Titans of Chaos

She rolled her silvery blind-seeming eyes in mirth. "You give commands to me, little boar piglet,little wolf cub? Your kind is my prey: I hunt you for sport. Cunning it is of you vile creatures topretend to be the babies Father gave to Boreas. But the wise North Wind would never let the realhostages of Chaos escape his sight, would he? My Big Brother would know, for he seeseverything, and Mavors would know, too. I will cut out your tongue for that lie, unhearteddragon-boy, and cook it for soup. You others I will stuff. Release your hostage!"

Vanity was standing there, her mouth open, her face blank with fear. I knew that look. I had seenit on her when she was called on in class, on days when we hadn't studied the lesson. Out of ideas.

I saw the morality webs fletch and twitch. "She means you, Leader. She thinks we've capturedyou."

I could see the dogs through the walls. They were coming out of the moonlit clouds, silvery white,as if made of cloud-stuff, solidifying as they ran through the air. Blind things with red ears. Theirinternal nature was deadly and cold: These were things from Hell. Everyone heard them baying.

The queenly teenager said to me, "You have spoken out of turn, Unknown One. For that affront, Idemand the sacrifice of life and limb and everything. Do you deny me?"

Quentin said quickly, "Don't answer! It is a trap. What are your orders, Leader?"

But the young goddess now turned her fierce gaze to Quentin. "A Fallen creature from the Pit?

My! What craft your body has! I almost took you for a man, instead of one of mine. Every hair,every internal organ, is fitted in place. That is a masterpiece of sculpture. You even did the littleveins and nerves. Well! Enough! Invite me into the wards, little magician-or else, by your silence,deny my right to step anywhere my hounds can track."

Colin said to Vanity, "Leader! I think I can take her. Just say the word." With a clang ofear-ringing noise, he broke the metal strut off the foot of the bed and hefted it as a bludgeon. Itwould have impressed a mortal.