"I came to bring a message to Dink," Orison said. "Let me go, you acromegalic apes!"
"The message?" Kraft Gerding demanded.
"Something about escudo green. Put me down!"
Suddenly she was dropped. Her mountainous keepers were on the floor as though struck by lightning, their arms thrown out before them, their faces abject against the floor. Kraft Gerding was slowly lowering himself to one knee. Dink had entered the spider-room. Without questions, he strode between the shiko-ing Earmuffs and put his arms around Orison.
"They can't harm you," he said. She turned to press her face against his chest. "You're all right, child. Breathe deep, swallow, and turn your brain back on. All right, now?"
"All right," she said, still trembling. "They were going to throw me to the spiders."
"Kraft told you that?" Dink Gerding released her and turned to the kneeling man. "Stand up, Elder Brother."
"I...."
Dink brought his right fist up from hip-level, crashing it into Kraft's jaw. Kraft Gerding joined the Earmuffs on the floor.