Page 52 (1/2)

Drizzt rushed to catch up, calling for theain, and had to be, hisaround the overhang to keep the hty sorceress at bay

More zealots came in at the them off Their coordination improved with each new turn, and as they ca for Sylora to pose much of a threat, Drizzt, too, could join in

He shouldered his bow and drew his blades, thinking to do just that, trying to sort out how hepair, when the puzzle solved itself

Dahlia, too consumed by her hatred of Sylora, apparently, seemed less than interested in the zealots Entreri executed a crossover strike,an Ashmadai hard with his sword As that one crumbled, the appropriate action for Dahlia would have been to fall back to her right, around the assassin, to protect his right flank

But as the zealot in front of her fell away, the others posturing and angling for a better lane of attack, Dahlia saw the path to the cave clear in front of her and charged fro

Entreri let out a yelp, for he was left obviously vulnerable Only Drizzt’s quick action saved hiical anklets, rushed up beside Entreri just in tie so far forward that had the Ashmadai been a ed his angle of attack to hit the drow instead of the assassin

But that zealot wasn’t so good, and Drizzt was able to get his feet balanced back under him in short order Then it was the zealot as still off-balance fron his scepter in some semblance of defense, but he needed ainst the likes of Drizzt Do’Urden

The drow’s blades sht, went over and under and back around in such a dizzying blur that the zealot couldn’t seeuish one from the other

In a few heartbeats, the over his scepter haphazardly, aardly, so busy trying to keep up with the whirling sciet the purpose of the dance Eyes down at the blades, trying to sort out theblow, and his eyes ith shock indeed when Icingdeath caainst the side of his neck

Other zealots replaced hiainst Entreri instead of Drizzt as the two quickly rotated around

In that turn, Drizzt caught sight of Dahlia at the cave opening, and he sucked in his breath to see her locked in battle with a strange-looking Ash a scepter that showed as much black as the typical red His worry only ht of her as well

"Not that one, Dahlia," the assassin whispered

Chapter 18: The Suuess from his initial attack and defense routines that this opponent was h she almost immediately realized he was notheely-armored Ashmadai tried to come at her, or simply to keep hi and took it, expecting her strike to finish hiht-hand flail, a solid blow that should have snapped the zealot’s head to the side

Should have

And in anticipation of exactly that consequence, Dahlia put her left hand into a high, backhanded roll up and over her head so her other flail would score a second strike following the first

That first strike didn’t jolt the Ashmadai as she had expected Indeed, the man’s head barely moved, and his attention wavered not at all But his hands e of Dahlia’s overconfident follow-up ile elf ht behind that backhand to avoid the brunt of the blow, taking just a grazing touch and barely drawing a scratch In exchange for that, Dahlia ainst the side of the zealot’s head, and again, to no avail Even caught by surprise, she thought she’d won the round

She went right back to her furious spins and strikes, trying to get back to level footing with the zealot and figure out a better e hide wrapping had so utterly defeated three solid hits by Kozah’s Needle

Then she found a second problerazed contracted suddenly, painfully, causing her to lurch back and to her left She staggered and stued to stand straight once ainst the pain

Her left hand led, the flail spinning up and over, down against the scepter, while she rolled her right-hand weapon over top to bottohtening her ainst the hold

She bided her ti furiously, and the left side of her ribs aching profoundly On one such spas hard

But Dahlia’s lurch had been voluntary, and enticing She side-stepped and the zealothis defenses in the process

Out snapped the right-hand flail, a sudden and brutal, spearlike thrust that drove into the zealot’s chin with tregered away under the sheer weight of the blow

But he didn’t fall, and if the strike had seriously injured hiht back after the wory than hurt