Vale raised the wand then, intending to drive its sting deep into the girl's neck. Instead, he found his wrist caught in Dorain's iron grip. Lily screamed a warning, but the elf woman needed none. She cast the evil thing upon the floor and ground it under the heel of her boot.
Even as she did so, Vale drew a sword that had been concealed by his robes. Lightning reflexes saved Dorain then, as she kicked Vale off-balance and drew her glaive.
Lily stared in horrified awe as the harwynglaive's lethal fury was suddenly unleashed upon the creature that called itself Vale, for creature it was! It seemed to grow within its robes, and lo! There stood a monster where once there was a man!
Yet this paled in comparison to the dervish with the golden hair that rained blows at this fearsome apparition that rang like the clear bells of dawn that toll their doom for the creatures of the night!
As though coming full-awake, Baldric shook his head as though ridding himself of the effects of the spell Vale had used to corrupt his judgement. There was a fearful stillness about him as he got slowly to his feet, his lips a hard, white line as he finally saw through Vale's deceit. In one swift movement, Baldric flicked a knife from his belt and caught the handle, took careful aim, and hurled it with all his might at his former confidant.