Silver - By Kailin Gow Page 0,4

hilt deep in a nearby tree. “That’s better.”

Briony edged around to her left, looking for another weapon. She stil had her cross pendant, but she couldn’t use that yet. Not if she wanted the element of surprise.

“Pietre wil want me alive,” she said, trying to buy time.

“Wil he?” The woman shrugged as she said it. “Al he said to me was that a few of us should wait at the edges, making sure no one can get away. Stil ,” her fangs slid out,

“alive has possibilities.”

It was at that point that Kevin charged from the undergrowth, stil in wolf form, lunging and snapping at the vampire. The vampire was quick leaping straight up, letting the momentum of Kevin’s charge carry him under her.

The fight that fol owed was almost elegant. The vampire fought like a dancer, slashing with her nails and heels as she whirled away from each assault Kevin made.

She never quite managed to wound him, but she was at least able to stop Kevin from getting near to her.

Briony decided to even the odds, sliding out her crucifix and springing the hidden blade. She crept closer to the fight, looking for a moment to slide it home when the vampire wasn’t aware of her.

She was. The vampire’s kick was stunningly fast.

Briony managed to get her arms up in time, but even so, it sent her sliding back along the floor, the breath knocked out of her as Kevin and the creature continued their deadly dance.

Briony struggled to her feet, and then ran to the bushes where the vampire had thrown her sword. Gripping the hilt with both hands and pul ing, Briony put her whole weight into trying to remove the sword from the bush. The blade wouldn’t budge. Worse, behind her, she heard Kevin yelp with pain. Briony swore, bracing both feet against the rough bark of the tree and pul ing backwards with al her strength. She was not going to let Kevin be hurt.

For a moment, it felt like Briony was trying to pul the sword out of a rock rather than a tree. When she felt the first hint of movement, Briony hauled on the hilt with renewed strength. It came free with a kind of sticky slowness as sap clung to it. Briony spun, facing the fight once more, and saw that the vampire was pressing Kevin back, pushing him towards a tree to restrict his movements.

Briony did the only thing she could think of, and ran forward, the blade raised before her like a lance. This time, the vampire didn’t react quickly enough to stop the blow.

She half turned, only to have the razor sharp sword hit through the side of her ribs. It stil found the heart. The vampire barely had enough time to look surprised before she slumped back and the cold flames claimed her body.

Briony stood stil for a moment, trying to get her breath back, but Kevin’s wolf form nudged against her legs, urging her to climb on once more.

“I know, I know. We have to get out of here. Just give me a second.”

Kevin yipped, but Briony ignored it, retrieving her cross and putting it around her neck once more. Only then did she hear the sound of someone moving through the wood nearby, branches breaking under feet that didn’t care who heard them.

Briony didn’t need any more prompting. She sprinted for Kevin and more or less threw herself onto him, clinging to his fur for dear life as his muscles exploded into a high speed lope once more. Briony whipped her head from side to side, looking for danger, her sword held almost like a lance as she waited for danger to spring from the surrounding trees.

How long Kevin ran like that, Briony didn’t know. The constant threat of danger made each wolfish stride seem like it took hours to complete, yet at the same time, trees passed by in a rush. On and on the werewolf ran, until it seemed to Briony that he might be trying to run straight through the woods. He certainly wasn’t heading back towards anywhere Briony recognized.

Final y though, the trees began to thin out and Kevin started to slow. Briony patted him on the shoulder as a signal to stop.

“I think we’ve gone far enough, Kevin. I think we’re safe.”

Kevin seemed to agree, slowing to a crawl before standing stil to let Briony dismount. She turned her back only briefly in doing so, and that time was enough for