The fire burned through her furs and blistered her arm, hurting so much she nearly dropped her axes. The pain, coupled with the threat to her squirrel, added to her rage. She felt on a precipice, fury and desperation propelling her toward a dark edge. There was a pressure building inside her, white-hot and screaming to get out. The feeling tore through her until she was burning beneath her furs and her fingertips throbbed with it. Her vision was red with the sprites’ smirking faces above her. She lunged for Sharpspark and a shower of molten-gold sparks appeared in the air between them, engulfing him entirely. When they died back, he looked dazed.

Widge’s tail lashed triumphantly.

“Protect them!” Twelve roared, the heat of her anger juddering and twisting inside her to get out.

Sharpspark stared back at her for an instant, then gestured to his companions. Together they flew to Five and Six, diving into the fray. The effect was immediate. The sprites cast a protective dome of sparks over the two huntlings. It fizzled on the crawler slime and the creatures flinched back from the heat, circling beyond it, trying unsuccessfully to find another route to the boys.

Twelve’s heart dropped when she saw them. Charger was dead and Five was bleeding freely from a wound on his cheek. He seemed barely conscious, leaning heavily on his friend. Six’s face was as pale as dough, Five’s sword still clutched in his hand, black with crawler slime.

Twelve scrambled off Dog and squeezed past Surefoot to help. The ice was slippery with Charger’s blood, but somehow they managed to hoist Five up onto Surefoot’s back. He slumped dangerously to one side and would have fallen straight off if Six hadn’t leaped up behind to support him. Twelve kept glancing at the sprites, her trust in them gone, but they seemed to be obeying her for now. The crawlers seethed outside the defensive cage of sparks, desperate to get to their meal.

“Hurry up,” Dog cried, his frustration at being unable to help obvious. “We must leave!”

“No argument from me,” Six called, his voice shaky. “Will the sprites stay with us though? Five’s bleeding a lot. The crawlers will smell him for sure.”

“They’ll stay,” Twelve promised darkly, her eyes meeting the ringleader’s. He nodded once and the sprites flew closer around them, drawing the shawl of fire tighter. Stomach-churning sounds reached them as Charger was left outside the circle of protection. Twelve was glad she couldn’t see through the bright curtain.