Resists dread

 Her face began to change, eyes bulging. Now, instead of hair, a nest of black snakes writhed from her scalp, forked tongues flickering, their fangs spitting a cloud of venom towards me. A wave of fear washed over me, and I staggered and took a step backwards, a chill gripping my heart.

She was using dread against me – the enchantment used by malevolent witches to make themselves terrifying, freezing their helpless opponents to the spot. Such was Lizzie’s power that she could cast it without the incantation. What would she be capable of if her mouth were not stitched?

I took a deep breath and resisted. I’d faced worse than this last summer in Greece when I’d tried to enter the Ord, the terrifying citadel of the Ordeen. If I could withstand that terrible pulse of fear – it had caused the instant death of brave warriors – I could overcome whatever Lizzie could throw at me.

B7 C11