Of Sorcery and Snow Read Free

easily, and I knew he wanted me to do the same. But I couldn’t imagine killing one the way I slayed dragons and ice griffins. These wolves had been human before the Snow Queen enchanted them. I didn’t want to go home knowing I’d taken a life, without being able to tell my mom why I was upset.
    Something snarled at my elbow. I spun and crashed my hilt between the eyes of a small red-brown wolf. It fell, legs sprawled out in all directions, its breath whistling through its black nostrils. It didn’t get up.
    Knocking a wolf out with one blow felt pretty satisfying though.
    â€œWe need a doorway,” Lena said, huffing just ahead. “We’re not going to make it to the Door Trek door.”
    She was right. The director of EAS frowned on temporary-transport spells, but for emergencies, Lena had premixed some paint with just enough powdered dragon scale to magic the three of us back to EAS. This definitely counted as an emergency.
    â€œWhat about the museum?” Chase said.
    â€œIn this rain?” Lena asked, incredulous.
    â€œIt’ll probably be filled with tourists right now,” I agreed. “We need to look for a shed or a public bathroom or something.”
    Lena read the sign we sprinted past, her hands on her glasses to keep them steady. “Or the Shakespeare Garden!”
    Chase snorted. “You want to go there ? What’ll keep the wolves away? The flowers or the poetry?”
    â€œNo, the fence has a gate, ” I said. “Where is it?”
    Lena double-checked the sign. “Oh,” she said in a small voice. Then she pointed at the far side of the lake.
    â€œYou mean, back toward the wolves?” Chase said, obviously not a fan of the idea.
    But Lena was right on this. “We need a door frame. It’s better than losing time searching for one.”
    â€œTime’s not the issue.” Chase said. “Wait, are you still afraid we’ll miss the tournament? I was joking .”
    A wolf howled in the distance, and we all turned to stare in that direction. All we saw were trees.
    â€œThere’s probably more than one,” I said.
    â€œLena, can you check?” Chase asked.
    We ran up the path. His way, unfortunately. Since he had the most fighting experience, he was used to taking the lead during attacks.
    Lena fumbled inside her jacket and pulled out a fabric-covered square—her mini magic mirror. This was an improved one. Since the first walkie-talkie M3, she’d added a video recorder, a flashlight, texting capabilities, and most recently, a radar for bad guys.
    â€œLena?” Chase said, sounding impatient.
    â€œIt’s a lot harder to read when I’m running! Wait, just a—” Before we rounded the corner, Lena gasped and threw out both arms. Chase and I skidded to a stop. Four wolves stood shoulder to shoulder across the trail, growling. White teeth gleamed in theirblack gums, gray fur bristling around their necks. The second pack had outrun us.
    â€œRory!” Chase grabbed a fallen branch from beside the trail, hacked some vines to free it, and tossed it to me. I passed my sword to Lena, so I could catch the branch with both hands. The wolves plowed forward. I swung. A gust of wind built up over my left hand, and then the branch connected. Three wolves whooshed backward. With a crunch of broken glass, two hit a car parked thirty yards away; the other smashed into a tree as big as the one in EAS’s courtyard. It slid to the ground, leaving a canine-shaped scar on the tree bark.
    It whimpered, its forelegs bent in an impossible direction.
    Lena handed my sword back. Chase had taken care of the fourth wolf. Red spilled into the fur above its heart. With his sword, he pointed at the injured wolf beside the tree. His blade was covered in fresh blood. “Are you going to finish that one off?”
    I scowled at him but didn’t answer.
    I tried to explain it to him once. As much as I loved EAS,