Cloak of Night (Circle of Shadows #2) - Evelyn Skye Page 0,64
on to a rope of ryuu magic that you can’t see,” Menagerie taunted. “It’s also a noose around your pack mule’s neck.” He yanked on it, and Wolf gasped.
“He can’t strangle you from there,” Fairy said. “He doesn’t have enough force to pull the rope tight enough.”
Wolf growled. Fairy knew it wasn’t much in the way of reassurance. It hardly comforted herself.
She looked down again. Menagerie wouldn’t stay there for long. He was already climbing up the invisible rope. And where were Firebrand and Hana in all this?
Meanwhile, the bats attacked again. Fairy ducked as they came in screeching. Their talons and fangs grazed her neck and arms and Wolf’s back. “You’d better not have rabies!” she shouted as they retreated, regrouping for their next assault.
“They don’t have tails,” Wolf said.
“That’s a Liga-like non sequitur that makes no sense. Do tailless bats not have rabies?” Fairy held tightly to Wolf’s fur as they swerved again. Menagerie was making progress climbing up his rope of ryuu particles.
“I don’t know. But most fruit bats don’t have tails. Sora saw them before, after I’d left Prince Gin’s ship. Another ryuu battled Menagerie in a duel by drawing the bats away with fruit.”
“My persimmons!” Fairy said.
“Exactly what I was thinking.”
Wolf swooped, swinging Menagerie beneath him. The ryuu cursed as his grip slipped farther down the rope.
Fairy stretched over Wolf’s side for one of their supply packs. She flipped open the top, grabbed the first persimmon she could, and threw.
At first, the bats in that part of the formation scattered. But then one of them realized what had been fired at them, and it broke off to chase the falling fruit. Several others, catching on, also dove off to pursue.
She pumped her fist. “Taigas: one; flying rats: zero.”
“Don’t get too cocky,” Wolf said.
“No such thing,” Fairy said.
She threw another persimmon. More bats peeled off to chase the food.
Fairy began a full-on assault, igniting a feeding frenzy. The bats’ neat formation fell apart as more of them got distracted by the prospect of dinner.
Meanwhile, Wolf flew faster and swerved from side to side to slow Menagerie’s progress. He was halfway up the rope, only five or so feet away now. But Wolf’s erratic flying made the ryuu pause his ascent just to hold on.
“Fly south to the pear orchards outside Tanoshi,” Fairy said, leaning closer to his ear. “We can lose the last of the bats there.”
Wolf veered southwest.
Menagerie flung a dagger into his belly.
“Agh!” Wolf lost altitude just as they reached the outskirts of the orchards, and Fairy screamed at the sudden dip.
Menagerie launched another knife at him.
“You bastard!” Fairy unstrapped herself from the harness.
“What are you doing?” Wolf shouted. But there was a quiver in his voice, and his words were almost carried away with the wind.
“I’m taking care of him,” she said. “You just get us into those orchards.” Half the bats were still on their tail.
She looped her arms around Wolf’s neck, then swung to the underside. She looked straight down at Menagerie, and dropped.
“What in the hells—” Menagerie shouted as Fairy smacked into him.
Fairy latched on to Menagerie, holding on for dear life. Wolf dove into the trees. The branches were laden with fruit, and their perfume filled the air.
The bats chirped in surprised delight. Within seconds, they dispersed every which way, each finding their own pear tree on which to gorge.
“Lower!” Fairy said. From here, she could see the knife handles protruding from Wolf’s belly and the blood flowing out like sadistic ribbons.
He obeyed and flew nearer to the ground. She and Menagerie crashed into it, and Fairy wrestled him from the invisible rope. They tumbled away together as Wolf flew on, carried forward by momentum.
Menagerie stabbed her in the side.
Fairy gasped but held on to him tightly.
The buzzard swooped down, this time carrying Hana. She leaped off.
“Retreat to Firebrand,” she ordered Menagerie. “I’ll finish these two.”
Menagerie freed himself from Fairy’s weakening grip and scrambled to his feet. “I didn’t get the map yet, Virtuoso,” he said.
“Don’t worry about it,” Hana said. “I’ll find it.”
“I can stay—”
“I want a private word with Fairy.” Hana said her name with disgust. “Now go!”
Menagerie remained for a second but then jogged over to the buzzard. “Enjoy your slow and painful death,” Menagerie said to Fairy. Then the buzzard lifted off with a wicked cry, taking Menagerie away.
Fairy shuddered but pulled a long, slender stiletto blade from her sleeve as Hana stalked closer.