The women stumbled together, slipping in the snow that shifted beneath their boots, as they scrambled quickly toward the line of protective wardings, the holly bushes and cairns that marked the edge of the settlement. An inhuman scream made both flinch, made them both turn. Neve crashed to her knees in the snow with a cry of pain.<\/p>\n
\u201cKeep going!\u201d Phelan roared, staff and body wreathed in evergreen light. \u201cDon\u2019t wait for us!\u201d<\/p>\n
A single blast of a hunting horn sounded. Neve\u2019s heart took off at twice its normal speed.<\/p>\n
I know that sound.<\/em><\/p>\n Seamus lowered the horn as Leinth hauled Neve upright again. Both women were trembling as they dashed pell-mell through the snow.<\/p>\n \u201cHe just called them,\u201d Neve panted as they ducked through the row of holly bushes and nearly tripped over one of Marin\u2019s cairns.<\/p>\n \u201cI know,\u201d Leinth said. \u201cThis escalated quickly and badly.\u201d<\/p>\n Something else screamed behind them, sounding far more like a man than a beast. Both women turned again.<\/p>\n A blur of motion drew their gazes\u2014something small and gray throwing itself at the ward-lines. It rebounded as if it hit an invisible wall, coruscating light shooting up from the space above the cairn.\u00a0\u00a0 Neve swore.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat was that?\u201d Leinth gasped.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat they\u2019re fighting,\u201d Neve said, swallowing the bile that had suddenly risen in her throat. \u201cCome on. Come on!\u201d Her heart thundered against her breast as she yanked Leinth onward this time. \u201cThey\u2019ll come, come on!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat if they can\u2019t<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n Hooves thundered somewhere nearby. Neve shuddered. \u201cThen the Hunt will avenge them in the worst ways. We have to get the others. They\u2019ve defeated these creatures before and they\u2019ll be able to do it again!\u201d<\/p>\n At least, I dearly hope they can.<\/em><\/p>\n Swallowing her doubts, she twisted free of Leinth and ignored her own agony as she scrambled through the snow toward help she prayed she\u2019d be able to easily find.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The women stumbled together, slipping in the snow that shifted beneath their boots, as they scrambled quickly toward the line of protective wardings, the holly bushes and cairns that marked the edge of the settlement. An inhuman scream made both … Continue reading