Free Warrior Everlasting by Wendy Knight Page A

taken. Only it wasn’t a nightmare at all…
    “Lil Bit! Lil Bit, where are you?” Scout’s breath hitched in her throat as she ran. It had been so mild that week, but now the night was unusually cold for October, and it felt like the air froze in her lungs as she screamed for her little sister, while the panic froze her heart.
    “The unicorns! Scout, find the unicorns!” Scout heard Lil Bit’s voice, small and terrified, but she couldn’t pinpoint where it was coming from. She ran in circles, wasting time — precious, precious time.
    “Lil Bit!” she screamed.
    “Scout, the monsters are coming! Can you see them? Scout, find the unicorns! Please, Scout!”
    Scout flew around a tree, frozen lungs forgotten, and nearly fell over Lil Bit where she lay curled on the forest floor.
    But Lil Bit didn’t see Scout.
    Lil Bit’s face was stiff in horror; her glassy eyes stared right through Scout’s soul. Her screams echoed through Scout’s head until they abruptly stopped, and Lil Bit’s eyes closed. Scout fell to her knees next to her little sister, cradling her small head in her lap. “No, no, no, no.” Time froze, everything froze, and her heart shattered in her chest — so cold.
    “The unicorns are here. They’ll protect you,” Lil Bit whispered, although her mouth didn’t move.
    Scout scanned the trees, frantic. “Help!” she screamed, over and over, cracking the air around them…
    Minutes later, she forced her eyes open again. Whole. Unbroken. How was she not writhing in agony? She sat up slowly, testing her arms and legs. They were sore, but that was all.
    “Well you took that very well, didn’t you?” Ariston murmured, standing over her. But Scout barely noticed. Soul stealers swarmed behind him, and she had nothing to fight with. Her scepter was who knew where. Ashra was outside, probably still swearing at Scout and fighting the souled Taraxippus.
    “Oh, my pets. Right. I won’t let them have you. Not yet.” Ariston waved his hand absently, and the creatures shrieked and retreated like kicked puppies. Awful, horrifying puppies with no skin, and bloody rags hanging from their bones.
    “Why not?” Scout asked. And promptly wanted to smack herself. Hadn’t she seen enough bad horror movies to know never to ask that question?
    Ariston tipped his head, considering her. “I want to see what it is Iros is so fascinated with.”
    “Tell him you’re a dancer.”
    Scout blinked. Had Lil Bit lost her mind? She couldn’t be blamed, not after being trapped in these conditions for… Scout had lost track. A week? A month? An eternity? When had she seen her sister last?
    “Dangerous habit,” Ariston said as a lazy smile broke the mask of indifference. “Daydreaming when faced with an adversary who can rip the soul from your body and tear it into a thousand pieces before your heart even stops beating.”
    She wanted to tell him she wasn’t stupid enough to be daydreaming, but it probably wasn’t in her best interest to tell him she could talk to her sister. So she kept her mouth shut.
    Ariston moved closer, and Scout backed up until her heels hit the wall behind her. Mere inches from her, he stopped, his black pits seeming to stare into her very soul. He really would have been beautiful, if he’d had eyes. His face didn’t have the cruel twist it had in her dreams. Instead, there was only sadness. “You are a disappointment to me, Scout.”
    “Join the club.” Scout snarled. “I’m a disappointment to everyone.”
    His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Well, that isn’t what I was expecting.”
    She shrugged. He turned on his heel and walked away, swinging a bright scepter like it was a toy. “You were far too easy to find in the first place.” His words held the same hint of a Greek accent that Iros’s had. “And much too easy to commandeer your dreams.” He turned again, walking backward. Tsking as he shook his head. “And then luring you in here… I really thought you would be more