There were too many to count in the dim light. I charged forward to meet the first, Flier at my side. While his skill was in question, his bravery and dedication were not. Together we faced ten or more men, all screaming and shouting as they raced our way.
However, before they reached us, the dragon moved and blocked their path. It spread its wings and hissed as it extended its neck and snapped a mouth full of wicked teeth in their direction. Only fools would continue their charge, and I slowed, holding out my arm to bar Flier from running past.
At a shouted order, the attackers spread out. Flier and I stood in the protection of the dragon’s tail and warily watched. If they spread out enough, I could probably take them on one at a time. Without bragging, my skills were considerable, as well they should be after so many years of daily instruction.
However, with the protection of the dragon in front of me, I pulled my bow free, strung it, and reached for an arrow. As quickly as I could fit it to the string, my eyes were on the closest enemy, whoever they were. The arrow flew as I pulled another before the first struck a man dead center—which was an accurate description. Dead.
The second arrow flew a little high but my small-magic corrected that while in flight, and a second warrior fell, an arrow centered in his chest, also. While only a sliver of a yellow moon and the bright white stars helped us see, at least our night vision helped us, and the attackers had no advantage in that regard.
My third arrow struck as true as the first two, again with the help of magic. Flier said, “You are the best archer I’ve ever seen.”
I wanted to make a joke to relieve the tension but saw another enemy stand from concealment and strike a familiar stance. He was also an archer. “Down,” I shouted.
Flier and I dropped to the ground at the same time. An arrow passed harmlessly over me, but the danger was still there. I leaped to my feet, fitting an arrow and drawing on my small-magic at the same time. The arrow left my bow, and I dived to the ground again. Our arrows must have passed each other along the way, because before I hit the ground and rolled, the whistle of the arrow sounded.
His missed. Mine didn’t. Kendra and the girls were well behind us, her with my sword in her hand as she retreated. She herded the girls back down the trail, probably looking for a place to defend if any attackers got past Flier and me. She would protect the girls as would any mother.
The shouting had ceased after the first sounding. It was probably done to upset and confuse the victims, as was the waving of the swords in the dim night light. At other times, the scene would have scared me, too. Now, I stood behind a dragon that suddenly tensed and darted forward a dozen steps as quick as any snake strikes.
It paused, then moved ahead again, twenty more steps. It was crouched and ready for another charge when one of the men who had been hidden as he laid in the thick brush leaped to his feet and fled in panic. He only took a step or two before the dragon snapped him up in her mouth and shook him like a dog with a rat.
Both Flier and I were on the left side of the dragon, moving ahead after it moved, still using her great body as a shield. Flier moved slightly behind me, his sword in hand, his eyes searching for someone to fight. I had another arrow nocked and ready to fly but saw nobody. After their display of fierceness to scare us, they now hid in the darkness and waited.
A scream penetrated the air. A woman’s scream. Kendra.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
A t the sound of Kendra’s scream, I realized my mistake. In defending against those attacking on the left side of the dragon, I’d left the way open for those on the right to work their way past me to reach the girls. Kendra’s scream was more of a warning than fearful. With my sword in her hand, any attackers were about to face a sword wielded by one of the best.
All that flashed through my mind in the smallest part of an instant. While turning to ensure my deductions were accurate, I made a second mistake. Not only had I heard my sister’s scream, but the dragon always appeared next to her when she was in danger. The dragon had been threatening any enemies who ventured too close to us, but it must have realized with that scream that Kendra was in trouble.
The dragon spun at the sound, her long tail whipping to provide balance. While I also looked behind, I didn’t see the massive tail coming at me. It struck me shoulder-high. The impact knocked the breath out of me and sent me tumbling off the path and into a tangle of thorns and vines.
Flier leaped after me. The tail had missed him, and he managed to dart out of the way as the dragon charged towards Kendra. Flier used his sword to slash away some of the clinging vines and helped me get untangled and to my feet.
When I drew a deep breath and found nothing broken inside, my eyes turned to the four men surrounding us. The bow had been had been knocked out of my hand, and I didn’t know where it was. The sword Flier held in his inexperienced hand would only get him killed.
I raised my empty hands in surrender. “Flier, don’t be a fool. Drop it.”
He hesitated.
“Now,” I ordered.
The four didn’t attack. Flier said, “I won’t be taken prisoner again.”
He defiantly stood in a crouch, his sword held ineptly low, his face intent on the single man in front of him, as he ignored the other three. He was surely going to die.
Without giving it any thought, my fist balled, and I swung, striking him high on the side of his head. Flier stumbled, and the sword fell to the ground. Two of the attackers rushed forward, and in a few heartbeats, his hands were bound by a scarf one attacker had worn around his neck.
I turned to the dragon in time to see it snatch a man in its mouth and bite down so hard the man popped like a pomegranate seed between a thumb and forefinger. The dragon tossed the lifeless body to one side and scanned the area for another. When it didn’t find one, it reared back in anger and roared a warning so loud that people across the sea in Dire must have wondered.
That might be a slight exaggeration, but it was how I perceived it. My hands went to cover my ears, and my eyes shifted back to my situation. Two sword-tips were pressed against my middle, and an imposing man, a third, gazed calmly at me with intense eyes. He stood taller than most and wore a long, tan robe with a red scarf around his neck. He said, “Bind him.”
My first thought was that if I got a hand on that scarf, I could choke him with it. My second was that choking him while two swords penetrated me didn’t seem the best way to do things. A third thought quickly followed, and a glance at the dragon confirmed that Kendra and the girls were safe. The dragon again blocked the entire path, and behind it, I caught a glimpse of a woman with a raised sword who looked back at me before turning and fleeing.
I raised one arm to indicate—well, to indicate something positive to her, but I’m not sure what.
The man with the red scarf had turned and walked back in the direction they had come from, to the top of the summit. Another man removed a brown scarf and used it to tie my wrists in front of me. A little use of magic would slip the knot free, and the same with Flier’s bindings, but then what? We had no weapons, and two more guards joined us, so there were six of them and two of us. Our weapons had been removed. They would kill us if we fought back.
Flier scowled. “You hit me.”