Read Online The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C. Hines - Free Book Online

Danielle was here, that they were trying to save her. “What is it I don’t see?”
    Smoke began to rise from the center of the tree. She could smell the wood smoldering. Soon the entire tree would be in flames. “Snow, stop! You’re killing her.”
    “I can’t,” said Snow. “The spell is already cast.”
    With a cracking sound that made Danielle think of breaking bone, the base of the tree began to split. Those branches that remained bent away from the crack, as if they sought to rip the tree in half. Which may have been precisely what the demon intended.
    “That’s it,” Snow said. “Into the circle, little demon.”
    “The circle,” Danielle whispered. She dropped to all fours, studying the circle where it passed closest to the tree. “Snow, look!”
    Snow stepped back. “Uh-oh.”
    One of the hazel’s blackened roots had poked through the mud, destroying a portion of Snow’s spell. Danielle and Talia both dragged Snow away from the tree as the branches exploded in fire. Claws and teeth splintered the wood as an enormous wolf dug itself free. Its fur was a dirty gray, like old ash. Orange-and-blue flames rippled along its body. They were brightest along the back, reminding Danielle of a dog with raised hackles.
    “It is a Chirka,” Snow said. “A big one, too. What did they sacrifice to bring one here at this time of year?”
    Talia bounded toward the gate. She slid through the mud, arms outstretched for balance, then spun like a dancer. One hand snagged the bucket, flinging the water squarely into the wolf’s face.
    Clouds of steam burst from its fur. Talia whirled and threw the bucket itself, which shattered on the wolf’s head. The wolf shook, spraying dirt and sparks in every direction.
    “Bad Chirka,” Snow snapped. Her choker flashed, slowly re-creating the broken symbol in the dirt. “I’m almost ready.”
    The wolf ignored her, slinking around the edge of the circle. Glowing orange eyes never left Danielle.
    The second water pot smashed into the wolf. The water clearly annoyed the demon, but it didn’t seem to cause any real harm. Neither did the knife which followed, sinking into the wolf’s throat. The wolf nipped at the hilt, but its jaws wouldn’t reach. With a snarl, it crouched and sprang at Danielle.
    Talia was faster, grabbing Danielle’s wrist and flinging her toward the tree. As Danielle fell, she saw Talia twist out of the demon’s way, barely avoiding the burning jaws of the Chirka. It slid through the mud where Danielle had been standing. Mud sprayed everywhere as it fought to recover.
    “A bit of magic would be nice right about now,” Talia shouted.
    “What, you finally met something you couldn’t just bludgeon into submission?” Snow knelt at the edge of the circle. The hazel roots had receded back into the earth, and Danielle could see the frost creeping through the soil. “Danielle, the spell is ready. Lure the Chirka into the circle!”
    “Won’t I be trapped, too?” Danielle yelled.
    “Oops!” Her mirrors brightened, hastily adjusting several of the glyphs. “Sorry.”
    The wolf snarled and crept toward the tree where Danielle stood. Strings of drool swung from its jaws. Several times it lunged and snapped, ripping branches with its jaws, but it always drew back before reaching Danielle.
    Danielle pressed deeper against the tree. The burnt wood smell made her eyes water, and she cringed each time she heard another branch snap.
    The wolf was between her and the circle, but as long as she stayed here, enveloped by her mother’s branches, the wolf seemed reluctant to attack.
    Instead, it went after Snow. It leaped past Talia, knocking her back into the fence before bounding around the circle. Snow yelped and stepped to the side, trying to keep the spell between her and the wolf.
    The wolf was too fast. Another bound and it was close enough to catch her. Teeth bared, it pounced.
    Talia slammed her shoulder into the wolf’s midsection, driving it toward