them at X, who was backing away.
X seized the opportunity to dart forward and jab with his spear arm. The blade punched in just below the collarbone, with a sickening crunch.
The skinwalker let out a roar and dropped one axe to the dirt.
Magnolia didn’t get a chance to see whether X finished the job. The two guards pulled her off Moreto and tossed her to the dirt, beside Victor.
Boots kicked her in the stomach and chest. The armor seemed to offer scant protection. Another kick knocked the breath from her lungs.
She glanced up just as Moreto stumbled over, holding her neck. Then she, too, joined in with a kick to Magnolia’s jaw.
Blood filled Magnolia’s mouth, and a piece of broken tooth cut her tongue.
She slumped to her stomach, drooling blood and saliva onto the ash.
The onslaught stopped, and a boot pushed against her back, holding her in place.
She raised a swollen eye to X and Horn. The spear blade he had jammed into Horn’s upper chest was stuck there.
Horn had tried to bring his remaining axe down on X, but X had grabbed his wrist and was pushing up with that hand while trying to pry the spear free with his stump.
“Die, asshole!” X said.
Planting his left boot, he pushed the blade deeper into Horn’s shoulder, eliciting another muffled roar of agony.
A distant Siren answered the call.
Horn pulled X closer to his chest, pulling the spear blade deeper into his own flesh. He continued to scream as he pulled X, not stopping until the blade broke out the back of his armor, blood dripping off its slick edge.
Now X was fastened to Horn’s armored chest.
The bastard prince, who was much taller, brought his horned helmet down hard against X’s. The first blow didn’t seem to inflict much damage, but the second knocked X’s head back.
He managed to keep his grip on Horn’s wrist until the third head-butt cracked his visor. X seemed to go limp in Horn’s grip.
He head-butted the king another time, and shards of visor fell to the dirt. Then he raised the axe and brought it up to finish off the king.
“No!” Magnolia shouted.
Victor tried to get up, only to be shot in the upper back. A halo of dust poofed up as he hit the dirt belly-first. The bullet didn’t stop him. Hands still tied, he squirmed toward the king.
Horn laughed as one of his men stomped on Victor’s back.
Magnolia’s heart skipped a beat, then another as Horn, still laughing, brought the axe down toward X’s head. But instead of hitting him in the helmet, he smashed the spear contraption attached to his stump, breaking it off.
Then he pushed X backward.
The king fell on his back and lay still.
Victor wriggled out from under the boot, but the skinwalker guard grabbed him by the boots and pulled him back to Magnolia. Tears rolled down her face as she watched helplessly.
Moreto bent down and wiped away a tear with her finger, then brought it to her tongue. Magnolia glared with more hatred than she could contain.
The distant chatter of gunfire sounded on the horizon as the battle continued between Forge and the other skinwalker forces.
She could only pray for the general’s victory. But even if he won that fight, there was little hope of him getting to X in time to save him from the demented skinwalker leader and his demonic mother.
Magnolia had to do something. But what?
She searched for a weapon, anything she could use. The other half of Rhino’s spear stuck out of the dirt ten feet away, which was about nine feet too far.
Horn staggered over to X, the other spearhead still stuck in his chest armor. Blood ran down his front and back. The blood loss would have been enough to bring most men to their knees, but like X, this wasn’t a normal man.
“Fight me!” Magnolia yelled.
Horn looked at her, then reached up and twisted his helmet until it clicked. He pulled it off to show his face for the first time.
Magnolia wasn’t sure how she had imagined el Pulpo’s son to look, other than ugly. But the strong jawline and dimpled cheeks had little in common with his father. The surprisingly handsome features were ruined by soulless eyes that now focused on her.
He licked the air and said, “Te dejo para luego”—something about saving her for later.