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You conjure forth the Brotherhood spell of Lightning Hand and, at once, your right arm is sheathed with rings of glowing, blue fire. Calmly you raise your hand, point your index finger at the leader of the Akataz pack, and with a blink of your eyes you launch a crackling pulse of energy directly at his head. The bolt arcs through the cold air and hits the war-dog squarely between the eyes, sending it tumbling backwards in a flurry of snow to disappear among the trees.

Instantly the others halt in their tracks, visibly shaken. You sense that the pack is torn now between its desire to satisfy its gnawing hunger and its natural instinct for survival. Eventually the instinct for self-preservation wins out, and one by one the dogs turn and flee for the safety of the Tozaz forest.

Confident that the Akataz will not be back this night, you return to the boat to catch some sleep while Prarg begins his turn on guard.

Turn to 215.

Text copyright © 1991 Joe Dever.
Illustrations copyright © 1991 Brian Williams.