Chapter 34

The thunk-thunk-thunk of Otis firing sounded off behind them, perhaps a warning of the Mighty Nein re-forming. Zoran roared with each swing of his maul as he dared those still hovering in the air to come near and have a taste of his wrath. Lucien glared at Caduceus and Caleb as they attempted to scuttle away, until he felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his back—Fjord, the meddlesome half-orc, had managed to surprise him. Without turning around, Lucien lashed out with his scimitar, and as the blade struck true, a red pulse flashed. Lucien felt a vicious thrill as power roared through him, using his blood magic to brand the man’s chest.

Lucien had no time to revel in it, his attention drawn away as Zoran stepped in to take his place and deal with the half-orc. That would keep Fjord busy. He risked closing his eyes, just briefly, taking a deep breath. Cognouza had been delayed for too long. It was time to end this.

Sneering, he advanced swiftly on Caleb, who was in the middle of conjuring up what promised to be a powerful spell, and brought his scimitars down across the man’s neck…but the blades flashed right through him, and the image of Caleb disappeared. Maddening.