Part 23 (2/2)
Both men craned their necks. Directly below them a tall, young woman in hunter's leathers stepped out from behind the tree they were dangling from, a smug smile on her tan face. She was very young, not more than sixteen, and lanky, as though she hadn't quite grown into her limbs yet. She crossed her long arms over her chest and stared at them as though daring Eli to try and talk his way out of this one. Eli opened his mouth to oblige her, but he never got the chance. From the shadows behind the girl, a pair of white, thin hands in silver manacles shot out and closed around her throat. The girl's eyes bulged and she dropped to her knees as Nico flickered into sight behind her.
”Release them,” Nico said in a dry, terrifying voice. ”Now.”
”No, Nico!” Eli shouted. ”She's not going to-”
The rest of it was lost in the girl's roar as she ducked and tumbled forward, using Nico's own iron grip to take the smaller girl with her, slamming them both into the ground with Nico on the bottom. As soon as she was on top, the girl elbowed Nico hard in the ribs. Nico gasped, and her grip faltered. The girl shot up, rolling gracefully to her feet. When she turned around, she had a long, beautiful knife in her hands, the blade glowing with its own silver light.
Nico was back on her feet in an instant, and for a breathless moment the two watched each other. Then the girl in the hunting leathers shook her head and slid her knife back into the long sheath on her thigh.
”I begin to understand why you needed that coat,” the girl said, not taking her eyes off of Nico. ”Let them down, gently please.”
The tree made a sound like a disgruntled sigh and lowered its roots, releasing Eli and Josef just a little higher than would have been a safe drop. The men landed hard in the dirt, and while Josef was on his feet almost immediately, Eli took a bit longer to get his breath back.
”h.e.l.lo, Pele,” he coughed, trying to discreetly determine if his back was broken. ”Always a pleasure.”
Pele arched an eyebrow. ”Can't say I feel the same.” She glared at Nico, who was still watching her from a crouch. ”Must you always bring such trouble?”
By Rachel Aaron
The Legend of Eli Monpress
The Spirit Thief
The Spirit Rebellion
The Spirit Eater
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