Kills the Fiend

At this moment I knew instinctively what must be done: I used the blade to sever the thumbs—of first the left and then the right hand.

I quickly turned my attention to the huge head and, gripping my blade with both hands, swung it down on the neck with all my strength. The Fiend thrashed from side to side, and screamed and howled, making my task difficult. Then, in his agony, he began to call out threats.

“Do this and all men will die!” he roared. “Do this and all women will curse your name!”

I ignored his bluster and continued to strike down with the sword. It took three blows to sever the head from the body. The head rolled away down the slope, lodging in a crevice.

I made no attempt to cut out the Fiend’s heart but did the next best thing: Once again I lifted the sword with both hands, then plunged it down into his chest. The blade went straight through him and buried itself deep in the Wardstone.

The great roar of agony seemed to come from the very earth itself rather than from the Fiend’s mouth. The ground began to shake, and the whole rock suddenly surged upward, so that I was thrown off my feet and cast down onto the ground, winded.

I had done all I could—but would it be enough to destroy the Fiend?

B13 C28