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As I approached the top, the ivy began to wave, and Ulean swept by
Beware Be cautious You are not through the tangle yet
What is it?
But I didn’t have time to wait for her answer One of the tendrils reached out and wrapped around ainst it, but the ivy caan to wraptrouble breathing and couldn’t h to stop it Below, I heard Grieve shout The next moment, the tower quaked and the ivy sucked away froht ain and I looked down
The oak was caught in a frost that was spreading up its trunk Grieve was standing on the steps, slack-jawed, staring as a layer of frost spread froan to forlanced anxiously up at the top of the tower I wasn’t far frolass, and soon the stairs I was standing on would break and send ering up the slick surface to the landing at the top
Grieve jumped off the bottom step back to Rhia’s side just as the foundation of the staircase shattered and vanished into the crevasse I didn’t have lanced around the top of the tower and there it was--a crystal box, and within the box I could see the brilliant erabbed up the case, trying to decide what to do Just then, Kaylinnext to ?"
He shook his head "Yes, I can As well as your clothing, since you’ll have to change into your owl-shape and fly down fro down those stairs Hurry--strip!"
I caughtat him, reluctant to hand him the case But there was no choice I pushed the crystal box into his hands and pulled offas fast as I could
The stairs were half gone, shattering like telass into a thousand pieces I kept ave to Kaylin, and he vanished back into the shadows I glanced down at the stairs Only a few o I sucked in a deep breath and stepped to the edge of the landing As the glass began to break beneath e and spread e in a freefall
Ars, body into bird, nails into talons As I headed toward the ground, Ulean caughtaround the rooood--this freedom to soar, to fly, to…what the…from here, I could see handholds carved into the walls I followed theht next to a thin ledge This was our way out I turned to fly down to the others when the door shattered open and a wave of snow and ice cah
Holy fuck Three Shadow Hunters leaned through, their expressions triumphant And behind theround Turning to Kaylin, I whispered, "You have to dreamwalk You must escape with the heartstone, now"
He tossed me my clothes, the look on his face pained, and I knew he didn’t want to leave us "All right, but take this" He pressed soave hiain a puff of shadow and sivenas in store for us, I yanked on an their creep down the ledge, using the handholds Myst leaned in through the trap door, her laughter echoing through the roohty boy you’ve been It’s tiht of the world" Her voice was chill, the winds of winter rushing through it At least she only had three of her Shadow Hunters with her But three of the Va to a fair riet out of here"
"Yes And my first act is this" I swept out my fan and aimed it at them
Cicely, do not overuse--
There’s no choice I cut off Ulean with an abrupt whisper "Hurricane force" And as I swept the fan, all hell broke loose
The winds rose, but this time so did I I felt myself rise half out of my body, yet I was still attached tothe cha up with the winds, no longer feeling their backlash, but this ti from within me I tried to catch my breath but my shadow-self did not need to breathe, the winds were breathing for ed forth from my body
Ulean shrieked, and I turned in her direction I could see her--the celestial sparkling for with Kaylin Now she was clear and huge, and she spun around !
But I had towinds back to iant in my oorld The plinth shuddered as the hundred- as bone and branch broke apart, falling to the floor
I took another step forward, shaking the room as I , but I could no longer hear their voices, and right now I had work to do I turned toward the Shadow Hunters and let out a long breath, and the winds struck the walls, shaking the chah the room
The Va to the walls with a preternatural strength, pressing theainst the tiles I threw back hter ruh the rooy began to ripple throughoverto the walls as the hurricane-force winds thundered froth I scuttled up the wall like a spider, like an insect, and as I reached the first Shadow Hunter, he cringed as I brought up the obsidian knife
Kill, bleed, feed, drain him dry, suck marrow from bone, feast on his heart, bathe in his blood and brains…
The iht the knife plunging down into his body, as I ripped, tearing hi up, and I licked the blade, not caring when it sliced ue The salty taste of his blood only whettedhim toto the floor
Even as he fell, I reached out to catch hi it offdown to the floor
No! No! You do not dare!