Will wondered what had done it. Why had Tenebrim suddenly reconsidered? Then he felt the warmth. It spread through his back and up to the front of his chest. The cut he’d received only seconds before was sealing itself and a joyful feeling began to chase away his fear. Then Will became aware that something was pressed to his back. He pushed away from whatever it was and turned to see Seebrus, licking his chops and blinking absentmindedly. Beside him knelt the Mender.

“Get up Will, you’re not finished yet,” the man said with a smile.

Will wheeled back around to face the mantis, which still stood where it was, swaying and second-guessing itself. It didn’t know what to make of Seebrus and the Mender. Ezra and Bet slid to a stop only yards to Tenebrim’s side. Will had to take advantage of the single moment he had. He twisted the lid off his pill bottle and slipped his fingers in to grab one of the clear orbs.

“Ezra, catch this,” he said as he threw the Binder Ezra’s direction.

Ezra caught it between his hands and his mouth dropped open when he realized what it was.

“Feed it to him!” Will yelled.

“Blue! Stop messing around and get him,” Murden said as he began to run forward.

But Ezra was already sliding toward Tenebrim with the Binder held head-high.

“You want this?” Ezra said in a reassuring tone. Tenebrim twisted his head to inspect Ezra and for some reason, froze in place. Ezra continued to inch forward.

“You sure you know what you’re doing?” Bet said, but Ezra ignored her. Instead, he pushed up right beside Tenebrim, his hand only a foot or so from the blue mantis’s face.

“Wake up, blue!” Murden said as he drew near. Tenebrim suddenly hissed at Ezra and snapped his front claws menacingly. Still, Ezra remained frozen.

“Tenebrim come back to me,” he said softly. “This is yours. Take it and it’s all ok.”

Behind Ezra and Tenebrim, Murden’s tiny black and purple firefly slipped in and began to spin another wide arc of a circle. It started to glow purple and it would’ve opened another portal in an instant, but Swoop was there to interrupt. She quickly flew from behind Will and forced the firefly to break its path. The glowing space in the air vanished in a puff of fading smoke.

“That bird!” Murden yelled as Swoop flew further away.

“Tenebrim, now… please,” Ezra said in the most genuinely kind tone Will had yet heard from the boy. The mantis then leaned in and took it in its mouth and began to gulp it down.

“You little thief,” Murden had a look of murder in his eyes, but his tone remained steady and even. “No one steals from me. Still.. doesn’t really matter. You really think your Mantis is the worst Link I’ve got? How bout a real fight?”

Murden whistled and his firefly flew to his side. He started to hold something up to it but was suddenly interrupted. The whole crowd began to scream and scramble. Will turned to look at whatever it was that had caused the uproar.

There it was, bulbous and black, the enormous fanged toad. It turned it’s eyes toward the group of them, and again dragged its tongue out of its mouth and across a wide black and white eyeball. Something sunk in Will’s gut. The creature stared directly at him.

What should Will, Bet and Ezra do now?

Hold their ground

Escape and get out of town

Hide in the Mender’s house

This Poll is Closed