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Evin pulled free his daggers and held
them ready.
This was it. His first real fight. He'd
practiced for so long. He had to be ready. He just had to.
"Stand back to back so that we all face
out," Evin commanded, willing the shakiness out of his voice.
Jorick turned toward the gnoll that had
emerged near the narrow hallway. The creature listened to their
frightened breaths with only one ear. The other appeared to have been
bitten off. Evin and Bet stared down the orange-furred gnoll that had
emerged near the stairway.
"Draw your weapons," Evin said, his tone
steady. "This is exactly what we've been practicing for all these years,
right Jorick?"
The gnolls both took a step forward. The
orange gnoll pulled back its lips to reveal black gums and sharp teeth.
"You really think we can do this?" Jorick
asked.
"We have to," Evin said over his
shoulder. "Just think of your dad. If we don't beat these things, he
loses too."
Jorick grunted. "All right. All right."
"You ready, Bet?" Evin asked.
Bet let out an annoyed sigh. "Of course.
This is nothing." She slipped her wand out of the folds of her robe.
Sharp toenails clanked against the muddy
floor as the gnolls took another step forward.
"Well, just in case, I'll help you with
the orange one. Jorick, you go after the other one." Evin took in a deep
breath. "Go!"
Evin felt a rush of wind at his back as
Jorick broke free and raced toward the one-eared gnoll. "Aaaargh!" the
boy called out, a makeshift war cry.
The torch's flame whooshed upward as
though Bet had doused it with oil. Just as the orange-furred gnoll
reared its head back to let out another high-pitched laugh, she sliced
her wand through the air, pointing from the torch to the gnoll. The
flamed followed her wand, flying from the torch and engulfing the gnoll.
The gnoll's laugh turned into a scream as
its body lit with fire. It dropped its battle-axe and fell to the floor,
rolling to put out the flames. Its tail slapped against the floor in
agony.
"Thanks for your help," Bet said,
grinning.
Evin rolled his eyes and looked back at
Jorick. The one-eared gnoll slashed down with its unwieldy axe while
cackling in its strange, pulsing cry. Jorick met each of the monster's
thrusts with his sword, parrying each blow as though he'd been doing it
all his life. With each successful block, their blades clanged.
Jorick shouted and ducked the next blow.
The one-eared gnoll lost its balance. The boy rolled out of the way as
the gnoll stumbled forward, almost slipping on the muddy floor. Behind
the gnoll now, Jorick cried once more and cleaved down with his sword.
The creature's tail fell to the floor and the gnoll howled.
"Evin!"
Evin spun to find that the scorched gnoll
had managed to put out the flames and was advancing on Bet, its orange
fur now burned black. The girl frantically dug around inside her satchel
for spell components.
"Don't shout orders and then just stand
there!" Meeting Evin's eyes, she gestured at the gnoll. "Distract it
already!"
Evin's nostrils flared, but he nodded. He
raced toward the singed gnoll, took a bracing breath, and leaped onto
its back.
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