Page 103 of Heart of Mischief

The squirrel, she realized with horror.The squirrel that ran up the tree just before Elias and I kissed. I didn’t check. I didn’t eventhink…

“Children of Loki,” said Rattatosk, ground crunching as he crawled out of the shadows. “I found you at last.”

35

Elias lunged. He moved lightning-fast, blocking Rattatosk before Charlie could glimpse more than glowing yellow eyes and a huge figure covered in what looked like black scales.

“Run!” Charlie screamed at her friends. She leapt to her feet as Elias slammed into Rattatosk, managing to take the monster down despite being half his size.

The two rolled across the dirt. They were a tangle of black scales and pearly skin, spinning through the leaves and moss with such speed that it was hard to see exactly what was happening. Elias had Rattatosk’s arms pinned to his sides—a feat that must have taken immense strength—and had ducked his head to avoid the snap and snarl of the beast’s jaws. She’d never been as happy about Elias’s enhanced strength as she was right then.

Charlie looked over her shoulder, only to find that her friends and brother were frozen in place.

“Did you hear me?” she snarled at them. “Run. Now.”

Lou and Abigail didn’t need to be told a third time. They spun on their heels and took off into the forest.

Her brother didn’t move.

“Mason,please,” Charlie begged, turning all the way around to face him. “He’s going to kill you. Get somewhere safe.”

“If you think I’m leaving you here to face him alone,” said Mason, “you’re even more of an idiot than I thought.”

“Mason, you can’t do any magic, and wooden swords aren’t going to help us now,” she yelled. “Go!Protect Lou!”

With one last pained look at his sister, Mason turned and ran.

Charlie whirled around and took off toward Elias and Rattatosk. Their bodies had come to a halt after rolling almost ten feet. Charlie shut her eyes and plunged inward, grabbing for that ever-present current of magic. She found it almost immediately. It was loud, thunderous, tumbling with rapids and sending forth huge sprays of froth. It had been waiting for her all along.

She dove inside.

Her eyes popped back open as she reached Elias’s and Rattatosk’s struggling forms. Without slowing her pace, she grabbed Elias around the waist and yanked him to her chest. At the same time, she let herself get swept away in her magic’s current. Let it pick them both up and carry them high into the air and away.

Elias clearly hadn’t been prepared for Charlie to rescue him. He flailed awkwardly as they flew, head jerking backward as they ripped through pine needles and oak branches. Once they were a safe distance from Rattatosk, Charlie let the current carry them to the ground, where she dropped Elias. He landed on his butt with an audibleoof.

Sloppy work, but it got the job done.

Charlie whirled around.

It was then that she got her first real look at Rattatosk.

He looked just as she remembered from the photograph, only worse, because he was here,right here, in brilliant, horrible detail. His skin was a strange cross between flesh and snakelike scales that glistened in the moonlight.

Rattatosk crouched his spindly legs and launched himself at her.

Charlie dove out of the way, wind rushing from her lungs as she hit the ground hard. She shoved herself back up as Rattatosk whirled around and lunged again. This time, she was able to grabseveral currents of magic and thrust them forward. They crashed into him like a brick wall, sending him flying backward.

WHAT GOING ON?

The words flashed into Charlie’s mind, backlit by neon red panic.

Rattatosk is here, she sent to Henry as loud as she could, hoping their telepathy worked both ways. She’d never attempted it before.We need your help.

I COME NOW

“I’m going to shift!” Elias yelled as Rattatosk rolled up onto his spindly limbs.

“No!” she yelled back, sending more currents of air at Rattatosk. “Your human body will be left unprotected. He’ll go right for it.”