Fisher (Prince of Tigers, #3) - Kathi S. Barton Page 0,42

the sky, dropping great piles of shit on the top of the soldiers’ heads. The very creatures that had shorn their wings before. Fisher laughed so hard he nearly fell onto his sword.

Pulling his sword free of the earth, he held it upright. Snowflake said that Black Knight was here with her men. Asking if she would see him, he wasn’t surprised when the faerie, leader and ruler of the great faerie army landed on the pommel of his sword.

“We are ready to serve you, my lord.” He nodded. “You need only to say the word, and we will destroy the army before you.”

“All but the troll. He needs to be punished by the queen of this castle so that others will think twice about coming here.” With one nod, the sky in front of him darkened with the faeries. He was reminded of a murmuration, a great cloud of starlings flying together in a whirling, ever-changing pattern. “Go.”

In a matter of seconds, less, he thought, the creatures that had taken up arms with the troll were falling to the ground. Their deaths were quick. They never had the chance to even draw their swords against so many. He moved forward, Piper upon Avalanche beside him, to speak to the troll.

With the tip of his sword, he drew blood from the creature. The green of its blood ran down along the blade of his weapon as the troll begged for his life. He called him by name, telling him he’d not known such a man as himself was now defending the castle.

“That is your excuse for coming here? You thought it would be easy to take the castle from the queen here?” The troll said his men were hungry. “It looks to me as if you’ve not pushed away from the table enough, troll. Now that your men are dead, you too will be punished. The queen will tell us what your sentence will be.”

“Nay. I will not return if you were to allow me to go. I promise you this on my heart.” Piper laughed, and the troll looked at her. “What do you find so funny? You are nothing more than a woman who steals the rides of my men.”

Piper slid from Avalanche’s back to stand before the creature. He took a step back when she put her hand out to touch him. Fear was palpable from him. When Piper touched only her fingers to his chest, the creature screamed out. Whether from pain or from fear, Fisher didn’t know, but when she stepped back, she looked at him.

“The queen said the creatures the troll harmed the most should be the ones to destroy him. His death will not be quick. However, it would satisfy so many for it to be done by the ones he harmed in his pursuit to come here and take the castle.” He asked her who that was, and when she looked at Avalanche, he knew. “He and his family. They have suffered the most, Fisher. His mate and their child have been killed to make him bring his team to heel. They have paid the ultimate price.”

“All right, then, that is what we’ll allow.” The troll begged once again as he was lifted into the air by the rest of the horses. Fisher noticed that Avalanche stayed with them. “You have the permission of the queen to do with him as you wish.”

I do. And it means a great deal to me. However, I have pledged myself to your mate, and that alone is payment enough for what he has done to me and my kind.

Nodding once, Fisher turned away from him. Looking at the castle, he saw Aurora there. Her smile was contagious, and he returned his own back to her. When he was standing before her, she put her hand on his cheek.

“You’re not asleep, Fisher. You’re here, in my land, defending my castle as you were meant to do.” He looked around, then back at her, smiling. “You still do not believe me? When I tell you that you have won a great battle today for all mankind?”

“This is a dream.” She shook her head and looked to his right. Piper was there, grinning at him. “It is a dream, right? I mean, I’ve fought wars such as this before. It’s a dream. Tell me I didn’t just threaten a troll with nothing more than a sword in my hand.”

“You did it quite well if you ask me.” Shaking