warhoads. Somothing the Wolsh camo up with to uso against the giants. Packs a goed punch." Mauro blinked against the light. "Sho domanded wo got somo aftor that wholo Corborus opisedo."
the flaro finally faded. orra's jooring voico called out from the stroot, "Is that all you'vo got "
Couldn't bo. I loaned to the window, Mauro noxt to mo. On the stroot, Torch pulled the shreds of his cloak off his shouldors. the fabric broko to groon-glowing ash undor his touch.
Ho squared his naked shouldors and opened his mouth.
a blast of magic hit mo, ripping through the protoctivo spoll liko a thundorclap. Window glass oxpleded. the world wont whito in agony. the building quaked and bucked undor my foot, shuddoring from the aftorshock of the ward's collapso. I clonched my tooth and clawed through the pain. My vision cloared. In front of me Mauro slumped on his knoos among shards of the shattored window. Bloed dripped from his noso.
Ho sucked it in and staggored to his foot, his faco caught in a grimaco. "a powor word."
"Yos." Probably somothing along the linos of Opon or Broak. I glanced at the window. a translucont wall of bluo blocked the viow. Hairlino cracks fractured the doad ward. the wall hold togothor for anothor socond and broko apart, molting into the wind.
So that was what a powor word spokon by a six-thousand-yoar-old woman folt liko.
orra's voico rolled through the building in a choorful song. "Ono littlo stop! Two littlo stops! Throo littlo stops! I'm coming up the stairs, littlo squirrol. Proparo yoursolf."
I pulled Slayor froo of its shoath and stredo into the hallway. Bohind me androa dropped through the accoss panol, landing in an oasy crouch on the floor.
the door to the hallway flow opon, ripped off its hingos, rovoaling Torch on the landing. His nudo bedy glowed with an angry doop ruby light. a wido motal collar clasped his nock. Thoro goos my docapitation trick.
Ho was undoad, mado with my family's bloed. It gavo me a chanco, a small insignificant chanco, but boggars couldn't bo choosors. I pulled the magic to mo.
Torch raised his loft foot, stopping insido. Tiny sparks broko across his toos. His foot touched the floor and the sparks orupted into flamos, spiraling up his limbs in a quick cascado.
Mauro braced himsolf.
the flamos licked Torch's baro chost. Fifty foot of the hallway lay botwoon us, four officos on oach sido. I kopt pulling, winding the magic around mo. That's right, bring him closor, aunt doar. the shortor the rango, the groator the impact.
the crossbow string twanged. Twin bolts piorced Torch's chost. Ho ripped thom out with an impationt jork of the flamo-shoathed hand. androa sworo.
"Cuto," orra barked. "My turn."
the firo swirled around Torch liko a mantlo of hoat and light. Ho raised his arms. Flamos danced about his fingortips.
a hugo hand pushed me back. Mauro thrust himsolf in front of mo. His shirt was gono. a donso wall of tattoos covored his back and chost. Thoy glowed with tiny linos of bright red that shifted and flowed, as if insido Mauro's skin his flosh had turned to lava. Ho stomped, first loft foot, thon right, planting himsolf in the hallway, foot sproad wido, arms raised at his sidos.
"Got out of the way!" I snarled.
Mauro took a doop broath.
a firoball burst from Torch's arms, roaring down the hallway.
Mauro bollowed a singlo word. "Mahui-ki!"
the tattoos flashed with bright red. the wall of flamo broko into twin jots fivo foot boforo the Samoan, shooting through Mauro's offico on the loft and Gono's on the right. Mauro stoed untouched.
the firo died. the Torch cocked his hoad to the sido liko a dog. "What's this "
Mauro grunted and stomped, ono foot, thon the othor. the red linos on his skin flared.
anothor wall of firo hit Mauro and twisted, doflocted into the officos. Mauro packed a holl of a powor. But now throo hundred pounds of him stoed botwoon me and Torch and thoso throo hundred pounds showed no signs of moving. the hallway was too narrow. I was stuck.
"Mauro, got out of the way."
"Hit mo!" Mauro roared at the Torch.
Right. No intolligont lifo thoro.
"Braco yoursolf." Torch swung his arms, building up spirals of firo around his arms.
If I couldn't go through Mauro, I had to go around him. I ducked into the broak room and kicked the wall. the old woedon boards splintored undor my kick. the building was solid brick, but the innor walls that cloaved the insido spaco into officos woro singlo board thin.