Jim Hines - The Snow Queen's shadow

A pair of white egrets responded first, streaking overhead like angels and swooping down to stab dagger beaks into one of Snow’s monsters. Crows followed, their harsh cries filling the air. Hawks and owls burst from the trees, and then the ground itself began to vibrate underfoot.

A herd of reindeer exploded from the woods, charging past so closely Danielle could have reached out and brushed their sides. One of the largest stopped and bowed his head to Danielle. He was slightly smaller than a horse, with antlers that curved like gnarled oak. She climbed onto the reindeer. “My friends, too, please.”

Two more reindeer stopped. Gerta shook her head as she mounted the nearest. “Strangest army I’ve ever heard of.”

“Things are about to get stranger.” Talia turned to the darkling. “What are the limits of your shapechanging powers?”

The darkling spread his hands.

Talia sheathed her dagger. “I could use a better weapon.”

The darkling grew taller and thinner. Talia leaned forward, tugging the reindeer’s head to guide him, then snatching the darkling up in one mittened hand. Moments later, she held a lance of pure blackness.

“Reins would be helpful,” Gerta commented, clinging to her reindeer’s mane.

“Just keep your head down and hold on,” said Danielle. “Don’t try to fight. Stay close to Talia.”

She had gained some measure of skill on horseback, but the reindeer was a smaller animal, and the back was built differently, with a bit of a hump near the neck. Not to mention the lack of a saddle. The darkling must have used magic to smooth its gait while in this form, because now that she rode a true reindeer, it was all she could do to keep from falling off.

More animals soon joined their battle. A pack of wolves charged across the lake to her right. A lone fox darted underfoot, weaving past the reindeer. A family of bears lumbered onto the ice on her left.

“Punch through their line and make for the palace,” Talia shouted. “Danielle, try to get those wolves to guard our flanks. Once we pierce the line, have them follow us through and spread out to keep the demon’s monsters from following.”

Danielle did her best to relay the commands. Everything was happening so quickly. Snow’s creatures roared as they fought back against the birds. Animals and monsters alike struggled for footing as they clashed. The winged snake snapped an owl from the air, crushing it in its jaws. Moments later, a wolf sank its teeth into one of the snake’s wings.

“Stay low,” Talia yelled. Wasps swarmed over the palace wall, glittering orange in the sunlight. Some struck the animals, but most flew directly at Danielle and her friends.

She pressed her face close to her reindeer’s neck as the stingers ripped through her clothes to jab her skin, but they failed to pierce Veleris’ magic. She grabbed one that had become tangled in her hair. Unlike the other wasps Danielle had seen, this one had a stinger made entirely of ice, which continued to stab futilely even as it melted from the warmth of her hand.

Wolves closed in around them, forming a spearpoint. Talia thrust her black spear to either side, every hit earning howls of pain. The darkling weapon soon dripped blood that was all too human.

Gerta shrieked as a white-spined ape swiped her leg. Talia turned, but Gerta was already gesturing at her attacker. The ape’s feet slipped out from beneath it. When it fell, its head struck the ice hard enough to make Danielle wince in sympathy.

Between the wasps and the monsters, Danielle could barely even see the palace. She stayed low, wanting to urge her reindeer to greater speed, but unwilling to risk a fall. Blood and bodies made the footing more treacherous, and she could feel her reindeer struggling to maintain his balance on the ice.

So many animals lay dead or dying. Snow’s monsters, too. Monsters who had once been human. More birds swooped down, and when she looked behind, she saw other animals continuing to charge forth from the woods. But Snow had also sent reinforcements. Danielle could hear their cries closing in from either side.

The animals forced their way forward, even as the creatures tried to surround them. If they slowed, Danielle doubted they would be able to fight their way free. Wolves threw themselves at Snow’s guardians, snarling and snapping. A brown bear reared up and struck a sixlegged lizard that looked vaguely like a dragon. Talia’s spear knocked a giant porcupine aside, and then they were through.

The wolves followed, spreading out in a thin line behind Danielle and her friends. More animals joined them, a wall of claws and teeth against the frozen creatures who tried to reach them. Talia jumped from her reindeer, clutching her spear in one hand as she tossed her pack to the base of the wall. She stabbed the spear into the snow and grabbed a coil of rope. “Gerta, I need another knife. Danielle, give me a boost.”

Gerta tossed her dagger to Talia. Danielle braced herself. Talia climbed Danielle’s body as easily as a spider until she stood balanced upon Danielle’s shoulders. Danielle grimaced and did her best not to move. Her legs were weak after two days’ hard riding, but she held firm as Talia rammed the blade into the ice. She had to strike three times to get it to hold. She pulled herself up and stabbed her hunting knife into the ice with her other hand.

Danielle picked up the darkling spear and moved to join the animals. She stabbed past the line at the twisted creatures beyond, doing what she could to help and trying to ignore the cold, sickly feeling of the darkling in her hands.

“This isn’t going to be fast enough,” said Gerta. She whispered a quick spell. The next time Talia struck, her blade sank deeper into the ice, and Danielle saw steam emerge.

Danielle backed toward the wall, their defensive line shrinking into a tighter and tighter arc as one wolf after another fell to Snow’s monsters.

“I’m ready!” Talia shouted from atop the wall. One end of the rope dropped to the ice.

Danielle didn’t turn. “Gerta, get moving.”

Gerta hurried up the wall, and then Talia was yelling for Danielle.

Danielle flung the spear straight into the air. Talia snatched it and set it down beside her. Danielle hesitated only long enough to thank the animals for their help. Then, tears blurring her eyes, she grabbed the rope and climbed. She was halfway up when she spotted a white shape streaking along the top of the wall toward Talia. “To your left!”

“I see it.” Talia flung her darkling spear, catching the monster in the side. It howled and toppled away, out of sight. Talia reached down with her free hand.

Danielle climbed faster, ignoring the burning of her muscles and the cramps in her fingers until she was able to reach up and grasp Talia’s hand.

There was a short clearing on the opposite side, about ten paces between the wall and the palace itself. Gerta stood at the base of the wall below, dagger in one hand as she searched the snowy courtyard, but Danielle didn’t spot any of Snow’s monsters here save the one Talia had struck with her spear. It lay dead in the snow, the darkling standing beside it.

The palace was relatively small, perhaps half the size of Whiteshore Palace. It was a thing of spires, like three narrow mountaintops pressed together in a tight triangle. Icicles as long as spears lined every visible edge.

“How do I get down?” Danielle asked.

Talia gave her a wicked grin and pushed. Danielle bit back a shriek as the air rushed past. She had just enough time to hope the drifted snow was enough to cushion her fall, and then cold arms caught her body. The darkling set her gently upon her feet.

“She did that to me, too,” said Gerta. She had tied her scarf around the wound on her leg. “I say we feed her to the wolves.”