plaza. The
woman was young and attractive, and terrified, her blond hair sweeping back as she spun to face her pursuers. Three small but ravenous-looking demons rushed toward her on all fours, the dark
jackals stopping just short of her and snapping at her feet like wild dogs. More were behind them, and the scene became a near riot as people pushed one another aside in their attempts to get
away.
Courage seemed about to move, to help, but it was too late. Even the jackals weren’t fast enough, as an enormous head with skin like steel poked out of the crack in the ground, and a great
length of tongue lashed out, wrapped around the woman and dragged her into the creature’s gaping maw. Many of the city’s people would survive this nightmare, but those with them in the
square were doomed. Allison had never felt so helpless.
“Damned beast!” Courage said, sincerely, obviously stunned.
Then the jackals turned toward them, and there was no time for conversation. Even though the things could not leap across the ravine in the middle of the street, their shrieking bark caught the
attention of the demon inside the fissure, and the thing was rising a bit farther from the hole, its eyes on Allison and John.
After Venice, Allison Vigeant thought she had seen it all, but today she was learning how arrogant that assumption had been. The creature began to slide out of its hole, dragging itself by
three-clawed hands, a dragon seemingly made of metal. Allison had to tear her eyes away to look at John Courage, and her mouth hung open. Not long before, she had seen him use his vampiric
shapeshifting abilities in ways Cody had never suggested, taking forms she had never imagined them able to assume. Now he was doing it again. John grimaced in pain as huge wings sprang from his
back.
“Let’s go,” he said, then grabbed her around the waist with both his arms—and they were flying. The dragon gave a terrible hiss and shot its tongue after them, but they
were already out of range.
It was a moment before Allison realized that rather than flying away, they were simply going up. Up and up and up. Hundreds of feet in the air they flew, compounding her terror, and she hugged
John tight and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she was staring straight at the fortress, the spring from which Liam Mulkerrin’s evil now overran the city. And she thought of Will.
“Oh, God. Will.” And finally the tears came.
“He’s alive,” Courage said, and she looked up at him, not understanding.
“How can you . . .”
“Trust me.”
“Where are we going?”
“Actually, we’re here,” he said, and she looked away from the fortress and at the top of a cliff, so close at hand. In a moment, their feet touched ground and they were
standing by a small, apparently ancient structure which looked as if a castle turret had sprouted from the hillside. Above them, forest stretched away as far as Allison could see, and below, the
trees dropped off to nothing except the street far below and the river beyond.
“Let’s go,” John said, and started off a few paces before he realized Allison wasn’t following.
“You bastard,” she said, terrible knowledge dawning on her. Courage only tilted his head and raised an eyebrow in question.
“You asshole!” Allison said now, with more conviction. “You could have done that Icarus angel imitation back in front of my hotel, and Will Cody would be here, safe with us.
What the hell’s the matter with you, John? Why did you let that happen?”
Courage bit his lip, and for all the toughness of his appearance, the military-style hair, the square jaw, he looked vulnerable at that moment. His whole manner, his voice, his eyes were
penitent.
“I don’t have a good excuse,” he said sadly. “You’re right, I could have flown with you and we all could have escaped. But I wasn’t thinking about escape
then, Allison. It happened so fast, all I was thinking about was battle. Retreat is
woman was young and attractive, and terrified, her blond hair sweeping back as she spun to face her pursuers. Three small but ravenous-looking demons rushed toward her on all fours, the dark
jackals stopping just short of her and snapping at her feet like wild dogs. More were behind them, and the scene became a near riot as people pushed one another aside in their attempts to get
away.
Courage seemed about to move, to help, but it was too late. Even the jackals weren’t fast enough, as an enormous head with skin like steel poked out of the crack in the ground, and a great
length of tongue lashed out, wrapped around the woman and dragged her into the creature’s gaping maw. Many of the city’s people would survive this nightmare, but those with them in the
square were doomed. Allison had never felt so helpless.
“Damned beast!” Courage said, sincerely, obviously stunned.
Then the jackals turned toward them, and there was no time for conversation. Even though the things could not leap across the ravine in the middle of the street, their shrieking bark caught the
attention of the demon inside the fissure, and the thing was rising a bit farther from the hole, its eyes on Allison and John.
After Venice, Allison Vigeant thought she had seen it all, but today she was learning how arrogant that assumption had been. The creature began to slide out of its hole, dragging itself by
three-clawed hands, a dragon seemingly made of metal. Allison had to tear her eyes away to look at John Courage, and her mouth hung open. Not long before, she had seen him use his vampiric
shapeshifting abilities in ways Cody had never suggested, taking forms she had never imagined them able to assume. Now he was doing it again. John grimaced in pain as huge wings sprang from his
back.
“Let’s go,” he said, then grabbed her around the waist with both his arms—and they were flying. The dragon gave a terrible hiss and shot its tongue after them, but they
were already out of range.
It was a moment before Allison realized that rather than flying away, they were simply going up. Up and up and up. Hundreds of feet in the air they flew, compounding her terror, and she hugged
John tight and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she was staring straight at the fortress, the spring from which Liam Mulkerrin’s evil now overran the city. And she thought of Will.
“Oh, God. Will.” And finally the tears came.
“He’s alive,” Courage said, and she looked up at him, not understanding.
“How can you . . .”
“Trust me.”
“Where are we going?”
“Actually, we’re here,” he said, and she looked away from the fortress and at the top of a cliff, so close at hand. In a moment, their feet touched ground and they were
standing by a small, apparently ancient structure which looked as if a castle turret had sprouted from the hillside. Above them, forest stretched away as far as Allison could see, and below, the
trees dropped off to nothing except the street far below and the river beyond.
“Let’s go,” John said, and started off a few paces before he realized Allison wasn’t following.
“You bastard,” she said, terrible knowledge dawning on her. Courage only tilted his head and raised an eyebrow in question.
“You asshole!” Allison said now, with more conviction. “You could have done that Icarus angel imitation back in front of my hotel, and Will Cody would be here, safe with us.
What the hell’s the matter with you, John? Why did you let that happen?”
Courage bit his lip, and for all the toughness of his appearance, the military-style hair, the square jaw, he looked vulnerable at that moment. His whole manner, his voice, his eyes were
penitent.
“I don’t have a good excuse,” he said sadly. “You’re right, I could have flown with you and we all could have escaped. But I wasn’t thinking about escape
then, Allison. It happened so fast, all I was thinking about was battle. Retreat is
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