Band of Sisters

Chapter 1

I nearly thought my eldest sister would slaughter the beast on sight. It roared into our tiny hovel, knocking the breath out of me as I staggered back, my sisters stepping in front of me. Gathering myself, I rose to their side. We would challenge the beast, my sisters and I, whether death awaited us or not.

Our father, however, nearly cried out in fear at our backs. He was already seated, but fell to the floor, crawling to the wall behind him.

"YOU HAVE KILLED ONE OF MY MEN. I MUST TAKE A LIFE FOR A LIFE."

"To hell you will," Lysandra spat at the feral, unnatural animal that spoke to us.

But it was Aelin who stepped up, "No, I've got this. Watch out for Feyre, Lys." My blondest sister pulled her prized possessions from where they rested in leather sheaths on each of her hips. The twin blades gleamed in her palms - and they should, seeing as how she just finished cleaning them moments ago after our return from our petty shopping in the village. She gripped them with the expertise gifted by a lifetime of training in any form of hand to hand combat as she prowled toward the beast.

It didn't seem to fear her, but it obviously didn't know what it was in for.

With a roar, the beast lunged and my sister dove beneath him, already upright with a knife ready to plunge into its back before it was even aware of what happened. I was ready for my triumphant smile, for the jokes we'd tell of this event as we cooked the monster before us. But then a wave of what I could only call sheer power flew from him, knocking us all back. Lysandra nearly fell into me as we tried to keep from busting our asses on the bare floors of the hovel.

Even Aelin stumbled, her balance skewed, but she did not fall. And the twitch in her upper lip made me almost feel sorry for the beast.

"I do not want to have to kill you," the magical beast said, lowering its voice as if it were trying to calm us. Apparently it noticed that intimidation wasn't really working for him. "I need only to bring the killer of my friend and soldier back with me."

"Over the wall?" Lysandra asked.

Before the beast opened his mouth again Aelin scoffed, "Yeah, right, like we're just gonna let you take one of us into the world of the Fae."

"You'll have to kill us all, first," Lysandra added.

"Um, girls -" our father tried, but I shot him a look over my shoulder. Now is not the time.

"Fine," the beast said, "then I'll just have to take you all."