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"'The ogre motioned at her with a single black claw. "Come, Bria
Bria
"How do you know my name?" she demanded.
The ogre smiled, revealing a mouth filled with ugly orange fangs. "Someone tell me," he replied. "Now put axe down and come here. We not supposed to hurt you."
Bria
Revolted by the beast's vile touch, Bria
Bria
The princess spun around, expecting to find the other brute already upon her. Instead, he was watching her with a bemused grin on his lips.
"I hear you strong for woman." he said.
Bria
Instead of answering, the ogre raised his hands and rasped the deep-throated dirge of a shaman's spell.
Bria
Bria
The big mare reared up and pushed forward. She brought her two front hooves down squarely on the ogre's shoulders, driving him to the ground. With an angry neigh, she bounded forward and presented her left flank to her mistress. Bria
With unbelievable speed, the shaman leaped up and reached for Bria
Bria
To her horror, she saw two more ogres rising from hiding places behind the fallen bole. Both brutes tossed their bows aside and leaped for her mount's front legs. Blizzard crashed into them with a tremendous thump, and for a moment Bria
Then she felt Blizzard's head drop. The mare's rear hooves clattered off the fallen tree with a hollow clacking, and from between the horse's ears, Bria
Bria
Still, Bria
"You want we should hurt you?" The ogre slapped
Bria
The shaman hit her again, this time smashing his fist into her midsection. Bria
"No, Blizzard!" Bria
When the horse obeyed, the ogre nodded his head approvingly. "That better." he commented. "Smart girl."
The shaman looked at two of his followers, then nodded at the horse. They nocked arrows and raised their bows.
"No!" Bria
Her warning proved u
"Too bad." He turned back to Bria
Bria
"Someone sent you for me. Who?" the princess-demanded. "Whatever he's paying, my father will double it."
The shaman looked at her loathingly, then pulled a length of thick, braided-leather cord from inside his cloak. Her two captors pi
Tavis dropped his rucksack beside the well and paused to take one last look at the Weary Giant. The place could hardly he called a mansion, but the doors hung straight and storm shutters flanked every window. He was leaving the i
The scout had not even considered remaining in Slag-wick. With the princess herself obliged to speak against him, pleading his case before the king could only lead to disaster for all concerned. Bria
"Will you truly miss this place so much?" asked Basil. The verbeeg stood next to Tavis, his sack of stolen books slung over his shoulder. "I'd think a man of your nature would find the life of an i
Tavis did not look at the verbeeg. "I'll miss the children," he said. "And if you think helping those in need could ever bore me, you know nothing of my nature."
"Firbolgs!" Basil shook his head in bewilderment. "It's beyond me how such a naive race prospers."
Across the courtyard, Avner stepped from the lodge, followed by the other orphans. They had wrapped their possessions into woolen blankets and slung the small bundles over their shoulders: their feet were clad in heavy moose-hide boots Tavis had made for them. Each child carried an empty waterskin, and they all had grim, determined looks on their small faces.