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"This isn’t the time to discuss it"

"Perhaps, but I don’t knohen you will discuss it--" Stil hushed himself when a branch snapped so which they crept Stil peeled back the cape long enough to show Geer pressed to his lips before he drew her back in the depths of the cloak

They crouched and crawled under the tree branches, careful not to scrape anything or h the tree wall and squinted in the darkness Geelique’s dress anywhere Perhaps the Lady Enchantress had already escaped?

Stil and Ge before the hellhound ju Gee’s cape and into the cold snow Ge pain in her knees and ar herself, but she scrambled to her feet

The hellhound had Stil pinned beneath hi into Stil’s shoulders--but oddly not piercing through the cloth of Stil’s cape as it lowered isby the throat and jaws, keeping it froled, Gemma tucked her chin and ran She ra the beast off Stil

"Cudere," Stil shouted, his voice hoarse as he tossed a ed her to the side, barelyat their legs

"Blaze!" Stil said before he caught his bar--which had transformed into a double tipped spear while in the air Geloith the intensity of lightning It crackled as Stil swiped it through the air, narrowing rowled Its hackles raised as it crouched on the ground

And then Angelique screa Its eyes were milky white; its nostrils flared red, and it was thin and wretched looking

On its back was a rider clothed in black with a hood shadowing its face He--or it--had a grievous chest wound that oozed a black, tarry substance, and its breath came in pained wheezes The rider held a small orb of black fire, and when it squeezed the fire, the screaelique wasn’t injured at all It was a trick to draw Stil across the border

"Gelas," Stil whispered as he stepped between Gemma and the black creatures "Get to the tent Stay there until daylight Then send word for Angelique"

"Contact her yourself," Gee rock

"Gee!" he said before bringing his spear up to take a blow froht to send the beast flying

"Then we run together," Gehed "Fine Stay close," he said, twirling his spear

There was no exchange of insults with the rider There was no attempt to reason or speak because there was no need As Ge but evil and an endless thirst for bloodshed The rider could not be reasoned with He and his beasts were ht the hellhound, alternating between blinding the beast with his weapon and driving it aith his spear The dog snarled, foaed at Stil Stil ra snapped its jaws around the pole, but Stil threw his weight into the weapon and flipped the beast backwards

The rider loaded a black bolt into its crossbow and aimed the weapon

Gemma threw her rock Itthe animal shriek and dance sideways The rider released the bolt fro forward to spear the hellhound

The dog slipped under Stil’s spear and lunged for him, but it missed and locked its jaws on Stil’s new cape

"Blaze!" Stil said, sla the clearing up like a fire

Ge him in the chest The rider turned its horse in a circle and hissed

The hellhound disengaged from Stil and ran at Ge the hound Hea deep wound, but the nored it and scrabbled for Geh time to throw herself on the trunk of a tree and clear the first branch The hellhound caught the he her back by the clasp at her neck