Snarling, the hill dwarf dashed toward the bridge. He saw
Pitrick reach toward the ring, even while holding tightly to
Perian.
Neither Flint nor Pitrick could have anticipated Perian's next move. Just before the derro touched his ring and tele ported them away, the frawl's right hand came around, still holding the carving knife which she had picked up earlier.
The hunchback twisted his arm upward, blocking only a blow to his face. He realized too late that was not Perian's target.
Instead the knife slashed into Pitrick's hand, slicing through skin and bone. The Theiwar shaman screamed and pulled away, with blood streaming down his arm. Two fin gers, sliced cleanly off, splashed into the water.
On one of them gleamed a small circlet of twisted wire.
Gagging and shrieking, Pitrick stumbled backward, cra dling his mangled hand. Perian looked in shock at the blood streaking her robe.
The din in the cavern echoed around them. Some Aghar fled from the carrion crawler, while others attacked it with utensils. Their courage was worse than useless against the creature since the beast's tough hide turned aside their at tacks. Its sticky tendrils lashed across the gully dwarves' skin, dropping them to the ground, helpless and paralyzed.
'Finish him!' shouted Flint, sprinting back onto the bridge, charging the howling derro.
Now Pitrick looked up with real fear in his eyes. He saw Flint charging, saw the murderous rage in the hill dwarf's eyes, and he staggered off the opposite side of the bridge, desperately fishing in his pouch for something.
Flint didn't slow down as he saw the Theiwar pull out a small, clear bottle. Pitrick raised the flask to his lips and swallowed the contents in one gulp, just as Flint launched himself toward him.
The hill dwarf plowed into Pitrick, driving him to the ground. Flint raised the fork, ready to plunge it into the squirming mage's neck.
But suddenly that neck was gone. As Flint watched in dis belief, Pitrick's entire body dissipated into a pale cloud of vapor. Flint slashed at it futilely with his makeshift weapon.
But the cloud drifted away from him, and then passed through the hole in the cavern wall. In moments it disap peared from view entirely.
'Damnation!' hollered Flint, watching the gaseous form of his enemy slip away.
'We still have troubles,' Perian barked urgently. 'Look!'
Flint turned to see that the massive carrion crawler had reached the exit to the Thrown Room. He could trace the creature's path across the cavern by counting the fallen bodies of Aghar. Dozens lay in a twisted line across the ca vern floor.
He heard Nomscul's voice, issuing orders.
'Hey, Agharpulters! Do it do it do it! Agharpult! Stomp that big ugly thing! Pult pult pult!'
Teams of gully dwarves were gathering before the beast.
The Aghar formed their pyramids and launched themselves at the carrion crawler, heedless of the danger, What they hoped to accomplish was unclear. But the carrion crawler was clearly distracted by the spectacle of their bodies flying over its head and crashing into the walls behind.
Flint ran through the cavern, frantically encouraging the Agharpulters. If they could distract the beast long enough, he could…
What could he do? He looked at the roasting fork in his hand, and then at the looming carrion crawler, and tossed the fork aside. At the same time, his eyes passed over the roasting meat, still sizzling on its steel-shafted spear.
Flint hesitated only for a moment. By Reorx, those ribs smelled good. And they were just about done, too. His mouth watered as he hoisted the red hot spear off the fire, then dropped it from his burning hands. He peeled off his robe and wound it round his hands, then grasped the spear again. Several dozen ribs weighted down the shaft, but pull ing the meat off would take too many precious minutes.
'Jump! Faster!' He heard Perian commanding the gully dwarves, directing the erratic Agharpults toward their tar get. More and more of their subjects flew through the air with better aim this time, crashing into the rearing monster.
They didn't harm the beast, but they fully occupied its at tention.
Seeing Flint laboring with the heavy weapon, Perian raced to his side. The two of them lifted the spear between them and cautiously moved around to the monster's side.
The thing's wormlike head remained fixed upon the shriek ing, flying Aghar.
'Now!' Flint barked. The two of them rushed forward, holding the meat-laden spear at shoulder height. The steel tip struck the carrion crawler between two of its segments, a few feet back from its head.
Instantly it whirled, but the two dwarves, working smoothly, turned in the same direction, just avoiding those paralyzing tendrils.
'Push!' grunted Perian, and they shoved the spear deep into the monster's vile insides. Blue pus oozed from the wound, coating the meat that backed up along the shaft as the spear drove deeper and deeper into the monster.
The carrion crawler shivered and twitched, flopping to the ground as its legs collapsed. Its struggles grew weaker as
Perian and Flint twisted and probed with the weapon, try ing to strike a vital organ. Finally, with one last spasm, it ceased to move.
All around them lay gully dwarves paralyzed by the car rion crawler or stunned by their launch from an Agharpult.
Flint was covered by scrapes and bruises from his fight with
Pitrick, and by meat juices from the cooking spear. Perian's hands and robe were splotched red with Pitrick's blood. Ex hausted, they stared at each other for a long moment.
'I was scared… when Pitrick grabbed you, I was scared he'd take you away, and I wouldn't be able to stop him.'
Flint glanced at the ground, then looked back into Perian's face. 'I'm so glad…' He reached out and pulled her into his arms, crushed her to his chest.
'I'm glad, too,' she whispered, pulling his face to hers and kissing him. Flint's heart thumped harder than it had when
Pitrick threatened his life.
And then Flint peeled Perian's arms loose and stepped away. 'We can't do this,' he growled. 'We're different, in side and out, and there's no hope for a match like ours.'
'You can't know that,' she cried, reaching after him.
But he stepped back again. 'I know it.'
Chapter 16
'Do you really think he'd do it?' Flint asked Perian.
He paced about the small Thrown Room several hours after the magical battle with the derro savant during the 'crowna tion' party. 'He'd destroy a whole village of innocent hill dwarves simply for revenge against me?'
Flint and Perian had helped the gully dwarves begin the cleanup of the Big Sky Room, entombing the casualties of
Pitrick's magic in temporary vaults in the wall of a secluded mine shaft. Fortunately only nine of the Aghar had suc cumbed to the assault. Those brave Aghar who had been paralyzed by the carrion crawler's tentacles were slowly re covering in a makeshift infirmary under Shaman Nomscul's care.
