Bec looks more resigned than afraid. She’s trying hard to believe we can win, not just this fight but all those still to come. But it’s hard. In her heart she feels we’re doomed. She’ll give it her best, but she doesn’t think we can triumph, not in the end, not against Death.

Dervish is smiling. He figures he’s going to be dead soon, one way or another, so what does he have to worry about? He’s picked his spot and chosen his fight. If he dies, it’ll be on home turf. That’s all that matters to him now.

The soldiers are nervous, though some hide it better than others. They know a bit about demons, that they can’t kill the monsters, only slow them down. They’re not in control of this situation, and I know how frustrating that can be. But the Disciples have chosen well. This lot will stand, fight and die if they have to.

And they will.

I look around at my misshapen pack of werewolves and smile jaggedly. Of all those with me, these are the ones I’m counting on to cause the greatest upset. If our foes don’t know about my lupine retinue, they’re in for a nasty surprise. Demons are used to having it easy on this world. Most humans can’t kill them, and they rarely have to face more than a couple of Disciples at a time. Thirty-seven savage werewolves are going to make for a very different experience!

I sniff the air. I hear horrified screams coming from several streets away. I’m eager to get stuck in, but I delay the moment of attack, thinking about Juni’s awful prophecy. Then, wiping it from my thoughts, I roar and let the werewolves break loose. As they race to confront the demons, I pound along in the middle of them. Dervish, Bec, Kirilli and the soldiers lag behind. I’m grinning wolfishly, no longer worried about prophecies. Let the world end. Hell, let me be the one to end it!

What does it matter? Nobody lives forever. If mankind’s destined to bite the bullet, let’s bite and be damned.

We turn a corner. I see hordes of demons running wild, humans fleeing the monstrous creatures. With an excited yelp, I lead my misshapen troops into action. As I zone in on the demonic army, I smile and think there’s at least one guarantee I can make. If Juni’s right, and it’s my fate to destroy this planet, the poet got it wrong. The world won’t end with a bang or a whimper. It’ll end with the death screams of a thousand demons and a defiant, carefree, savage, wolfen howl.