Lords of Trillium by Hilary Wagner Page B

young life in the Catacombs, afraid every second, but no more! I for one will never be afraid again!” He looked right at Hecate. “I
knew
you were up to something all along! I always knew! Everyone, fight back—fight for our home!”
    Major Ragwort bolted up the stairs to the altar. He growled angrily, diving fist-first onto Vincent, hitting him squarely in the jaw. “It’s our home now, rat!” Clover rushed the major, plowing into his chest as Vincent hit the floor. Victor joined her; grabbing Ragwort by his ears, he wrenched the major down face-first to the floor.
    Juniper wasted no time. He grabbed Hecate by the arm and reached for her knife, trying to twist it from her paw. Hecate screeched wildly, kicking and thrashing. With her free paw she clawed at Juniper’s face, ripping at his eye patch.
    In a flash Mother Gallo came at Hecate, sinking her teeth into her wrist before the dagger could make contact with Juniper’s face. Hecate screamed for Foiber and Schnauss, who lunged at Mother Gallo with their weapons, but the Council had already jumped into the fray. They were unarmed; their claws would have to do.
    Jumping onto his chair, Cole kicked a major in the snout and leaped on top of Schnauss, grabbing him around his waist and hurling the menacing high major to ground. He slashed at Schnauss’s face with his claws, striking him in the nose until he heard bone crack. Schnauss moaned in pain, dropping hisdagger as he tried to cover his face. Foiber came for Cole, his knife plunging into the floor over and over as Cole writhed on the ground trying to get Schnauss’s dagger, the knife barely missing him each time. Foiber laughed as though it were a game. Virden came from behind him and grabbed folds of his sagging, hairless skin, twisting it tight. The major screamed, cursing and spitting as Virden twisted the skin behind his neck. Foiber threw his arms up, clawing at Virden’s face. Cole snatched up Schnauss’s dagger and ripped into Foiber’s thigh with it, cutting him down to the bone.
    Foiber fell to the ground, dragging himself into an aisle for protection. “You mangy Loyalists! You sickening, spineless hairballs!”
    Cole laughed riotously. “You yellow-bellied, foul-mouthed sack of plague-ridden flesh, cowering on your knees among the rats you once so proudly abused!” Citizens came at Foiber from all sides, kicking him in the ribs, digging the claws of their feet into his cracked, infected skin as Hecate’s rats jumped on top of the citizens, pulling them off the high major.
    â€œFight back, everyone!” shouted Carn, elbowing a major in the head as Oleander clawed at his back. “This is
our
home!”
    The citizens needed no further encouragement. Packs of Hecate’s soldiers came at them from all sides. Citizens kicked and clawed, dodging blades as best they could. Frightened parents fought back, protecting their little ones, their bodies and paws cut and beaten from blocking the many blows.
    Mother Gallo searched for her children. The older boys were helping the Council fight off the armed rats, while Hob and Suttor’s brother Kar were under their chairs, Tuk and Gage shielding them from harm. “Where are they?” she whispered, searching through the chaos. A lump formed in her throatat the sudden realization that they were nowhere to be seen. “Juniper, they’re gone! The children—where are they?”
    Juniper whipped around in a circle, his adrenaline and fear impelling him to shove Hecate’s rats out of his way, his arms and body slashed and bleeding from their blades. He called his children’s names, but neither answered. Suddenly there was a stabbing scream. Juniper’s hackles rose, his whole body flooding with terror. He turned in time to see Foiber holding both Nomi and Julius in one arm, his claws digging into Julius’s neck.
    â€œPapa!” yelled Julius, his white coat