The orc’s eyes widened, but he didn’t stop his chanting.
“No!” Vennet howled. He swung between Dandra and the orc as if trying to decide who to attack-then lunged toward Dandra. “Dah’mir will have you!”
Geth scrambled to one side and shoved himself a little higher up the bouncing, slippery stairs as one of the creature’s enormous pincers closed on the step where he had been perched-and snipped right through the wood.
“Tiger, Wolf, and Rat!” the shifter yelped. He kicked ineffectually at the pincer. The creature’s head turned to him, its tentacles making a horrid slithering whisper as they writhed together. It drew its pincer back and opened it, ready for another strike. Geth tried to haul himself higher, but his bare hand slipped in the slime on the stairs and he had to fight just to stay where he was. “Singe!” he shouted. “Dandra! Anybody!”
The chanting that rolled down from above was a gruff counterpoint to the cultists’ chorus. It tugged on Geth, both foreign and strangely familiar. In the water below, ripples seemed to contract, then burst open wide.
The scaly snout of a large crocodile broke the surface. The reptile snapped at the broad, crayfish-like tail of the creature on the stairs, hauling it back toward the water. The creature’s head reared back and it let out a screech like steel on slate.
“Quickly, shifter!”
Geth twisted around. An orc stood at the head of the steps, stretching a long staff with a tight crook in the end down to him.
“Climb up!” he urged. “One crocodile can’t hold a chuul!”
The stairs gave another ominous groan and bounced as the creature below twisted to flail at the crocodile while still clinging to its precarious perch. Geth glanced over his shoulder in time to see a pincer close around the crocodile and bite deep into its scaly hide. Geth grabbed for the staff and climbed up the slick steps. The orc hauled back, lending his strength to the effort, the muscles of his hairy arms straining under the short sleeves of a pale, swamp-stained shirt.
Recognition stirred in Geth’s memory. “You!” he gasped at the orc as he staggered to the top of the steps. “We saw you outside on the street!”
“I was only supposed to watch this place, but I couldn’t just watch anymore!” the orc said tightly. His voice had the defensiveness of someone who wasn’t completely certain he was doing the right thing. Geth realized with a start that in spite of his size and bold actions, the orc’s gray-green face was still smooth with youth.
The stairs shook again, the chuul screeched once more, and there was a frantic hissing from the crocodile that ended with the muffled snap of the chuul’s pincer closing. The creature let the crocodile’s body fall and turned back toward him, scrambling up the stairs with gore-smeared pincers extended and the tentacles under its head lashing in a frenzy. Geth yelped in shock.
“Geth!” shouted Singe. Geth spun around to see the wizard staggering to his feet. One of his arms was a bloody mess, but he was gritting his teeth against the pain and extending his hands in a gesture of magic. Geth gasped and grabbed the orc, yanking him aside.
As the chuul’s head lurched up above the level of the floor, Singe called out a rushing word of magic and a bolt of intense flame roared from his fingers to wash over it. The chuul let out another horrible screech and crashed backward down the stairs, enormous pincers flailing, shell burning and melting. The monster hit the water with a splash and the hiss of extinguished flames.
The orc shouted triumphantly and spun away to lunge for the clustered cultists, his staff swinging. They broke at the orc’s charge, their chanting vanishing into a chorus of yelps as they ran for the stairs leading up to the rest of the ruined house. Only Fause, their wild-haired leader, held his ground, pulling a cudgel from his robes and meeting the orc with a frenzied counterattack.
Geth whirled the other way. Ashi lay stretched out, scorched and stunned, and Singe was sinking back, but Vennet was still on his feet, swinging his cutlass as Dandra dodged and parried desperately. Geth snarled and leaped for him.
The half-elf’s eyes widened at the sight of him. He threw one final slash at Dandra, then tried to scramble back away from Geth. “You don’t know how badly Dah’mir wants her, Geth,” he gasped. “He’s not going to let you rest. He’s already on his way!”
“Not here yet though, is he?” Geth said. He twitched to the side in a feint.
Vennet took it. He thrust out with his cutlass, but the shifter sprang to the outside of the blow and caught the blade with his gauntleted hand, forcing Vennet’s arm up high-and punching hard at the Lyrandar captain’s exposed side with his free hand. Vennet gasped and let go of his cutlass to twist around and punch back. Geth flicked the cutlass away and swept his gauntlet down to knock the blow aside. His left fist smashed into the side of Vennet’s face, jerking his head around.
“For what you did to Natrac,” Geth growled, then grabbed the half-elf’s shoulders as he stumbled, bent him over, and slammed a knee up into his gut. “For betraying us.” He dragged Vennet upright and drew back his arm. “And for dumping me,” he roared, “in that damned water!”
His arm and shoulder snapped forward, catching Vennet full in the face, and sending him reeling back, blood pouring from a shattered nose. The half-elf swayed briefly, then crashed to the floor.
The entire structure of the old, ruined house around them groaned and shuddered. Dust and boards fell from above. Ashi stirred. Across the room, Fause went pale and dodged away from their mysterious orc ally to run for the stairs. Geth stared at Vennet’s fallen form in shock. “I didn’t hit him that hard!” he gasped.
Singe had a scrap of torn cloth out and was trying to bind it around his wounded arm. He spun around and stared up at the ceiling, with one end of the cloth clenched in his teeth. “That came from up above! What’s going on up there?”
The orc had gone as pale as Fause had. “Vvaraak’s wisdom,” he breathed, staring up as well. “The Servant of Madness.”
Geth looked at him. “Who?” he demanded. “Who’s the Servant of Madness?”
Dandra was the one who answered him. The kalashtar’s feet were sinking back to the floor. Her eyes were wide and terrified, her body stiff. “It’s Dah’mir,” she said. “I can feel him. Dah’mir is here!”
“What?” Singe exclaimed. He yanked the makeshift bandage tight and spat the cloth out of his mouth. “How? He should still be days’ travel away!”
Overhead, the fleeing cultists let out cries of surprise-and awe. There was a cascade of thumps as knees hit the old floor and then Fause’s voice rose in a wild, ecstatic chant of praise. Even over the chant, Geth could hear the measured pace of steady footsteps. “Grandfather Rat’s naked tail,” he hissed. He crouched down, ready for a new battle.
“No!” said the orc. “You can’t fight him! Into the water-I have a boat nearby.” Gripping his staff tightly, he ran for the stairs and darted down them.
Geth hesitated and exchanged a fast glance with Singe. He could guess what the wizard was thinking: could they trust the stranger? It didn’t seem to him that they had much choice. The orc had helped them. If the footsteps overheard really did belong to Dah’mir …
“See to Dandra!” Geth grunted. He darted to Natrac and heaved the half-orc’s body over his left shoulder with a groan and a curse. He staggered back to his feet and turned around.
Singe stood at Dandra’s side, murmuring to her, easing down her spear, and trying to get her over to the top of the stairs. Beyond them, Ashi was rising to her feet.
“Singe!” shouted Geth.
The wizard whirled and Geth could hear him try to gasp out the words of a spell, but the hunter was faster. She leaped, lashing out with a fist. Her blow spun him around and sent him sprawling. A snap of her leg sent a hard kick into the softness of his belly.
Like someone waking from a bad dream, Dandra blinked and started to turn away, but Ashi grabbed for her. For a moment the hunter’s hand raked the air and it seemed that Dandra might dodge away from her, but the cord that hung the yellow-green psicrystal around the kalashtar’s neck snapped tight. She jerked back with a strangled cry.