Priscilla froze and Asha was immediately on alert, whispering, “Master, the woods.”

  Sure enough, now that Priscilla focused, she could tell that croak came from that direction. The faint snapping of plants joined the croaking and rainfall as large masses hopped through the forest. Peering into the darkness, Priscilla could see large shadowy shapes were moving forward to where the poison had been concentrated.

  She stood grabbing her boots off the wall and shoving her feet in them, grimacing at the wetness that pressed against her toes. But Priscilla knew it’d be better than risking stepping onto an errant twig with her bare feet and being taken out of the fight because of something preventable.

  Priscilla quietly went to Sulaiman’s bedside, firmly shaking his arm. Sulaiman stirred to wakefulness quickly as Priscilla whispered, “The toads are here.”

  Sulaiman’s expression shifted from sleepy surprise to seriousness within a blink as he got to his feet, reaching for his sword.

  “From where we thought?” Sulaiman asked, his voice raspy from sleep.

  Priscilla nodded and Sulaiman went to crouch near where she had been keeping watch, grabbing his shield as he passed by it. It was still damaged from the last time they fought Goreloock Toads, but it was better than nothing.

  Priscilla went to Kavil next, shaking his shoulder lightly at first and then more forcefully when he didn’t twitch. Finally he made a sleepy noise and opened his eyes but Priscilla pressed a finger against his lips before Kavil could speak.

  “Shh,” Priscilla said. “They’re–”

  She was cut off by another loud croak carried through the air. Priscilla held back a curse and grabbed Kavil’s shirt to pull him into a sitting position.

  “Time to focus, sleepyhead,” Priscilla whispered, placing her hands onto Kavil’s shoulder to look him in the eyes. “Grab the water and crossbow, okay?”

  Kavil nodded and was rubbing his eyes when Priscilla turned on her heels to crouch next to Sulaiman.

  Oh fuck me sideways, Priscilla thought as the toads broke through the treeline. She spotted at least six of the damn things, and she couldn’t even see beyond them into the forest, so there could be more behind them. This pack was twice as large as a normal Gorelock Toad pack, and Priscilla thought they’d struggle against just three of them.

  “We can’t take that many on,” Sulaiman whispered, coming to the same conclusion she had. “It’d be suicidal in these conditions.”

  Priscilla chewed on her lip, mind racing to come up with a solution as another toad made itself known, hopping forward and sending the poisoned water up with a splash.

  “We stay put and keep quiet,” Priscilla said because she couldn’t come up with anything better. “The toads’ sense of hearing is shit and while they can smell well, I hope the rain can help block us out.”

  Sulaiman pursed his lips, frustrated at doing nothing but he stayed put. He shifted into a more comfortable waiting position with a firm grip on his sword.

  “What do we do if they get closer?” Kavil asked, coming up behind them. “We can’t use our plan.”

  The original plan of attack against the toads was for Sulaiman to do most of the heavy lifting by using the trees to get enough height to strike at the toad’s weak spots. Priscilla was to be on distraction duty for the other toads and Kavil was going to be on standby for when the toads started spewing poison. If the toads started to overwhelm them, Sulaiman would summon a wall of flames temporarily to give Priscilla and Kavil a moment to collect themselves.

  But with the lack of trees or sturdy surfaces for Sulaiman to launch himself off of and with the rain making fire magic a lost cause, that plan was a bust.

  One of the toads jumped forward and bumped into another one that croaked unhappily and spat poison at the first toad. It did very little against the toad’s protective mucus, but the two toads did begin to square off, each doing oddly aggressive push up motions at one another and croaking loudly. The sight would almost be comical if Priscilla couldn’t spot seven other toads hopping around. But the other toads didn’t seem to be getting along much better as they bumped into each other, with one breaking from the rest of them to move towards the ruined inn after it was bodied and had poison spat on it by another.

  The beginning of an idea sparked in Priscilla’s mind as she scanned the area around them.

  Gorelock Toad packs were family units and the book said it was rare for the toads to fight amongst their packmates. The only time the toads fought was when it was mating season or…

  When they encountered another pack and fought over food and territory.

  Going off her working theory that these toads had been transplanted here, Priscilla would bet good money that whoever had arranged for the summoning hadn’t known much about Gorelock Toads. They probably just saw the toads as beings of destruction to spread poison rather than animals – animals whose habits could be exploited because they were dumb as hell.

  “How good is your shot?” Priscilla asked Sulaiman, tearing her eyes away from the poisoned puddle nearby as her plan began to truly take shape in her mind.

  Sulaiman turned towards her, black eyes narrowed. But the furrow in his eyebrows smoothed out after he studied Priscilla’s face.

  “It’s decent,” Sulaiman said, but he was already reaching for the crossbow in Kavil’s hands. Kavil looked confused but allowed him to take it without fighting, glancing between them and the toads nervously.

  “Kavil, how much magic do you have?”

  Kavil blinked and said, “I have about a third of my reserves left.”

  “How far away can you manipulate water from?”

  “I’ve never tested my limits,” Kavil said, shifting uneasily, “but I would guess fifty feet is my maximum.”

  Priscilla chewed on her lip as she nodded. That wasn’t perfect since the toads were at least a hundred feet away based on Priscilla's estimate but it can be workable. “Can you imbue something with your magic? So, even if it leaves your range, it’ll do what you want if certain conditions occur?”

  Both Sulaiman and Kavil gave her surprised looks but Kavil’s was soon replaced with a determined one as he leaned forward.

  “I can try,” Kavil promised.

  And that was all Priscilla could ask of him. It’d have to be good enough – even if what she planned for Kavil to do didn’t work, Priscilla thought everything else she cooked up might be enough.

  “Give me two bolts,” Priscilla told Sulaiman.

  The moment the two bolts were in her hand, Priscilla slowly and quietly made her way out of the stable before the boys could stop her, ducking so that the ruins hid her from the toads. The rain pelted her, soaking through her flimsy nightgown within seconds, but Priscilla ignored it as she dashed to the broken wall nearest the poisoned puddle closest to the stable. Priscilla stretched her arm to dip the head of the bolt into the poison so it was fully submerged, and then used her hand to protect the poison from the rain. The metal sizzled slowly, but since it was diluted by the rainwater, the poison wasn’t as corrosive.

  A glance over her shoulder proved none of the toads had noticed Priscilla, too caught up in one another, so she took the chance to dart back to the stable, taking care to keep the poisoned part of the crossbow far from her.

  Priscilla held out the bolt towards Kavil, saying, “Imbue your magic into the poison to do the opposite of when you healed me once they strike their targets. If you can’t do that, just try and make it so the poison can’t be washed off in the rain.”

  Kavil took the bolts after only a moment of hesitation and Priscilla turned to Sulaiman.

  “When the bolts are ready,” Priscilla said, pushing her wet hair out of her face, “aim for one of the two toads that are fighting and then the one that’s broken from the pack.”

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Sulaiman stared at her like he didn’t know what to do with her but Priscilla saw the moment when he realized what she was trying to do.

  “Understood,” Sulaiman said, readying the crossbow.

  Just in time too, as Kavil said, “I don’t know how well it’ll work, but I tried my best.”

  “That’s all I can ask,” Priscilla said.

  Sulaiman loaded the bolts and then raised the crossbow with perfect posture to stare down the sights. He pulled the trigger and the bolt went flying through the air, the sound of it firing drowned out by the rain.

  It sank into the leg of the toad that had originally started the fight (Priscilla mentally dubbed it Toad A). Toad A let out a croaking roar of pain and lashed out. Its claws raked across its pushup partner (Toad B) and Toad B let out a throaty hiss as it spat poison at Toad A. Priscilla squeezed her fist in victory when the poison connected with where the bolt had hit and Toad A reared back in shock.

  Sulaiman let out a slow exhale as he lined up the second shot. The toad by the inn had turned towards the chaos happening behind it. Sulaiman took advantage of that, the crossbow bolt sinking into the sweet spot in its neck. The toad collapsed mid-hop, twitching as the poison spread to its brain.

  “Let me clean it,” Kavil said insistently, opening up a water skin before taking the crossbow from Sulaiman. Water floated out and enveloped the crossbow shooting mechanisms before taking small flecks of purple with it as Kavil directed it to join the puddles outside.

  But then Kavil settled in next to Priscilla to watch the chaos they had created.

  Toad A was slammed to the ground by another toad and Toad B was now fending off another one that had started to attack it from behind with its claws. The sounds of angry croaking and large masses slamming into one another reached them as more toads joined the fray.

  “I think they’re from two different family units,” Priscilla said quietly. “Normally they don’t get along well, but these are strange circumstances. I wasn’t sure it’d work but we lit the fuse for instincts to take over.”

  Toad A (the only toad Priscilla was able to track since it had a bolt sticking out of it) was trembling and favoring the leg that had been covered in poison as it tried to push itself to its feet. But another toad attacked with its claws and left large gashes against Toad A’s back. Another toad laid a few feet away, its stomach clawed open and its organs spilling out.

  “Do you think we should shoot again?” Kavil asked hesitantly.

  Sulaiman shook his head. “We don’t want to draw more attention to us when the toads are doing a great job taking care of each other.”

  Toad A gave one final effort, spitting poison into the air so it rained down the other toads, but Toad A didn’t account for the fact it had open wounds itself and convulsed on the ground. The other toads were in a frenzy of slashing claws and poisoned spit, a cacophony of angry croaking and tearing flesh filling the air.

  It took nearly ten minutes of quiet waiting for the fighting to die down. Seven of the toads had died in the brawl and the last two had limped into the forest with heavy wounds.

  Priscilla felt a sliver of pride take root within her that her haphazard, barely cobbled together plan worked so well. She waited another minute until even the distant sounds of the toad fleeing faded before speaking.

  “I think that’s the last we’ll see of the toads,” Priscilla said, finally relaxing, “so we should be good to fall back asleep. The scent of the toads' blood and the poison should have all the other monsters in the forest giving us a wide berth.”

  But now that adrenaline wasn’t flooding Priscilla’s veins, her body decided to remind her that she was soaked to the bone. Priscilla shivered and it drew both of the boys’ attention as they glanced at her with various levels of concern. Sulaiman’s gaze flicked down briefly before abruptly returning to Priscilla’s face.

  “You know, you only have yourself to blame for being wet,” Sulaiman said dryly as his minuscule amount of concern for her disappeared so he could be smug at her expense.

  “Piss off,” Priscilla said, wrapping her arms around herself in a vain attempt to help warm her up. Kavil smiled, the expression hesitant at first but growing wider as Priscilla glowered at Sulaiman.

  “You could have asked me to use my magic to do the exact same thing and you’d be dry right now,” Kavil said after a beat, a hint of cheekiness in his tone, and Priscilla turned her glower towards him. Sulaiman’s smug smirk grew wider.

  “And it wouldn’t have had you risk the toads seeing you,” Sulaiman added. “A far smarter solution in my opinion.”

  Priscilla rolled her eyes.

  “Take the piss out of me all you want,” Priscilla said, rubbing her arms to try to get rid of the goosebumps, “but I didn’t see you guys coming up with anything better and my plan worked flawlessly.”

  “Only because Sulaiman was an excellent shot,” Kavil teased. “You didn’t prepare any extra bolts in case he missed.”

  Priscilla gasped in mock outrage and glared at Sulaiman.

  “Sulaiman, you’ve turned Kavil against me,” Priscilla accused.

  “If he did, it’s only because of your own actions,” Sulaiman said, easily batting away her hands when she tried to push him over. “Perhaps try thinking more next time, idiot, and he’d agree with you.”

  Priscilla let out a frustrated noise and brought her knees to her chest to sulk behind them. Kavil laughed, which made it harder for Priscilla to keep up the act but she was committed, damnit, so she pouted at him, which unfortunately just made him laugh harder.

  “Kavil, go get her something to dry off with,” Sulaiman said after Kavil’s giggles subsided. “We can’t have her sitting here soaked all night because heaven forbid she catches a cold – she’d be insufferable.”

  “I’m going to sneeze all over you if I get sick,” Priscilla muttered as Kavil stood up.

  “What a terrifying threat,” Sulaiman deadpanned.

  “You should fear me, I’m terrifying.”

  “Yeah, about as much as a kitten.”

  “A dedicated kitten can still claw out your eyes.”

  “You’re forgetting that I can simply pick them up and the problem is solved.”

  Priscilla opened her mouth to retort that she was too heavy to pick up when Kavil returned with a towel and Sulaiman took it from him to drop it onto Priscilla’s head. She started to sputter and yanked it off her head to glare at him.

  “Bastard,” Priscilla growled before she started drying her hair. Kavil unhelpfully just laughed at her.

  “Go get changed,” Sulaiman ordered, pushing on her back with his knees.

  “You’re a tyrant,” Priscilla complained as she lurched forward.

  “He’s not being a tyrant if what he tells you to do is in your best interests,” Kavil said, reaching out a hand to help pull Priscilla to her feet. She took it with a sigh because it was clear it was a boys v. girls situation at the moment. When they met up with Illnyea, Priscilla hoped that could help turn the tides.

  Priscilla changed quickly into her backup nightgown and was ready to resume keeping watch but found that Sulaiman was sitting on the stool she had claimed for herself.

  When Sulaiman noticed Priscilla staring at him, waiting for him to move, he crossed his arms stubbornly.

  “I’ll start my watch early,” Sulaiman said. “I’m the better shot with the crossbow, so go to sleep.”

  Priscilla thought about arguing for fairness sake but based on the slant on Sulaiman’s mouth, it’d be a lost cause.

  “Fine,” Priscilla said, tossing her hair, “if you want to court sleep deprivation, who am I to stop you?”

  Sulaiman just rolled his eyes as Priscilla made her way to her bedroll. She hesitated briefly, glancing at the stall she had chosen for herself, before turning on her heel to where Kavil was getting himself comfortable.

  “Can I sleep here?” Priscilla asked, gesturing next to him with her feet since her arms were full.

  “Of course,” Kavil said, quickly clearing out the space so she could lay down.

  Priscilla shimmied into the bed roll and situated her small pillow below her head as Kavil did the same next to her.

  She was staring at the ceiling, her mind drifting back to her conversation with Asha and the implications of its Jailer being a god, when Kavil’s voice broke through her thoughts.

  “I know I made fun of you,” Kavil said softly so that the sound didn’t carry to Sulaiman, “but your plan was good, especially when you had to create it so quickly. I could barely think straight while you had it all figured it out.”

  Even as Priscilla could feel the sincerity in Kavil’s words, there was a hint of self-deprecation that she couldn’t abide. She had screwed up earlier by speaking without thinking and she wondered if that had made him less confident in himself.

  Priscilla shifted so she could look at Kavil easier. He had also been staring at the ceiling but glanced toward her when she moved.

  “The only reason I knew what to do,” Priscilla said, “was because I’m a huge nerd.”

  Kavil snorted, his face disbelieving.

  “No, really,” Priscilla insisted. “I probably spend too much time reading and thinking about all the different monsters in this world. It’s a hobby of mine that’s ended up being far more useful than I had ever thought it could be.”

  “Fine,” Kavil conceded, “your nerdiness helped you make a plan, but I was dead weight until you gave me something to do.”

  Priscilla reached over and poked Kavil in the shoulder harshly.

  “What did I say about insulting my savior?” Priscilla asked and that finally brought a smile to his face.

  “That you would annoy me until I stop,” Kavil said.

  “That’s right,” Priscilla said. “You’re still a rookie adventurer – no one expects you to be perfect immediately. So don’t beat yourself up about it or else I’ll have to be more forceful to make my point.”

  Kavil glanced away, mumbling something that was too soft for her to hear clearly.

  Priscilla raised an eyebrow as she said, “You complaining already? I haven’t even had the chance to make good on my threat.”

  “No,” Kavil laughed, “I just…”

  Kavil leaned onto his hand, smiling at Priscilla in a way that had her breath catching in her throat.

  “Thanks for cheering me up, Priscilla,” Kavil said.

  Priscilla pushed away the urge to apologize for being the one that made him nearly cry earlier and chose to focus on this moment.

  “Anytime you need it,” Priscilla said, “you only need to ask me and I’ll come running.”

  Kavil opened his mouth, but–

  “What’s the point of having different watch shifts if you’re just going to stay awake?” Sulaiman said, sounding exasperated. “Stop whispering to each other and go to sleep.”

  “Sorry mother,” Priscilla drawled, “we’ll be good little boys and girls and go right to bed.”

  Sulaiman sighed heavily as Kavil chuckled.

  “Sleep well, Kavil,” Priscilla said, shifting back onto her back.

  “You too, Priscilla.”