Free The Last Adventure of Constance Verity by A. Lee Martinez Page B

behind, keeping her head down.
    The lead hound pounced. Connie landed a punch under its snout, sending it tumbling away. She yanked Tia out of the way of the snapping bite of a second hound as Connie slammed it on the nose. She wove through the onslaught, alternately punching beasts and pulling Tia out of danger. Once a hound’s teeth ripped Tia’s sleeve and scraped her arm. Not deep enough to break the skin, but a welt was left behind. Then Connie socked the creature, and it went soaring down the block. It landed with a clap of thunder and a burst of lightning.
    It was all old hat to Connie, but even Tia could sometimes forget how dangerous a foe Connie could be when cornered. The knuckledusters helped, transforming her into a force of nature. One strike was more than enough to put down each of the hounds, though it did take her twice as long as it should’ve because she was watching out for Tia.
    The last hound flattened its ears and backed away with its tail tucked between its legs. Its master lashed it with a whip oflightning, but Connie stepped under the lash. She deflected it with her iron.
    â€œDon’t do that,” she said.
    The sneering giant went for the sword on his belt.
    â€œDon’t do that, either,” she said.
    He drew his weapon and, howling, rushed at her. She caught the blow of his sword. Fae metal shattered against her iron. The giant’s weapon exploded in his hand. He fell to his knee, clutching his wounded limb. Connie hopped onto his boot and belted him across the jaw. He fell over with a crash.
    â€œThey never listen.”
    â€œIs that a good thing?” Tia pointed to fresh clouds swirling overhead. “That can’t be a good thing, right?”
    The clouds spit out a tremendous serpent. The monster got stuck halfway in the funnel. Its many heads snapped and snarled as it struggled to free itself.
    â€œCan you take that?” asked Tia.
    â€œNot without destroying a city block,” said Connie.
    Her knuckledusters burned with a hard white light. Tia imagined a nuclear reactor on the verge of exploding, even though she knew that wasn’t how reactors worked in reality. This wasn’t reality. This was the Fae Realms.
    â€œWe can’t fight that thing,” said Connie. “Not here.”
    She turned to the hound and held out her hands beneath its muzzle. The creature whimpered, tucking its scorpion tail beneath its legs. She petted it between the eyes and scratched behind its ear. The monster nuzzled her.
    The seven-headed dragon twisted itself nearly free.
    â€œWhat’s the plan, then?” asked Tia.
    Connie, on the back of the hound, held out her hand. “Hop on.”
    She helped Tia up. Tia wasn’t certain whether the dragon or the scorpion tail hanging just over her head made her more nervous.
    â€œHow are you doing this?”
    â€œI learned how to talk with wolves from a shaman I know. These guys might be bigger, but the principles are basically the same. They’re actually smarter than wolves, so it’s a little easier.”
    The serpent fell out of the cloud portal. It landed with a shattering thud. Its long, thick body crushed one of its heads. The mangled head sagged as its brothers struggled to clear their senses.
    â€œHold on tight,” said Connie.
    The hound didn’t so much run as fly with a paw touching the ground every now and then to keep gravity from pitching a fit. Tia clung to handfuls of white fur. Wyverns soared overhead, spitting fireballs. Gryphon-drawn carriages with sirens and ogre peace officers trailed in pursuit, firing off lightning bolts from wands. The wolf danced gracefully through the barrage as the street exploded around them. A harpy zipped downward and nearly snatched Tia away. Connie punched it, and the harpy was knocked away in a shower of feathers.
    Tia had been with Connie through many a narrow escape, but it was as if everyone and everything in the Fae Realms wasafter