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CHAPTER SEVEN
THE ROARwas critical If the panther had clas clean around my throat, I wouldn’t have stood a chance But the ani outsely as we rolled over and came to a stop with the powerful beast on top of me
As it roared, Harkat reacted with cool speed and launched a cactus missile It could have bounced off the animal’s head or shoulders, but the luck of the vampires ith us, and the cactus sailed clean between the panther’s fearsome jaws
The panther instantly lost interest inat the cactus stuck in itsfor the knife I’d dropped Harkat leapt over ers closed around the handle of the bone, and brought his club down upon the head of the panther
If the club had been her material, Harkat would have killed the panther - he could do ie with most axes or clubs But the wood he’d carved it from proved unworthy of the task, and the club smashed in half as it cracked over the panther’s hard skull
The panther hoith pain and rage, and turned on Harkat, spitting spines, its yellow teeth reflecting the glearey head and opened up a deep gash down the left side of his face Harkat fell backwards from the force of the blow and the panther leapt after hie after the panther - it would be on Harkat before I crossed the space between us - so I sent h the air at it The bone deflected harmlessly off the creature’s powerful flanks, but it distracted the beast and its head snapped around Harkat used thefroain, Harkat let it have the mud-balls between the eyes
The panther squealed and turned a sharp ninety degrees away fro the rabbed the lower half of his broken club and jae The club penetrated the panther’s body, but only slightly, drawing blood but not puncturing the panther’s lungs
That was too hit couldn’t see properly, it threw itself at Harkat, hissing and spitting, swiping with its deadly claws Harkat ducked out of the way, but the panther’s claws snagged on the hem of his robes Before he could free hinashing together in search of Harkat’s face
Harkat wrapped his ar to snap its ribs or suffocate it While he did that, I leapt on the panther’s back and raked at its nose and eyes with another cactus head The panther caught the cactus with its teeth and ripped it clear of ht thu to the panther’s heaving shoulders and scrabbled for another cactus
"I think I can?" I started to shout
"Off!" Harkat roared
There was no arguing with a cry like that I let go of the panther and sluhter together and spun, looking for the pit through the green blood streagling panther close to his chest, stumbled towards the pit - and threw hi out autorab and save hi into the pit of stakes in the Cavern of Retribution flashed through my head, and ly thud and an agonizing screech as the panther was impaled on the stakes No sound came from Harkat, which made me think he’d landed beneath the panther and died instantly
"No!" I e of the pit I was so worried about Harkat that I ale, arroan and I saw Harkat’s head turn He’d landed on top of the panther - he was alive!
"Harkat!" I shouted again, joyously this tiasped The panther’s lier presented a threat - it was nearing the final stages of its death throes and wouldn’t have had the strength to kill Harkat even if it wished to
Lying on my stomach, I reached down into the pit and offered Harkatflat on the panther, and although the creature - and the baboon underneath - had taken the worst of the stakes, several had pierced Harkat, a few in his legs, a couple in his stoh the flesh of his upper left ars and body didn’t look too serious The one through his arm was the probleht hand high enough to clutcharound for soo - anywhere!" I heard him mutter sarcastically
We didn’t have any rope, but there were plenty of strong vines growing nearby Hurrying to the nearest, I sawed at it with rabbed it tightly near both ends and tugged sharply to test it The vine didn’t snap under the strain, so I returned to the pit and fed down one end to Harkat The Little Person grabbed it with his free right hand, waited until I’d got a good grip on asped tightly as his flesh slid off the piercing wood Grasping the vine tight, he swung his feet on to the wall of the pit and walked up it, pulling on the vine at the same time
Harkat was als dropped, I realized his falling weight would drag us both down if I held on to the rope I released it with snake-like speed, collapsed to my stomach and clutched for Harkat’s hands
I ers closed on the left sleeve of his blue robes There was a terrifying ripping sound and I thought I’d lost hi seconds I was able to haul the Little Person up out of the pit
Rolling on to his back, Harkat stared up at the sky, his grey, stitched-together face looking even et up, but , so I flopped beside hi heavily,inwardly at the fact that ere still alive