Free Dimwater's Demons by Sam Ferguson Page A

the blink of an eye. She then hissed again, even flicking her tongue like a snake as she conjured forth a black fireball and sent it flying toward Ravenel.
    “Though he dove aside, the fire grew larger to defeat his dodge. His legs felt the searing heat as the flames ripped through his clothing and licked at his flesh. The smell of burnt hair assaulted his nostrils as he rose to his feet in time to see the shade’s mouth moving, conjuring another spell.
    “Ravenel quickly put an arrow to his bow and let the arrow fly. The garunda’s blood sizzled and crackled as the arrow streaked through the air and sank into the shade’s stomach. The horrid creature’s eyes went wide and she stared down at the arrow with her white eyes.
    ‘“How could you know?’ she whispered harshly.
    “Ravenel scrunched his brow for a moment and then realized that the garunda blood prevented the shade from healing. He looked down at his axe and remembered that he had wiped the blood from the blade before putting it back in its harness. He looked to the pregnant garunda, but the flames had already consumed the blood. He dropped the axe and reached for another arrow tipped with garunda blood. He let them all fly, sinking each shaft into the shade’s chest.
    “With every blow, the shade shrank away, screaming and howling in pain. She tried to send magical assaults, but they only fizzled and died before she could launch them. When Ravenel sent the last arrow, he reached for his mini crossbow and fired. The shade took a hit directly in the forehead, the force of the blow jerking her neck and skull backward as it sank in deep. A slight sizzling sound was made as the shade remarkably pulled the bolt loose from her head. With the exception of a slight burn mark, her skin appeared as if nothing had touched her. She also removed the other arrows and dropped them to the ground.
    ‘“You are better than the others,’ she said. ‘But you shall die here.’
    “Ravenel’s jaw hung open in disbelief as he watched her toss aside the bolt that surely would have killed any other creature. He had no other blood-tipped arrows, so he let fly with another bolt, then a second, and a third. The shade simply laughed wickedly at his futile attempts to slay her. Although all of the bolts had hit their marks, nothing seemed to faze this creature.
    “Ravenel looked around the chamber, desperately searching for anything that might help him. There was nothing to be found, and soon Ravenel caught sight of another fireball zooming toward him. He did the only thing he could think to do. He ran. He only stopped for a moment to scoop up his axe to protect himself from the shade’s life-drain spell.
    Leatherback lifted his head and spat a small amount of blue fire out from his mouth. “He needs more garunda blood,” he said.
    Kyra nodded and continued reading. “Wicked laughter followed him as he sprinted out of the chamber and around the corner of the tunnel. The fireball seared the stone wall as it slammed into it with full force, showering Ravenel in sparks and bits of hot stone. He could hear the laughter coming closer and he knew the shade was stalking him. He sprinted up the winding tunnel, dodging the occasional fireball thrown by the shade. His lungs began to burn from the exertion, but eventually he made it to the small chamber where he had defeated the other two garunda beasts. He dropped down next to the first body and opened it with his axe, allowing the blood to spill over the blade. Quickly he dipped the last of his crossbow bolts into the sizzling ooze and loaded his mini crossbow.
    “The laughter stopped. Ravenel huddled low in the darkness and waited as he heard the heavy breathing of the vile shade. His heart pounded within.
    ‘“Can you feel it?’ the shade whispered in the darkness. Suddenly a ball of blue fire appeared and bathed the area in magical light. No sooner did Ravenel see the shade than he took aim with his crossbow. The first shot