Free The Legend Thief by Unknown

moon, high above the thin and scattered forest-its gigantic wings blotting out the light. A blink, and then it was gone.
     
    Sky held his breath, afraid to move.
     
    Straight in front of him, he saw one of the Piebalds shuffle from one foot to the other.
     
    No . .. no , don't, Sky wanted to scream.
     
    The Piebald looked at him. Sky shook his head-No, he mouthed.
     
    The Piebald twitched nervously and began to spread its wings.
     
    No, no, no! Sky shook his head violently, willing the Piebald to stay in place.
     
    With a downward thrust, the Piebald launched into the air. "NO!" Sky screamed. But before he could even finish, a giant winged shadow-moving faster than he could track darted out of nowhere and snatched up the Piebald in its gaping mouth. Sky caught a glimpse of a twisted horn and a mesmerizing blue light dangling from it, and then the creature was gone.
     
    The grove erupted into chaos. Piebalds threw themselves from their perches, cawing and yammering madly in their frantic race to save themselves.
     
    The Darkhorn reappeared, swooping through the Piebalds, knocking aside trees and boulders that got in her way to get at her favorite food.
     
    Sky sprang sideways, dodging a falling tree. The Darkhorn hurtled over him, scooping up another Piebald. Sky reached for his Pounder, but the Pounder didn't work. He cursed Crenshaw, reached for his Fogger, and detached a canister as the Darkhorn came in for another pass.
     
    He flicked it on and chucked it into the air, trying to hide not only himself, but the Piebalds as well. Before Fog could cover any of them, the Darkhorn apparently mistook the canister for a Piebald and swallowed it whole as she rocketed past.
     
    She screeched angrily, a high-pitched neighing that shook Sky to his bones.
     
    He scrambled for cover and reached for his last can of Fog, but before he could grab it, the Darkhorn dropped to the ground in front of him. She was massive and sleek and stood almost twenty feet tall. Thick Fog billowed from her mouth, swirling around her in strange geometries as she folded her wings to her sides. The glowing blue ball of light dangled from her mangled black horn, swinging back and forth.
     
    Her angry screeching suddenly changed into the most disturbingly beautiful sound he'd ever heard, like a thousand bro ken harps accompanying a thousand fallen angels. The sound pulled at him, dragging him close, step by longing step. And standing above him now was the most glorious woman, robed in light, her arms beckoning, beckoning. Strands of bright white hair swirled around her head and she smiled warmly, waving him closer.
     
    Sky took another step. Another. He knew something was wrong, but couldn't stop himself.
     
    Something cawed off to his right and the woman suddenly reached out and snatched a Piebald from the air, shoving it in her mouth. In that instant Sky saw the Darkhorn in place of the beautiful woman, and he threw himself to the side as the Darkhorn's slavering maw plunged toward him, just missing.
     
    Sky rolled to his feet, slammed his Jumpers and Foggers at the same time, and shot into the air. Putrid Fog rolled around him as the Darkhorn's teeth snapped shut behind him. He landed on a high tree branch and scampered along its length as she let out a hideous shriek.
     
    The Darkhorn rocketed out of the Fog and felled the tree next to him.
     
    At the end of the limb, Sky lunged forward and dropped to a new branch, hugging it as he landed. He pulled himself up and dashed toward the trunk. The Darkhorn rammed the tree, and Sky hit his Jumpers-a quick burst-and sailed into the next tree. He veered sharply toward a new branch and a new tree. Another burst.
     
    The Darkhorn shot past, snapping branches.
     
    Sky bounced free-form, without his Jumpers, from limb to limb and tree to tree, frantically trying to stay ahead. Branches and bark showered him.
     
    He spun, changing direction again and again. One more burst and the Jumpers fizzled-out