The Lightless Labyrinth - Excerpt 11

XI

Jonn caught a flash of movement to his left, and whirled around to meet it. A dozen more of the ape-like beasts scuttled from the holes in the wall, swarming from all sides of the chamber. Their eyes shone pale and moon-like by the light of Beren’s staff, and the air filled with the stench of rancid sweat.  A weird terror gripped Jonn's bowels, but he did not take a backward step.  This is just like fighting northmen.  No different.  No different at all.

One of the creatures hefted a rock in its palm, lifting it overhead to let it fly. With barely a thought Jonn thrust out his shield arm, protecting the back of Saskar’s head. The archer still stood frozen, seemingly mesmerised by Myrio’s every movement.

The rock struck Jonn’s shield with a clatter, and an impact that reverberated to his shoulder and sent him back a step.  He was surprised to see Saskar fix him with a look of pure fury, just before the archer brought his bow up and loosed an arrow at the creatures.  The arrow punched through a beast-man’s throat, and as the creature slumped to the ground with a gurgle Saskar drew again and fired into another beast-man’s thigh.

Two of the creatures were sprawled on the floor, but the third advanced quickly, a jagged bone clenched in its fist.  Jonn moved forward to meet it, and Saskar was beside him, laughing.  As Jonn caught the charging beast-man’s attack on his shield, Saskar fell on the one he had shot in the thigh, plunging his long knife into the thing’s chest and abdomen.  He stabbed it over and over, his eyes gleaming, and even after it was surely dead he continued to plunge his daggers into its limp body.  And through it all, he never stopped laughing.