off.”
“You're not going to touch a hair on Breena's head!” cried Logan. His confidence was inspiring, but I wasn't quite sure how accurate he was.
“And who's going to stop us?” Balthazar laughed. “You?”
“No!” A loud, clear voice came echoing through the trees. “All of us!”
Chapter 12
B althazar looked up, trying to identify the source of the voice. “What, who's there?” he growled, searching the shadows and bushes for any sign of a face. I recognized the voice, of course. It was a voice I knew too well, and loved too well, not to recognize in a heartbeat. “Kian!” I whispered to myself, my heart full of joy. The three of us would be able to battle these wolves – I felt sure of it.
“Over here!” Kian's voice called out once more, and Balthazar's head whipped around, distracted. That moment was just enough time for Kian to let loose an arrow, and before the wolves realized the direction the voice was coming from, a single whizzing arrowhead pierced clean through the heart of one of the wolves. He fell to the ground with a thick thud.
“Attack!” cried Balthazar, but it was too late. A flurry of arrows was raining down on the wolves from a hundred different directions, and the wolves seemed torn whether to attack or go on the defense. They seemed, in the end, to choose a combination of both – the arrows hailed down, the wolves rushed ahead, and at once it seemed that there were hundreds of arrows and hundreds of wolves – a chaotic, screaming crowd of violence that neither pressed on nor moved away, but rather transformed the whole of this idyllic dale into a storm of terror.
I caught sight of Balthazar, evidently less brave than his bravado would have him appear. He was running away into the bushes, dodging and feinting arrows as he went. I wasn't going to let him get away without a fight. I ran towards him, feeling my fairy powers carrying my feet faster than any mortal run, rushing towards him until at last Balthazar was at my feet. I grabbed hold of his hair and held the knife to his throat. Instantly he transformed into a human once more.
“Listen to me, Black Wolf,” I said quickly. “Who hired you?” I stuck my dagger deep against his artery. “Who are you working for?”
Balthazar scoffed. “I'm not going to....”
I jerked his head back and pushed the dagger in deeper, drawing blood. Balthazar winced and yelped in pain. “Listen to me. I'm not afraid of the big bad wolf. And I'm not afraid of dying. I've already died once this week, and I'm not afraid of dying again. So I'm certainly not afraid of using this dagger.”
Balthazar remained defiantly silent.
“Was it Wort? Delano?” I yanked his hair. “The Pixies?”
“No, not the Pixies...” Balthazar forced out the words in strangled tones.
“Then who was it?”
No answer.
“Listen to me – I'm going to give you five seconds to answer this, and if you don't, I'm driving the dagger straight through your neck.”
“No...”
I jammed the dagger into Balthazar's shoulder, and his howl made it clear that he had been beaten.
“Fine, fine!” He panted. “It was Flynn – the Winter Knight!”
I stopped short. Flynn? I knew he was no friend of Kian's – he hated me, and wanted nothing more than to gain power in the Winter Court by serving as a high-ranking military general in the world – but I hadn't expected him to be at the root of all this evil.
I drove my knife straight into Balthazar's other shoulder. “This is for Logan's grandfather,” I said as he yelped. “And it's better than what you deserve. An eye for an eye? I thought you wolves were supposed to be above petty fairy qualities – like mercy or forgiveness? You yourself bragged about the brutality of the wolves, didn't you? Ready to see your theory in action?”
“No!” Balthazar gave a piteous squeal – like a puppy's plea. I sighed. I couldn't kill anyone in cold blood like this – no matter how clear it was
“You're not going to touch a hair on Breena's head!” cried Logan. His confidence was inspiring, but I wasn't quite sure how accurate he was.
“And who's going to stop us?” Balthazar laughed. “You?”
“No!” A loud, clear voice came echoing through the trees. “All of us!”
Chapter 12
B althazar looked up, trying to identify the source of the voice. “What, who's there?” he growled, searching the shadows and bushes for any sign of a face. I recognized the voice, of course. It was a voice I knew too well, and loved too well, not to recognize in a heartbeat. “Kian!” I whispered to myself, my heart full of joy. The three of us would be able to battle these wolves – I felt sure of it.
“Over here!” Kian's voice called out once more, and Balthazar's head whipped around, distracted. That moment was just enough time for Kian to let loose an arrow, and before the wolves realized the direction the voice was coming from, a single whizzing arrowhead pierced clean through the heart of one of the wolves. He fell to the ground with a thick thud.
“Attack!” cried Balthazar, but it was too late. A flurry of arrows was raining down on the wolves from a hundred different directions, and the wolves seemed torn whether to attack or go on the defense. They seemed, in the end, to choose a combination of both – the arrows hailed down, the wolves rushed ahead, and at once it seemed that there were hundreds of arrows and hundreds of wolves – a chaotic, screaming crowd of violence that neither pressed on nor moved away, but rather transformed the whole of this idyllic dale into a storm of terror.
I caught sight of Balthazar, evidently less brave than his bravado would have him appear. He was running away into the bushes, dodging and feinting arrows as he went. I wasn't going to let him get away without a fight. I ran towards him, feeling my fairy powers carrying my feet faster than any mortal run, rushing towards him until at last Balthazar was at my feet. I grabbed hold of his hair and held the knife to his throat. Instantly he transformed into a human once more.
“Listen to me, Black Wolf,” I said quickly. “Who hired you?” I stuck my dagger deep against his artery. “Who are you working for?”
Balthazar scoffed. “I'm not going to....”
I jerked his head back and pushed the dagger in deeper, drawing blood. Balthazar winced and yelped in pain. “Listen to me. I'm not afraid of the big bad wolf. And I'm not afraid of dying. I've already died once this week, and I'm not afraid of dying again. So I'm certainly not afraid of using this dagger.”
Balthazar remained defiantly silent.
“Was it Wort? Delano?” I yanked his hair. “The Pixies?”
“No, not the Pixies...” Balthazar forced out the words in strangled tones.
“Then who was it?”
No answer.
“Listen to me – I'm going to give you five seconds to answer this, and if you don't, I'm driving the dagger straight through your neck.”
“No...”
I jammed the dagger into Balthazar's shoulder, and his howl made it clear that he had been beaten.
“Fine, fine!” He panted. “It was Flynn – the Winter Knight!”
I stopped short. Flynn? I knew he was no friend of Kian's – he hated me, and wanted nothing more than to gain power in the Winter Court by serving as a high-ranking military general in the world – but I hadn't expected him to be at the root of all this evil.
I drove my knife straight into Balthazar's other shoulder. “This is for Logan's grandfather,” I said as he yelped. “And it's better than what you deserve. An eye for an eye? I thought you wolves were supposed to be above petty fairy qualities – like mercy or forgiveness? You yourself bragged about the brutality of the wolves, didn't you? Ready to see your theory in action?”
“No!” Balthazar gave a piteous squeal – like a puppy's plea. I sighed. I couldn't kill anyone in cold blood like this – no matter how clear it was
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