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@wingiby-iggiby

Hi Wingiby,

I was going to respond, but then I lost all of my very important edits!!! I don’t have time to fix them right now, so I’ll try to get on again when I have a moment. So sorry for the delay!

Of course, perfectly alright! It’s so annoying when that happens.

@this-is-not-an-alien

Hi Cathy,

I just wanted to say you’re doing an amazing job on both Ehud and Rosario! They’re both such great characters, and they’re a lot of fun to read about! I love how you wrote about why Rosario hides her emotions!

@jasmine

You’re very welcome, but I must warn you, if I accidentally call your character “Loofah” it’s because my kindle automatically “corrects” misspelled words.

XD. I understand, autocorrect is such a pain at times!

Quick note,

I wasn’t sure about how to write this fight scene, so I tried to keep the violence as non-graphic as possible. Hope it’s alright.

Liorah

Ehud snorted, trying to stifle his laughter after my first remark, but doubled up laughing after I delivered the remark about the common sense of chickens.

“Somebody save him from choking on all those burns!” Ehud laughed, wiping his eyes.

“Did anyone ask for your opinion?” Kiark shouted, livid.

The growl rang through the cave, a low, vibrating sound.

“Uh…nobody break that…please?” Ehud said, sobering,

An arrow whizzed past my head, barely missing me. I ducked, startled. A startled yelp escaped me. Where had that arrow come from? The mirror shattered, shards flying in every direction. I whipped around and saw a girl, still clutching a bow. I hadn’t noticed her before, but her shot was perfect.

Ehud peered into the tunnel. I moved forward, ready to jerk him backward, but then noticed that there was no danger. I relaxed the grip on my sword.

“Alright boys and girls, battle stations. Swordsmen and brawlers forward, bows and guns center, noncombatants and mages in the rear. Everyone, Gung ho and let’s go.” Someone behind me shouted.

I frowned. There was no need for battle stations. The tunnel was empty.

“It looks like the inside of the professor’s anatomy model…which I didn’t break!” Ehud called,
Didn’t break! Didn’t break! Didn’t break! The echo shouted back.

Ehud grinned and did it again, relishing the sound.

“EHUD IS ALWAYS RIGHT!” He called into the tunnel. I chuckled.

He turned around and grinned.

“Lord Castle agrees with m–yikes!”

A dark blob attacked him, tackling him to the ground. I only saw claws, glowing eyes, and a huge body, about the size of a large dog. Ehud shrieked.

I yanked my sword out of the scabbard and leaped forward to help him.

Ehud managed to free his arm and stabbed his thumb into the creature’s eye. It gave a howl that made my blood freeze and kicked Ehud away. He scrambled back, crashing against me. I almost dropped my sword.

Ehud tripped.

“Don’t let it eat me! I don’t wanna die!” His voice cracked with fear. I jumped sideways, standing between him and the tunnel entrance, shielding him from the creature. I barely registered the blood on Ehud’s face and the long raking wounds across his shoulders.

They barely seemed to bother him as he scrambled to his feet and yanked the blind girl backward. “I think we need to get outta here…”

The creature gathered itself, tucking its hindquarters beneath it to leap forward.

I didn’t let it but circled into a kick that sent it sprawling. I needed to get close. My curved sword’s greatest disadvantage was the relatively small range. Teeth scraped across my leg, but I didn’t register the pain, only the warm blood tickling down into my boot. I whipped my sword into a practiced circle and brought it down in a long slice aimed at the creature’s neck. It bit into my blade, barely seeming to mind the sharpness of the steel. I wrenched it free and thrust at the creature’s stomach, finally killing it. It died with a roar of pain.

The ache of the wound bolted up through my leg. I clenched my teeth, trying to stifle the exclamation of pain. I scrambled backward, trying to get away from the tunnel opening. I rammed my sword back into its scabbard. I couldn’t fight with that leg. Not well enough to defeat one of those beasts.

My trembling fingers fumbled for the leather strap beneath my belt. I found the knot and yanked it free. The sling unfurled and I slipped my finger through the loop, already reaching for a lead bullet. My fingers felt for one with a hole. Whistling. That might work. My legs felt wobbly and my mouth had gone dry. Jolts of pain shot through my leg.

Another creature stalked out of the tunnel, emerging into the dim light of the cave. It looked like something between a large dog and a panther, but with much longer claws and jaws that could crush bone.

“You know, I’d appreciate some help, if you’re not too busy,” I called to nobody in particular, the fear I felt sounding like annoyance. “My leg is slightly more than uncomfortable and that thing doesn’t look happy.”

I dropped the bullet into the pouch and whirled the sling over my head, letting the leather strap whirr through the air. A snap as the leather whipped forward, then a high-pitched whistle from the bullet. The creature cowered, just as my bullet struck it. Not fatally, but the creature howled in pain.

_________

Okay, I’ll stop there! I can’t wait to see what you all come up with!