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for millennia. Morigna could not command such a monster, could not even influence it.
    She could, however, force it to stop.
    The urvaalg roared, shaking its head back and forth as it fought against Morigna’s influence. Morigna gritted her teeth, sweat dripping down her face, both hands thrust out in front of her. The urvaalg began to inch towards her, one agonizing step at a time. Morigna could not hold it back. 
    She tried to find the power for another spell, but every scrap of her strength held the urvaalg back. She did not even have enough concentration left to draw her dagger and attack. 
    Still the urvaalg crept closer, the burns from the acid healing, its entire body trembling as it fought against her spell. 
    The Old Man’s sneering contempt echoed through her mind. If only she had been stronger. If only she had been stronger!
     
    ###
     
    Ridmark dodged another slash and swung the axe, scoring a hit along the urvaalg’s ribs. The creature retreated a step, giving him an opportunity to glance at Morigna. She stood facing the second urvaalg, her hands outthrust, her arms trembling with fatigue. The urvaalg dragged itself towards her inch by inch. He understood what she was doing at once. She had done something similar against the mzrokar in the ruins of Thainkul Dural. 
    Yet sooner or later the urvaalg would overwhelm her control, and then it would kill her. Her blood would pool across the ground just as Aelia’s had, and then…
    He threw himself at his foe, accepting a minor hit across his ribs in exchange for driving his axe into its shoulder.
     
    ###
     
    Morigna’s heartbeat thundered in her ears, the sweat dripping into her eyes despite the chill of the Torn Hills.
    The urvaalg was only a dozen feet away now. Soon enough it would be close enough to spring on her, and then the fight would be over. 
    Again Morigna tried to summon the strength for another spell, and again she failed. 
    How the Old Man would have mocked her weakness.
     
    ###
     
    Ridmark ripped his axe from the urvaalg’s shoulder, its black blood hissing and spitting upon the blade, and struck again. The impact of the heavy weapon knocked the urvaalg back, and it stumbled into a crouch, its glowing eyes fixed upon him. 
    It was going to jump on him.
    Ridmark took several deep breaths, his side burning from the wound.
    He decided to let the urvaalg jump.
    The creature snarled and flung itself forward in a dark blur, and Ridmark charged to meet it. The creature slammed into him, its strength and power driving him to the ground.
    The force of the blow also drove the axe blade into its chest with enough force to crack ribs and shred flesh. The urvaalg loosed a wheezing cough, black blood bursting from its mouth, its claws raking at Ridmark. He ripped his axe free and rolled, ignoring the pain of his wounds, and brought the axe down onto the urvaalg’s neck.
    Three heavy blows later, the creature’s head rolled away from the spurting stump of its neck.
    Ridmark ran. The second urvaalg twitched towards Morigna, and was almost close enough to strike. 
    He sprinted for them as fast as he could manage.
     
    ###
     
    A spasm went through Morigna’s eyes as the horrible force of the urvaalg’s mind pressed against her. She swayed and almost fell, all her magic struggling against the malevolent weight of the urvaalg’s will. She closed her eyes to concentrate, trying to hold her spell in place as the urvaalg advanced.
    Then, all at once, the malefic pressure vanished. 
    She opened her eyes and saw Ridmark standing next to the urvaalg, the blade of his axe buried in the creature’s misshapen skull. He wrenched the weapon free with a grisly crackling noise, and the urvaalg collapsed motionless to the ground, a pool of black blood spread around its cloven head.
    Morigna let out a shuddering breath.
     
    ###
     
    “You’re not hurt?” said Ridmark, breathing hard.
    Morigna shook her head. Ridmark had been sure, so sure, that he would