Free Catching Dragos by Gail Koger Page A

blade out of my grip.
    Pain lanced through my body. I struggled to breathe. “Let. Go. Of me. You freak.”
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    Doing a great imitation of superhero, Fabian took a running leap off a large
    boulder and flew through the air. His sword flashed out. W hack! He severed the bat’s
    right arm.
    The Hag Bat let out an ear-shattering screech, and its great wings flapped mightily
    as it struggled to gain altitude.
    I managed to grab the severed arm and repeatedly whacked the Hag in the face.
    “You’re one dead bitch. Do you hear me? One dead bitch.”
    The creature slammed me into a tall stalagmite, knocking the breath out of me.
    The arm slipped out of my grip.
    Fabian’s voice seemed to echo on forever. “Stay alive, Mariah! Stay alive. Stay
    alive. Stay alive.”
    The cavern spun around me in a nauseating blur. I could feel blood running down
    my chest as we flew farther and farther into the inky depths. The pain grew until all I
    wanted to do was sink into the waiting darkness.
    “If you pass out, you will become Asmoday’s minion,” Grams admonished.
    Fabian’s mind slid into mine, sharing his power. “Fight, amore mio! I’m coming for
    you.”
    With every ounce of strength I possessed, I summoned my sword and cut the Hag
    Bat’s throat.
    It dropped me.
    I clawed at the air, trying to grab hold of something, anything solid. I smacked the
    ground hard and struggled to rise. Agony rolled over me, and I collapsed against the
    hot earth, gasping for air. With grim determination, I held on to consciousness. I would
    not die here.
    A skittering noise drew my attention. Oh, fuck. Could this day get any worse?
    Its head tilted at an odd angle, the Hag Bat dragged itself across the floor. Hatred
    burned in its eyes.
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    My hands slick with blood, I dug out the healing potion and drained the bottle.
    Energy flooded my battered body, chasing away every ache, every injury. Grabbing my
    sword, I rose to meet the Hag Bat.
    It lunged at me.
    Off with its head. My sword sliced through bone and tissue. No sense wasting
    good chocolate. I popped a piece in my mouth. Damn, that hit the spot.
    Over the stupid wailing, I swore I heard a puppy whimpering. Maybe I was losing
    it.
    Another Hag Bat dived out of the darkness, its claws extended.
    The puppy yelped loudly.
    I raised my sword. “ Tempore. Cuidam. De cruce .” Blue fire shot from the blade and
    struck the Hag.
    Whoosh! It burst into flames and crashed into a boulder.
    “Ha! Gotcha!”
    “Yip. Yip.”
    The puppy sounded like it was celebrating too. I searched the shadows. Was it a
    hellhound? Or something else? I spotted what looked like a ball of white fur.
    I eased cautiously toward it. “Hey, little guy, I’m not going to hurt ya. Please,
    please do not turn into some kind of demon spawn with big sharp teeth.”
    It cocked its head and wagged a fluffy tail. It looked like a cross between a Maltese
    and a Yorkshire terrier. And then, a deep-throated growl broke from it.
    I froze.
    The little guy barked ferociously at something in the darkness.
    “What do you see?” My psychic senses finally kicked in. Oh, fuck. Some bad shit
    was heading our way.
    A horde of revenants shuffled into the light.
    Oh, my God! “Grams, I need a little help here.”
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    “More than a little. How could you forget the exploding demon spell? It’s one of the first
    ones I taught you.”
    And how many times had I been dropped on my head today? “Can we save the
    lecture for later? Like when I’m not in danger of becoming dinner for a bunch of zombies?”
    “ Vel de alia contentum ,” Grams huffed.
    I quickly repeated the incantation and boom! Zombie guts everywhere. And I do
    mean everywhere. Yuck. I knocked a piece of brain off my shoulder.
    The little hairball of a puppy grabbed a finger and started chewing on it.
    “No! No, baby. Icky. We don’t eat zombies. Spit! You heard me. Spit.”
    The little guy whined pitifully.
    “I know