Fighting Snakepeople

Out of a canyon came a number of terrifying creatures—perhaps twenty in all. They were upon the small group so fast that Josh had time for only a quick glimpse before the attack.

He whipped out his sword as if he’d been doing it all his life and plunged it into the scaly breast of one of the creatures. The thing was not really human, although it had two legs and two arms, for the limbs and the body were truly snakelike, twisting and writhing in coils.

The worst part of the creature was its head. Instead of a human face, it had a pointed surface with black beady eyes and a mouth with two large fangs. From the fangs dripped some sort of clear fluid.

Josh no sooner dropped the first creature than another attacked. The little group was indeed hard pressed by the attackers.

In the heat of the crisis, Dave showed his true ability to organize. He was fighting off some of the Snakepeople with a sword that Mat had given him, and still managing to shout directions and encouragement to the others. “Get back against this bluff, everyone. Look out, Mat, there’s one behind you! Get those bows in action!”

It was Volka who gave them time to form, for with a roar and one blow of his massive forearm, he swept aside half a dozen of the horrible creatures. This allowed Mat and Sarah to use their bows. As another enemy wave swept toward them, Josh heard the hiss and impact of arrows striking home. Sarah was not hitting much, but Mat proved to be a deadly marksman. Soon the bodies of the snakelike creatures were littering the ground.

“There’s too many of them!” Josh shouted as he fended off two scaly bodies at once with his blade. “Watch out, Dave!” he called. “They’re coming behind you—from the tree!”

Now the company was completely cut off. The twisting creatures were dropping down behind them, sliding through the branches and falling on top of their victims. Josh caught one right across the neck just before the creature had Sarah in its writhing arms.

Miraculously, no one had been bitten. Yet they were at the end of their rope now, huddled together inside a ring of hissing Snakepeople.