Darnak dropped his quill and struck out with his fist, knocking the thing away and letting Jig see it clearly in the lantern light.

They were bats. Bigger than any bat Jig had seen, but they could be nothing else. Their bodies were almost as big as Darnak himself, and the wings stretched at least ten feet to either side. Another swooped down behind Jig, giving him a close look at their bristled, piglike faces, and a row of needle-sharp teeth. The only redeeming features were their brown ears, even bigger than a goblin’s.

Jig grabbed his sword and swung wildly. More by luck than any skill, the tip grazed the bat’s wing and sent it spinning out of sight beneath the bridge.

Darnak yelled something else, but Jig couldn’t hear. More bats were coming down behind him. He ran to join the others.

Only to drop through another illusionary tile. He didn’t have time to panic. One second he was running, the next he was dropping his sword and scrambling for a handhold. His fingers slipped, and then the rope jerked him to a halt. Jig clutched the rope with both hands and hoped Darnak wouldn’t follow him through. If the dwarf and all that equipment fell through the hole, Jig doubted the others would be able to support the weight.

The rope tore skin from Jig’s armpits as he dangled helplessly. Smudge flattened himself to Jig’s shoulder, legs clinging to the leather pad, and Jig could feel the heat on his cheek. “Don’t touch the rope,” he warned. The last thing he needed was for the stupid fire-spider to crawl around and set the rope on fire. Fortunately, Smudge appeared to be stiff with fear.

Something moved nearby. He couldn’t see very well since the bridge blocked most of the light, but the shifting shadows in front of him took on the ugly form of a bat, only a few feet away. Even if his sword weren’t lying useless on the bridge above, he wouldn’t have dared release his grip on the rope long enough to use it.

So the next time the bat came near, he kicked as hard as he could. His boot caught the bat’s snout, and it looped away.

The movement started him twisting. Another bat flew at him and clobbered his head with a wing. The bat’s small claws reached out but missed. Now he was spinning the other direction. Much more of this, and he’d lose what little food he had eaten. He imagined the undigested bread dropping endlessly through the darkness and wondered what the bats would make of it.

More squeals ripped at Jig’s ears. What he wouldn’t have given for another alcove to hide in. He twisted his head, trying to see where the next attack would come from.