Ignoring the demon clawing to get at her, she fixated on the Mage nearest her. He had been smirking until he saw she was looking at him. He frowned.

And then he made a throwing motion, and she had to dodge as a small ball of fire hurtled toward her.

It hit the place where she had been standing and set the bracken smoldering. She barely had enough time to roll away to her feet when the second fireball hit where she had landed. Around her the air filled with fireballs, aimed at her and presumably the others, and she prayed that the spell that protected her was not something that Korlak had to concentrate on. And she prayed he’d had the sense to stay in his hide as he’d been told to do when she, Jicks, and Stev had leaped to their feet in what Jicks had been so certain was going to be the perfect ambush.

The dagger in her left hand burned whenever a fireball hit the shield. The demon followed her every step of the way, alternately tearing at her shield and howling at her. Smoke filled the air, an acrid smoke that made her eyes water and fight to keep her coughing under control. How soon before we have to dodge a wildfire? If these Mages were smart, they would realize all they’d have to do would be to start one behind their foes, and all four of them would be trapped between the fire and the Mages. And the fire would win the fight for the Karsites.

Do something! she screamed at herself. Anything!

And in desperation, when she saw the next fireball coming at her, she swatted at it with the dagger, as if it were a ball in one of those games her friends hated to play with her.

Finally a burst of luck! It connected, squarely, on the flat of the blade near the hilt, and it went scorching back toward the Mage that had cast it.

She got a glimpse of his startled face before the fireball cut through his shield as if it weren’t there and exploded in his face. She got a sickening glimpse of burning skin and bubbling flesh, and he dropped, screaming for a little while, as he continued to burn.

With a popping sound, the demon attacking her vanished.

Before another of the Mages realized she was free, she made a run for the next nearest. He saw her coming for him and switched his barrage of fireballs to her, but she made a dive for the turf and got under them. She hit the ground, rolled, and stabbed him in the groin with her dagger.

It went right through the shield.

He collapsed with a shriek, blood fountaining out of the wound, a lot of it splattering all over her.

His shield vanished.