Of Sorcery and Snow Read Free Page A

being a Character wasn’t easy. It forced me to do things I would have really liked to leave to the grown-ups. Because I had to, I would face off with the Snow Queen and her minions. I would keep Chase’s secrets from Lena, and even lie to my family, but I drew the line at killing. Not forever, of course—I knew I’d need to kill enemies eventually , but it could wait until high school.
    Maybe I hadn’t explained myself all that well, because Chase had only replied, “Waiting won’t change anything, Rory.”
    He still bugged me about it too. And only me, even though I knew for a fact no one else in eighth grade had slain anyone besides beasts, like dragons and ice griffins. Even Lena, who had been in almost as many battles as me and Chase. It drove me crazy .
    Chase rolled his eyes. “Come on, Rory—”
    Lena sprinted back the way we’d come, cradling the M3 to her chest. “Tell her off later, Chase. More are coming, and one of them is really big.”
    Chase wheeled around too. “Better to take on two than five.”
    We dashed around the lake again. It was pouring now. The ground was soggy, and mud splattered up the back of my clothes.
    Lena led us down a sidewalk between the road and some trees. Three cars passed, and I really hoped it was raining too hard for the people inside to notice that Chase and I both had swords. The path opened up, and I saw buildings—one was big and boxy, another had a lawn and glass bubbles on its roof. Between them was a sunken courtyard.
    Chase wiped the rain out of his eyes. “Last call for the museum.”
    â€œI don’t think so.” A very big group of tourists, all with cameras, stood under the awning. They saw the swords. A few even took pictures.
    I turned away, shielding my face, and dashed down the stairway to the courtyard. The last thing I needed was someone recognizing me and selling the photo to some tabloids. I could see the caption now: DAUGHTER OF HOLLYWOOD ROYALTY CARRIES WEAPON INTO GOLDEN GATE PARK, WOUNDS ENDANGERED WOLVES.
    The courtyard was full of bald-looking, knobby trees. Their leaves had barely started growing in, so it was easy to see the wolves stream down the steps after us.
    Lena glanced down at her M3. “ Eleven . Oh my gumdrops. Oh my gum—”
    â€œDon’t panic,” Chase said. “We’ve faced worse odds than this.”
    â€œWhen?” Lena asked. “Because this is looking pretty bad.”
    Near the museum, someone screamed. We looked back.
    An enormous wolf trotted down the steps, easily four times as big as the others. The rain had soaked its black fur, but you could see red-brown streaks running down its sides—exactly the same color as dried blood. When it saw us looking, it howled so loud that it rattled the concrete under my sneakers.
    Sometimes villains are so bad that you recognize them instantly, even if you’ve never seen them before.
    Ripper. As in Jack the Ripper, the serial killer who was famous in Victorian London even before the Snow Queen made him a wolf. He had held the Big Bad Wolf title for one hundred and fifty years.
    He’d never been captured. He’d never been defeated. He hadn’t even been seen since his mistress, the Snow Queen, had lost the last war.
    â€œScratch what I said about panicking,” Chase said in a tiny voice.
    â€œIs that who I think it is?” Lena squeaked, starting to slow down. “Oh my—”
    It didn’t matter. We still needed to get of there.
    â€œLena, quick—before they catch up.” I shook her shoulder, and she looked at me, her eyes enormous behind her glasses. “Where’s the Shakespeare Garden?”
    â€œIt’s behind the Tea Garden.” She leaped up the stairs and sprinted past a line of benches. Chase and I followed.
    I glanced back one more time before we reentered the trees. The smaller wolves were only a hundred yards behind us, but