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Epilogue
“Quicker! Quicker!” Inside the subterranean caverns of Safe Haven, Bowbreaker the elf trained with Razor and Gorva. It was man versus orc, fighting with jo sticks, trying to get the best of one another. “You need to be more aggressive, deadly, accurate,” Bowbreaker demanded.
Gorva ducked a jab from Razor and swept his legs out from under him with her stick.
He landed flat on his back, jumped up again, and delivered a quick poke in her gut.
She doubled over. “Oof.”
“Enough!” Bowbreaker stated. His long, silky hair was as black as ravens’ wings. His jaw was hard and his forehead creaseless, and he showed no expression at all. He wore only a pair of buckskin trousers, and his chest and shoulder muscles were well-defined. “That was well done, Razor. You’re getting quicker on your feet.”
“I’m a lot quicker with steel in hand.” Razor’s full head of brown hair was as damp as a mop. Beads of sweat rolled down the bare-chested man’s muscular back and broad shoulders. “These sticks aren’t going to do me any good in a real fight.”
“You need balance,” Bowbreaker said. “A sword won’t always be available.”
“And a stick will?” Razor tossed the staff to Bowbreaker. “Hah.” He eyed Gorva. The orc woman didn’t show a drop of sweat. Her coarse black hair was in braids down past her shoulders. She only wore a top and bottom made out of animals’ skins that showed off her athletic figure. “Aren’t you even winded?”
“Not in the slightest,” she said.
He rolled his eyes. “Sheesh.”
Gorva patted her flat belly. “That was a good lick. Well done.” She bumped forearms with him. “Your skills are improving.”
Razor brushed his hair out of his eyes. “And why wouldn’t they be? We’ve been doing nothing but training for weeks. And for what? To hide in the cave and wait. They don’t even have ale down here.”
“Agreed. I’m as restless as you.” Bowbreaker spun the jo stick around his body. “It’s not natural for an elf to live in a cave. I miss the trees, the wind, the song of the leaves.”
“Yes, well, I miss the wine, the women, the smell of sweet perfume so strong it will knock you over.” He looked at Gorva. “Speaking of perfume, have you ever tried any?”
Gorva returned a flat stare. “One of these days, I’m going to pull your tongue out.”
Razor stuck out his tongue. “Wouldn’t you like to try?”
“Still at it, I see.” Nath crept up on them from out of nowhere. He coughed dryly. “I remember those days, but now they seem so far away.”
“No disrespect meant, but you don’t look so well, old man,” Razor said.
Even stooped over, Nath still stood taller than Razor. He peered into Razor’s eyes. “Live over a thousand years and see how well you look. Regardless, my time is short. Come, everyone, Anya and Tatiana have found something.”
“Finally, we might see some action,” Razor said.
They joined Anya, Zora, and Tatiana inside the Eye of the Sky Riders chamber. The three women wore grave expressions.
“What’s wrong, ladies?” Razor asked in his charming manner. “You look like someone died.”
Tatiana held a Dragon Charm in her hand that twinkled like a pink star. She stood behind the pedestal. “We found the Helm.”
Razor brightened. “That’s a good thing, right?”
None of the women standing on the pedestal said a word.
“What’s the problem?” He scratched his head. “Somebody say something.”
Anya motioned for the others to come up on the dais. “Come and look.”
The inside of the pedestal looked like a bowl of flames. It was so realistic that Razor swore he could feel the heat from it. “What in the world is that?”
Tatiana clasped her hands in front of her mouth, and with a dire look, she said, “That is the Flaming Fence. The Dragon Helm lies in the Nether Realm, the land where nothing living can survive.”
Will Talon cross the Flaming Fence and retrieve the Dragon Helm?
How will Grey Cloak and Dyphestive escape the tower now that Zanna Paydark double-crossed them?
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Craig Halloran resides with his family outside his hometown of Charleston, West Virginia. When he isn’t entertaining mankind, he is seeking adventure, working out, or watching sports. To learn more about him, go to www.thedarkslayer.com.
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