happening.
The outlaws surged forward recklessly, seizing poles and
spears, jamming them into the Creeper’s massive body, trying
desperately to force the monster back over the edge. But the
Creeper was huge; it towered above them like a wall. Morgan
slowed in dismay. They might as well have been trying to turn
a river from its course. Nothing that large could be dislodged
by human strength alone.
The Creeper lunged forward, throwing itself into its attack-
ers. Poles and spears snapped and splintered as it hurtled down.
The men caught beneath died instantly, and several more were
quickly snatched up by the pinchers. An entire section of the
Jut’s fortifications collapsed under the creature’s weight. The
outlaws fell back as it hunched its way into them, smashing
weapons, stores, and campsites, catching up anything that
moved. Blows from swords and knives rained down on its body,
but the Creeper seemed unaffected. It advanced relentlessly.
stalking the men who retreated from it, destroying everything
in its path.
“Free-born!” the cry rang out suddenly. “To me!”
Padishar Creel materialized from out of nowhere, a bright
scarlet figure in the rain and mist, rallying his men. They cried
out in answer and rushed to stand beside him. He formed them
quickly into squads; halfcounterattacked the Creeper with mas-
sive posts to fend off the pinchers while the balance hacked at
the monster’s sides and back. The Creeper writhed and twisted,
but came on.
“Free-born, free-born!” The cries sounded from every-
where, lifting into the dawn, filling the grayness with their fury.
Then Axhind and his Rock Trolls appeared, their massive
bodies armored head to foot, wielding their huge battleaxes.
They attacked the Creeper head-on, striking for the pinchers.
Three died almost instantly, torn apart so fast that they disap-
peared in a blur of limbs and blood. But the others cut and
hacked with such determination that they shattered the left
pincher, leaving it broken and useless. Moments later, they cut
it off entirely.
The Creeper slowed. A trail of bodies littered the ground
behind it. Morgan still stood between the monster and the caves,
undecided as to what he should do and unable to understand
why. It was as if he had become mired in quicksand. He saw
the beast lift itself clear of the earth. Its head and pincher came
up, and it hung suspended like a snake about to strike, braced
on the back half of its body, prepared to throw itself on its
attackers and smash them. The Trolls and the outlaws fell back
in a rush, shouting to one another in warning.
Morgan looked for Padishar, but the outlaw chief had disap-
peared. The Highlander could not find him anywhere. For an
instant, he thought Padishar must have fallen. Rain trickled down
his face into his eyes, and he blinked it away impatiently. His
hand tightened on the handle of his broadsword, but still he hung
back.
The Creeper was inching forward, casting right and left to
protect against flanking attacks. A twitch of its tail sent several
men flying. Spears and arrows flew into it and bounced away.
Steadily it came on, forcing the defenders ever closer to the
caves. Soon, there would be nowhere left for them to go.
Morgan Leah was shaking. Do something! his mind screamed.
In that same instant Padishar reappeared at the mouth of the
largest of the Jut’s caves, calling out to his men to fall back.
Something huge lumbered into view behind him, creaking and
rumbling as it came. Morgan squinted through the gloom and
mist. Lines of men appeared, hauling on ropes, and the thing
began to take shape. Morgan could see it now as it cleared the
cavern entrance and crawled into the light.
It was a great, wooden crossbow.
Padishar had its handlers wheel it into position facing the
Creeper. Atop its base, Chandos used a heavy winch to crank
back the bowstring. A massive, sharpened bolt was fitted in
place.
The Creeper hesitated, as if to measure the potential danger
of this new weapon. Then, lowering itself slightly, it advanced,
its remainmg pincher clicking in anticipation.
Padishar ordered the first bolt fired when the creature was
still fifty feet away. The shot flew wide. The Creeper picked up