Read Omensent: Birth of a Dragon Lord Page 53


  Chapter 17

  Kariah and Gretta watched the frenzied battle, the screams of the dead and dying creatures echoing in their minds like a gruesome chorus. They had carefully made their way from the hidden clearing and moved towards the battle, slipping nimbly from shadow to shadow to try to remain hidden from sight.

  The waiting had become unbearable for the elf maiden, and she had urged her companion to join her in sneaking closer to watch the battle, though Gretta had been very reluctant. She finally convinced the dwarven maiden to accompany her, and they had quietly snuck off into the darkness, leaving Ket Matoc and his warriors behind.

  They found the battle to be well under way when they reached the clearing. The huge wall that the slaves had been laboring to build was now was now fully ablaze, and several large sections had collapsed to the ground. The noise was unbelievable as the giants stormed through the clearing, leaving behind a path of destruction. The harpies continued to screech merrily as they dropped from above, terrorizing the dragonspawn and goblins.

  They suddenly spotted Dar, Sly, and Garth, who had just released the slaves from their pens, and was busy urging them to take up arms and fight for their freedom. With an enormous roar, the slaves charged into battle, and they lost sight of their friends amongst the confusion.

  Many of the goblins and dragonspawn broke free of the battle and dashed over the burning remains of the wall that had surrounded the clearing in a desperate attempt to escape the chaos. Two of the battle-crazed creatures rushed right towards the place where the girls lay hidden, but a pair of centaurs suddenly materialized from the darkness, their long bows drawn, and killed the creatures before they drew too close.

  “Let’s go back!” Gretta whispered her eyes wide with fear. “The battle is beginning to get out of hand!”

  Kariah was quiet for a moment as she watched the battle rage on, then nodded in agreement. “Okay. Let's go.”

  They slipped off into the darkness and quickly began to make their way back to the safety of the hidden grove. A sudden explosion behind them caused Kariah to pause for a moment, and she had to resist the sudden impulse to return to the battle to find out what had happened, but after a moment’s hesitation, she decided against it. She began to make her way back towards the hidden grove, then suddenly realized that Gretta had continued without her, not knowing that she had stopped momentarily.

  She groaned, then began to hurry after the dwarf maiden, but only took a few short steps when a loud rustling in the underbrush caused her to jump fearfully.

  Two dragonspawn emerged from the brush, their eyes locked on the terrified elf maiden. They hesitated for a split second in surprise, then one of them snarled horribly and charged, a rusty dagger clenched in its clawed fist.

  Kariah desperately tore her own jeweled dagger from its sheath and drove it deep into the creature's chest, but the dagger was wrenched from her hand as the dragonspawn collapsed to the ground, leaving her defenseless. The second dragonspawn was on her almost instantly, grabbing her by her hair and throwing her violently to the ground. She struggled frantically to escape, kicking and scratching her attacker, but she suddenly saw stars as the dragonspawn hit her across the side of her head.

  Pain suddenly exploded through her body as she felt the creature's sword slide into her chest and emerge from between her shoulder blades, sinking deep into the forest floor beneath her. As her vision faded to black, her last thoughts were of how furious Damion would be when he discovered that she had snuck off to watch the battle. That was the last thought the young elf maiden had before the rushing darkness overtook her.