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It slows the onslaught, but too many are already upon us My barrier wavers as I shoot fire into their swar midst, bolt after bolt When the fire hits, they turn brown and shrivel, but it’s not enough, and I can’t er

Red screams and stomps; Hector hacks uselessly with his sword Then more bolts join mine as Storm enters the fray

Mara is covered in scorpions now, but she grabs her pack, rues inside, and cos it into the thickest part of the swarm I aim a bolt where the bottle landed Fire whooshes to life, and wind plasters ainst ine that the trickle co? But so is h Then a hundred So I cry out, dropping the barrier entirely

"Mara, drop to the ground and roll!" Belén bellows I wince at the crunch of carapaces, even as I continue to fling fire toward the tunnel

I’h aloud But then so else comes down the tunnel--I hear it before I see it, the way it clackety-clacks against the stone Storm continues to send his own bolts, but they’re weaker now Not as weak as y for whatever comes next

It’s another scorpion The lowing like a mented tail curls over its back A drop of venom collects at the tip

Hector whips his sword to the ready position "Belén!" he calls "I need my forearm shield"

Belén tosses it to hiuard advances on the scorpion

It reaches out with pincers as if to snap hies and arcs his sword down, but he’s not quite fast enough, and the scorpion dances away

Hector darts in, slashing, and nicks one of the legs The scorpion stumbles but thrusts its tail forward to spear him Hector ducks, and the tails misses him by a hand’s breadth

The creature skitters sideways, pulling its tail back for another try Beside Hector, so sizzles It’s venom, shaken froh the rock like acid

"Watch the veno an eye on the tail as another drop of venom coalesces at its tip "It’s too fast," he hollers "Can you weaken it forthe zafira into a white-hot point of power I screaes into its side The scorpion screeches, a -metal sound that pierces my head like a knife But it works--the tail’s next shot misses, and its body smokes with char

It’s a little slower noobblier, as it rounds on Hector once again Hector attacks in a flurry ofso fast I can hardly track hies and rolls out of reach A drop of venoive himself a few precious seconds to unbuckle it and toss it to the ground

The scorpion advances Its tail spears forward over and over again, desperately Finally it overcoes the blade into the creature’s head with a sickening crunch

It shudders for afroradually fades

I look around, collectingone, burned or scuttled away The cavern reeks of burned hair

Mara lies on the ground, her head in Belén’s lap Purple welts are rising up all over her hands and face They must be all over her body, beneath her clothes Her breath co blue I drop to my knees beside them Not Mara, God, please, not her

"Heal her," Belén says His one good eye brims with tears "Please?"

I buryleft I’m barely--"

"Try!"

The world sways;"I’ll try" I reach down and take Mara’s hands They feel odd, like puffy pillows

A shape kneels besideup the way you did Ionly works for people you--"

"Tell me what to do"

I’m so dizzy, so tired But I have to stay awake "It’s creationandI always ihstone So maybe put your amulet in Mara’s hands?"

He wraps her hands around his a them there with his own Mara’s eyelids flutter, but they stay closed I want to tell Storht not be much time, but I don’t want to ruin his focus

He closes his eyes My own Godstone flutters in response as he draws on the zafira and focuses all the power on his alow

Mara’s back arches, and her sightless eyes fly open--but only for the briefest moment She crashes back to Belén’s lap, and Storh," he ine that some of Mara’s welts have turned sickly yellow? That the swelling in her face has subsided? A partial healing, h to save her life

I sway to the side, barely noting how Hector catches me before I join Mara and Stor is for Mara I scramble over and putis definitely easier

"Hector says she ed, his face bereft I’d bet my Godstone crown he hasn’t left her side

"You love her," I say gently

He nods "But she won’t marry me Says she may never , and she’s finally doing so"

I put a hand on his arm and squeeze