Free The Compass Key (Book 5) by Charles E. Yallowitz

through her short hair, leaving a brief trail of fire behind her fingers. “Not with the stupid parts of his plan like leaving me to handle two armies singlehandedly or you three facing a necrocaster without me. Those ideas are terrible. Still, we can’t wait for Selenia and her men, so we have to make a plan that revolves around us fighting alone.”
    “I’m always up for a challenge,” Delvin admits with a sigh.
    The warrior struggles to his feet and wanders the campsite, his hands massaging his throbbing temples. He comes near Timoran and calmly bends down to snatch a piece of jerky from the barbarian’s hand. Chewing on the rough meat, Delvin calmly stares at each of his allies in turn. A disturbing rumble emanates from his empty stomach and he doubles over in sudden pain. Nyx catches him by the shoulders, but immediately lets go when it looks like he is about to throw up. She catches him by the back of his chainmail shirt and both of them crash to the ground with Nyx sprawled on top of the groaning warrior.
    “Please stop sharing your Ifrit mead, Timoran,” Luke bluntly states, fighting to hold back his laughter.
    “I will be more careful with my generosity from now on,” the barbarian agrees with a deep sigh. “It is difficult to be such a kind man and see my actions cause such pain. Do you think we should leave him here?”
    “I got it!” Delvin shouts.
    He leaps to his feet , but Nyx is still bent over him in an attempt to stand. His shoulder hits her rear and sends her pitching forward. The caster lands face first in a pool of thick mud that immediately bubbles as her skin heats up with rage. Nyx gradually gets out of the muck, spitting the foul mire out of her mouth. Luke and Timoran are quick to control themselves at the sight of her mud-covered face. They can see it start to harden until it is a clay shell that she easily peels off her skin.
    “I am so sorry, Nyx,” Delvin declares through his laughter. He scurries behind Timoran when the caster takes a step toward him. “I’ll make it up to you by cooking you another dinner after our date. I can throw in a massage technique that I learned from an elven archer that I once traveled with.”
    “Let him live long enough to tell us his plan, Nyx,” Luke requests, stepping away from Delvin and Timoran.
    “It’s simple really,” Delvin admits, peeking out from behind Timoran. The barbarian reaches back to grab the warrior by the head and drag him into the open. “You didn’t have to be so rough.”
    “Talk!” Nyx shouts.
    Delvin hastily gathers his gear and gestures for the others to do the same. “We should focus on our obstacles in the order that they appear. The armies can be handled by Nyx as long as the rest of us keep the orcs and giltris away from her. If we’re lucky, the power that the Lich has over them might break once they sustain heavy losses. I’ve seen it happen before, but only with the use of a full army, so we’d really need some luck. We can avoid the moat monster by rushing across the drawbridge.”
    “Gypsy taker on bridge,” Fizzle suddenly interrupts.
    Everyone looks at Luke for a translation and the forest tracker grins evilly. “He means Kayn. I’ll handle him.”
    “Are you-” begins Nyx.
    “I will handle him,” the forest tracker states, his voice falling into a low growl. “Go on, Delvin, and make it quick. We need to get moving now that we have more than a sliver of sunlight.”
    “That’s it,” Delvin admits to the disappointment of the others. He straps his buckler to his wrist and makes sure his longsword can be easily drawn. “We’re going to have to make things up as we go along once we get into the castle. I still want Selenia and her men to be nearby in case we need rescuing. Can you go back to Hamilton Military Academy and guide Selenia to the castle, Fizzle?”
    “Yes,” the drite declares, making a quick salute with his tail.
    “Then, let’s head out before Luke throws a fit and flies