Breaking Step (Dungeon Runner 3)

Three blocks later, there was another attack. Four guards this time, and Tibs dealt with them easily. They ignored Serba and her dogs even if she stayed at the edge of the fight, looking unsure what she should do. Did the Them not consider her a threat? Did they even 'see' regular people? It could be their essence was too thin for them to notice.

Unlike the previous time, where she only noticed the coins the golems had left behind after crumbling away as they were leaving the fight, now she gathered them as soon as the fighting was done.

Then it was five blocks until Tibs stopped, sensing them approach from the alleys. There were a lot of them, and he hoped he was right about this.

"This is up to you," he told Serba as the first dog stepped out from between two houses. It was more massive than crusher, with a mottled gray and brown coat.

"What do you mean, up to me?" she demanded as another followed it. "Just one of those things is going to rip my dogs apart." This one was smaller, with pure white, curly fur. Then there was a third and more behind them and becoming visible from the other alleys. Blocking all escapes.

"I don't want you to fight them. I want your to order them to stop. Maybe get them to fight for you."

"I can't do that! Tibs, do you have any idea how long it takes to train a dog? And I doubt those things are—"

"They're your dogs, Serba." He formed an armor of ice. He'd heard how they'd bitten through Lawrence's arm, and he'd seen them snap wood posts without effort.

"I'm pretty sure I'd know if I'd trained something like—"

"Serba, you need to trust me." He suffused himself with earth for the added strength and protection. "I'll explain once we're no longer in danger from them."

"Tibs, I can't just—"

"Now, Serba!" He stepped before the massive dog as it jumped and punched it.

"By the abyss," she muttered as the dog that followed it closed its teeth on Tibs's arm, cracking the ice armor. "No wonder you hang out with my brother. You're just as crazy."

He shook his arm, and when the dog flew into others, it was because the ice had broken away. He filled the gaps and took a breath to both tell Serba to stop wasting time and ready himself for the mass approaching.

She let out a shrill whistle that went up and down in burst.

The dogs stopped advancing, head snapping up and ears forward.

"How?" she asked, confused.

"No!" The Them snapped. "Attack!"

Dogs shook themselves and resumed growling.

"Tell them to stop," Tibs told her.

"I don't know if—"

"Serba, please just do it," he said, trying to swallow the worry. "The Them is trying to force them to attack and coming here or dealing with your dogs was never part of my plans for today, so I don't have jerky on me."

"You can bribe them with jerky too?" she asked, offended.

Three dogs ran at them.

"Sit!" she snapped, then looked at Tibs. "What is it—I said, sit!" she yelled as one took another step after looking at the two who had stopped, seeming confused.

It, and every other dog in the street, sat.

"No!" the Them yelled in exasperation. "I told you to attack them."

Tibs readied for the dogs to break from Serba's order, but they had their gaze locked on her as she looked around at them.

"How is this possible?"