The Wolves of London Book 2: The House of Striker

(Chapter song ‘Akkadian Empire’ by Paul Dinletir)

ZEN

The whispers turn to wails, then cries as I look up. The sky disappears altogether as they fly over me, arch down, and slam a wall in front of me.

I bear down and jump into the black with the hopes of making it to the other side.

“SSHHIITTT!!”

My feet never hit ground and I’m wrapped in shadows. I’m raised into the air with my legs and arms flailing. I try to punch my way out with growls and whines.

I’m spun through the air as I feel myself fly up higher then the trees. The wave of shadows peak and like I’m on a roller coaster, I crest the top and they plummet to the ground back the other way. I scream as I’m practically free falling, but still under their control.

I almost lose my lunch when we sharply level out and I’m swung side to side as the shadows coast above the field to Icarus.

“LET ME GO!! YOU… SON… OF A… BITCH!!” I grind out lefts and rights but my fists just go through the dark.

Then rise up and down as the reach Icarus. They rise up into the air, spin around in a circle, and before they could hand me over, a loud intense growl grows and the shadows explode like a broken gas cloud. I hit the ground with a thud and roll across the grass. I stop on my back an start to cough. My stomach is nauseated, I feel light headed, and I’m in all kinds of pain.

A sharp bark with a growl has me turn my head. Icarus is consumed by a brown and white wolf.

“AVERY!!”

He bites at Icarus who tries to hold his head back.

“NOOO!”

Icarus lands a punch to Avery’s head and he flies back. He rolls across the ground and stops. His gets to his feet and his gold eyes meet mine. He gives me several barks.

On my hands and knees, I shake my head no. He barks again and I glare at him before, I rise to my feet and run to the tree line. I grab the thickest branch I can find and run back just as Avery lunges for him again. Icarus gets Avery in a head lock and threatens to break his neck. I close the gap fast, pull the branch back and bring it down on the back of his neck. He hollers out and lands on the ground.

“RUN!!” I throw the branch and Avery breaks into a sprint. As he passes by, I reach out, grab his scruff and allow the force of his body to pull me up and mount him like a horse. I lean down between his ears as he huffs and pants. “Keep running.” I pant in his ear as I look behind us.

The wind blows his fur and my hair as we hit the highway. His large paws thunder across the pavement. I hear the wail of the shadows. I look back and my eyes widen.

“LOOK OUT!!”

I duck and pull him down just as the body of a car narrowly misses as it spins through the air. It smashes across the highway.

“Fuck.” I breathe. We look back and Icarus is commanding shadows to lift more cars.

“GO!GO!GO!” I kick his sides and pull on his fur. Avery barks a growl and commands his paws to grip the road. He leaps over the wrecked car ahead just as another car hits it and the junk barely misses our backends. Avery runs straight ahead and I look back.

“LEFT!!” I yell.

The whistling sound of a thrown car whizzes past and the car hits the road. It spins on its roof like a top, hits the ditch and flips over its end.

“RIGHT!”

The second cat hit and stood on its front bumper as we ran into its path. “AVERY! WATCH OUT!”

The car creaked then the car’s body started to fall across the road. He dodges debris, jumps and lands just as the cars tires hit the road and bounces behind his tail.

Like his paws were on fire, we bolt down the highway. I glance behind me and sit up to look over the junked cars. “I think he gave up.”

A booming yell came from behind the cars and the cars violently part. They fly off into the surrounding fields leaving a clear path for a really pissed off Necromancer to storm through.

“NO HE DIDN'T! AVERY!!” I pat his head quickly. He glances back, then I feel him run faster.

The road is swallowed in trees and we’re under a canopy of leaves. We get a few feet in and both sides of the forest blast out debris, dirt and leaves in a cloud so large it makes it hard to see. I hear the creak then crack of trees and see a tree fall in front of us.

“Stop! Avery!!” I sink my head into his fur as he runs up to the tree, his front paws leave the grounds, and I feel his back paws push off with brute strength. I look down as he sails over the 5 foot trunk. I look back and Icarus is closing the gap fast. He throws more brush, forest dirt and trees around us and I scream as twigs and branches hit me. I look to the dark and see it move.

“INCOMING!!” I point.

He snarls as the shadows move in.

“GET SOME DISTANCE! THE END IS RIGHT THERE!!” I encourage.

He’s panting, drooling, and determined.

“He’ll run out of shadows! Keep going! A little farther!!” I sit forward and ride him like a jockey “You got this. You can save us. I know you can.” I say quietly as I watch the end of the forest get closer.

I feel his back vibrate between my legs like that purring feeling. I can’t help but pet his soft ear. Even in this mess.

Icarus’ shadows uproot more large trees and throws them over our heads. Just as we run past the tree line, the trees crash down in front of us in a mess of limbs, leaves and branches.

Avery slams in the brakes, and we turn. I sit up and Avery raises his head just off my chest. His eyes narrow and deep murderous growls escape his throat. I watch the forest and see Icarus running toward us.

“We gotta go.” I say quickly.

He barks and as soon as we take a step. A loud ear piercing caw comes from the sky. Avery's wolf whines and I cover my ears.

My brows stitch up when I see something large and solid slam Icarus like a tank, fly him into a field, and they both land.

Icarus rolls and the thing stands on his two feet.

“Oh. This isn’t good.” I mumble and Avery’s ears flatten as he growls more.

The man stands tall in front of Icarus who’s trying to stand. He brandishes a gold knife at his side. He’s wearing a gold pleated skirt and he stretches out his huge black, silver metal tipped wings. He flicks them and the metal at the end of all the feather clang. He tucks them onto his back.

“Necro.” He says slyly as he runs his fingers through his short black hair.

Icarus straightens with a snarl. “Mikael.” Icarus eyes him as he takes a defensive position. “You can’t kill me. An Arch doesn’t have the power.”

Mikael spins his blade in his palm. “I can hurt which would give me much… pleasure.” He almost sounds darkly romantic.

I slide off of Avery and drop to a knee. “Who is that?” I whisper.

Avery wolf shrugs.

“Angels don’t feel pleasure. But I know they feel PAIN!!” Icarus jumps back, pulls up shadows and the angels pushes off the ground like a missile. The shadows follow him into the night sky until he whips out a hand and throws a white magic ball at Icarus. The ground beside Icarus explodes in white light and earth as he dives for cover.

We have to shield our eyes from the light then turn back.

Mikael caws out a cry and dive bombs the Necro. He turns on his side, outstretches his wings and his sliver tipped feathers spread out. When he gets low enough, he makes a sharp twist. The feathers cut Icarus in several places before he shoots up into the air again.

“Whoa.” I say as Avery wolf makes a Rah noise. We both look at each other with shock and then back.

The angel stops and throws his blade. It streams through the air and embeds itself in Icarus’ leg.

The angel rises high, banks around and comes in for a landing. His feet land in a run as he drops his hand in front of his wing. A magic ball grows and he shot-puts it with a loud growl. The ball aims for Icarus, but he rips the blade out and rolls out of the way. Icarus throws a hand up and fires a red ball of magic at Mikael. It hits him in the chest and the angel flies back. He hits the dirt and roll ass over end with feathers flying off him.

Icarus us visibly hurt as he stands and walks over to the angel who had his wind knocked out. Mikael tries to get up as Icarus grabs the angels dagger. He walks over to Mikael, grabs his hair and lifts the pained angels head.

He leans down and places the blade at Mikael's neck. “Now, Arch. You were saying?”

“NOOO!” I yell as both Avery and I run from our spot, and jump into the field. I grab the dagger and Avery grabs Icarus. Mikael hits the ground coughing.

“YOU INFERNAL WOMAN!!” Icarus cries out as he tries to hang onto the blade and fight Avery off.

“Kiss my ass, dirtbag!” I clench as I rip the knife out of his hand and Avery pins him down. I lift the blade over my head with two hand and bring it down in his chest.

“AHHHH!!” He arches back, holds the knife’s hilt, and screams. His body immediately cracks into white light and explodes sending me and Avery flying back into the dirt.

Dirt and shadows rocket into the air and we cover ourselves from the falling earth.

We’re both breathing heavy as we lower our arms and view the crater where Icarus was seconds before.

“Holy… Shit.” I pant. Just as the dagger cuts through the air and stabs the center of the crater, burying half way up the blade. It’s gold metal shines in the moonlight against the black dirt.

“Wow.” I mutter as I blink in bewilderment.

Avery’s wolf whines and starts to lick my cheek, neck and ear.

“Ugh! I’m OK! I’m alright! Gross! Dog germs!” I say as I try to push his large head away and stand.

He stops licking and I wipe his slobber off my cheek with my jacket sleeve.

Mikael walks over to the dagger and pulls it out of the ground. “Thank you for your assistance.”

I watch him wipe the dagger off as he walks to us. “You’re welcome… I guess.”

He stops in front of us and looks down. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a colder expression. “You’re Zen Striker?”

I glance at Avery and back up at him. “Yes.”

Within a half second he whips out his dagger in one hand and points it under my chin and produced a white magic ball that he aimed at Avery. We both push back.

He raises a brow and looks us both over. “I’ve been looking for you.”

I swallow. “You have?”

He smirks. “Yes. You’re the perfect bait to draw out that Nephilim and the ark. After I make the ark mine, I’ll tear the Nephilim apart limb from limb. Refuse and I cut you down so bad, even your atoms will boil and implode.”

Avery and I exchange glances and I turn back to the half naked man in the gold metal skirt. “And who are you?”

He leans down to me. “I am the Archangel Mikael. And the one who’s going to wipe this miserable ball of dirt off the face of the universe once and for all.”

I blink at him as my gut feels sick. Avery looks at me with a look similar to what I’m thinking. We should have ran.

I suck in my top lip and side eye Avery. He growls then slightly whines.

“Crap.” I grumble.