### 70

You command the snake to hold its attack. The conda hesitates, and Gildas reaches for his sword. With one swift and deadly swipe, his blade decapitates the serpent and sends its fanged head spinning through the air, trailing a stream of greenish-yellow venom.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Gildas wipes his blade on the grubby sleeve of his tunic before slipping it silently into his scabbard.

Turn to 335.