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

after him and save him.”
    “No need,” Timoran says as he sniffs the air and turns toward the northeast. “Get ready for them.”
    With a shrug of acceptance, Delvin and Nyx turn around and prepare for whatever has Timoran amused. They are surprised to see the famin e vargs racing back and yelping with only ten of them remaining from the pack that followed Luke. The forest tracker is several yards behind the retreating beasts and he is covered in scratches. Luke is moving slower than normal because of a bleeding bite mark on his right side. His sabers are bathed in pink energy as he spins them at his sides.
    Nyx is the first to attack with a wave of fire that catches three of the famine vargs, burning them into piles of bones. The adventurers hold their ground against the charge of the beasts that managed to avoid the spell. Only two more monsters are killed by Timoran and Delvin while the remaining famine vargs get by their defenses.
    “We can’t let them get away,” Nyx says, hurling five magical cords at the retreating beasts. She catches all of them by the tail or neck, but their strength is enough to drag her across the ground.
    “Are we making this battle harder than it has to be?” Delvin asks as he charges after Nyx.
    “I think so,” Timoran answers from a few steps behind him. He glances over his shoulder to see Luke catching up until the large famine varg bursts out of a patch of thorn bushes. The beast slams into Luke, sending him to the ground. “For the honor of Kerr! I will save the other half-elf.”
    Delvin nods and fights the urge to look back at Luke. He focuses on Nyx, who is cursing and struggling to maintain her magic shield. She is slammed into boulders, gnarled trees, and mushroom-covered logs. Every impact is sickeningly loud and several times Nyx bounces into the air only to land head first on the ground. Delvin is within reach of her leg when she lurches to the side and plunges into a narrow river. Unable to get to Nyx, he takes a deep breath and pushes his legs to their limit, hoping to catch up to the famine vargs.
    Delvin is about to swing at the slowest monster when he hears the sound of rapid paws behind him. He glances back to see a large famine varg gaining, Timoran and Luke barely visible behind it. Without hesitation, Delvin sheathes his longsword and dives into the river. He grabs Nyx around the waist as she passes by and lets his armor sink them to the riverbed. The magical cords tighten as the connected famine vargs are yanked back from the added weight. Keeping his hold on the caster’s waist, Delvin braces his feet on the muddy soil and bursts from the river. Like a fisherman using an awkward fishing rod, the warrior pulls the caster to drag the monsters toward them.
    “Don’t let go!” he shouts at Nyx, who is practically bent in half.
    “Stop screaming the obvious!”
    A bone-chilling howl erupts from their right as the large famine varg rushes toward the defenseless pair. Delvin tries to hold Nyx with one arm, but he nearly loses his grip the moment his hand shifts. With another howl, the famine varg leaps off the shoreline, its teeth bared and glistening. The beast abruptly yelps and twists in mid-air before its body rapidly fades away. Craning her neck, Nyx barely sees Luke with his sabers buried to the hilt in the famine varg’s flank. The pink energy around his blades eats at the monster’s skin until there is nothing left.
    Delvin and Nyx suddenly tumble backwards into the river when the pressure on the cords vanishes. Lifting their heads over the water, they see Timoran finish off the last of the famine vargs. More humiliated than injured, they crawl out of the river and sit on the muddy ground, catching their breath and enjoying the quiet.
    “We’re starting off pretty badly,” Luke says, gingerly touching the bite mark on his side. “What were those things?”
    “Famine vargs,” Nyx answers. She gets up to take a look at Luke’s injuries and use