The Maulgig was fast.
But Kest was just as fast.
He coated his dagger in mana and hurled it. The blade vanished inches from his hand—reappearing midair in front of the monster. The Maulgig twisted impossibly in flight, avoiding the fatal strike, but not completely. A thin red line opened across its forehead.
"A shame," Kest muttered, holding out his palm.
The dagger vanished from where it was embedded and reappeared in his hand. "I was aiming for your brain."
The monster wiped the blood from its face and licked it with a tongue that looked like cracked, black leather. It let out a deep, gargled growl. Its face contorted, not with pain, but with rage.
A challenge as it looked at them.
"Why are they waiting?" Kaedros asked Vexa, eyes flicking to the larger shadows moving through the woods. The bigger Maulgigs were there watching, waiting.
Vexa glanced at him as if he were part of the threat, then jerked her head toward the smaller one. Rauk overheard them and shrugged.
