Page 241 of Pixie Problems

"I think I'm out," I admitted. "The bracelet sucked it up and the guy changed."

"I got you," Hawke said, offering his hand.

But I warned, "Not too much. Torian's right. I can't burn everyone out."

"I got this," Hawke said with a little cockiness I hadn't expected.

And he definitely gave me a rush of power. I wasn't sure what spell he'd hit me with, but I only held on long enough to havesomethingI could use. Since he'd never been one to throw magic around, I honestly had no clue how strong he was, and didn't want to drain him either. Pulling my hand away, I nodded to show I was good, but Aspen huffed in annoyance.

"Rain, we need you to fucking send them back," she snapped, "and no one else can do that! You're not wasting it! You're not being greedy or selfish. You're saving us!"

"And I need to do it without leaving everyone else powerless," I explained. "Last time, we weren't surrounded, Aspen."

A slow chuckle replied, making all of us turn to see why the huntershad paused. Stepping out of the fog, the Huntsman moved closer - right to the edge of the bubble and looked in. His eyes moved across all of us, and then landed on Aspen. Slowly, the man began to pace around the edge, dragging the tip of his sword in the dirt as he did so.

"I can't hold this thing forever," Keir warned.

So Torian clasped his hands together, then pulled them apart. Between his palms, a wooden shaft began to form, grew, and continued expanding. On one end, an obsidian tip appeared, proving this was a spear.

Torian grabbed the thing and pushed it at Hawke. "Since you're already up there."

"Can do," Hawke said.

Keir just gestured to the weapon. "Can I get one of those?"

"Can't make a sword," Torian said. "Wood, glass, or stone. That's all I got."

"I can work with any of it," Keir assured him. "Bracken taught me more than one weapon."

So Torian did it again, but Aspen grabbed my face, checking me over while they worked on that. "Rain?" she asked. "Are you ok?"

"I will be once we get you out of here, Asp." I lifted a hand, but paused when I saw the bloodstains. I wouldn't touch her with that. "Just stay in the middle and let us keep them off you, ok?"

She nodded. "I don't know how to fight."

"Kinda why I'm here."

"We good?" Keir asked right as the Huntsman completed his circle. "Hawke and I will take the left flank. Wilder, you focus on the right. Torian, get the fog out of the way, and Rain, use that steel. Good?"

All of us replied with some version of yes, even as we braced up. Torian moved Aspen before him - but behind the rest of us, all but putting her in the middle. Then, when Keir looked back, Torian nodded, and I felt the crackle of power being called.

The shield fell. Hawke leaped up into the sky with Jack right behind him. From above, a chorus of caws proved they wouldn't be alone. The rest of us just waited, ready to see who'd move in first.

From where I stood, I could see twelve hunters at the ready, plus the Huntsman. He lifted his weapon, but his eyes refused to leave Aspen. For a moment, no one else moved, but I could feel a trickle of nervous sweat trailing down my spine.

"I came for her," he said, finally shifting his dead eyes to me. "I do not want you, but you can ride with me."

"I'drather kill you first!" I hissed.

He smiled.

The air was now popping with the power Torian was calling, but I didn't dare look back to check on him. Green light reflected off the glazed eyes of the hunters, turning their skin sickly. The Huntsman snarled in annoyance and took one step forward.

"Take the princess!"

Like a pack of hounds, the hunters rushed in at the command. I heard the words, but I didn't have time to register them before my sword crashed into an oncoming blade. Behind me, Aspen yelped in fear, but I pushed the hunter back, then spun to swing at another.

From above, Hawke dove, slamming the tip of his spear into the first one that had come at me. The weapon stuck, wrenched from Hawke's hands, but the guy angled up again. Wilder threw ice and fire at anything he could hit, but rushed forward to retrieve Hawke's weapon, tossing it into the air before shooting more magic in the other direction.