He grabbed my leather shirt-thing and kept backing up, hauling me with him. "We have to find Aspen, Rain."
"Rain!" The sound of my name came from the direction we were headed, although I didn't recognize it until Hawke shoved in beside Keir. "Oh, good. You got her. Where's Jack?"
"I don't fucking know!"
"Jack!" Hawke bellowed. "Find Aspen!"
"Jack!" the bird replied, directly overhead. The next time it was behind and to my right. "Court!"
"That way," I told the guys.
"He can't see through this," Keir said.
"He can," Hawke countered. "Plus he's got height on his side."
And we were running again. Jack kept calling out his location. Each time was a different word. His name, mine, Morrigan, and court were all used, letting us follow him by the sound. I was in front, but Keir and Hawke followed, not even quarreling with each other this time.
But I was so focused on following Jack that I almost slammed into avery grey, very large shape. Putting on the brakes, my feet skidded on the decomposing leaves and ice that was building up quickly. Behind me, the guys weren't much better, and we made so much noise, there was no way the thing could miss us.
"Fae..." it breathed, turning its horse just to charge right at me.
"Shadows, Rain?" Keir begged.
So I pointed with one hand - still clutching my hilt - and hoped like hell something happened - and I felt it. Something inside me was ripped out, and it was dark. Like a black ball, it raced through the air, shifting as it went.
And growing.
The darkness changed, found a form, and grew teeth. In less than a second, my desperate act took the form of some kind of dog - wolf? - and rushed the horse on its own. I heard the hunter's mount whinny, was pretty sure the moving mist was it rearing up, and then the hunter crashed to the ground.
"Use the iron!" Hawke ordered. "Just hit the shit out of it, Rain!"
And together, the three of us rushed the hunter.
Keir's carbon fiber sword, Hawke's bronze, and my steel all flashed reflections of different colors into the mist around us as we hacked. There was nothing pretty about this, and all of my training was gone, but it had been replaced by something else: fear.
"Cut it, Rain!" Keir cried. "Make it hurt and it will leave!"
I did my best, but we were too close, and the man-shaped thing was trying his best to block all of us. Finally, Hawke lunged, shoving the tip of his blade at the thing's throat. The hunter ducked back, leaving his entire body open. In unison, Keir and I both stabbed.
I felt pressure when the point of my sword hit the man. There was a pop as the cloth and leather gave way. The skin beneath parted easily, and my steel sword kept going and going, for what felt like much too long.
The hunter made a sound, his body jerking in pain as my sword pierced him easily. Keir's skipped off, turned by some invisible force. Mine slid sickeningly inside him, causing me to flinch in disgust and yank it back out.
The hunter crumpled.
"Move!" Keir demanded, grabbing my arm and pulling me to the side. "They don't stay down long!"
"She's gotta be over here!" Hawke yelled, turning us a little more.
And from above, Jack called, "Court! Court-court!"
People were yelling. Most were men, but I heard roars from women as well. Then there were the screams of panic, and Jack was leading us directly towards them, but that was when the skies suddenly parted, and not with rain.
Bright, clear sunlight streaked down, but it was cold. The ice solidified, yet the frozen rain was slowing, and beneath it all, some kind of heroine stood with her arms raised,eltamarmor reflecting back all the colors of a rainbow, and green rushing from her hands.
"Ms. Rhodes is here!" Keir said, sounding relieved.
"Court!" Jack insisted, and now that we could see where we were going, I understood.
