Attack Him

The guard’s grip on me slackened as the scene on stage turned to the horribly trivial auctioning of a young girl. This let me change my stance to something more aggressive.

When the bastard approached in his ridiculous robes and stupid hat, I slipped the grip of the hands that had restrained me and leapt at the wizard with as much ferocity as I had ever mustered, fists clenched and fangs bared.

It didn’t matter in the least.

Before I could so much as touch him, he waved his hand in some bizarre gesture and said a phrase that I couldn’t hear over the pumping of blood in my ears.

The next thing my mind registered was a **** that felt like someone had just thrown a bowling ball at my chest. What forward momentum I had was violently overcome, sending me toppling over backwards.

As I lay there, staring at the concrete ceiling and gasping for breath like a fish out of water, the wizard approached and glared down at me.

“Foolish child. Don’t turn your rage against me; you’ll need that strength for what is to come.”

Then, he walked away as I clutched my aching sternum and tried to establish a normal breathing rhythm.