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He wore a gold ring through his nose and his two bottom canines were oversized and protruded like the tusks of a wild boar.
My insides turned to water.
“What do we have here?” the creature said.
He grinned at me. Saliva drooled from one corner of his mouth. It swung side to side before languishing on the muddy ground.
“My, my,” he said. “Well, aren’t you a tasty little treat.”
He was talking about me. I doubted I would be much more than a snack for this guy.
“I’m not sure the Changelings would be happy with you killing us so fast,” Chax said.
“They sent me here to track you down and that’s just what I’ve done,” he said. “If they wanted more of an interesting match, they shouldn’t have hired me to come find you.”
I picked up a stone and hurled it at the figure. It struck him between the eyes.
“We’re not afraid of you!” I said pathetically.
“Oh, but you should be,” the creature said. “The name’s Iron Hoof and I’m here to be your end. Prepare yourself. Hope is over now that Iron Hoof has come.”
He held the war hammer between both hands and pawed at the ground with a hoof, tearing up the moist soil and tossing it up behind him. He bolted forward and ran at us.
Chax grabbed me by the hand and led me back behind the barn. The ground shook and thundered beneath Iron Hoof’s heavy feet.
“What the hell is that thing?” I said.
“Our worst nightmare,” Chax said. “Come on!”
We came to a stop behind the barn.
“He’s big and heavy,” I said. “I think we can outrun him!”
“No, we can’t,” Chax said. “He’s bigger and stronger than us. And a hell of a lot faster. When he builds up speed, he’s unstoppable. The only way to survive is to injure him, slow him down, and stay out of his way. Keep close.”
Chax scooped up the pitchfork that leaned against the wall. I grabbed a digging fork. It was surprisingly light. Even I could handle it.
The ground shook as Iron Hoof drew closer.
Chax drew his pitchfork back and prepared to thrust it at the creature when it barreled around the corner. I gripped the fork as tightly as I could.
We’d have to be fast. We needed to strike and immediately dive out of the way. We might only get one chance. Once he was on us, there would be no escape.
For a moment, the heavy thunder of the creature’s hoof steps disappeared.
Had he gone in a different direction?
But no. The hoof steps hadn’t disappeared.
Their sound had only been blocked.
By what?
Farmyard animals in the barn crowed in surprise. It lasted only a split second. Just long enough for Chax to grab me by my suit and yank me aside, hurling me around the barn’s corner.
For a moment, I thought he was sacrificing me, using me as a distraction to get the creature’s attention.
CRASH!
