​     As Shawnacy neared Adam, she reached out to... ​

     WHAM!

     Belle Strom, the Silver Scorpion, had returned. She slammed into Nacy hard enough to send Nacy hurtling into a knot of struggling soldiers. Nacy dropped to the ground, then rolled on to her back. She felt totally disoriented. Now so much blood dripped from her head it blinded her. Belle landed right next to Nacy, firm and strong on her two armored feet. Her scorpion tail bobbed this way and that, curling around Belle affectionately as if it had a life of its own.

     "Good," she said to Nacy. "I'm glad you rolled on to your back like that. Now I'll be able to look into your eyes while I rip the face from your body."

     Then,

     WHAP! 

     A boulder the size of a bowling ball hit Belle in the chest so hard it sent her flying back ten feet to collide with another clot of battling warriors.

     Estelle had thrown that boulder from a hundred yards away.

     Thirty-five seconds to go. Thirty-four. 

CONTINUE