“If you drop your sword, you could use both hands!” Dathka cried.
“I’m far fonder of this sword than I am of you. Krachma, would you kindly assist me?”
The lob bent way over the edge, and with seemingly no effort, hoisted Dathka up and dropped her onto the relative safety of the roof.
During all that, I was searching for any sign of Gerzog. I wasn’t going to let him escape again. “Dathka, what’s the range on your shadow-walking spell?”
“Twenty paces, line of sight. Ten second recharge.”
Gerzog had been looking past Trax when he’d vanished. So I started running that way. As I passed Trax, I said, “Quit eating for a second and help me catch Gerzog.”
“I am happy to assist.”
Blaaaarg.Trax promptly regurgitated the half-chewed goblin, which was, quite possibly, the single worst thing I’d ever seen and definitely the worst sound I’d ever heard. The goblin’s body landed with a wetsplat.
Azarin put one hand to her mouth. “Oh, that’s unsettling.” And then she ran after us. As she passed by Morton, she asked, “Are you injured?”
Our gnome was still struggling beneath the weight of the smoking blunderbuss. “I’m fine, Lady Garzade. Don’t mind me. I shall be along in a moment.”
We rushed across the roof. With gun in hand, I kept checking chimneys and clotheslines. I was assuming he’d want to keep the high ground, but he might have jumped off. “Trax, watch the ground on the left, Azarin watch the right.”
I didn’t need to worry about that, though, because no sooner had I given those orders, I spotted Gerzog lurking just ahead of us.
Then he was gone.
I assumed he’d keep trying to get away, then Azarin said, “Uh… guys?”
Trax and I turned around. Gerzog had stepped out of the shadows behind Azarin and grabbed her. He was now using her for cover with his sword lifted beneath her neck. “Take another step and she dies.”
Trax froze in place. “I believe the orc is telling the truth.”
I raised my pistol. The hammer made a metallicclickas I cocked it with my thumb.
“Easy there, boy.” Gerzog crouched as much of his bulk behind Azarin’s slim form as possible. “Here’s how it’s gonna work. You all stand down, while me and the lady go for a walk. Once I’m away, I’ll let her go.”
“That part is not the truth.”
“Yeah, I figured that, Trax… That’s not going to happen, Gerzog.”
“Then I can slit her throat and you can watch her bleed out.”
“You try that and I’ll blow your brains out.” Unfortunately, it was too dark to see the sights atop my gun, or I would’ve riskedtaking the shot. I needed to be precise to hit the parts of him that were sticking out from around her, without hitting her, and that was real hard to do by feel. But if I pulled my light out of my pocket, he’d know what I was planning to do.
“Allow me to be of assistance,” Morton said, as a ball of light popped into existence overhead. “I don’t know any combative magic, but that may be of use to you.”
I lined up the now starkly visible sights on Gerzog’s ugly mug. “Thank you, Morton.”
“Go for it. A single bullet would bounce off my charms. And I’ll shadow-walk away before your Squalo can reach me. Then you can watch her twitch, helpless, gasping her last, knowing you failed. The deadlander’s spell has already recharged. Try me, Carnavon.”
As Gerzog and I stared each other down, Azarin asked, “Do I get a say in this matter?”
“Shut up,” Gerzog snarled. “Hold still.”
“That’s a fine idea.” Azarin flashed me a grin. “Impervious.”
As Azarin’s skin went grey, I realized she hadn’t been exaggerating earlier. That spell looked as solid as Krachma’s. She really had been practicing her earth magic a lot.
I’d been practicing too, and in that instant, I focused on the enchanted cartridge loaded in my pistol.
