Free Bound to the Abyss by James Vernon Page A

But that’s not his fault. He was just acting out like any puppy.”
    “Except most normal puppies don’t leave you burnt and scarred from their saliva.”
    Ean shook his shoulders about, trying to dislodge the pesky imp clinging to his back, but failed as usual. Unable to persuade his friend, he changed the subject. “So, what do you think— this Magus fellow have any chance bringing the creature down?”
    “Nope, but watching him try is sure to be fun.” Zin said then held up a dead rat for Ean to see. “I even brought a snack.”

Chapter 5
    SURPRISES
    And Zin had been right.  
    From his usual hiding spot, Ean watched a real magic user battle the beast. The Magus sent bolts of blue that sizzled and lit tiny flames on the creature’s scales. Bolts of orange and yellow crackled with electricity but bounced off the creature and into the night. Whenever a bolt hit, it would explode in a dazzling display of light, illuminating the mine and nearby bog. This always seemed to blind the monster for a few moments but nothing more. Eventually, the creature would make his way through the bolts to within striking distance of the Magus, only to find the man far to its left, right, or back.  
    Ean was fascinated to see a different kind of magic at work. His own magic relied on runes and the language of the Abyss, where the slightest mistake could result in disastrous consequences. The night he had created light out of thin air had happened more on instinct than Ean having an idea of what he was doing. Seeing the Magus launch the magic out of his fingertips at will opened up a whole new realm of possibilities.
    The Magus’s spells, on the other hand, leapt from his fingers on command. He moved across the field in the blink of an eye without any elaborate motions or fancy words. It all seemed so simple. Ean would be lying to himself if he said he wasn’t a little jealous of the ease of how the Magus’s magic seemed to work.
      The Magus started to show signs of tiring. His bolts began to dim, and the previous rainbow of colors he had used before was reduced to only blue. He also wasn’t able to teleport himself as far, each jump seeming to put him closer to the beast than the last. After one last burst of energy to the beast’s eyes, the Magus teleported back in the direction of the town and took off running. By the time the creature had oriented itself again, the Magus was far out of its reach.
    Ean watched the man run towards the protection of the village until he was a gray dot on the horizon. It had been the second best possible outcome. It would have been great if the Magus had succeeded, but watching him fail and survive to live with that failure was an acceptable outcome. He crouched there, laughing, until Zin tugged on his glove. The imp pointed to the mine with a wide-eyed expression. Following Zin’s finger, Ean’s stomach dropped when he realized the monster was looking straight at him with those awful, yellow eyes. A strangled sound escaped from Zin just before he turned invisible.
    The creature was still in the same spot as before, but it had turned and was now facing Ean. He hadn’t realized how close the Magus and the creature had gotten to his position, but he was aware of it now. It was close enough that he could make out its blood-stained teeth and black claws.
    Ean froze. It had every opportunity to catch him while he had been laughing and not paying attention. Why hadn’t it attacked? If the thing charged now, he should be able to lose it in the bog, maybe blind it with the same rune he had used before.
    A dozen different possibilities raced through Ean’s mind. A moment later, the creature turned around and stomped back to the cave. Afraid to move, Ean held his breath, expecting it to change its mind at any second and come storming back out. When it didn’t, he let out a long breath. His limbs were trembling, but he was grateful to be alive.  
    Zin shimmered then reappeared, looking just as