Chapter 9 #2
“If they didn’t know we were here before, they do now,” Greyson says. “Their creaking gold bodies all shifted in this direction when the spear came back at them.”
“Oops,” Raven says. “How was I supposed to know the spears weren’t intended for us? They nearly hit Beth twice.”
“Yeah, I thought it was calculated to.” I widen my stance and crouch lower ready, for the attack that is definitely coming for us now.
“Back in position and watch for more spears,” Raven whispers.
The ground rumbles with several footsteps. The automatons finally come into view. Ten massive men in Greek battle armor march toward us, but they aren’t men because with every rumbling step, the shriek of creaking metal follows them. They are gold from head to toe.
“If you don’t have any other brilliant ideas, Draven. I suggest we try to get Kira close enough to touch one of them.” I crack my whip and electricity buzzes through it with the same black and white as when my magic hits full capacity.
“Cut off their heads?” he asks hopefully.
“We’re trying not to kill them,” I whisper.
Kira glances at my whip and then up at the golden robots in front of us. “I think I have an idea. Can you like short-circuit them with your lightning?”
“It might work.” I flick the whip again. “I might barbecue them, though.”
“If you get them down, I can see if I can rewire them or something with my magic.” Kira shrugs.
The creepy automatons stop twenty feet away and some raise spears as others have swords and axes.
The one in the middle draws its sword and he must be the lead robot because chaos erupts around me as the automatons jump impossibly high and land just feet away, weapons already in motion to cut us down.
“I’m really starting to question Hephaestus’ sanity.” I pull my sword from the ether, just barely raising it up to block the blow from an ax.
The swords clash and my bones vibrate with the impact.
“Nothing deadly should be able to jump that high,” Raven says with a grunt.
“Everything about this is unnatural.” I swing my blade at the automaton and spin away from a spear sailing directly at me.
“Use your magic, Beth,” Kira shouts. “I think it will work.”
“Draven, cover her,” I say and flick my whip at the nearest automaton.
“Always,” he says.
My whip wraps around the ankle of the nearest automaton. Sparks crackle across the gold of its body as it stiffens. It lets out a shriek before crumpling to the forest floor, smoke billowing from its ankle where my electricity scorched it.
“You good, Kira?” I shout, turning to the next automaton.
“Beth, watch out,” Raven screams.
Pain blooms in my shoulder and I grunt as I glance down at the spear sticking out of my right shoulder. Golden blood leaks from the wound.
Kira glances between me and the downed automaton, clearly wondering what she should do.
“Keep working on that guy. I’m fine,” I say through gritted teeth. “Greyson. Did it go clean through?”
I flick my whip, careful not to move that arm too much or the black spots in my vision will take me under.
Don’t pass out. Don’t pass out.
“No, it’s lodged in the bone.” Greyson frowns.
“You have to pull it out. Raven, cover us for a second so Greyson can pull this spear out of my shoulder and I can behead the fucking scrap metal who threw it.”
“I’m on it.” She and Greyson stand back-to-back and Raven trades her ax for a bow and arrows, rapidly shooting at anything that comes too close.
“Brace yourself,” Greyson whispers. “I’m sorry.”
“Just do it, Greyson. I’ve been shot with an arrow, remember? My pain tolerance is pretty high now.”
I lean back against a tree and grip the trunk on opposite sides of my hips, my sword and whip returned to the ether until this is done.
“On three?” Greyson asks.
“No, just do it.” My teeth clack together as I grind my jaw, bracing myself for the agony.
White-hot pain burns through my body and a bloodcurdling scream explodes from my chest as the weapon is yanked free from my shoulder. The forest swims around me as blackness tunnels my vision.
“Beth, wake the fuck up.” Raven slaps me across the face.
I glare up at her from my spot slumped against the tree and roll my shoulder. “I blacked out, but I’m good now. Never slap me like that again, though, bitch.”
“No time. We’re flagging and Kira is still trying to rewire the first one. There are too many of them.” Raven offers me a hand up.
“I need to change tactics. Everyone take cover away from the golden assholes,” I shout.
Magic builds in my gut and the sky darkens as clouds roll across the sky.
“Oh shit,” Draven says. “Kira, baby, we need to get behind Beth. You can figure that out after she barbecues the rest of them.”
“What?” Kira mumbles, not hearing anything with her hyperfocus on the task at hand.
“Pick her up and fucking move her, Draven,” I roar. “I can’t hold it much longer.”
Draven drags a screaming Kira away from the golden mass and I focus my gaze back on the sky, directing the lightning that crackles in the ozone. My hair lifts off my shoulders as the lightning crackles in my palms.
“Holy shit. Is she floating?” Raven whispers behind me.
“That’s never happened before,” Greyson says.
I raise my hands and the lightning in the sky responds immediately to the command, raining down only on the golden automatons that are advancing toward me with weapons drawn. As the first arc hits the automaton, brilliant white light blasts through the clearing.
Pain blooms on the back of my head as I fly back into a tree, my body crumpling to the ground and magic all but depleted.
“Beth?” Raven rushes forward. “You okay?”
I shake my head to clear the fog. “Yeah, just got stabbed with a spear and a mild concussion in the last five minutes but all good.”
I move to stand but Raven puts a hand on my shoulder. “Maybe you should rest a bit. You got them all. We don’t need to fight now.”
Kira shakes her head and sighs. “She’s right, I just need to figure out how to fix them and send them to the academy. I don’t know if I can do this.”
“Well, we can’t just leave them out here. If humans find them, it could mean a fate worse than death for all supernaturals.”