Temple Hill - Drew Karpyshyn [69]
The orog howled a scream of rage and pain as Lhasha struck from behind, digging her dagger between the links of the monster's chain mail. Neither Corin nor the orog had noticed her stealthy approach.
The wound was deep, but not lethal. Graal spun around and swatted the half-elf away with the back of a paw, sending her sprawling across the battlefield.
Corin seized the opening and took the offensive. He lunged at his opponent's legs to keep him from setting his feet. He thrust and stabbed at the monster's torso, forcing it to lean back and keeping it off balance. Corin attacked with savage hacks and brutal slashes, chopping his blade down again and again, trying to deliver a blow solid enough to pierce the heavy, black chain mail protecting his opponent. Unused to being on the defensive, Graal gave ground, caught off guard by Corin's aggression and the speed of the unarmored warrior's pursuit.
The orog caught Corin's descending blade with his own and reversed the momentum, using his mass to throw the warrior back several feet and halt Corin's advance. The two faced each other again. Corin's fear was gone now, consumed by the exhilaration of physical combat. Graal pressed forward, but this time Corin was ready and he met the assault.
Attack. Defend. Attack. Defend. The familiar rhythm of battle began to develop, but Corin could still sense he was overmatched. He needed to use his agility and his quickness to offset the orog's size and strength, but he couldn't keep the orog off him. Defend. Attack. Defend. Defend. Inch by inch Graal closed the distance between them, gaining ground faster than Corin could fall back, making it harder and harder for Corin to take the initiative. Soon he would be in full retreat again.
From the corner of his eye he saw Lhasha rise to her feet. She wiped away the blood from her mouth and snatched her dagger up from where it had fallen on the ground. She circled around behind the orog, looking to stab him in the back again.
Graal saw her, too, and quickly stepped back, trying to keep both Lhasha and Corin in front of him. Corin tried to rush the orog, but Graal met the charge and Corin had to break off his attack to protect his vulnerable, exposed flesh from the orog's savage blade.
Graal wasn't given the chance to press the advantage. Lhasha was still circling, staying wide and trying to get behind Graal. The orog had to advance slowly, cautiously, always keeping her in his sights. Corin regained his footing, and Graal's chance was gone.
Corin had underestimated the half-elf. Lhasha hadn't been able to stand against the charge of the naga in the warehouse, but even Corin had struggled with his tactics against the snake. But in a battle against an outnumbered soldier, one like Graal, she understood the key to victory. As long as she stayed wide and kept trying to circle behind their opponent, the orog was hamstrung. He couldn't drive Corin back with mindless fury, unless he wanted to taste the bite of her blade in his back again, and if Graal turned his focus to Lhasha, Corin would jump at the opening.
The three of them circled in an awkward dance of feints and aborted maneuvers, oblivious of the main battle that raged less than fifty feet away. Corin would press forward, but each time the orog had the strength to drive him back and blunt his attack. Graal would advance on Corin, but Lhasha would move in behind and the orog would have to retreat until he had both his opponents in his view once again.
They were at a stand-off, and Fhazail was nowhere to be seen.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Aizlar understood the instant the first arrow whizzed by his ear. The young wizard was highly