flips, flykicking Harpies back, and then balanced on the edge of a sliver of remaining shelving to flip off and send two Harpies right into Carlos's blade. Shabazz threw his head back, released a warrior's yell, and suddenly upper and lower canines ripped through his gums. His clothes had been left in a pool of fabric where he'd been standing. Liquid feline motion, Shabazz's body elongated into a huge, sleek jaguar, his claws ridding Harpies of ap pendages and entrails as he went to J.L.'s aid. The team froze for a moment, stupefied. Berkfield flung a hallowed-earth grenade down into the cavern that had opened, and the team jumped back from the explosion that sealed the hole.
Bobby was blowing away miscellaneous Harpies that had escaped out of the air with Dan standing at his flank and Jose on the other side. A swarm of Harpies came at Big Mike, and the gunners couldn't get a shot off without hitting Mike. He reared back, hauled off, and threw a cinder-block punch into the eye of the small whirl, causing Harpies to fall out of formation and bounce to the ground, stunned. Bobby, Dan, and Jose picked them off like they were shooting pigeons. The moment the team fell back into formation, all in a line near Carlos, he lowered the blade of Ausar, raised the disc of Heru as a shield, and released a cannon jolt of white light from the tip of the blade to flash-burn everything demonic in their wake.
"Move out," Carlos said, slowly lowering the shield and watching Lilith's main lair burn
with great satisfaction.
Shabazz swept up his clothes, and team members shared incredulous glances but remained mute as he hurriedly robed.
Suddenly a deafening clap of thunder knocked them to the ground and scattered them like bowling pins. The sonic boom made boulders begin to fall in on the cavern, pelting the team with dangerous projectiles. He had to get his team out of there - had to get them all into a centralized group so he could burn through the universe's fabric without leaving any of his men behind. Carlos gathered his Guardian brothers with ef fort, straining to shield them with a stretched Heru discus and helping them up quickly with his energy so they could run toward him.
Dangerous energy fatigue was setting in as he tried to fo cus. In the midst of the chaos, a massive, blinding, white-winged stallion snorting blue-white flames, eyes glowing silver, its silver hooves razor-deadly, dropped down. The rid ing warrior owned a familiar face. His dark arm was out stretched to the team, the other held a huge crossbow with a silver stake that glinted off his gold, Kemetian crown.
"I told you we had your back, brother," Adam said, as several more Neteru kings dropped down to collect Guardian soldiers. "We'll seal your home in black-box safety - go to your queens. Rest. This battle is won. Tomorrow, however, is another day."
* * *
"okay, we have already established that they're crazy," Damali said, losing patience with the group's insistent questions, mainly because she couldn't answer them. "I want a prayerline grappling hook on each man in there. White light, pure everything you've got, to bring
'em home. You ladies got that?"
"Yeah," Juanita said, "but what's going on, maybe it's from the darkside - like how do we know about them being able to do things they hadn't before - "
"It's got to be the marriage merger," Marlene said, her voice quiet and reverent and her gaze distant. "Of one flesh... seven joining seven, strengthened by the bond that joins mind, body, and spirit as one under the auspices of white light." She brought her gaze to the team. "They got us in them, and they're in us. I'm calling Father Pat. It's time to get the Covenant back involved anyway, if they went after Lilith buck-wild and crazy."
"Whoa," Krissy said, and stumbled backward 'til her back hit the wall. "The marriage merger can do that?" she asked, totally ignoring the second part of what Marlene had said. Heather and Jasmine just stared at each other as Marjorie slowly brought her hand to her mouth. Inez began walking in a tight circle, fanning her face.
"This is too crazy," Inez said. "If we're getting juiced up like this, it's gotta be for something scary-big, anybody feeling me? I'm with Marlene; we need all them guys from the clergy up in here, too. Like what if I find out I'm cock-diesel like Mike, and