She dodged backward and rushed for her butchering table. For all her bulk, she moved as fast as any adventurer. Grabbing a knife in each hand, she spun to face Riana. “You’re too small for a meal, but I can make a mean dessert with elf liver and Sweetroot.”

Dried blood and other things crusted the blades of her knives. Golaka didn’t believe in cleaning her tools, claiming that the remnants of previous meals added flavor. They were still sharp enough to slice Riana into bite-size chunks, though. As a child, Jig used to come watch Golaka cook, so he knew those knives were a far cry from the discarded blades he and the others took to carry on patrol. These could fillet a dwarf in minutes, armor and all.

He didn’t know what to do. For the first time, he understood Darnak’s struggle when he watched Barius and Ryslind try to kill one another. Like Darnak, Jig didn’t want either one of the combatants to die. He could probably grab another weapon and join the fight, but on which side? Stabbing Riana in the back didn’t feel right somehow. Even if she had swiped his sword. And he certainly couldn’t kill Golaka. Who would run the kitchen?

Riana scurried away from a vicious combination of thrusts and swipes. Having watched the others fight, Jig realized she wasn’t a much better warrior than he was.

“Hurry, Jig.”

Huh? She pointed past him, at the cauldron. That almost cost her a hand as Golaka chopped at her sword wrist. But Jig understood.

Sticking out at an angle from the top of the pot, the Rod of Creation was unguarded. Jig grabbed the rod and pulled it out of the cauldron. The metal bowl on the end was heavier than he expected, but the rod itself felt like any other stick. Years of handling had smoothed and darkened the wood, turning it deep brown.

“Got it,” he shouted. While Riana tried to retreat without taking a knife in the back, he traced a finger through the residue on the bowl and stuck it in his mouth. Delicious. After days of bread, cheese, and smoked meat, Jig was in heaven.

“My spoon!”

Seeing Golaka’s rage, Jig changed his mind. He wasn’t in heaven after all. Though if Golaka got her hands on him, she would no doubt send him there.

He ran back into the main cave, hoping Riana was behind him but not stopping to check. Not with Golaka swinging knives as if she were the goddess of cutlery. His panicked retreat took him halfway through the cavern before he noticed he was in more trouble than he thought.