Page 51 of Tattered Huntress
I shook my head vigorously as I frantically sought a way out of this mess. ‘You said that magic wasn’t welcome but you used magic to light up this place.’ I gestured around the huge cavern; despite the Fachan’s green light, it was so vast that I couldn’tsee from one side to the other. ‘And you must have used magic to catch me when I fell.’
The Fachan’s single eye stared at me for so long that my skin prickled. ‘So?’ he said finally.
‘You said magic wasn’t welcome here,’ I repeated. ‘Butyouused magic.’
‘No. I saidyourmagic wasn’t welcome here.’
I nodded. ‘Sure. Cool. This is your home and that’s your prerogative. But I can’t fight you if I don’t have magic, so we should call it quits.’
‘Quits?’
‘Cancel the fight.’ I smiled desperately. ‘It’s the best way forward.’
The Fachan looked even more annoyed. ‘Are you suggesting, elf, that I am without honour? That I would use magic in battle while forbidding you from doing the same?’
Uh-oh. ‘I … er … um … I…’ I stuttered.
‘I grow bored. You are both stupid and irritating. We will fight now. Choose your weapon.’
‘I don’thaveany weapons.’
‘What kind of warrior comes to do battle without a weapon? Are you planning to fight bare-fisted? Do you seek pain?’
‘No! And I’m not a warrior! I didn’t come here seeking a fight! I only want to find a way out so I can re-join my friends.’
He took a step towards me. ‘We will do battle.’
I took a step back. ‘I’d rather not.’
‘We will do battle.’ The Fachan blinked. ‘To the death.’ He twirled the sword in his massive claw-like hands. ‘Now.’
Oh shit. I spun around and ran. Tiny stones of sharp scree flew up around my feet. Maybe I could tire the Fachan by keeping out of his reach for long enough. In theory, it was agood plan; in practice, though, his long-legged stride meant that he caught up to me in seconds.
He swung the sword over his head towards me and its sharp tip caught my shoulder, slicing through my thin T-shirt and my skin. I yelped and turned to face him, holding my waterproof bag in front of me like a shield. ‘First blood,’ I panted. ‘You win.’
‘I told you already,’ the Fachan said. ‘We fight to the death.’
I ground my teeth. Goddamnit.
The Fachan raised the sword again. I ripped open my waterproof bag and pulled out the first object I came to – the still-damp towel I’d used to dry myself off after coming through the waterlogged entrance from Smoo Cave.
I whipped the towel out towards the Fachan. The wet edge slapped against his bare forearm. ‘Is that it?’ he asked, confused.
I sucked in a breath, turned and started running away again. There had to be a way out of this place. I had to delay him and find it. There had to besomethingI could do.
I was still too wary to attempt either earth or air magic. Given what had happened when I’d fallen, it was obvious that large parts of this massive cave network were unstable and I couldn’t risk anything that might further upset the natural balance. But I still believed that fire magic was safe enough – and probably water magic, too, despite the Fachan forbidding me from magicking anything.
I pumped my arms and legs as I continued to run and conjured up enough water from the humid atmosphere to form a cloud over my head. Three seconds after I’d passed underneath it, I released it and dumped a gallon of water on top of the Fachan.
I didn’t waste time looking over my shoulder to check if I’d been successful. I didn’t have to: his roar of fury was enough. ‘Your magic isn’t welcome here!’ he bellowed.
‘You have a sword!’ I shouted. ‘I need something to defend myself!’
I put my head down and sprinted away from the soaking Fachan. This time, he caught up to me almost immediately, grabbed a hank of my hair and hauled me back. I screamed – it felt as if my scalp were being ripped from my skull. I twisted and kicked but couldn’t make contact with him.
He spun me around, his left hand still entwined in my hair while his right hand clutched his sword. He raised the blade and prepared to chop off my head – then abruptly dropped the weapon to the ground with a clatter.
I stopped squirming and gave him a hopeful look.
