“It’s like a piken,” Sam said, an involuntary shudder rippling through him.
“Only bigger,” Magdalena said. “Faster. And meaner.”
The creature opened its mouth and let out a ferocious screech. That was when Sam noticed something peculiar. The actors were all looking at one another and backing away. Some pointed at the beast standing on the stage, then turned and fled.
“What’s going on?” Sam said. “Why would they be afraid? They’re acting like it’s—”
Magdalena turned to him, grinning. “Real,” she said.
CHAPTER FOUR
SIX
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
“WHAT THE HELL?”
Six stood beneath the massive stage, looking up through the opening the performers used to make their way on and off. Now many of them were pushing their way inside. From the arena came the sounds of people screaming.
After phoning Lexa, she had looked for Sam, but found no clues to his whereabouts, so since her Legacies were still not working and she was feeling worse and worse, Six had decided to wait for Nine to arrive with backup. In the meantime, she had used her resemblance to the understudy for the show to look around. She knew there was some reason the Mogs had brought her and Sam to the hotel instead of to some more secure location, and she had a feeling it had something to do with the show that was being put on. Once inside the floors that housed the Cirque des Étoiles performers, it had been easy enough to remain out of sight for a couple of hours. Nearly everyone was dressed in strange costumes, and she was one of the least interesting people walking around. Several times she had been pegged as Camilla’s understudy, but she had always made an excuse that she was needed somewhere else, and had managed to avoid participating in the show.
“Get out of the way!” a woman screamed as she pushed past Six, nearly knocking her down in her rush.
Six glanced at the monitors that showed what was happening onstage and in the arena. She’d seen the giant egg crack open to reveal a monster. Almost immediately, a stagehand next to her had said, “That’s not what’s supposed to be inside there.”
Six’s mind raced as she evaluated the situation. She knew the thing terrorizing the arena was something the Mogs were responsible for. What it was, exactly, she didn’t have a clue. That didn’t really matter, though. It had to be stopped.
But how? She had no Legacies to use against it. No weapons apart from her makeshift knife.
And yet she was still probably the only person in the place qualified to try.
“You!”
Six turned. That assistant, Allison, was standing behind her with a clipboard in one hand.
“You are not Camilla’s understudy,” she said firmly.
“I’m not sure that’s important at the moment,” Six said as a roar pierced the air.
“That costume is Cirque property.”
“Again, maybe not the real issue here,” said Six. “What are you doing about that?” She pointed to the stage.
“Not my problem,” Allison said. “Security can handle it.”
Six stared at her. The woman’s presence of mind was impressive, but she didn’t seem to understand that what was going on above them was more than a technical glitch. But then she realized that Allison had completely shut down. She was staring at the monitor with a blank-eyed expression. The clipboard in her hand trembled.
“Stay here,” Six said. “Don’t move. I’ll be back.”
She ran up the steps and onto the stage. It was a disaster area. The massive sets had been smashed into pieces. The few performers left were wandering around, dazed and bloodied. Six saw two bodies lying motionless amid the clutter of the broken scenery.
The monster had turned its attention to the arena filled with spectators. It had left the stage and was rampaging through the rows of seats, tearing at them with its claws. Because the audience had at first believed the creature to be part of the show, most had not gotten up and run away until it had leaped onto the arena floor and begun its assault. By then it had been too late for some of them.
Now they pushed and clawed at one another in their race for the exits. Six watched as the monster knocked half a dozen of them aside with one sweep of its claw. A small blond woman swatted at it with her designer handbag, and the beast struck her down with its tail. Two other women ran to her aid, trying to pull her to her feet. The creature roared at them, sending them screaming away in terror.
Six knew she had to do something. She was exhausted and growing weaker, but she was still a Garde, and she still had plenty of fight left in her.
She ran to the edge of the stage and jumped off, running towards the monster. It was heading for one of the exits.
When Six caught up with the thing, she leaped up onto its tail and climbed the ridge of its back. Sensing her presence, the beast stopped and tried to shake her off. But Six dug her fingers in between the scales that covered its massive body, lying flat against the thick plates and holding on as the monster attempted to dislodge her.
When it couldn’t shake her off, the monster decided to keep going. It headed for a doorway. Now several security guards had appeared, pointing pistols at the creature. Six heard the sound of shots. But the bullets did no damage, burying themselves in the heavy scales. The beast lumbered forward with barely a pause, crushing one guard beneath its feet and sending the other two scrambling to get out of its way. It pushed its head through the doorway; then with its massive shoulders tore a hole in the wall large enough to fit through. Six felt plaster and pieces of wood fall around her as she was carried out on the monster’s back.
The creature made its way inside the long tunnel that connected the arena to the hotel. It moved rapidly on all fours, its back nearly brushing the ceiling. Every so often it let out a piercing cry, as if it was calling to someone. Then Six heard an answering cry, and her heart froze. There was more than one.
She continued to move along the beast’s back, working her way up to its head and what she hoped was the most vulnerable part of its body, the eyes. The thing seemed to have forgotten she was there, and she hoped she could still catch it off guard and stop it—or at least slow it down—before it remembered her.
She reached the head and, holding on to the scales just behind the neck with her left hand, she used her right to draw out the knife she had fashioned from the shard of broken glass. She was inching forward, searching for a good angle from which to attack, when she heard the roar of the other creature. It was closer. The beast she was on paused, listening, and echoed it. Then it began tearing at the wall of the tunnel, making a hole. It was going outside.
Six couldn’t wait. Lifting the knife, she brought it down in the direction of the monster’s eye. She felt it connect with something, pause and then keep going. Warm fluid covered her hand. The creature screamed in pain and shook its head. Six felt herself slipping off, and let go of the knife so that she could push both hands into the scales and try to hang on.
The beast reared up, its head hitting the roof of the tunnel. It continued to thrash back and forth. Six was dangerously close to being crushed against the ceiling. She clung to the monster as best she could, but she felt her strength ebbing away with the effort. She made an attempt to claw her way to the head and retrieve her knife, but it would be impossible to move without being thrown off.