took him in the ribs.
"Rod Everlar!" Taeauna shouted. "Up, and defend yourself!"
Blinking in the darkness, Rod was dimly aware of Taeauna leaping over him to his left, so he flung himself to his right, trying to grab at the hilt of his sword as his body rolled over it.
Swords clanged together on one side of the bed as Rod fell off it on the other. Someone or something hissed like a snake, steel rang on steel again, and a horrible wet-throated squalling burst on Rod's ears out of the darkness. He fumbled for his sword and tried to get to his feet, as swords skirled musically and blades glanced off each other from where Taeauna must be fighting. The squalling died down into wet coughing near the floor, and two or three short, angry hisses sounded at once, one of them from right in front of Rod.
He stopped trying to get up, and used both hands to sweep his blade across in front of him, angled upwards, as if he were trying to bury an axe into a tree looming above him, or better yet, slice that axe right through a tree.
Halfway through its swing, Rod's blade hit something solid and meaty, jarring his hands to numbness, and... cut through, spattering him with unseen but swamp-reeking wetness and causing a bubbling-wet shrieking overhead that was startlingly loud and near.
As swords clanged again across the room, and he heard a sob that might have been Taeauna— Taeauna! —something bumped against Rod's left boot, so he rolled hastily to his right again, coming up against the wall.
"Taeauna?" he shouted desperately.
Behind him the unseen creature he'd wounded fell heavily onto the edge of the bed and thumped to the floor, its shrieks dying into squalling. Rod turned and lashed out with his sword again, hacking wildly at what must be lying beside him.
He couldn't see a thing, couldn't—
"Taeauna!"
She hadn't answered! Hadn't...
Wetness fountained audibly under the edge of his sword, and the squalling stopped, trailing away into a lowering hiss. Across the room, blades clashed again, and there was a sudden wet growl of anger. Taeauna cried out a short "huunh!" of effort, as if she'd done something strenuous that caused her pain, and then a loud hissing arose, and a body I humped rapidly backwards, off balance, and fell to the floor with a crash.
"Rod?" Taeauna panted. "Lord Rod?"
"Here," Rod replied uncertainly, raising his sword straight up. "I can't see a thing."
"Get to the window," she gasped. "Crawl across the bed."
Rod pointed his blade down to the floor and prodded gingerly ahead with it, finding feet almost immediately. He went around them and found the bed. "The laedlen?" he asked, remembering that Taeauna had tossed the inn's cushions to the floor and used their sacks as pillows.
"Bring..." Taeauna panted, "them."
She was hurt, all right.
"Tay, do you need my—"
"Not here," she snapped. "Help me... The window bar..."
Rod clambered across the bed, encountering something smooth and scaly that shouldn't have been there—it was wet and sticky, but thankfully didn't move—and found the floor on the far side.
"Tay," he muttered, to let her know it was him as he reached out. His fingers met with something solid. Leather. "Your leg?"
"My leg," she sighed, and he felt a trembling under his fingertips.
Rod rose, hastily. "I'm here."
"Hurry," she whispered. "Please."
Rod felt for the wall, found the wooden bar, and lifted it. It was heavy; the far end wavered as he wrestled with its weight.
"Just drop it," the Aumrarr murmured. "I'm clear."
Thankfully, Rod let go, remembering to jerk his own boots back just in time.
The bar landed with a crash, and bounced onto his toes anyway.
Its landing brought a few weak hisses out of the darkness behind them, but Taeauna was already pushing at the shutters. "Get the laedlen. We must leave."
"Out the window?"
"Yes, wise old man, out the window." Her snap was as half-hearted as it was quiet.
Rod thrust the window shutters open, smacking someone in the face who
"Rod Everlar!" Taeauna shouted. "Up, and defend yourself!"
Blinking in the darkness, Rod was dimly aware of Taeauna leaping over him to his left, so he flung himself to his right, trying to grab at the hilt of his sword as his body rolled over it.
Swords clanged together on one side of the bed as Rod fell off it on the other. Someone or something hissed like a snake, steel rang on steel again, and a horrible wet-throated squalling burst on Rod's ears out of the darkness. He fumbled for his sword and tried to get to his feet, as swords skirled musically and blades glanced off each other from where Taeauna must be fighting. The squalling died down into wet coughing near the floor, and two or three short, angry hisses sounded at once, one of them from right in front of Rod.
He stopped trying to get up, and used both hands to sweep his blade across in front of him, angled upwards, as if he were trying to bury an axe into a tree looming above him, or better yet, slice that axe right through a tree.
Halfway through its swing, Rod's blade hit something solid and meaty, jarring his hands to numbness, and... cut through, spattering him with unseen but swamp-reeking wetness and causing a bubbling-wet shrieking overhead that was startlingly loud and near.
As swords clanged again across the room, and he heard a sob that might have been Taeauna— Taeauna! —something bumped against Rod's left boot, so he rolled hastily to his right again, coming up against the wall.
"Taeauna?" he shouted desperately.
Behind him the unseen creature he'd wounded fell heavily onto the edge of the bed and thumped to the floor, its shrieks dying into squalling. Rod turned and lashed out with his sword again, hacking wildly at what must be lying beside him.
He couldn't see a thing, couldn't—
"Taeauna!"
She hadn't answered! Hadn't...
Wetness fountained audibly under the edge of his sword, and the squalling stopped, trailing away into a lowering hiss. Across the room, blades clashed again, and there was a sudden wet growl of anger. Taeauna cried out a short "huunh!" of effort, as if she'd done something strenuous that caused her pain, and then a loud hissing arose, and a body I humped rapidly backwards, off balance, and fell to the floor with a crash.
"Rod?" Taeauna panted. "Lord Rod?"
"Here," Rod replied uncertainly, raising his sword straight up. "I can't see a thing."
"Get to the window," she gasped. "Crawl across the bed."
Rod pointed his blade down to the floor and prodded gingerly ahead with it, finding feet almost immediately. He went around them and found the bed. "The laedlen?" he asked, remembering that Taeauna had tossed the inn's cushions to the floor and used their sacks as pillows.
"Bring..." Taeauna panted, "them."
She was hurt, all right.
"Tay, do you need my—"
"Not here," she snapped. "Help me... The window bar..."
Rod clambered across the bed, encountering something smooth and scaly that shouldn't have been there—it was wet and sticky, but thankfully didn't move—and found the floor on the far side.
"Tay," he muttered, to let her know it was him as he reached out. His fingers met with something solid. Leather. "Your leg?"
"My leg," she sighed, and he felt a trembling under his fingertips.
Rod rose, hastily. "I'm here."
"Hurry," she whispered. "Please."
Rod felt for the wall, found the wooden bar, and lifted it. It was heavy; the far end wavered as he wrestled with its weight.
"Just drop it," the Aumrarr murmured. "I'm clear."
Thankfully, Rod let go, remembering to jerk his own boots back just in time.
The bar landed with a crash, and bounced onto his toes anyway.
Its landing brought a few weak hisses out of the darkness behind them, but Taeauna was already pushing at the shutters. "Get the laedlen. We must leave."
"Out the window?"
"Yes, wise old man, out the window." Her snap was as half-hearted as it was quiet.
Rod thrust the window shutters open, smacking someone in the face who
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