The Orc looked up just in time to see the two girls throw their bodies into the leaning brick chimney. What happened next seemed to move in slow motion.
The bricks cascaded down, floating effortlessly in the air as they pinwheeled and danced. Tabby almost fell with them, but Claire grabbed her by the back of her shirt and pulled with all her might.
The Orc’s arms shot up, crisscrossing in an attempt to shield himself from the hundreds of pounds of brick that struck him with a loud, reverberating crash. He collapsed beneath them, his fearful shout cut off by certain death.
Maria scurried away from the carnage as a black pool of blood slowly seeped out from under the pile of brick. She found her sword and used it to raise herself off of the ground.
“Yeah! Way to go! We kicked his ass!” Claire yelled.
Maria couldn’t believe her eyes. She would’ve pinched herself, had she not been in enough pain already.
Besides, this was real. They were actually there. No way her mind could dream up such vivid images of her two best friends. Unless you’re dead and you’re having some sort of out-of-body spiritual hallucination. Maybe this is what death is like, seeing how things could’ve been. But no, I feel the ground beneath my feet, the sword in my hand, and the hot wind ruffling through my hair.
“What are you guys doing here?” Maria shouted up at them.
“We couldn’t let you have all the fun!” Claire shouted back.
There was an old, rusty ladder that went halfway up the building. It didn’t look quite safe, but neither did taking on a huge Orc with depleted magic. Claire and Tabby eased their way down, falling the rest of the way. Their clothes were sooty and worn. Tabby’s shirt was so soaked through with sweat; it clung to her body like a leotard.
“Yeah, Claire’s right,” Tabby said as she stepped over the pile of bricks, eliciting another death rattle—this one definitely real—from the Orc. “I mean, a dragon, Maria? That’s too fucking cool to miss.”
Claire laughed and slapped Tabby on the back, then the three best friends stared at one another for a long moment.
“Thank you!” Maria finally said with tears in her eyes. She rushed over to them and hugged them as tight as her weakening body would allow her.
“Don’t sweat it,” Claire said. “We really shouldn’t have let you go by yourself in the first place. It was a nice lady named Lois who convinced us otherwise.”
“But…how—” Maria began.
“Salem and Agnes. Don’t worry, we aren’t secret witches or anything,” Tabby said, grinning.
“Just secret badasses,” Claire said with a wink. “Besides, killing an Orc with a ton of bricks is a lot easier and less scary than plowing into a giant spider-dude with my rust-bucket of a Kia. I don’t think I’ll ever face anything as scary as that.”
Just then, the Dragon roared, and the air grew hotter still as flames lit up the dark night.
“Well, except maybe that. Wow,” Claire said. “Please tell me that thing is on our side.”
Maria frowned. “I wish I could. I would’ve beaten it by now, if that Orc hadn’t gotten to me.”
“Yeah, I’m surprised about that.” Claire arched an eyebrow. “The great Maria Apple bested by a lowly Orc—”
“A freaking huge Orc,” Tabby amended.
“Still, Maria, you all right?” Claire continued. “Never thought I’d see the day you almost lose, and now you have to go after a dragon…as big as that? Good luck.”
“ ‘Almost’ being the operative word here. I would’ve killed him…eventually. I’m just a little weak. It’s been a rough couple of days.” Maria looked up into the sky. The dragon was not airborne, but she could hear its great tail thrashing along the beach as the fighting continued between the Orcs, Dragon Tongue, and her family.
I hope they’re okay. Please let that little Gnome have kicked all of their asses.
Tabby elbowed Claire hard enough for her to rub the stricken spot. “She’s just kidding, of course.”
“Oh, come on! Maria knows this is how I cope with batshit-crazy things.”
“Speaking of batshit-crazy things, I do have to go slay this fucking dragon,” Maria said. “So if you’ll excuse me.”
Claire put her fist out, and Maria grabbed it, then they butted heads.
“Is that your new thing?” Tabby asked. “Not cool. Why do you always leave me out of these secret handshakes?”
Maria took Tabby’s fist and butted her head, much to Tabby’s pleasure.
“I’ll see you on the other side.”
Maria turned once again to the road that led to the water tower and went left. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw half a dozen Orcs emerge from the wreckage of a nearby building. Their clothes were damp with fresh blood. One held the head of a Dragon Tongue, its forked tongue lolling. Maria stopped. She would have to deal with these Orcs, too, before she got rid of the Dragon.
“No!” Claire shouted from the mouth of the alleyway. Her and Tabby each had an armload of bricks. “Keep going! We’ll hold these bastards off!”
The Orcs took off up the street. Tabby launched a brick and caught the leader square in the face. The Orc tumbled to the road, tripping two other Orcs and sending them into the nearby flames of a burning wagon. They both caught fire and ran around like chickens with their heads cut off. Claire fired her own bricks, connecting with another Orc’s groin. He fell to his knees, howling in pain. Another broke from the pack, zigzagging toward the two girls as they threw the rest of their bricks. They missed each time. Down to their last bout of ammunition, Tabby chucked hers with what seemed like all the strength she could muster.
One finally caught the Orc in the bridge of its crooked nose with a crack that Maria could hear halfway down the street. It fell face-first on the road, skidding to a halt right near the mouth of the alleyway. Tabby picked up the Orc’s crudely forged
