Piebalds flapped around Sky and snatched up his clothes. Fred watched, refusing to help.
With a terrifying lurch, Sky fell from the Bolger tree, dragging the madly flapping Piebalds with him. As they plunged earthward, the thought occurred to Sky that he might be get ting too big for this.
Before they dropped too far, Fred flew to the rescue, yanking at big chunks of Sky's hair.
" Ow ow ow owwww !" Sky cried.
Fred began to loosen his grip and Sky started to drop again. "No, no! Don't let go!"
Fred's grip tightened and they leveled out, even rising a little.
Sky gritted his teeth. "There's got to be a better way to fly."
"CAW!" the Piebalds croaked.
"Yeah?" Sky replied. "Well, the Darkhorn is terribly cool in the stories-I'm not sure I'd use the words 'terrifying yet stone cold awesome,' but you're entitled to your opinions."
"CAW! CAW! CAW!"
"What do you mean you've seen her around?" "CAW! CAW!"
"She does? I knew the Darkhorn and Bedlam had a thing going, even if she is some kind of weird giant flying horse-to each his own, I guess- but that's a little exotic by any standard. And you say she doesn't cook you beforehand or use any spices?"
"CAW! CAW! CAW!"
"Gross. I'd never eat a Piebald that way."
"CAW! CAW! CAW! CAW! CAW!"
"It was a joke!” Sky yelped, smarting at a particularly vicious jerk from Fred. "I'd never eat a Piebald at all-you guys are like family to me, and I have a strict policy against eating family, especially without proper cooking and spices."
"CAW! CAW!" squawked the Piebalds, sounding slightly mollified. Fred gave Sky's hair one more yank, apparently not as impressed with the apology.
Sky's grin turned into a cringe, and not just because of the hair pull. He was putting on a good show of bravado, but he'd seldom felt more troubled. Bedlam's attack meant that he was nearby, maybe even controlling one of the hunters or watching from the shadows.
The Darkhorn's arrival made matters even worse. She was not only Bedlam's bride, she was his harbinger, his front runner-the one he sent first into battles in stories like The Edge of Oblivion and Legend Most Legendary. She was a terror in her own right-a giant flying nightmare with a twisted horn of darkness (or many, by some accounts) jutting from her fore head. A fleshy glowing bulb that dangled from the horn could mesmerize victims and put them to sleep. Where Bedlam was the father of the Edgewalkers, the Darkhorn was their mother and the dreamer of Nightmares-literally her ·"horses of the night," born from her broken horns.
Last year, Beau had told Sky that the Arkhon had once posed as the Darkhorn and attacked a hunter stronghold. In that conversation, Beau had mentioned that the Darkhorn could be captured with a dog-hair net. Why? Sky had no idea, but hunters believed it would work. Unfortunately, Sky was now fresh out of dogs, and dog hairs, and nearly out of his own hairs at the rate Fred was pulling.
If the Darkhorn was in Exile, then Bedlam's army wasn't far behind-less than a day away, according to what Chase Shroud had told Beau, but how could an entire army get from Skull Valley to Exile without someone noticing?
Sky took in his surroundings as the Piebalds left the island and its ice ring behind. They sailed over the unfrozen part of the swamp waters and started to descend toward the far shore, where he'd ditched his gear. The Bolger tree was one of the tallest in the Sleeping Lands, and from this height, Sky could see quite a lot, though Fred had to turn his head for him. To the west, he saw the Bolger swarms returning, looking angrier than ever. Southeast, the hunters sprinted through the swamps toward Arkhon Academy. He saw other things-dark things moving in the trees. The creatures of the night had stopped their mournful wailing, but Sky still shivered at the memory. The sooner he left this place, the better.
And then to the east, he saw
With a terrifying lurch, Sky fell from the Bolger tree, dragging the madly flapping Piebalds with him. As they plunged earthward, the thought occurred to Sky that he might be get ting too big for this.
Before they dropped too far, Fred flew to the rescue, yanking at big chunks of Sky's hair.
" Ow ow ow owwww !" Sky cried.
Fred began to loosen his grip and Sky started to drop again. "No, no! Don't let go!"
Fred's grip tightened and they leveled out, even rising a little.
Sky gritted his teeth. "There's got to be a better way to fly."
"CAW!" the Piebalds croaked.
"Yeah?" Sky replied. "Well, the Darkhorn is terribly cool in the stories-I'm not sure I'd use the words 'terrifying yet stone cold awesome,' but you're entitled to your opinions."
"CAW! CAW! CAW!"
"What do you mean you've seen her around?" "CAW! CAW!"
"She does? I knew the Darkhorn and Bedlam had a thing going, even if she is some kind of weird giant flying horse-to each his own, I guess- but that's a little exotic by any standard. And you say she doesn't cook you beforehand or use any spices?"
"CAW! CAW! CAW!"
"Gross. I'd never eat a Piebald that way."
"CAW! CAW! CAW! CAW! CAW!"
"It was a joke!” Sky yelped, smarting at a particularly vicious jerk from Fred. "I'd never eat a Piebald at all-you guys are like family to me, and I have a strict policy against eating family, especially without proper cooking and spices."
"CAW! CAW!" squawked the Piebalds, sounding slightly mollified. Fred gave Sky's hair one more yank, apparently not as impressed with the apology.
Sky's grin turned into a cringe, and not just because of the hair pull. He was putting on a good show of bravado, but he'd seldom felt more troubled. Bedlam's attack meant that he was nearby, maybe even controlling one of the hunters or watching from the shadows.
The Darkhorn's arrival made matters even worse. She was not only Bedlam's bride, she was his harbinger, his front runner-the one he sent first into battles in stories like The Edge of Oblivion and Legend Most Legendary. She was a terror in her own right-a giant flying nightmare with a twisted horn of darkness (or many, by some accounts) jutting from her fore head. A fleshy glowing bulb that dangled from the horn could mesmerize victims and put them to sleep. Where Bedlam was the father of the Edgewalkers, the Darkhorn was their mother and the dreamer of Nightmares-literally her ·"horses of the night," born from her broken horns.
Last year, Beau had told Sky that the Arkhon had once posed as the Darkhorn and attacked a hunter stronghold. In that conversation, Beau had mentioned that the Darkhorn could be captured with a dog-hair net. Why? Sky had no idea, but hunters believed it would work. Unfortunately, Sky was now fresh out of dogs, and dog hairs, and nearly out of his own hairs at the rate Fred was pulling.
If the Darkhorn was in Exile, then Bedlam's army wasn't far behind-less than a day away, according to what Chase Shroud had told Beau, but how could an entire army get from Skull Valley to Exile without someone noticing?
Sky took in his surroundings as the Piebalds left the island and its ice ring behind. They sailed over the unfrozen part of the swamp waters and started to descend toward the far shore, where he'd ditched his gear. The Bolger tree was one of the tallest in the Sleeping Lands, and from this height, Sky could see quite a lot, though Fred had to turn his head for him. To the west, he saw the Bolger swarms returning, looking angrier than ever. Southeast, the hunters sprinted through the swamps toward Arkhon Academy. He saw other things-dark things moving in the trees. The creatures of the night had stopped their mournful wailing, but Sky still shivered at the memory. The sooner he left this place, the better.
And then to the east, he saw
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