lightning bolt at the worm and swooped toward the tunnel.
Taslin hung back, gazing up at the old wizard with fear on her face. Twilight caught her arm and pulled her around. 'We have to go. Now.'
The priestess struggled, but Twilight insisted. 'He can fly-we can only run,' she said. 'Let him wait until the last-he has the best chance to escape of any of us.'
From the furious, confused look Taslin burned into her face, Twilight gathered the priestess objected to Twilight's reasoning. Taslin shrugged her off and rushed at the worm, sword in hand.
'Taslin!' Twilight snapped, but it was too late.
Gargan was faster, however. He bounded in front of Twilight and caught up Taslin, slinging her over his shoulder like a sack of grain. The priestess screamed and beat at his back, but the goliath did not reply to her cries.
Together, they fled toward the others.
The shadowdancer let out a sigh of relief, just as Davoren's words rang out. 'Fall, damn you!' the warlock shouted. Then, half a beat later, 'Fall!'
Twilight heard something in his words that made her blood run cold-or perhaps it was something she felt- some bit of magic, a touch of compulsion.
Asson picked just that moment to plummet from the air. The wizard didn't even flail as his spell failed and his body slammed into the ground with shattering force.
Within a heartbeat, the hissing purple worm snaked forward and crushed the old wizard beneath its coils.
CHAPTER TEN
Taslin's heart shattered. It all happened so fast. One moment, Asson had been flitting about, unscathed, borne on the wings of magic. Alive. In the next instant, he became little more than reddish paste spread along the ground under the worm. He couldn't have dodged-couldn't have escaped.
Silence reigned in the cavern for a split second.
Then the priestess let out a shriek. Having been dropped by the goliath, she threw Twilight sprawling and dashed toward the worm.
'Taslin!' Twilight shouted, but Taslin didn't listen. What would that child know of this?
Golden hair blazing around her, the priestess bore down on the purple worm like a wrathful goddess, her sword low at her side in a two-handed grip. It hissed along the stone. As if it sensed her coming, the monster hissed and snaked down, opening its acid-slavering jaws wide. Taslin ran, full out, directly for them.
Then the priestess did what no sane warrior would do: she leaped into its mouth.
And as she went, she slashed up and thrust through its upper palate. The keen elven steel bit a hand-length deep into the burning pink flesh. The worm jerked back, stung. Taslin almost lost her balance and fell, but she held to the sword and rose as the worm did, inside its mouth. Though acid ate at her boots and she could scarcely breathe amid the fumes, Taslin bent at the knees, centering her weight.
'Corellon!' she cried, and drove up with all her strength even as it bit down.
The elven blade gave a screeching wail as it drove through the creature's flesh.
The monster screamed and slammed its head blindly against the ceiling of the cavern and managed to dislodge Taslin, who tumbled free. She did not know how high she was, but she didn't care. One of the monster's fangs tore a gouge down her arm, but the priestess hadn't the breath to scream. Likely, it was for the best-her lungs would have filled with noxious fumes, enough to kill her.
The creature gave one last screech of pain and toppled, with ground splitting thunder, to earth. Taslin followed, wheeling like a leaf in the wind.
'For you, Asson,' she whispered as she tumbled toward death.
Twilight's mouth opened as the purple monster screamed and rasped, whipping back and forth like a headless snake in its death throes.
'Burn me,' was all she said.
Gargan tossed Liet his axe and sprang forward to catch the priestess's acid-spattered body. Taslin, miraculously alive, coughed and sputtered in the goliath's arms. She had somehow kept hold of her sword-the half that still remained. The other half-a full two hands of steel-was lodged in the dying purple worm's head.
Again, silence settled over the cavern, and the exhausted adventurers stood rapt. Then a chorus of vengeful shrieks came from the exit tunnel. A score of grimlocks, all wielding stone axes, flooded in to avenge their fallen god.
Davoren cursed in single infernal syllables as the creatures swarmed toward him. He waved his hands, spreading dark power like slime. It struck the ground in the grimlocks' path and spread into a pool of impenetrable blackness, its gleaming surface reflecting the charging monsters. Then he fled.
As the first grimlocks stepped into the pool, a thousand tentacles of dark energy sprang from the black matter, wrapping the limbs and bodies of the eyeless creatures. Many were caught, and they screamed against the sucking blackness. Half the grimlocks charged through the tentacles, however, and they ran toward the intruders with slavering mouths and single-minded purpose.
Twilight saw Davoren running ahead of them, but only just.
'Run!' Twilight shouted to the others. 'We can't fight them all!'
'We aren't to save Davoren?' asked Liet, drawing a startled look from the elf. 'We need him-you said it yourself!'
'Sand,' hissed Twilight. She had never hated being right this much. 'Gargan! Slip! Take Taslin! Run!' She looked to the exit but shadows of grimlocks moved within. She cursed. 'Another exit! Go!'
The goliath and halfling nodded. 'Another tunnel,' said Slip. 'That way!' She pointed to a small opening halfway around the cavern from the exit. They ran for the tunnel, Gargan cradling the limp priestess like a child swathed in a wet blanket. Taslin moaned in the goliath's arms.
With a brutal nod, Twilight turned to Liet. 'Lad, you're with me.'
'Uh,' said Liet, looking at the oncoming horde, 'I didn't mean-'
'Now!' shouted Twilight, darting toward the grimlocks like an arrow.
Liet cursed and sprinted after her, huffing and puffing as he went.
Ahead of them, the warlock panted and fought to keep running. The grimlocks were still gaining. They would soon overtake him, or drop him with a spear throw. Unless Twilight had a chance to argue the point.
'Here!' she said, wrenching Liet to a halt.
'What is it?' Liet stopped and leaned over, hands on his knees, his bloody sword dangling. His shield was split and would hardly withstand more punishment.
Twilight closed her eyes. With a hiss of her will, she brought the shadows flickering about her body, ready to to cover their retreat. Then she paused, cursing. She had no energy left for a shadowdance, and little enough for manipulating the darkness. And the creatures had no eyes anyway-shadows could not save them.
Liet misunderstood. 'It only now occurs to you that we're going to die?'
Twilight ignored that. 'I guess we'll have to do this the energetic way,' she said. She fell back into a fighting stance, awaiting the rushing grimlocks. Davoren came roaring past, running full out, and didn't even slow to help them.
'Typical,' murmured Twilight.
At that moment, an ear-splitting roar came from the entrance tunnel, drawing all eyes and ears. There stood a distorted troll with limbs of various sizes and patchwork, greenish and reddish skin.
'Blind-dims!' roared Tlork, hefting his hammer. 'They's mine!'
Only half a dozen paces from Liet and Twilight, the grimlocks skidded to a halt. They turned and charged Tlork, hissing with rage.
