Wicked As You Wish (A Hundred Names for Magic #1) - Rin Chupeco Page 0,110
off at the haunches, and Zoe was quick to discard the limb to lash the whip at the next ice wolf to approach.
The firebird rose above Alex, and bright rolling flames burst out to form a wall before the rest of the wolves. Thin trails of water ran down the ice wolves’ limbs, dripping pools of water underneath their feet.
With Ken’s help, Cole had kicked the ice wolf off him. Clutching at his right arm, where the wolf’s teeth scored deeply, he found his scythe just as the creature leaped again. The boy altered the angle of his thrust, and the black blade impaled the ice wolf on its side, ripping out its flank.
A series of markings similar to that found on the scythe’s bramble-hilt began to spread along the affected area, turning the ice-skin around the pierced wound into a curious pattern of black tendrils curling around its midsection. The ice wolf stilled.
“Kill,” Cole rasped through clenched teeth, and the Gravekeeper darkened; for a brief moment both scythe and hilt seemed more shadow than steel. Then, with considerable effort, he ripped the blade free.
The ice wolf took a step forward, then turned and began attacking the nearest wolf, snarling and ripping its teeth into the equally hard ice-skin of its packmate. Some of the wolves faltered, unprepared by the unexpected betrayal, but soon turned on its brother, systematically ripping it to shreds. Tala turned away, nauseated by the eagerness with which they tore into their former companion.
Some instinct told her to drop to her hands and knees, just as another ice wolf, separated from its pack and hunting them from behind, leaped over her head. It turned and pounced again, but Tala ducked. She could feel the air ripple from claws that only barely missed her cheek.
Infuriated, it tried a third time, and Tala flattened herself against the tower wall. The creature stopped in its tracks. It made an odd noise, almost a whimper, and lifted a leg to approach her. It stopped, lowered the leg, and withdrew, still whining.
Then Alex was stepping forward, taking advantage of Zoe’s distraction to draw nearer to a cluster of ice wolves, who were quick to bear down on him. He waited, his eyes narrowed and his smile grim.
“Alex!” Tala screamed.
The firebird shifted form and solidified into a bow made of burning fire against Alex’s outstretched hand. Unaffected by the flames, the prince drew back the string and sent a torrent of fire-wrought arrows hurtling toward the creatures, a wall of steam rising up every time they found their targets. When the air cleared, the ice wolves were unmoving, burning, staring sightlessly out at Tala with muzzles still lifted in mid-howl.
There was a loud yelp from Ken. One of the wolves had latched on to his shining sword, and Ken swung the hilt around in an unsuccessful bid to shake it free. Another wolf tried to attack him from behind, but Ken blocked the bite and drew out the Juuchi Yosamu, plunging it into the beast’s stomach. He yanked it back, and the Juuchi’s blade slid momentarily against the Yawarakai-Te’s.
There was a sharp crack, and for a moment Ken was no longer holding two swords, but one hilt from where seven connected swords protruded out. He swung, and the sharp blades seemed to take on minds of their own, burying themselves deeply into three ice wolves at once.
He jerked them out, inadvertently splintering the ice wolves in two while he was at it, and stared incredulously at the sword, which promptly reverted back, the Juuchi clattering onto the ground while he remained clutching the Yawarakai-Te.
“Out of the way!” a new voice rang out, its exasperation an odd contrast to the ongoing chaos surrounding them.
A girl dressed in silks and wearing a long veil that trailed in her wake ran nimbly past Tala, throwing a handful of gray powder into a charging beast’s face. The ice wolf’s reaction was immediate; it yowled and made a hoarse, honking sound, rolling and trying to scratch at its face. It sneezed.
The girl kept running, digging her hand into a small pouch on her hip, only to throw more of the gray substance into the other wolves’ faces. The other hand waved a large broom, swiping at the rest to keep their distance long enough for the powder to do its work. The creatures cowered, pawing at their noses and offering little defense as the others moved in for the kill.