Lilith lost all consciousness on impact, and so she didn’t see what the Queen and her guards saw—a massive, three-foot-diameter silver orb slamming to a sudden inertia-free stop directly over the open portal, nor did she see the flashing, devastating pulses of light that it shot down into the Home Tree, punching holes through the ancient living capital of the Summer Court, vaporizing entire sections of heartwood, cambium, and bark. Gaping holes appeared in the mighty trunk at the same time that the elven figures of guards and Watchers of the Veil disappeared, burning to less than ash in the brief flashes of ultra-intense energy. A swarm of pebble-sized silver objects shot down from the bottom of the big orb, spreading out across the interior of the Queen’s chamber before they all exploded simultaneously. Then the portal closed, cutting off the attack.

Chapter 37

The demon disappeared, seeming to vanish into the top of the artist’s co-op, Omega’s big drone hovering over the spot, thrumming with heavy pulses of power as it shot bolts of searing light straight down at the roof—where absolutely nothing seemed to happen.

“She has opened a portal to Fairie and escaped through it. I am leaving them with a message. How is Father?” The AI asked, speaking through a much smaller orb that hovered right over the wounded Declan.

Chris, who had sliced his right palm open with a clean knife provided by Mack, took a second to glance at Nika. If Omega was asking, despite having his ultrasophisticated drones hovering scant feet above the wounded boy, then the AI was worried. Chris wouldn’t have thought a computer, no matter how advanced, could get worried. On some level, he realized that that worried him.

“He is completely unconscious, not feeling any pain,” Nika said aloud as Chris bent down to the injured boy held in Stacia’s arms. Blood from the sliced palm dripped first into each gaping shoulder hole and then into the kid witch’s open mouth.

“His heartbeat is steady,” Omega observed.

“Very,” Stacia agreed. “He’s strong, Omega, and these wounds are not really life-threatening. Plus wait till you see how Chris’s blood helps him heal up.”

The big drone was now hovering directly overhead, the four surviving mini-drones spaced out around them. Sirens approached from almost every direction. Chris turned to a limping Awasos, dripping some blood from his rapidly healing cut into the nine-inch gash in the big bear’s side. It too started to heal, the bleeding slowing to a stop.

“Tanya is inbound from the airport. I have also cleared all traffic lights for the responding ambulance. I will block all traffic to speed Father’s arrival at the hospital.”

“Please tell Tanya that the action is over,” Chris requested.