The gnoll stared back at Evin, the monster breathing heavily.

Evin took a quick glance over his shoulder and saw Bet standing near the stairway entrance. And then he got an idea.

“Bet! Get this one to follow you up the stairs and then get clear!”

“No!” she cried back. “You take it toward the back wall and I’ll—”

“Just do it!”

The gnoll attacked. The deadly edge of the battle-axe whizzed toward Evin’s face and he dodged to his right. He felt the rush of the stained steel blade as it nearly sliced off his arm.

The gnoll didn’t hesitate. It swung its axe again, and this time Evin ducked. Again the gnoll sliced, again he barely managed to dodge what was surely meant as a killing blow.

“Any time now!” he called out.

The singed gnoll raised its axe high and cackled. Evin took a breath, waiting … and then the gnoll brought the axe down. He flung himself down and forward, pulling himself into a ball and tumbling right between the gnoll’s doglike legs.

He jumped up to his feet, temporarily back-to-back with his foe. Across the diamond-shaped room, he saw Jorick lash out with his sword as the one-eared gnoll attacked. The sword met the middle of the axe and split the wooden shaft in two as easily as though Jorick had sliced through a twig. The one-eared gnoll’s arms flailed out, sending the two halves of the broken battle-axe flying across the room. The bladed half landed in the nearby wooden door with a thunk and stuck there.

The singed gnoll howled again. Evin spun around just in time to see his enemy swinging its battle-axe toward him. He gasped and tried to leap back, but he knew there was no time to dodge this blow. He was about to die.

But before the blade could hit him, the gnoll flew backward as though some invisible person had tackled it, taking the axe with it. It landed on its back and lay there, momentarily stunned.

At the entrance of the stairway, Bet stood with her wand held high, her lips twisting to form words of magic.

The singed gnoll leaped up to its feet, but Bet flicked her wand yet again. Hundreds of perfectly harmless, firefly-like sparks fluttered in front of the gnoll’s face. The gnoll swatted at them then growled deep in its throat. Yipping in annoyance, it bounded toward Bet.

“Up the stairs!” Evin shouted at the wizard. “Hurry!”

Bet didn’t hesitate. She spun around and raced up the stairs. “You better have a really good plan!”

Evin didn’t respond. He held a dagger tightly in his right hand, watching and waiting.

The gnoll stepped over the door’s threshold.

“Evin! Do something!” Bet’s voice echoed from the stairwell. “It’s coming!”

“Just a moment longer,” Evin said calmly. He aimed the dagger like Marten taught him in target practice so many times.