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"Keep her quiet," Kit
said. "I'm going to see what's happening to the rest."
The baaz bore down on their victims.
Sturm was on her feet, holding his sword, as Flint had hold of his axe
and stood protectively over Tasslehoff. The elf lord and the cleric were
searching about, shouting Laurana's name.
"Elistan, get behind me!" Sturm called
out.
The small group faced twenty baaz, eager
for blood. Still, Kit knew her old friends. They wouldn't go down
without a fight. She sucked on her hand, cursing Laurana, and watched.
She had no doubt of the outcome, but the battle should be an interesting
one.
Sturm was continuing to shout at the
cleric to take cover behind him, but the cleric wasn't listening. He
stood his ground and turned to face the baaz draconians, who shouted and
slavered with glee at the easy kill. The cleric lifted his hands to
heaven and raised his voice in a thunderous exhortation.
"Paladine, I beseech you! Send down your
wrath upon the enemies of your most holy light!"
Kitiara chuckled, sucking on her bleeding
hand and waited for the baaz to spit the cleric.
A cascade of flame, white and dazzling
and awful, thundered down from the heavens. The wrath of the god
engulfed almost half of the attacking baaz. Half blinded, Kit could hear
screams and horrible popping and sizzling sounds. When she could see
again, she watched in shocked amazement as the scaly flesh melted from
their bones, the bones blackened and withering away. The hold flame
died, and there was nothing left of the draconians except greasy spots
on the pavement.
"Damn!" said Kitiara, impressed.
The wrath of the god gave heart and
strength to the others. Sturm and Flint ran to attack the remaining
draconians, who, having witnessed their comrades die a horrible death,
slowed their rush toward the cleric. Laurana's brother continued to
shout her name.
"I'll find her," shouted the cleric, and
he turned and looked in Kit's direction.
Kitiara took to her heels, hastening back
to where the sivak was still holding fast to Laurana, keeping his knife
at her throat. He'd bound her hands with a strip of leather cut from his
own tunic.
"What was that bright light and all that
screaming?" the sivak asked curiously.
"Your baaz going up in flames. Apparently
Paladine is not the weak and sniveling god our Dark Queen claims," said
Kitiara.
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