Free Fate's Hand by Christopher Lynn Page A

his side and Temo spun to see Jora stuck against the tower itself with a large goop of green slime all across his body. The slime covered the majority of his face and his eyes were wide with fear, but he still managed to gesture with them to the left. When Temo changed his gaze, he saw the wizard Yusar, standing casually a few feet away. Temo’s blood boiled and he gripped the lost axe and advanced on the wizard.
    “ I’ve waited a long time for this, thief.”
    The red wizard exploded into action and began to summon a spell. Temo twirled the axe into his hands, remembering its weight. He hefted it over his head then hurled it with a loud grunt. Temo immediately wrapped his fingers around another axe handle as it appeared in his hand. He threw this one to the right and rolled to left as another axe appeared. He sent it spinning to the left side of the wizard. Yusar smirked and crouched down under the first spinning axe, casting all the while. The axe disappeared as it flew over Yusar’s head. The second axe to Yusar’s right disappeared as it flew past the wizard. The last axe flew by Yusar’s left side and cracked into a nearby tree. Temo came out of his roll and charged at the wizard. Yusar finished the last phrase of his spell and shot out a crackling purple energy ball that flew past Temo’s head. The mercenary closed in and seized the wizard by his arm, and screamed a word of dispel.
    The wizard and battle mage came crashing to the ground as their protective spells cracked and fizzled around them. Temo brought a quick fist around to strike the wizard in his nose but took a dagger slash across his forearm for the action. Temo jumped away from the wizard and threw dirt at the wizard’s unprotected eyes. He turned and ran away from Yusar. He grabbed his axe pulled it free of the tree trunk. Using the momentum of the pull, he spun in the air and threw the axe as soon as the wizard came into view. When he came down from the spin, Temo yelled and made a movement to throw to the left, where the wizard squatted, and then to the right with a loud grunt. Yusar got to his knees as he finished his spell and extended his hand. A blast of ice came from Yusar to strike Temo, but was cut short by the axe that did not alter its course this time, but slammed into Yusar’s shoulder and spun him around into the dirt.
    The bit of ice that made it through bit into Temo’s flesh and burned with a cold sting. He reached down to his belt for a potion to help heal his wounds, but a bony hand caught his arm.
    Yusar’s first spell finally finished and a pair of skeletons materialized in a light purple haze behind him. The first skeleton that made his way over backhanded Temo across the chest and sent him staggering back. Another skeleton wrenched Temo's axe from Yusar’s shoulder, ignored the wizard's screams, and waded in toward Temo. Temo went into action and grabbed a dagger from his boot to face the two closing skeletons. Movement caught his eye and he looked beyond the wizard. The Demon from the tower had come out and approached the fallen man.
    The skeleton to his right lunged and Temo side-stepped the attack. He grabbed the skeleton with his free hand and twisted its arm behind it to face the other summon. Temo flipped the dagger free in his hand and caught it by its blade, then flung it over the skeleton’s shoulder. The armed skeleton came in at a rush with the axe high overhead when the dagger connected pommel first to its knee with a loud crack. The skeleton was faltered in its advance and the lowered the axe to regain balance. Temo used the moment to bring his knee up and kick the skeleton he held toward the other. The two inanimate summons crashed into each other with a loud snapping noise, both of their bodies flying into pieces. Temo walked into the scattered bones and gave a silent look to the downed wizard as he retrieved his axe.
    Temo downed his healing potion and slapped the cheek of the axe against his bicep,