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Authors: Chrystalla Thoma
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her attention back when the troll lurched toward her, its examination of her concluded.
“Where’s Finn?” She waited till the last minute, then jumped sideways, out of the way and around the troll’s back. “Where?”
The troll turned, drool running from the corners of its mouth. The protruding tusks looked black in the dim light. It growled low, bunching huge fists at its sides, trunk-like legs tensing. It attacked again.
Ella ran down the path, the troll’s heavy steps pounding behind her. Where was the other Shade she’d seen moving?
The troll was gaining on her. She stepped out of the path under the trees, aimed and rocked back on her heels. She let the shuriken fly.
It hit the troll in the leg, sent it down. The troll howled, but the iron was already working, dispersing the Shade’s essence, sending it back to the Grey. Sparkles danced on the air where the towering form had stood, the sight oddly beautiful and very, very satisfying.
Something rumbled on her left and she spun around, another shuriken in hand. A goat-legged, horned being threw itself at her. She let the shuriken fly without conscious thought. The creature shrieked, limbs jerking, and fizzled into thin smoke.
Panting, Ella bent over, curled an arm around her ribs. They burned. She wiped sweat from her eyes and straightened. Time for the throwing knives.
“Finn!” Her voice echoed between the buildings and the trees, under the heavy sky. She started to walk down the path. A scuffle and a grunt from up ahead had her running before she’d even registered what she was hearing.
A fight?
Her hopes rekindled, she raced into the dark, ducked under a low branch and came out into an alley. A lamp flickered there. At first she didn’t know what her eyes were seeing in the wavering light — a composite form made of black and white, all entwined like a black and white rope. Then the white parts jerked and she caught a glimpse of a face, mouth open, eyes wide—
Finn . The goblin held him by the neck, keeping him off the ground so that his legs dangled, kicking uselessly at the goblin’s thick limbs.
Son of a bitch . Pulling back her hand, she threw her first knife, then the second for good measure. Both thudded into the goblin’s bare back. The creature shuddered, turned as if to look at her — and vanished.
Finn dropped to the ground, gasping and coughing, writhing like a stranded fish. He looked like hell warmed over, Ella thought as she knelt next to him and rubbed her hand up and down his back to help him breathe. He looked gaunt, made of sharp angles, his skin stretched too tight across the bones.
“Saw... a butterfly,” Finn gasped.
“It’s okay.” Damn, what was he talking about? Blood dripped from a cut on his brow, glistening crimson over his eye and cheek. He’d probably taken a few hits to the head. And yet the green bandana was still on, keeping his pale hair off his face. On closer inspection, she saw one of his wrists was swollen, and she had to wonder if it was broken.
“My knives.” Finn coughed.
“We need to go. We’ll get you new ones.”
“No.”
As if they had time for this. More Shades could appear any moment. “Where are the damn knives?”
He tried to turn around and she stopped him. “Stay. I’ll get them.”
She went to investigate. One was embedded in the trunk of a beech, and she had to brace herself with her foot on the tree to pull it out. The other knife she found lying in the grass. She returned with her spoils.
“Here. Happy?”
He took them with his good hand, sheathed them at his waist one after the other. He was literally splattered with blood and ichor, so much so that she couldn’t tell if he was hurt elsewhere or if it was all from the cut on his forehead.
But, hell, at least he was alive.
***
They made their slow way back to her car, Finn limping by her side, one arm slung over her shoulders. His breath wheezed with every step.
He smelled of blood and ichor, and some sort
“Where’s Finn?” She waited till the last minute, then jumped sideways, out of the way and around the troll’s back. “Where?”
The troll turned, drool running from the corners of its mouth. The protruding tusks looked black in the dim light. It growled low, bunching huge fists at its sides, trunk-like legs tensing. It attacked again.
Ella ran down the path, the troll’s heavy steps pounding behind her. Where was the other Shade she’d seen moving?
The troll was gaining on her. She stepped out of the path under the trees, aimed and rocked back on her heels. She let the shuriken fly.
It hit the troll in the leg, sent it down. The troll howled, but the iron was already working, dispersing the Shade’s essence, sending it back to the Grey. Sparkles danced on the air where the towering form had stood, the sight oddly beautiful and very, very satisfying.
Something rumbled on her left and she spun around, another shuriken in hand. A goat-legged, horned being threw itself at her. She let the shuriken fly without conscious thought. The creature shrieked, limbs jerking, and fizzled into thin smoke.
Panting, Ella bent over, curled an arm around her ribs. They burned. She wiped sweat from her eyes and straightened. Time for the throwing knives.
“Finn!” Her voice echoed between the buildings and the trees, under the heavy sky. She started to walk down the path. A scuffle and a grunt from up ahead had her running before she’d even registered what she was hearing.
A fight?
Her hopes rekindled, she raced into the dark, ducked under a low branch and came out into an alley. A lamp flickered there. At first she didn’t know what her eyes were seeing in the wavering light — a composite form made of black and white, all entwined like a black and white rope. Then the white parts jerked and she caught a glimpse of a face, mouth open, eyes wide—
Finn . The goblin held him by the neck, keeping him off the ground so that his legs dangled, kicking uselessly at the goblin’s thick limbs.
Son of a bitch . Pulling back her hand, she threw her first knife, then the second for good measure. Both thudded into the goblin’s bare back. The creature shuddered, turned as if to look at her — and vanished.
Finn dropped to the ground, gasping and coughing, writhing like a stranded fish. He looked like hell warmed over, Ella thought as she knelt next to him and rubbed her hand up and down his back to help him breathe. He looked gaunt, made of sharp angles, his skin stretched too tight across the bones.
“Saw... a butterfly,” Finn gasped.
“It’s okay.” Damn, what was he talking about? Blood dripped from a cut on his brow, glistening crimson over his eye and cheek. He’d probably taken a few hits to the head. And yet the green bandana was still on, keeping his pale hair off his face. On closer inspection, she saw one of his wrists was swollen, and she had to wonder if it was broken.
“My knives.” Finn coughed.
“We need to go. We’ll get you new ones.”
“No.”
As if they had time for this. More Shades could appear any moment. “Where are the damn knives?”
He tried to turn around and she stopped him. “Stay. I’ll get them.”
She went to investigate. One was embedded in the trunk of a beech, and she had to brace herself with her foot on the tree to pull it out. The other knife she found lying in the grass. She returned with her spoils.
“Here. Happy?”
He took them with his good hand, sheathed them at his waist one after the other. He was literally splattered with blood and ichor, so much so that she couldn’t tell if he was hurt elsewhere or if it was all from the cut on his forehead.
But, hell, at least he was alive.
***
They made their slow way back to her car, Finn limping by her side, one arm slung over her shoulders. His breath wheezed with every step.
He smelled of blood and ichor, and some sort
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