Pitch drew his sword and readied to finish the lad. But something caused him to stop short: the improbable sight of a cluster of reindeer galloping down from the low-lying clouds, thundering directly toward him. Riding the lead reindeer was a young girl waving a dagger with the furious skill of a seasoned swashbuckler. And—how could it be?—they were riding on a sort of mist of light!
Before Pitch could gather his senses, the girl and her company pounded to the ground. Snow flying in every direction, they stampeded around Pitch. Then the girl dove forward, clinging to the pummel of her saddle with one hand, scooping up North and Ombric with the other. Pitch glared in disbelief as the entire entourage leaped back onto the lighted mist and vanished into the sky. He swung back to the spectral boy. But the boy, too, was gone, only an echo of laughter that refracted from mountain to mountain remained. Like a splinter under the skin, it taunted and infuriated Pitch.
Nicholas Saint North and the Battle of the Nightmare King Chapter 21
