20
––––––––
Thirteen, Zak thought, his brain picking out the detail from an old memory.
Thirteen ruthless assassins, feared and respected in the faerie community for their mastery of illusion. During the Dark Ages they terrorised towns in winter. That was until Nicko came along and dealt with their Prisoner-King. After that, they vanished from human contact. Nobody had seen them for centuries.
It can’t be them, Zak thought.
But he knew it was. Although, what compelled them to crawl out of the dark and assemble after all this time was anyone’s guess. How did they even know Trapp was free?
‘I know who you are,’ he said. ‘You’re the Yule Lads.’
‘Ah, I see our reputation proceeds us,’ confirmed the leader. ‘Still think you’ve got us outnumbered?’
‘Not outnumbered. But outclassed...’ Za
