XVI.

Hunnah's head whirled. Up ahead, Coin was screaming. It was a shocked, wailing cry of unexpected injury. A great arm had reached through the rock and clamped itself around his right thigh. It tugged at the cleric impatiently, and Coin's feet flew out from under him. The cleric lost his grip on his lantern, and it was hurled straight into one of the cavern's delicate stalactites. Stone and glass flew everywhere in a brief roar of flame.

Hunnah dropped flat as one glass shard whirled past her cheek and smashed against rocky boulder. Something or someone bellowed loudly. The air was filled with the tinkling of breaking glass as she rolled across the cavern floor. Dust from the fallen stalactite was in her eyes and stinging her nose. Fighting a sneeze, she reached the cleric and snapped out her roll into a defensive crouch. Her quarterstaff was ready in her hand somehow; she'd been carrying her lantern in it before. That had come to rest next to her abandoned pack, throwing a flickering yellow light over this end of the cave.

She blinked; part of the cave wall was a grey troll. Coin lay sprawled at its feet, but the sight of fire had startled it. It had let go of him to squeeze itself fully through the tight crack it had struck from. Now, as Hunnah skidded in front of it, it ignored him for her. It took a tremendous swipe at her face, which Hunnah ducked easily. But it was a feint she realised as it passed harmlessly overhead, for the troll's other claw shot out to snatch at her feet. Hunnah sprang into the air, still bent forwards into her crouch. Her legs swept out to either side of her body, and the greedy hand of the troll closed on nothing.

She landed off balance but kept on her feet. She'd expected it with the rocky cave floor, and instead of struggling she twisted herself, letting the motion carry her away from the monster. She tumbled like an acrobat out of the reach of the troll's teeth and claws. As she rolled, she snapped her staff out into the confounded troll's knee. Her head struck something hard and sharp as she span across the floor, but there was a satisfying crunch of bone where the staff struck. The creature howled and staggered backwards.

Coin clutched at his thigh with both hands and felt the healing spell pulse warmly through his palms. He'd prepared several in case of climbing accidents; he nearly giggled at the thought, but fought it down. There was a knotting sensation in his leg as the spell took hold, and the blood leaking down his leg slowed to a trickle. The sudden realise from pain hit him like an icy draft in the face, and he gasped with it.

Behind him the monster roared.

He ripped his sword out of its scabbard and scrabbled round on his knees, terrified it was back to tear into his back. Instead he saw the monster struck again by the monk. Using her stave as a quarterstaff she jabbed it past the troll's flailing arms and into one it's great watery eyes. The troll shrieked as though burnt, and an astonished Coin saw its eye socket smashed to jelly and bone.

His mind racing he brought his own sword up and spat out another spell; the blade glowed an angry dark red as the summoned energy wrapped itself around it. The spell cost Hunnah though. The troll pounced like a cat on its prey, trying to trap her under its claws. The monk escaped the monster's leap, but she had forgotten the reach of its arms. A clawed hand swiped out as she rolled; it sliced up her side and glanced off her ribs. Blood blossomed across her robes, and she staggered sideways, her face turned pale.

Struck by a sudden terror at her expression, Coin just charged. He didn't understand it; there was no time to wonder. He just knew that the thought of being all alone in this place was unbearable. His wild charge startled the troll. It tried to ward him off with one arm and keep the monk in sight of its remaining eye and it failed. The beast's damaged knee gave way as it twisted around to fight Coin. When it stumbled to the floor, they both tore into it mercilessly.

Coin chopped savagely down on the arm the troll raised to shield its face. The sword cut through the tough hide of the troll, the fatty meat of the forearm and through the thick cords of muscles around the wrist. Bone splintered and Coin yelped and staggered back. His jarred wrists nearly made him drop his weapon- the blow had half-severed the monster's hand from its arm, leaving it hanging by a flap of skin.

The troll sat down hard, staring dully at its stump. Then it slumped sideways, as they beat and chopped at it relentlessly. But it wouldn't die. It shrieked and it thrashed, but it couldn't. Its body kept knitting it back together, closing up the injured flesh and keeping it forever just back from the end of death. If they stopped striking it…

Coin's shoulders burned and his sword was slippery in his grasp with troll-blood. His wound had torn itself open during the struggled. He looked at Hunnah. The halfling's face was beaded with sweat. Blood trickled from a gash that ran from eye to jaw, and her body was hunched protectively over her side. They had to escape this madness somehow, find a place to rest, to heal. They could come back again, better prepared next time. He remembered seeing the halfling's staff crush the troll's eye. Yes! That was it!

He shouted at the monk "Hunnah! Blind it with me! Use your staff!"

Hunnah ignored him and leapt away.

Out of the pool of light cast by the lamp she went, and past him, leaving him hacking alone at the writhing troll. For a second he didn't believe it. She'd abandoned him? Then the pool of light from the lamp flickered and moved higher. She was stealing the light. She was leaving him here. He'd underestimated her. He hadn't thought she was so like him.

He left the troll then. He turned to face the light. She was running towards him, clutching the oil-lamp in both hands. Her quarterstaff was nowhere to be seen. Behind him the monster made a deep sucking sound. A claw reached feebly out and gripped his ankle. Hunnah raised the lamp in both hands and hurled it down onto the troll's face. Coin sprang forwards and tackled her to the ground as fire roared its release from confinement. Behind them the troll burned.

Hunnah looked up at Coin through a cake of soot and blood.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she said.

"No reason," he said, "You just look terrible. Here, let me see those cuts."