Gorath's eyes were sour and mean. He laughed cruelly. "So you want to die together. How touching! I'll grant your wish as long as you die first, Starglow, so Meadow can watch the blood pour from your body. Revenge! I want revenge!"
Gorath began to drool as he walked toward the lovers, who pulled closer together. He lifted his sword higher and higher. Meadow dug her feet into the soil and held the sword in front of her, gripping it with both hands.
All at once Gorath noticed that an intruder sat between him and his intended victims.
He stopped and tried to figure out where this large, mangy dog had come from. There had been no dog in this clearing just a moment before. And what a strange dog it was. Gorath suspected it was a red-rover, but it was the only red-rover he'd ever seen sporting a shaggy tail with a snow-white tip.
The dog sat perfectly still, its tongue hanging out the right side of its mouth.
"Call off your dog, Starglow," Gorath threatened, "or I'll chop it into a million pieces!"
"But I have no dog," replied Starglow, puzzled.
"Wh… what dog?" asked Meadow, also bewildered.
"Very well, you had your chance!" Gorath shouted as he attacked the animal. He swung his sword with all his might at the dog's head, expecting to see it rolling in the sand. But the dog easily dodged the blow. Now Gorath aimed for the shaggy tail with the snow-white tip. Gorath's sword whistled through the air repeatedly. The dog moved from side to side, causing the brute to miss by a hair, a shaggy hair, each time.
Gorath's frustration increased because he could sense that the dog was actually enjoying itself, as if it were unaware its life was in danger. It barked happily and playfully nipped at Gorath's feet. When Gorath raised his sword above his head, the dog jumped up, put its front paws on his chest, and licked his face several times.
Gorath lost all patience. He shoved the dog away and simultaneously swung the sword with all his might. He missed badly. He also lost his balance. So when the big dog jumped back up on his chest to continue their game, it knocked Gorath back a few steps toward the ravine. Again the dog jumped up. Again Gorath was knocked backward, his curses shattering the quiet of the forest. This happened several more times. Each time, the force of the dog's paws increased, and Gorath was knocked farther back. Then came the mightiest blow of all.
Suddenly, Gorath found himself somersaulting backward through the air, falling helplessly into the deep, deep ravine. Gorath expected to see his life flash before his eyes, but for some reason he had a vision of Zoma's old, ugly face instead. He screamed. Then everything went black.
When Gorath opened his eyes, he was looking directly into Zoma's face. Only this time it was no vision. It really was Zorna. He screamed again.
She attempted to comfort him, wiping the sweat off his feverish brow with her icy hand. "There, there, darling," she whispered into his ear. "I'll make you feel better."
Gorath realized he was strapped to a chair. But where was he? He looked around. He was in Zoma's cold, musty house. It was as inviting as a tomb. It was too dark to see clearly, but he could make out some crooked furniture in the shadows, some heavy pots hanging from cobwebinfested walls, and a large bubbling kettle by the fireplace. There was a horrible stench in the air, and Gorath suspected Zorna was still preparing slug stew. "How did I get here, old woman?" he snapped.
"I brought you from the ravine."
Gorath looked at the frail woman. "How could you carry me all the way from the ravine?"
"I love you," she said simply.
"Then untie this strap before I lose my temper!"
"I've strapped you to the chair so you won't fall," she said tenderly. "I'm sorry, my poor darling, but when you landed in the ravine, you struck a boulder and snapped your spine. You're paralyzed from the neck down." A look of shock and anguish came over Gorath, terribly saddening Zoma. "But please don't worry, darling. I'll cook, and clean, and care for you for the rest of your life."
Upon hearing those words, Gorath could think of only one thing: "Revenge! I want revenge!"
That's when Zorna began to feed Gorath slug stew.
By the time Zoma shoved the final spoonful into Gorath's miserable mouth, he had figured out his only chance for exacting the revenge he desperately desired.
He batted his eyes at Zorna and sighed happily. "That was delicious!" he said.
Zorna nearly blushed. "I'm so happy you liked it, darling."
"Could you make it for me again some time, dear?" he asked hopefully.
Zorna nearly cried from happiness. "I make it every day, darling."
Gorath looked around the shack. "You know, dear, you have a lovely home. I think I'll enjoy spending the rest of my life here with you."
Zorna gushed. "We'll be so happy together!"
Gorath frowned. "But you wouldn't want to take care of me."
"Oh, darling, it would give me such pleasure!" Zorna objected.
Gorath shook his head. "That's so sweet, dear. But I could never be happy unless I could hold you in my arms… and I can't do that because I'm paralyzed." He closed his eyes as if he were trying to hold back a flood of tears.
Zorna was overwhelmed with pity. She kissed Gorath on his fleshy cheek. She felt him tremble. "My darling," she said softly, her voice quivering. "I understand your misery. I have lived alone, always. Eternity passed, and I almost gave up hope of finding a man I could open my heart to. Now that I have found you, it would be torture not to be able to express my love."
Gorath opened one eye. "If only you could help me…."
"Darling, maybe I can."
Gorath opened his other eye, his hopes rising. "Only someone with magic powers could mend my severed spine. But you have said you are not a black-robed sorceress."
"This is true, but many years ago a black-robed sorceress traveled through the Forest of Wayreth and rewarded my hospitality by granting me the power to perform one feat of magic, only once."
Gorath immediately became worried. "Just one feat? Only once?" he asked nervously. "Have… have you performed it… y…yet?"
"I am a simple woman. I never had reason before."
Relieved, Gorath batted his eyes again. "Will you perform it now… dear?" he asked, trying not to sound too anxious.
"First you must promise me something."
"Anything, dear, I promise."
"If I heal you, I want you to promise that you will stay with me forever and that you will forget that other woman and your quest for revenge."
"Of course, dear," Gorath said sincerely. "I long only to hold you in my strong arms."
Zorna nearly swooned. She was so happy. "Very well, darling. I'll do as you ask."
The old woman stood in front of Gorath. He expected her to call on the Queen of Darkness, recite a lengthy chant, and go into contortions. But she merely pointed a lone finger at him and wiggled her sharp nose a couple of times.
Gorath immediately felt a wave of heat deep in his back. He felt bones shift and fuse together. Then his chair started spinning, faster and faster. The strap broke, and Gorath was propelled to his feet. He stretched his arms and legs. He smiled broadly. He was no longer paralyzed.
Zorna moved toward him with arms spread, expecting Gorath to draw her to his powerful chest. Instead Gorath shoved her aside, knocking the feeble woman to the ground. "Out of my way, foolish woman," he said, taking broad steps toward the door. "Too bad you wasted your only feat of magic on me," he said mockingly.
"So you lied to me," said Zoma, showing no emotion. "You betrayed me."
Gorath laughed. "Be thankful that I don't throw you in the kettle with your wretched stew. But I have no time."