Book One: Chapter 79

“Mike.” Abella pushed the broken planks off of her, shaking debris the debris off her body by flexing her wings. The front porch was a complete mess, and one of the support pillars was now off kilter, the roof above it bowing dangerously. Growling, Abella smacked the support with her tail, shoving it back in place. “Mike!”

“He’s not here.” Cecilia flickered back in place. Her dress was stained, her blood sparkling in the sunlight. “I’ll look inside.”

“I’ll go up.” Cecilia walked through the siding of the house, vanishing from sight. Abella jumped off the porch into the yard, tipping over dangerously. Her equilibrium was off, a result of the magical blast that had knocked her out. Shaking her head, her sensitive ears picked up shouting out back. With a powerful flap of her wings, she soared up, circling as she rose, casting her eyes to the ground. The house had three turrets, each one reinforced with steel beams to support her weight. The tallest of these was sufficient f