Festival of Shadows by Michael La Ronn Read Free Book Online Page A

going to pay for that.”
    Cutter spread his wings, and their edges began to move like chainsaws and made a terrible grinding noise. He swiped, but Theo jumped out of the way. Then he ripped around and sawed ten trees in half.
    “Teddy bear cutlet. Sounds delicious!”

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The forest reset itself back to its normal direction. Theo poked through the last tree, and he entered a clearing with a large stone dais in the middle. Cutter was sitting atop the dais, playing with the Whatsamadoozle.  
    “Yes, Your Grace, I am your most faithful servant. I hope that you will give me a lissssssome little boy to feast upon. Perhaps that nappy-headed little boy you brought in this evening.”
    Grant.  
    Theo wanted to charge the dais.
    If he touches Grant, I will hurt him really badly.  
    “What do you do with all the little boys and girls you bring to your castle, Your Grace? I want to know. If you aren’t eating them, then perhaps you can give me a few morsels . . .”
    Cutter dragged the Whatsamadoozle to the other side of the dais, and he turned his back.  
    Theo crept toward the dais and tripped over something. Looking down, he saw that he had stepped on a wooden leg. Scattered about the clearing in large mounds were toy parts—heads, eyes, legs, and feet of toys whose lives Cutter had ended. Theo felt his stomach in his mouth.  

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He settled on a wooden sword and approached the dais. He peeked over the top; Cutter was still monologuing to himself.  
    He climbed onto the dais.

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“Hey!” Theo cried.  
    Cutter turned around, and the sword hit his eye. “Arrrrgh—” He clutched his face with one hand; with the other hand, he transformed the Whatsamadoozle into a battle ax, and he swung it blindly.  

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The blunt side of the ax cracked into Theo’s chest, knocking him across the dais.
    Cutter jumped on top of him, but the ax got stuck in the stone floor. Theo ran under Cutter and jammed his wooden sword into Cutter’s tail. The dinosaur jumped into the air out of pain.
    Theo grabbed the ax, and it dematerialized and reappeared in his hand as a golden ball.  
    “Arrgh—you’ll pay for that!”
    “The Whatsamadoozle is mine now.”
    “You’re a conniving little cub. You’re going to pay for that.”
    Cutter spread his wings, and their edges began to move like chainsaws. They made a terrible grinding noise. He swiped, but Theo jumped out of the way. Then he ripped around and sawed ten trees in half.
    “Teddy bear cutlet. Sounds delicious!”

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Theo dove over the ax, and Cutter missed him.  

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Theo crouched and rolled, and Cutter spun around and smacked him with the ax.
    “Pesky little bear,” Cutter said. He approached Theo, dragging the ax behind him.  
    Theo couldn’t stand, but he could crawl. There was a torch stand to his left, and immediately behind him, the dais dropped off into the grass.
    Cutter raised the ax to strike.

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Theo tried to roll off the dais, but Cutter stopped in mid-strike and kicked him off. He hit the ground hard and rolled across the grass, stunned. Cutter was on top of him in an instant, with one hand on Theo’s neck, and the ax raised in the other.  
    “It’s over, bear.”
    I’ve got to talk my way out.  
    “If you kill me, Stratus will be mad.”
    “What?!” Cutter stopped. “You’re right.