The power Thom channeled into the wards was amplified tenfold, shooting out in crackling arcs toward the Greys. Their diminutive opponents scattered screaming\u2014those that didn\u2019t collapse into the snow, charred or shattered by the energy that shot out from the warding lines. Thom strained his ears over the sound, breathing hard, heart pounding as he sought the source of the laughter.<\/p>\n
He shook his head hard. \u201cThere\u2019s someone out there!\u201d he shouted. \u201cSomeone\u2019s laughing out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t see anything,\u201d Thordin shouted.<\/p>\n
Thom swore, shoulders tensing. He could feel sweat starting to bead up at his hairline despite the cold. Lightning crackled up his arms but didn\u2019t hut, didn\u2019t burn, but set his hair on end. It sounded like it was close\u2014felt like it was even closer.<\/p>\n
A hand grasped his shoulder. Seamus cursed but didn\u2019t let go. \u201cLeave off,\u201d he roared. \u201cLet it go! They\u2019re running.\u201d<\/p>\n
Breath rasped in his throat as Thom ratcheted back, withdrawing his senses from the wards before he let go of the stones. His limbs shook as he rocked back against his heels, blinking blearily toward the churned snow between the edge of the ravine and the warding lines. A cadre of the Hunt bunched together, plunging down the walls of the ravine and across the bridge in pursuit of the Greys as they fled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey shouldn\u2019t\u2014there\u2019s something–\u201d<\/p>\n
Seamus shook his head quickly. \u201cThey\u2019ll be fine and if they\u2019re not, this is what we\u2019re built for in the Hunt. Do you still hear it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thom swallowed bile as a shudder racked him. He could<\/em> still hear the laughter\u2014somewhere near and far all at once. It sounded like a woman, but it was hard to know. \u201cYeah.\u201d He squinted in the darkness, scanning the trees. Who was it? What<\/em> was it?<\/p>\n \u201cYour hand,\u201d Seamus said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYour hand. Give me your hand. The right one.\u201d<\/p>\n Without thinking, Thom extended his right hand to Seamus, who took that hand with his left.<\/p>\n A chill shot through Thom and his vision suddenly shrank down to nothing in the space of a heartbeat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The power Thom channeled into the wards was amplified tenfold, shooting out in crackling arcs toward the Greys. Their diminutive opponents scattered screaming\u2014those that didn\u2019t collapse into the snow, charred or shattered by the energy that shot out from the … Continue reading