head.
Her chin bounced off the floor and she hissed in surprise as she bit down on her tongue.
The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. Her body tensed tight against the sudden pain.
That pain was nothing compared to what came next.
It felt as if her hand had been struck by a club. She spasmed at the brutal, all-encompassing shock of the scorpion strike.
Immediately it felt as if she’d dunked her fist into a pot of boiling water. She swallowed a scream, tears in her eyes.
The scorpion struck again.
Chapter 22
C orellon, help me!” Helene prayed to the god of elves.
This time she couldn’t help it.
She screamed out in agony.
The scorpion scurried off her arm and disappeared into the gloomy shadows at the head of the bed. Helene’s vision swam through a prism of tears.
She was in trouble.
The two creatures above her were suddenly quiet. For one long moment they were simply still and silent as the voice from the hallway bellowed its animal roar to them.
Then there was an explosion of motion.
The bugbear on the bed sprang up and off the mattress, knocking the old bottles to the floor. The dusty glass containers cracked open with a sound like fireworks and raw red wine spilled like blood across the floor.
The bugbear already standing ripped up the bed mattress.
Pill bugs exploded and scurried away. Some fell into the wine.
Helene found herself suddenly confronted with a yellow-tinged, red-veined, grimacing male face, the eyes stretched wide with emotion.
The bugbear snarled, revealing brown-stained fangs.
“Lookie lookie, Grimek. We’ll stuff that pie yet!”
A hand the size of a dinner plate reached out and grabbed her by the arm.
Helene fought back a powerful urge to vomit as venom attacked her body. She lifted a hand to ward off the monster but her strength was gone. Her build was slight and it wasn’t hard for the bugbears to yank her out from under the bed.
She looked up as the bugbears dragged her clear of the bed. The scorpion’s poison had already made her vision blur. Her left arm felt as if a hundred hot needles were gouging her.
The bugbears’ bloodshot gazes roamed the lines of her body.
“She gots tender meat,” Grimek grinned.
“Like week-old buried steak,” Slake agreed.
Helene whispered something angry in Elvish and snapped her wand up.
Both monsters’ eyes expanded in shock and fear.
“Nots another wand!” Grimek fairly shrieked.
Helene was merciless.
She drew a small counterclockwise circle with the tip of her wand, snapped it toward the roof then centered it on the first bugbear’s chest.
A vivid green missile sprang out and slammed into the creature. Eldritch energy exploded on the creature’s figure even as he was driven back.
The range was so tight the flash lit his grimy undershirt on fire and it flared like a flask of oil. The stink of burnt flesh was vile.
Like a hawk diving for prey, Helene’s homunculus zoomed in on the attack and took out the second bugbear, who stood frozen, mouth gaping. The enchanted creature sprang forward and clamped down hard on the stunned monster.
The bugbear crumpled like a sack of loose meat, instantly asleep.
Helene pushed herself up to her knees then sprang to her feet. Her left arm hung useless from her side as helpless as the two creatures lying on the floor behind her.
She was at the door while the voice in the hallway still bellowed out in confusion, her homunculus fluttering over her shoulder.
A gigantic shape, one massive enough to dwarf even the subdued bugbears, filled the doorway.
Helene screamed.
An undead Minotaur shambled forward.
Red eyes glowed out of a horned skull. Dead skin hung from its face and the stench of the grave filled the room, easily overpowering the stink of the bugbears.
Helene fell backward.
She felt flushed all over and nauseated. Stung twice, she knew that was enough to kill her.
She lurched to her feet and stumbled back against the bed. Go, she commanded the homunculus
Her chin bounced off the floor and she hissed in surprise as she bit down on her tongue.
The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. Her body tensed tight against the sudden pain.
That pain was nothing compared to what came next.
It felt as if her hand had been struck by a club. She spasmed at the brutal, all-encompassing shock of the scorpion strike.
Immediately it felt as if she’d dunked her fist into a pot of boiling water. She swallowed a scream, tears in her eyes.
The scorpion struck again.
Chapter 22
C orellon, help me!” Helene prayed to the god of elves.
This time she couldn’t help it.
She screamed out in agony.
The scorpion scurried off her arm and disappeared into the gloomy shadows at the head of the bed. Helene’s vision swam through a prism of tears.
She was in trouble.
The two creatures above her were suddenly quiet. For one long moment they were simply still and silent as the voice from the hallway bellowed its animal roar to them.
Then there was an explosion of motion.
The bugbear on the bed sprang up and off the mattress, knocking the old bottles to the floor. The dusty glass containers cracked open with a sound like fireworks and raw red wine spilled like blood across the floor.
The bugbear already standing ripped up the bed mattress.
Pill bugs exploded and scurried away. Some fell into the wine.
Helene found herself suddenly confronted with a yellow-tinged, red-veined, grimacing male face, the eyes stretched wide with emotion.
The bugbear snarled, revealing brown-stained fangs.
“Lookie lookie, Grimek. We’ll stuff that pie yet!”
A hand the size of a dinner plate reached out and grabbed her by the arm.
Helene fought back a powerful urge to vomit as venom attacked her body. She lifted a hand to ward off the monster but her strength was gone. Her build was slight and it wasn’t hard for the bugbears to yank her out from under the bed.
She looked up as the bugbears dragged her clear of the bed. The scorpion’s poison had already made her vision blur. Her left arm felt as if a hundred hot needles were gouging her.
The bugbears’ bloodshot gazes roamed the lines of her body.
“She gots tender meat,” Grimek grinned.
“Like week-old buried steak,” Slake agreed.
Helene whispered something angry in Elvish and snapped her wand up.
Both monsters’ eyes expanded in shock and fear.
“Nots another wand!” Grimek fairly shrieked.
Helene was merciless.
She drew a small counterclockwise circle with the tip of her wand, snapped it toward the roof then centered it on the first bugbear’s chest.
A vivid green missile sprang out and slammed into the creature. Eldritch energy exploded on the creature’s figure even as he was driven back.
The range was so tight the flash lit his grimy undershirt on fire and it flared like a flask of oil. The stink of burnt flesh was vile.
Like a hawk diving for prey, Helene’s homunculus zoomed in on the attack and took out the second bugbear, who stood frozen, mouth gaping. The enchanted creature sprang forward and clamped down hard on the stunned monster.
The bugbear crumpled like a sack of loose meat, instantly asleep.
Helene pushed herself up to her knees then sprang to her feet. Her left arm hung useless from her side as helpless as the two creatures lying on the floor behind her.
She was at the door while the voice in the hallway still bellowed out in confusion, her homunculus fluttering over her shoulder.
A gigantic shape, one massive enough to dwarf even the subdued bugbears, filled the doorway.
Helene screamed.
An undead Minotaur shambled forward.
Red eyes glowed out of a horned skull. Dead skin hung from its face and the stench of the grave filled the room, easily overpowering the stink of the bugbears.
Helene fell backward.
She felt flushed all over and nauseated. Stung twice, she knew that was enough to kill her.
She lurched to her feet and stumbled back against the bed. Go, she commanded the homunculus
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