### 47

You are ten feet from the archway when a ghastly scream freezes you in your tracks and forces you to glance over your shoulder at a terrible scene. Three creatures, no taller than men but with shiny skin as black as night, claw at the warrior in a grisly tug-of-war. The snapping of bone and tearing of flesh makes you shudder, and the sight of the dead man's limbs being swallowed whole makes your stomach churn uncontrollably. The ghoulish creatures gurgle their delight, their jaws dislocating to accommodate their feast. As their fiery eyes fix themselves on you, a cold dagger of fear stabs into your mind. Blinded by panic, you turn and flee into the darkness of the archway.

Turn to 277.

Text copyright © 1986 Joe Dever.
Illustrations copyright © 1986 Gary Chalk.