thought, he dimmed the lights to a softer hue. The humans stood gaping at him, looking back and forth between him and the hole in the roof.
“A bat,” Ben’s mother screamed frantically. “Shoot it!”
The police officer stood in shock, staring at Nightwing as Ben’s mom grabbed for his gun. She fumbled with the holster strap for half a second until the officer realized what she was doing and tried to knock her hand away.
Nightwing glared at the humans. He was a wise bat, capable of understanding human speech, for he had spent long decades in its study. So in a loud voice, a voice of hissing and thunder that shook the ceiling and made paint flake from the walls, he commanded, “Leave us—unless you want me to stuff you into the microwave and pop you like corn!”
Ben’s mom screamed, babbling, “It talked to us. That bat talked to us.” Her husband staggered back as if he’d been slapped.
“Vampire,” the cop muttered, trembling in fear. He drew his revolver and tried to steady his hand to take aim.
With a thought, Nightwing magically knocked the gun from his hand. It went bouncing on the floor and discharged. The bullet slammed into a Pooh bear, and fluff exploded all through the room. Nightwing smiled evilly at the bear and cast a small spell. Blood began gushing from its wound, and it cried in a horrified voice, “Help! He’ll kill us all!”
The humans stood staring in shock, so Nightwing growled, “If you don’t get out of here, I’ll see to it that you spend an eternity in charge of stacking the folding chairs for my master’s weekly rallies—in H-e-double-toothpicks!”
The humans fled, stumbling over and clawing each other in their hurry. The cop shoved the others aside and went out first, tripping and tumbling downstairs, then Ben’s mom and dad rushed through the door.
Nightwing sent a thought that slammed the door tight. Suddenly, roots grew out of the wooden door panels and burrowed deep into the walls, fusing the walls and doors together.
“That ought to hold them for awhile,” Darwin said.
The magical glow came from the lizard’s terrarium. Nightwing turned his attention to Imhotep. The Nile monitor stood regally in his cage, just beneath his sun lamp, eyeing Nightwing stalwartly.
He’ll pay for his pride, Nightwing thought, studying the lizard’s fine skin.
But he took a soft tone with the lizard. “A powerful wizard cast a spell here not more than an hour ago. Tell me about it.”
Imhotep had no choice in the matter. He told about Ben and Amber. And when the lizard finished, Nightwing drew close to the lizard’s cage and whispered, “You have a cruel heart, lizard. I think it should never beat again.”
Imhotep looked fearfully at the bat, then gasped, and sank to the floor of the cage, dead from a heart attack.
Now that Nightwing was sure that the lizard would never speak again, he flew up through the hole in the roof.
“So a mouse who has never cast a spell performed a transmogrification on a human,” he mused. “That’s a spell that most sorcerers wouldn’t dare attempt after a lifetime of study . . . This girl has talent.”
“She sounds dangerous,” Darwin said. “What are you going to do about her?”
That question weighed heavily on Nightwing’s mind as he circled the house. By now, the police officer was in his car, frantically calling for backup in order to handle the vampire. As soon as he noticed Nightwing, he ran to his trunk and pulled out a shotgun. Nightwing was tempted to teach the mortal a lesson, but he didn’t want the man’s dying screams to alert Amber and Ben.
Darwin urged, “As you’ve often said, only the strongest can be permitted to survive.”
Nightwing shot back, “And you’re the one who is always saying, ‘Just because you want to take over the world, you don’t have to be so mean about it.’”
“I was just hoping . . .” Darwin began.
“What?”
“For a little bloodshed.”
Nightwing snickered. “In good
“A bat,” Ben’s mother screamed frantically. “Shoot it!”
The police officer stood in shock, staring at Nightwing as Ben’s mom grabbed for his gun. She fumbled with the holster strap for half a second until the officer realized what she was doing and tried to knock her hand away.
Nightwing glared at the humans. He was a wise bat, capable of understanding human speech, for he had spent long decades in its study. So in a loud voice, a voice of hissing and thunder that shook the ceiling and made paint flake from the walls, he commanded, “Leave us—unless you want me to stuff you into the microwave and pop you like corn!”
Ben’s mom screamed, babbling, “It talked to us. That bat talked to us.” Her husband staggered back as if he’d been slapped.
“Vampire,” the cop muttered, trembling in fear. He drew his revolver and tried to steady his hand to take aim.
With a thought, Nightwing magically knocked the gun from his hand. It went bouncing on the floor and discharged. The bullet slammed into a Pooh bear, and fluff exploded all through the room. Nightwing smiled evilly at the bear and cast a small spell. Blood began gushing from its wound, and it cried in a horrified voice, “Help! He’ll kill us all!”
The humans stood staring in shock, so Nightwing growled, “If you don’t get out of here, I’ll see to it that you spend an eternity in charge of stacking the folding chairs for my master’s weekly rallies—in H-e-double-toothpicks!”
The humans fled, stumbling over and clawing each other in their hurry. The cop shoved the others aside and went out first, tripping and tumbling downstairs, then Ben’s mom and dad rushed through the door.
Nightwing sent a thought that slammed the door tight. Suddenly, roots grew out of the wooden door panels and burrowed deep into the walls, fusing the walls and doors together.
“That ought to hold them for awhile,” Darwin said.
The magical glow came from the lizard’s terrarium. Nightwing turned his attention to Imhotep. The Nile monitor stood regally in his cage, just beneath his sun lamp, eyeing Nightwing stalwartly.
He’ll pay for his pride, Nightwing thought, studying the lizard’s fine skin.
But he took a soft tone with the lizard. “A powerful wizard cast a spell here not more than an hour ago. Tell me about it.”
Imhotep had no choice in the matter. He told about Ben and Amber. And when the lizard finished, Nightwing drew close to the lizard’s cage and whispered, “You have a cruel heart, lizard. I think it should never beat again.”
Imhotep looked fearfully at the bat, then gasped, and sank to the floor of the cage, dead from a heart attack.
Now that Nightwing was sure that the lizard would never speak again, he flew up through the hole in the roof.
“So a mouse who has never cast a spell performed a transmogrification on a human,” he mused. “That’s a spell that most sorcerers wouldn’t dare attempt after a lifetime of study . . . This girl has talent.”
“She sounds dangerous,” Darwin said. “What are you going to do about her?”
That question weighed heavily on Nightwing’s mind as he circled the house. By now, the police officer was in his car, frantically calling for backup in order to handle the vampire. As soon as he noticed Nightwing, he ran to his trunk and pulled out a shotgun. Nightwing was tempted to teach the mortal a lesson, but he didn’t want the man’s dying screams to alert Amber and Ben.
Darwin urged, “As you’ve often said, only the strongest can be permitted to survive.”
Nightwing shot back, “And you’re the one who is always saying, ‘Just because you want to take over the world, you don’t have to be so mean about it.’”
“I was just hoping . . .” Darwin began.
“What?”
“For a little bloodshed.”
Nightwing snickered. “In good
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