CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Lord Fragg laid his head slowly into the palm of his hand. The Mudokon and all four of his fellows had just scrambled up the side of the canyon and disappeared away, and the Wolvark had done the same only a few minutes ago. Through his binoculars, the Glukkon had witnessed the whole scene of disaster: the Sligs had charged in with guns waving, as they should, but that Wolvark had somehow turned against them, deciding to take down all the Slig minions single-handedly.
How could things have gone so wrong? How could the Mudokons have gotten safely away from twenty-four Sligs? How could fate have twisted itself around in so many ways?
He turned and hurried back toward the remaining eighteen Slig squads. “The Mudokons are escaping!” he roared. “Get after them – ignore the Wolvark, kill Abe!”
Without even a word of acknowledgement, five squads rushed away toward the place where Abe and his pals had been standing a few seconds before. “Keep your guns at the waist!” Fragg shouted after them. “As soon as you see them, fire!”
The Sligs hurried off to do his bidding, following his instructions. Fragg felt his hope dying quickly in his chest; it had looked so certain that Abe would be dying down in that box canyon, but through some twist the Mudokons were getting away on Elums.
Fragg didn’t intend to let anything slip now, not when he had King Glok at his heels, biting at him to destroy Abe.
“I won’t fail Glok, because for now, his purposes suit mine,” he growled to himself. “But soon, he’ll see that his purposes aren’t the ones that will come to fruition.”
The Glukkon stormed off toward the center of his Slig forces, the only place he felt safe at the moment.
* * *
The Bringer of Pain stood at the top of a nearby hill, a contented smile on his face. Fragg had lost two dozen Sligs in the trap, while Urchyn McAvi had been wounded in the chest. Abe and his friends had escaped, wounded by a Slig grenade.
The dark one felt he had served the Dark well today. He turned and moved off into the wilderness, planning how he should get rid of Fragg and meet up with Abe at the same time.
In effect, planning how best he might bring pain to everyone.
* * *
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