Crows of a Feather

24. We hide in a pillow fort, except the pillows are sofas and rock

Charon took station under a gothic archway that looked over Michigan Avenue. I couldn't tell what he was looking for, but his eyes kept darting back and forth. He tilted his head like he was hearing something. All I could hear was the buzz of traffic, the incantations being said somewhere in the background, and the ever-present screams of harpies in the sky.

"What are you looking for?" I asked.

"I don't know. Anything that could be a threat," Charon said. He closed his eyes to listen carefully. "The giant is in."

"Shit," I muttered.

"I'm gonna be honest, I don't know how we're gonna make it out of this one," Charon said.

"I know this is starting to sound dull but... We'll figure it out," I said. I straightened my back and looked behind us, at everyone else. Killian, Dennis and Amelia were going through their spell-books, fast but careful, one page at a time. Tusk kept crafting Molotovs and other devices that I assumed were explosive. Elvira was pacing back and forth, stretching her limbs and cracking her neck like a pro fighter preparing for a match.

"Do you think Elias and the lawyers will make it here in time?" Charon asked. We had overheard Tusk's brief conversation with Elias over the phone. Well, only half of it in my case.

"We can only hope," I said grimly.

A loud explosion shook the whole building. Charon and I held onto each other and the railing. I didn't dare to close my eyes; I knew I would've gone straight back to the earthquake if I did. Amelia ran over to us, her eyes wide and face pale. She grabbed each of our arms so tight it would probably bruise.

"It's time," Killian roared. He nodded at Dennis, and they started chanting. The floor rumbled. Suddenly, furniture was flying towards us. We couldn't dodge; there was nowhere to go. I squeezed my eyes shut and prepared to be thrown off the tower like Ewart.

After a few seconds, I was still being held by my friends, and my feet were firmly planted on the floor. I opened my eyes. The world was a lot darker. It took me a moment to realise we were stuck in a tiny fortress of patio furniture and rubble. When I poked a chair, it stayed completely still.

There were small holes all around that we could see through, and one bigger skylight on top. The sky was turning black. Lightning flashed so bright it blinded me. Thunder roared louder than I'd ever heard. The harpies circling above laughed ecstatically.

"You guys... do realise that we're on top of a skyscraper during a lightning storm, right?" Amelia said. That was the least of my worries. We were stuck even though we could've helped Uncle Killian and the others.

The tower shook horribly again. Just a few feet from where the adults stood, the floor exploded. Some debris landed on our fortress, but didn't penetrate its magical shield. Out of the smoking hole crawled the griffins, the giant and the two humans.

The giant was absolutely enormous up close. He had a grey undertone to his dark skin, long dreadlocks and a scruffy beard. His eyes were milky white; he was blind. It didn't stop him from sensing where his enemies were, though. All it took was a couple of loud sniffs, and he turned to face my uncle angrily.

The griffins snarled and scratched the floor with their claws, leaving bloody engravings on the stone. One of them shrieked. It was a horrible, high-pitched sound, like hundreds of fingers against a blackboard put in a loudspeaker. I had to cover my ears, and my friends did the same.

Although the humans should've been the least threatening, they scared the shit out of me. They had so many weapons on them, a military surplus store would've looked like a children's toy store next to them. During my very brief overlook, I spotted machetes, pistols, rifles, TNT, an axe, and the shotguns they held.