She nodded, "Yup, just not in the most ideal situation at the moment." She mumbled.

He nodded.

One of the thorns moved.

She put her hand on the hilt of her sword, a natural reflex.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the three-inch barb shivered and unfurled into a pair of pointed black wings, attached to a tiny faery with glittering eyes that glared with insectlike menace. Its spindly body was covered by a shiny black carapace. Spikes grew from its elbows and shoulders, and it clutched a thorn-tipped spear in one tiny claw. The faery curled its lip, revealing teeth as sharp as needles, and flew at her face.

She swatted it away, ducking behind Puck. "Get it away!" She whispered.

The faery dodged her hands, buzzing around them like an angry wasp. It paused, hovering in the air like an evil hummingbird, then streaked forward with a raspy cry. A gout of flame seared the air in front of them. The faery disappeared into the fire. Its tiny, charred body dropped like a stone to the earth, curling in on itself, the delicate black wings seared away. It gave an insectlike twitch, then was still.

Ironhorse tossed his head and snorted, looking pleased as smoke curled from his nostrils.

"Thanks!" She smiled up at him before peeking around Puck and eyeing outside suspiciously.

"You know, I'm really starting to hate the insect life around here," Puck muttered. "Next time, remind me to bring a can of Off!"

"Idiots!" Grimalkin appeared, bounding up with his ears flattened to his head. "You are making too much noise. All of you are. We must leave this area, quickly." He glanced about, and the fur on his back started to rise. "It might already be too late."

"Sorry?" She mutters, looking confused as she looked around.

"Do you think that was the only one? Look around you!"