of creatures it fed on, but she hadn’t expected the results to be so uncanny.
“Grace,” he said, hands raised, “you’ve known me all your life. Can’t we find a way to work this out?”
She shot him directly between the eyes.
The bullet simply disappeared.
Charley smiled.
Grace unloaded the gun into him.
He smiled again.
“I expected more from you,” he said, as his edges began to shimmer.
The next moment he was a gigantic grey wolf.
The wolf turned back to Cressida.
Cressida melted into her slender wolf, and lowered herself on splayed paws, ready to dodge.
The larger wolf charged, and Cressida darted away. It charged again. Again, she sailed away.
Grace could see that Cressida was no match for the larger wolf. She might use her agility for some time to escape, but eventually it would wear her down.
They were far from the station, Ainsley was sitting weakly on the ground. By the time back-up arrived they might all be dead.
And Grace had no power to hurt the thing.
She closed her eyes, willing herself to think of something.
Something tugged at her.
At first, it was a tiny, tingling pull at the corner of her mind — similar to the electric sensation she had when Julian touched her.
Then, the buzz spread through her whole body, and quickly receded from all but one spot.
The shard of the key.
She slipped her hand into her pocket and felt the key launch itself into her palm. It crackled with magic.
Good magic.
But could she control it?
It cried out to her to be shaped.
Grace focused on the shard. As it began to warm in her hand, Cressida yelped, and her concentration was broken.
“No,” Grace whispered to herself. “Focus.”
Light, as black as Ophelia’s obsidian eyes, began to pour from the crystalline shape in her palm.
As Grace moved her hand back and forth, the light began to solidify and take shape.
Grace redoubled her efforts, guiding and coaxing the light. In her mind’s eye, she could clearly see what the key wanted to be.
She closed her eyes, willing the shape from her mind to her hand.
When she opened them, she held a curved, obsidian sword.
Grace looked up to a terrible sound as the giant wolf pinned Cressida on her back.
Without a second thought, Grace launched herself at the larger wolf and slashed at its back for all she was worth.
The magical sword winked as its arc cut through the moonlight, then sliced into the evil wolf’s pelt.
The moroi-wolf fell off of Cressida, howling in agony.
Cressida hobbled away, dragging herself closer to Ainsley.
Grace took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. It was up to her now. She would defeat this thing, or join her beloved.
The moroi-wolf snapped at her with impossible speed.
Grace lifted the heavy blade just in time.
Again it howled.
Suddenly, the hollow feeling Grace had been fighting was filled with furious energy, like molten steel. Instead of waiting for the thing to attack again, she went after it with vicious intent, slashing and stabbing.
The wolf backed away. Grace cut again and again, until they reached the edge of the bamboo forest that led down to the creek.
The wolf fell, defeated.
Grace stood over it, sword raised, ready to deliver the killing blow.
Its edges blurred once more, and Grace caught her breath as she recognized the familiar yellow raincoat.
Lilliana.
For one horrible second, Grace hesitated.
“I came to you for help,” Lilliana said in a tremulous voice. “You let them kill me.”
Grace lowered her sword.
Lilliana withered before her into the dried up husk they had found under the field house. The form began to crack. Pieces of Lilliana’s cheeks crumbled away, then the rest of her crumbled too. The debris that had been Lilliana morphed into a thousand tiny red snakes that darted into the bamboo before Grace could react.
Cursing herself inwardly for her weakness, Grace slashed desperately at the bamboo, but the little snakes were gone.
The moment she stopped wielding it, the
“Grace,” he said, hands raised, “you’ve known me all your life. Can’t we find a way to work this out?”
She shot him directly between the eyes.
The bullet simply disappeared.
Charley smiled.
Grace unloaded the gun into him.
He smiled again.
“I expected more from you,” he said, as his edges began to shimmer.
The next moment he was a gigantic grey wolf.
The wolf turned back to Cressida.
Cressida melted into her slender wolf, and lowered herself on splayed paws, ready to dodge.
The larger wolf charged, and Cressida darted away. It charged again. Again, she sailed away.
Grace could see that Cressida was no match for the larger wolf. She might use her agility for some time to escape, but eventually it would wear her down.
They were far from the station, Ainsley was sitting weakly on the ground. By the time back-up arrived they might all be dead.
And Grace had no power to hurt the thing.
She closed her eyes, willing herself to think of something.
Something tugged at her.
At first, it was a tiny, tingling pull at the corner of her mind — similar to the electric sensation she had when Julian touched her.
Then, the buzz spread through her whole body, and quickly receded from all but one spot.
The shard of the key.
She slipped her hand into her pocket and felt the key launch itself into her palm. It crackled with magic.
Good magic.
But could she control it?
It cried out to her to be shaped.
Grace focused on the shard. As it began to warm in her hand, Cressida yelped, and her concentration was broken.
“No,” Grace whispered to herself. “Focus.”
Light, as black as Ophelia’s obsidian eyes, began to pour from the crystalline shape in her palm.
As Grace moved her hand back and forth, the light began to solidify and take shape.
Grace redoubled her efforts, guiding and coaxing the light. In her mind’s eye, she could clearly see what the key wanted to be.
She closed her eyes, willing the shape from her mind to her hand.
When she opened them, she held a curved, obsidian sword.
Grace looked up to a terrible sound as the giant wolf pinned Cressida on her back.
Without a second thought, Grace launched herself at the larger wolf and slashed at its back for all she was worth.
The magical sword winked as its arc cut through the moonlight, then sliced into the evil wolf’s pelt.
The moroi-wolf fell off of Cressida, howling in agony.
Cressida hobbled away, dragging herself closer to Ainsley.
Grace took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. It was up to her now. She would defeat this thing, or join her beloved.
The moroi-wolf snapped at her with impossible speed.
Grace lifted the heavy blade just in time.
Again it howled.
Suddenly, the hollow feeling Grace had been fighting was filled with furious energy, like molten steel. Instead of waiting for the thing to attack again, she went after it with vicious intent, slashing and stabbing.
The wolf backed away. Grace cut again and again, until they reached the edge of the bamboo forest that led down to the creek.
The wolf fell, defeated.
Grace stood over it, sword raised, ready to deliver the killing blow.
Its edges blurred once more, and Grace caught her breath as she recognized the familiar yellow raincoat.
Lilliana.
For one horrible second, Grace hesitated.
“I came to you for help,” Lilliana said in a tremulous voice. “You let them kill me.”
Grace lowered her sword.
Lilliana withered before her into the dried up husk they had found under the field house. The form began to crack. Pieces of Lilliana’s cheeks crumbled away, then the rest of her crumbled too. The debris that had been Lilliana morphed into a thousand tiny red snakes that darted into the bamboo before Grace could react.
Cursing herself inwardly for her weakness, Grace slashed desperately at the bamboo, but the little snakes were gone.
The moment she stopped wielding it, the
Similar Books
