The Fallen Fortress - By R. A. Salvatore Page 0,73

with venom-dripping fangs into the surprised giant's face.

The giant let go of the club and fell back, clawing at the stinging wound, horrified.

It heard Pikel's "Ooooooo!" as the dwarf, club in hand, wound up, but it never saw the killing blow coming.

Without its weapon, the ogre across the hall raised its arms defensively and called out a surrender.

But those arras, however thick, were no match for Ivan's blind fury. Vander lay dead behind him, and the dwarf was hardly in the mood to listen to anything the desperate monster might have to say. The dwarf's axe chopped down repeatedly, smashing through flesh and bone, and by the time Shayleigh joined Ivan and put a hand on his shoulder to calm him, the ogre's cries were forever silenced.

A Call on the Wind

The man at the base of the wall groaned, and Danica was on him in an instant, roughly pulling his arms behind his back and pushing him facedown against the hard stone."How long will your enchantment block our way?" she snapped at Cadderly.

"Not long," the young priest replied, surprised by Dan-ica's harsh tone.

"And what are we to do with him?" Danica gave a rough tug on the captured soldier's arms as she asked the question, drawing another groan from the battered man.

"Be easy with him," Cadderly said.

"As you were with them?" Danica asked sarcastically, waving a hand out to the smoldering pile.

Now Cadderly understood Danica's ire. The battle had been rough, as the rising stench of burning flesh reminded them.

"Why didn't you tell me what that orb would do?"

Danica's question sounded as a desperate piea.

Cadderiy had a hard time sorting through this seeming reversal of roles. Usually he was the one who was too softhearted, who got them into trouble by not fighting hard enough against the declared enemies. He had spared Dori-gen in Shilmista Forest, had let her live when he had her heipless on the ground before him, though Danica had instructed him to finish her. And now, Cadderiy had been merciless, had done as the situation demanded against his own peaceful instincts. Cadderiy held little remorse - he knew that all those humans in the fiery jumble were evil-hearted men - but he was more than a little surprised by Danica's cold reaction.

She gave another tug on the prisoner's arms, as if she was using the man's pain to torment Cadderiy, lashing out at the young priest by going against what he obviously desired.

"He is not an evil man," Cadderiy said calmly.

Danica hesitated, her exotic eyes searching out the sincerity within Cadderly's gray orbs. She had always been able to read the young priest's thoughts and believed now that he was sneaking truthfully (though where he had garnered that piece of information, Danica had no idea).

"And they were?" Danica asked somewhat sharply, again indicating the pile.

"Yes," Cadderiy answered. "When I uttered the holy word, ho%v did you feel?"

The simple memory of that wondrous moment eased much of the tension from Danica's fair face. How did she feel? She felt in love, at ease with all the world, as if nothing ugly could come near her.

"You saw how it affected them," Cadderiy went on, finding his answers in Danica's serene expression.

Following the logic, Danica lessened her grip. "But it did not adversely affect this one," she said.

"He is not an evil man," Cadderiy reiterated.

Danica nodded and lessened her grip. She looked back at Cadderiy, though, and her expression was cold once more, a look more of disappointment than of anger.

Cadderiy understood, but had no answers for his Sove. There had been human beings among the evil monsters in this group, men among the goblins. Danica was disappointed because Cadderiy had done what was necessary, had given in to the fighting fully. She had been angry with Cadderiy when he had spared Dorigen, but it was an anger founded in her fear of the wizard. In truth, Danica had loved Cadderiy all the more because of his conscience, because he had tried to avoid the horrors of battle at all costs.

Cadderiy looked back to the pile of corpses. He had given in, joined the fighting with all his heart

It had to be that way, Cadderiy knew. He was as horrified as Danica over what he had just done, but he would not take back the action even if he could. The friends were in desperate straights - all the region was in desperate straights - and that danger was being precipitated by the minions of this fortress. Castle Trinity,