Chapter 7

The haldur heard them and whirled.

Ainya drew her sword, turning Southwind sideways so she could face the haldur with her sword arm. “Off! Get off!” she yelled at Tarquin, but before he could move, she shoved him off Southwind’s back.

She’d done it to save him, he knew, which didn’t mean he appreciated it. He could tell by the distant pain he’d hurt himself—again—but was currently too busy to notice how. His cloak kept dragging at him, so he used Ainya’s knife to slice through the collar instead of taking the time to unclasp it.

Ainya wasn’t dead yet, but that was only because the haldur was squinting in the hearth lights and kept missing her. This one was also too stupid to kill Southwind, so it just kept losing bits of flesh as Ainya hacked at it. It was so big it barely seemed to notice the blood pouring from its many wounds. Now Tarquin knew where the puddle came from.