Rose Tolan's Arc

Chapter 8 of 8

Rose crouched at the top of the slope and counted the shapes on the road below. Six clawed creatures paced across the only path forward. She held the black-purple sword tight, but one blade against six was no plan at all. Jackie knelt beside her, walking stick ready, brown eyes narrow. The cat-dragon pressed flat against Rose's leg, its ears back. Its fear told Rose everything. This time the danger had not passed. "We can't fight through," Jackie whispered. "And there's no way around. That road is it." Behind them, snow crunched. Rose spun, sword up. A huge shape stepped from the pass, taller than any man, covered head to foot in brown fur. He wore faded overalls and moved without a sound despite his size. Rose had never seen him before, but she knew his kind. Sassy Jones was one too, and Sassy had only ever helped her. She lowered the blade a little. "Timber Kindpaw," the giant said. "Looking for a lost guide. Frost tonight." His eyes went to the road, then the creatures. "Bad spot." "They're blocking our only way," Rose said. "We have to get past." Timber studied the pack. "They're not hunting. They're waiting." He pointed one thick finger. Near the creatures, a small boy stood frozen on the road, dressed in a black cape and vest, a pumpkin bucket clutched in both hands. He had wandered right into the middle of them. "That's who they smell. Sweets." Rose's stomach dropped. The boy stared at the creatures, too scared to run. The pack circled closer, noses lifting toward the candy in his bucket. "They want the food," Rose said fast. "Not him." Timber nodded once. "Then give it." Rose slid down the slope, sword in one hand, heart pounding. Jackie followed, stick swinging to keep the creatures back. The boy saw them and sobbed. "They won't stop sniffing me," he cried. "Throw the candy," Rose said. "Hard as you can, off the road." The boy hurled his whole bucket into the deep snow past the trail. Wrapped sweets scattered across the white. The pack broke instantly. Six clawed shapes bounded off the road, snapping and digging for the candy, tumbling over each other in the drifts. The road stood open. Timber scooped the boy up in one arm like he weighed nothing. "Move," he said. Rose grabbed Jackie's hand and ran. The cat-dragon shot ahead, leading them down the cleared path while the creatures fought over the sweets behind them. They did not stop until the road curved and the pack was out of sight. Timber set the boy down and knelt. "Name?" "Tommy," the boy said, wiping his eyes. "I got lost trick-or-treating." Rose looked back the way they'd come. The road ahead was clear now, but Tommy had no way home, and frost was coming. She could not leave a lost child on the mountain. Her path to the crown ran forward. So did his only chance.