trying to pry it away from his body. It was useless and rated right up there with stepping on Clark Kent’s glasses. “Let me go!”
It pulled him closer to its nasty-smelling, bulbous body so that it could examine him. Then it slid him against something wet and slimy. What was that?
A nose?
Oh yeah, the thing was definitely sniffing him.
“Uh, gah! Get off me! What are you?”
“It’s something ugly. Nick, get down.”
He barely had time to duck in the thing’s grasp before Caleb in full demon gear attacked it. The moment he did, the creature lost all interest in Nick as it turned to face Caleb.
Nick shot across the floor, to an area of relative safety so that he could figure out what was going on.
Walking backwards like a total badass, Caleb circled it, making it turn around to keep him in his line of sight. Dressed in gold battle armor that covered all but his glowing, evil snake eyes, Caleb made quite an impressive sight. Especially with the wingspan he had on his back. Two sheathed swords were crossed over his shoulders, but by his movements, Nick could tell Caleb could have those drawn and in the beast faster than anyone could say Liu Kang. Yeah, okay, so he looked more like Kano. But …
Liu Kang sounded cooler.
“Malphas…” The creature slurred his name into an insult. “I heard the Malachai had a lapdog. Who would have ever dreamed it was you?”
Caleb flinched. “Now, that just hurts me in my tender place, Bricis. Really? Was it necessary to add that insult?”
Ignoring him, Bricis jerked his chin toward Nick. “Is he the one?”
Caleb hit his breastplate twice to draw the creature’s attention back to him. “Right now, I’m the only one you need to concern yourself with.”
Bricis went for Caleb’s throat. Caleb caught his hand, then kicked him into the wall. Holding on to its arm, Caleb twisted it and drove its head into the wall, then the lockers. Growling, it twisted out of his hold and backhanded him hard.
The two went at each other like Jet Li and Jackie Chan in a historical death match, slashing, punching, lunging, and dodging. It was a beautiful, macabre dance to a tune only they could hear. Nick was awed by their skills.
Man, to have a little bit of that …
At least that was his thought until Caleb stabbed Bricis, slicing open its arm. The moment that stanky blood fell to the ground, it manifested into demonic helpers who went for Caleb.
Not good.
He wasn’t about to let his friend go down for protecting him. Time to get your hands dirty.
Yeah, right. What was he thinking? This wasn’t like facing down a human coach. You’re about to get your butt kicked back to the Dark Ages. Maybe even the Stone Age. Them things got teeth like piranha. And they were chewing on Caleb.
Man or a mouse, Nick?
Squeak.
As if. Cowardice wasn’t in him. With a deep breath to brace himself for the additional pain he was about to be in, Nick ran at them. He caught the first one with fist to the gut.
It laughed like he’d tickled it.
Ah, snap. This was going to hurt, real bad.
But when it lunged at him, something miraculous happened. The same force that had taken control of him when he’d fought off the Mortents came back with a vengeance.
“No, Nick! Stop!” Caleb shouted.
Easier said than done. Whatever the power was, it radiated through him, raising his hair on end and washing him in a soft warm blanket of light. It was as if a part of him craved it and suckled on it the same way a baby craved his bottle. He needed this … whatever this was.
Caleb spoke in a language he couldn’t decipher. Suddenly a cloak appeared in his hands.
One second, Nick was hovering in the hall, beating off the sprout demons; the next, he’d been shoved into a locker. “Hey!” he shouted at Caleb. “I’m not Madaug! Why did you do this?”
Outside, he heard Caleb continue fighting Bricis and his blood minions.
“Where did he go, Malphas?” Bricis asked, as if he couldn’t hear Nick calling out to them.
Caleb drew his swords and twisted them around his body in a beautiful and flawless display of power and skill. “He’s no concern of yours. He’s not what you think.”
Bricis snorted a denial. “You wouldn’t defend him unless he was.”
“You don’t know me. At all.”
Bricis laughed as it and its offshoots pummeled Caleb with everything they had.
Nick struggled to get out