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Maddock turned to see Eden standing a few feet away, aiming a pistol at his chest. More figures appeared out of the dark, all carrying handguns.
“What’s with all the weapons?” Bones asked. “I thought this was Britain.”
“Plenty of us own guns,” Eden said. “We simply don’t fetishize them like you lot do.”
“Some of us like fetishes,” Bones said.
“Then you should enjoy what comes next,” Eden said. “The ritual involves human sacrifice.”
“Let me go you fecker!” A voice shouted. From the opposite side of the chamber, a large, red-haired man was wrestling a struggling young woman toward the fire.
“It’s Michelle,” Maddock said. “What does she have to do with any of this?”
“She killed Wainwright,” Eden said.
“No freaking way,” Bones said.
“Michelle was afraid Wainwright was taking her grandmother down a dark path with his Pagan mysticism.” Her voice held a mocking tone. “Of course, she claims she only wanted to frighten him into leaving her granny alone. She said something about a struggle over a book and then her blade ‘accidentally’ ended up in his belly.” She paused, tapped her chin thoughtfully. “If you think about it, we’re administering justice and saving taxpayers the cost of a trial and incarceration.”
“You’re a regular philanthropist,” Bones said.
“All around the world, fascists are using the trappings of Christianity to gain power, just like the Nazis and so many others have done. Someone must stand against them.”
“By unleashing a power you can’t hope to understand, much less control?” Maddock said.
“We have the headpiece and the gemstones. We will control it.”
“Famous last words,” Bones quipped.
The chanting rose to a crescendo. Walsh bellowed out more of the strange language. The golden light turned green.
“Uh oh,” Bones said.
A deafening roar filled the cavern and a massive figure burst forth from the burning light. It was long and sinuous, with four legs, a long tail, and rows of razor-sharp teeth. She was covered in glittering scales of deep green. The Emerald Dragon let out a loud hiss.
“Mighty Cailleach, Mother of the Gods,” Walsh intoned, “We offer you this gift.” With her staff, she pointed at Michelle. The young woman was pale, struck dumb by sheer terror.
The dragon let out a hiss, flicked a long, forked tongue at Walsh.
“Accept this sacrifice!” Walsh put a note of command in her tone and thrust the glowing headpiece at the dragon.
It had no effect.
The Emerald let out another hiss, turned, and bit the head off one of the Tuatha. The body remained standing for a moment, continued the ritual swaying, then flopped to the ground.
It took the Tuatha a moment to realize what had happened. Screams and shouts filled the cavern as they broke and ran.
“That’s our cue.” Maddock snatched up the staff and cracked the nearest Tuatha across the skull. The man collapsed, his weapon clattering to the ground. Doyle snatched it up and began picking off Tuatha with carefully aimed shots.
Maddock and Bones flowed through the chaos, taking down the Tuatha and working their way toward the dragon, which was snapping up cultists like canapes. Walsh was shouting, waving the crozier around, but it appeared to only infuriate the beast.
“What the hell are we going to do with that thing?” Bones punched a cultist in the face, turned, and kicked another in the groin. “I imagine ordinary weapons won’t work.”
“I’ve had my suspicions about this staff and what Conway said only reinforced them.” Maddock drove the butt of the staff into a cultist’s throat, swept his feet out from under him, and rapped him on the temple. “But we need to get the headpiece away from Walsh.”
“Done.” Bones charged in Walsh’s direction, knocking over cultists like a running back plowing his way through the defense. The inspector saw him coming.
“You will not stop me!” Walsh swung the staff at Bones. He ducked the strike, but before he could grab hold of it, the dragon whipped her tail around, sweeping Bones and Walsh off their feet. The staff flew through the air, struck the wall, and snapped. The headpiece bounced away into the darkness.
“Bones!” Maddock shouted.
Bones sat stunned a few meters away from the approaching dragon. “Get the headpiece!” he grunted.
Maddock was not about to leave his friend defenseless. But before he had taken two steps, someone else ran to Bones’ aid.
James and Orla appeared out of the darkness. James carried a high-intensity flashlight, and he directed the beam at one of the dragon’s golden eyes. The beast let out a shriek and took a step back. So, this creature shared the same sensitivity as the dragon Maddock had encountered in New York.
Orla moved confidently in front of the dragon. A ball of light appeared between her cupped hands and she hurled it at the beast.
They’re Guardians like Lou and Chan!
Trusting their unexpected allies to keep the beast at bay, Maddock made a run for the headpiece. No one tried to stop him. Walsh lay semi-conscious on the ground and the rest of the cult were dead, injured, or fleeing. He picked up the golden headpiece. The gemstones still shone, and it was warm to the touch.
Conway had said the key to defeating the dragon lay in the combination of Christian and Pagan power. Maddock hoped his hunch would pay off.
“Here goes nothing.”
He slammed the headpiece down onto Saint Patrick’s staff—the Staff of Christ.
Cold fire ran along the length of the staff. It turned the glowing green gems to white. Relying on the little bit he had learned from his other Guardian friends, Maddock aimed the staff at the dragon and focused on a single thought.
FREEZE!
It didn’t quite work as he had hoped. The dragon was not completely immobilized. She began to thrash like a fish caught in a net. Maddock felt her hunger and her rage. All the billionaires in the world could not match her insatiable appetite. He found himself filled with the urge to lash out with his fists, his teeth, to kill and consume all that was within reach.
“Just hold him for a few seconds more!” James kept the light focused on the dragon. “Orla can...”
The Emerald Dragon snapped at him, her jaws closed on his flashlight. James sprang back as she whipped her tail around. He was too slow. The dragon’s tail struck him on the hip and sent him flying across the chamber. Michelle, who had been hiding in the corner, hurried to his side.
The dragon’s will battered Maddock’s mental defenses. Fear like ghostly hands clutched his throat. He felt small and insignificant. Who was he to face the power of the dragon? But he had faced this sort of threat before. He could do it again.
The dragon regained its feet and took one jerky step in his direction. Then another.
“I can’t hold her much longer!” Maddock shouted.
Doyle appeared at his side, carrying a pair of pistols. He opened fire on the beast. The bullets ricocheted off her tough hide, but the muzzle flash and loud report caused her to slow.
Orla shouted something incoherent and hurled a ball of blue light at the dragon. It struck the dragon, broke apart, and began to swirl.
“Everybody get back else you’ll be sucked in!” Orla said.
Bones grabbed the semiconscious Walsh, tossed her over his shoulder, and made a run for it. Doyle emptied his weapons and hurried to the aid of the unconscious James.
“Keep your will on him!” Orla shouted.
Maddock concentrated on holding the dragon at bay. The blue light continued to spin, forming a whirlpool. Slowly, as if sinking in quicksand, the furious creature descended into the swirling light and disappeared.
When it was gone, Orla fell to her hands and knees. Maddock rushed to her side.
“Are you hurt?”
“No, just depleted. I don’t know if I can make the climb out of here.”
“Don’t worry about it. After what you just did to save our asses, carrying you out of here is the least Bones can do.”
“Why me?” Bones called from the far end of the cavern.
“Don’t you always claim you’re the stronger of us, and the better climber?”
“That’s true, but...”
“Hoisted with your own petard,” Doyle said.
Bones scowled. “Watch who you’re calling a petard. Or is Petard the Star Trek captain?”
“Not quite,” Maddock said. “But it was a good try.”
