Fire danced around her hands, hot, destructive, and eager. She screamed at the monster, and flung a hot bolt of fire at its head. Over and over, one after the other, as fast as she could conjure them.
The first hit the creature’s snout. It shook its head and hissed.
Her horse stood beneath her, terrified but obedient. Snowfall narrowed her eyes, and threw again and again, watching as the creature turned toward her. The bolts of fire hit, and seemed to trail down the creature’s side.
With no harm done.
Snowfall’s heart caught in her throat. From the corner of her eye she saw Simus using his bow, but his arrows bounced from the leathery hide.
The magic...Snowfall could see the glow within it now. The creatures were not using the power, but they used the power naturally.
The monster turned in their direction, lowering its head with a glare, its beady eyes fixed on both her and Simus.
Now the danger was to them, but better her than Simus. It wasn’t even a thought, more instinct that sent one last blast of power right into that hideous face.
“HEYLA,” Snowfall screamed, turning her horse in circles with her knees, waving her arms. “Come here, come here.” She sent out ribbons of light, golden sparkles twirling in the sun as she tried to catch the beast’s eye.
The creature hissed, launched itself into the air, headed toward her.
Snowfall dropped into the saddle, and her horse bolted away. Snowfall kept her seat, both hands high in the air, the ribbons of light streaming out behind.
She had its attention. The creature flapped its dark, leathery wings, gaining height and following.
Even in her panic, Snowfall watched over her shoulder, eyes wide, as the creature used the power to launch itself in flight. What manner of beast?—but she cut that thought off, concentrating, weaving the ribbons from her hands, fleeing away, drawing the threat from the children, away from Simus.
The monster followed, taking flight and gaining.
He was goingto kill her.
Simus almost howled when Snowfall created the distraction, successfully luring the creature away.
He urged his horse after them, and the animal responded with a leap, galloping along. He gripped his mount with his legs, and continued to launch arrow after arrow.
But the arrowheads didn’t pierce, didn’t even make it turn its head to look.
Its prey was Snowfall, and in another few feet—
“Circle,” Simus bellowed. His lance; it was the only hope of a kill.
Snowfall never looked back, but her horse began to turn as it ran. The creature shifted its flight.
Simus guided his horse to run alongside it.
The creature ignored him, intent on its prey. Simus reached for the lance in its quiver. One shot—he’d have one throw.
A tremor of fear for Snowfall passed through him, but Simus pushed it down and away, focusing on the beast, on the wings, waiting for them to rise, to give him that one precious target, one throw at the lungs—
The creature flapped its wings to gain height, and then plunged down with its wings spread high and wide, extending its claws at Snowfall’s back, shrieking its rage—
—exposing its chest.
Simus threw. And he threw true.
The creature screamed, even as its claws plunged down. Snowfall’s horse stumbled, and both she and the horse fell into the grasses.
The creature screamed again, biting at the lance, then it hit the earth, tumbling and writhing, its tail lashing about as it struggled. Clods of earth and grass flew as flailed about, its wings beating desperately against the ground.
“Snowfall,” Simus whispered in a wordless prayer to all the elements. He dismounted and ran forward as her horse struggled to its feet.
