Meanwhile, Wolf flew faster and swerved from side to side to slow Menagerie’s progress. He was halfway up the rope, only five or so feet away now. But Wolf’s erratic flying made the ryuu pause his ascent just to hold on.

“Fly south to the pear orchards outside Tanoshi,” Fairy said, leaning closer to his ear. “We can lose the last of the bats there.”

Wolf veered southwest.

Menagerie flung a dagger into his belly.

“Agh!” Wolf lost altitude just as they reached the outskirts of the orchards, and Fairy screamed at the sudden dip.

Menagerie launched another knife at him.

“You bastard!” Fairy unstrapped herself from the harness.

“What are you doing?” Wolf shouted. But there was a quiver in his voice, and his words were almost carried away with the wind.

“I’m taking care of him,” she said. “You just get us into those orchards.” Half the bats were still on their tail.

She looped her arms around Wolf’s neck, then swung to the underside. She looked straight down at Menagerie, and dropped.

“What in the hells—” Menagerie shouted as Fairy smacked into him.

Fairy latched on to Menagerie, holding on for dear life. Wolf dove into the trees. The branches were laden with fruit, and their perfume filled the air.

The bats chirped in surprised delight. Within seconds, they dispersed every which way, each finding their own pear tree on which to gorge.

“Lower!” Fairy said. From here, she could see the knife handles protruding from Wolf’s belly and the blood flowing out like sadistic ribbons.

He obeyed and flew nearer to the ground. She and Menagerie crashed into it, and Fairy wrestled him from the invisible rope. They tumbled away together as Wolf flew on, carried forward by momentum.

Menagerie stabbed her in the side.

Fairy gasped but held on to him tightly.

The buzzard swooped down, this time carrying Hana. She leaped off.

“Retreat to Firebrand,” she ordered Menagerie. “I’ll finish these two.”

Menagerie freed himself from Fairy’s weakening grip and scrambled to his feet. “I didn’t get the map yet, Virtuoso,” he said.

“Don’t worry about it,” Hana said. “I’ll find it.”

“I can stay—”

“I want a private word with Fairy.” Hana said her name with disgust. “Now go!”

Menagerie remained for a second but then jogged over to the buzzard. “Enjoy your slow and painful death,” Menagerie said to Fairy. Then the buzzard lifted off with a wicked cry, taking Menagerie away.

Fairy shuddered but pulled a long, slender stiletto blade from her sleeve as Hana stalked closer.

“Stay back,” Fairy said.

Hana frowned but stopped.

She called on her ryuu magic and had it tear the knife loose from Fairy’s grip. The blade flew into Hana’s hand instead.

Fairy gasped at her own empty palm.

“You’re a fool if you think you can defeat a ryuu with a knife like this,” Hana said.