Page 130 of Shadows of Winter

“I’ll go on that one,” she told Vlerion.

Vlerion didn’t look like he wanted to let her get that far from him, but Levitke butted Crenoch out of the way to get close to the doorway and Kaylina.

“So I see,” Vlerion said as she gripped the thick fur and pulled herself astride. “Be careful. Stay on the outskirts. This isn’t your battle.”

No sooner had the words come out than Levitke surged toward a knot of intruders fighting guards near the castle gate.

“Tell her that.” Kaylina alternated gripping her mount and loading her sling while trying not to fall off. The meager weapon might not help much, but she didn’t feel as useless with the great muscles and fangs of the taybarri under her.

Vlerion grunted and nudged Crenoch to ride at Levitke’s side.

Kaylina used her sling to fire at one of the intruders, but she’d never before shot from horseback—and certainly not taybarri back. The round went wide.

“This is going to take a little getting used to,” she muttered.

The world blurred, and Levitke flashed, magically disappearing, then reappearing twenty yards ahead, in the middle of the fighters.

Heart pounding, Kaylina found herself surrounded by swords and maces whipping through the air. A shield slammed into Levitke’s side. She spun and bit it, then tore it from the invader’s grip. It flew ten feet and clanged against a stone wall. Next, the taybarri lunged into him, jaws snapping for his throat.

Levitke’s swift movements made it hard to stay on her back, much less contribute to the battle. Kaylina almost lost her sling as she was forced to grip fur with both hands.

“A lot of getting used to,” she corrected.

Crenoch smashed into a pair of invaders that had been fighting as a team. He snapped for the throat of the one on the left as Vlerion, face set in his usual expressionless battle mask, slashed at the one on the right. The invader jerked a shield over his head to deflect the sword blow, but Vlerion shifted his grip and swept the blade in again, this time slipping under the man’s defenses. It cut deep, and the invader pitched backward, losing his shield. Crenoch trampled him.

Levitke was relentless as well, biting and often lifting a front limb to claw at the invaders. Unlike normal animals, the intelligent taybarri knew exactly who the enemies were.

Feeling she should do something to help, Kaylina lifted her sling and sought a target she could hit even with her mount gyrating about. Vlerion’s lessons on the importance of balance came to mind again. If only she’d had more than one day of training.

“Get the ranger,” someone from the wall called. An invader. He’d downed one of the guards firing a cannon toward the harbor and looked to be sabotaging the weapon.

Another invader with a blunderbuss crouched beside him. He lifted his firearm toward Vlerion, who was still swinging his sword, trying to make his way to the gate.

Kaylina couldn’t take the time to think or aim. She loosed a round at the man targeting Vlerion, doing her best to compensate for Levitke’s movement. Fortunately, the invader had to wait to fire to make sure he didn’t hit his allies, and he didn’t notice her—or, if he did, didn’t consider her a threat. Her round landed before he pulled the trigger.

Her aim was off, but it still struck him, hitting him in the chest instead of the forehead. The blow was enough to startle him, and he dropped his blunderbuss. It went off, scattering shot, before it bounced off the wall and into the courtyard.

“Thanks.” Vlerion had seen the threat—and her hitting it.

Pleased, Kaylina nodded and looked for another target.

One man noticed she was armed and sprang for her, an axe raised. Levitke charged at him. He swung the weapon toward the taybarri’s shoulder.

“No,” Kaylina barked, aiming her sling at him.

But Levitke was so fast that she whipped her neck about to catch the swinging axe by the haft before it connected. When Kaylina’s round hit the man in the forehead—it was much easier to target someone so close—his hands spasmed, and he released the weapon. Levitke hurled it across the courtyard.

“Someone get that portcullis open,” came a yell from outside the castle walls. Was that Captain Targon?

Kaylina glimpsed more blue-furred taybarri charging up the ramp, a few bumping into armed men on the landing outside, trying to get in to help.

“It’s stuck,” a guard crouching near the gate, staying out of the battle, yelled back.

One of the invaders gave him a quick nod. Was that guard also being bribed? He looked like he was blocking access to the portcullis rather than trying to get it unstuck.

Frowning, Kaylina lifted her sling. Levitke raced in the opposite direction, toward double wooden doors across the courtyard that two intruders had entered, but Kaylina managed to twist and get a shot off. It struck the guard in the face as Targon appeared at the portcullis.

Kaylina winced. If she’d guessed wrong about that guard, the captain of the rangers had witnessed her shoot an ally.

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