* * *
Faceless men chased me over jagged rocks, Erret leading them on with angry shouts of ‘witch’ and ‘evil.’ His hand closed around my arm. I spun to knock him aside, to lash out, but Thone stood just behind him, watching with vague interest. I couldn’t attack Erret without ruining my standing with Thone. Erret yanked me closer and screamed in my face, his words coming out in a billowing cloud of choking, acrid smoke.
I bolted upright in bed, coughing. It took me a disoriented moment to sort the dream from reality. Erret, dream. Smoke, real.
I raced to the door. Axen!
Already on my way.
Smoke filled the hallway, forcing me low. Orange flames devoured the tables. One of the benches had fallen over, too close to the end of the hallway. I couldn’t go that way.
A shape appeared on the other side of the blazing bench. Thone, his arm wrapped over his nose and mouth to protect them from the smoke.
“I’m all right,” I shouted above the crackling flames. “Get your family out!”
He disappeared, and I ducked back in my room. Threw my cloak over my shoulders. Grabbed my sword and pack. The pack went through the window, smashing the wooden lattice to create an opening large enough for me to climb through.
I slid out feet first and landed on solid ground outside, in the middle of chaos. Fire lit the sky. People ran every direction, screams mixing with the roar of the flames.
Movement to my left. I turned and saw a blade flashing my way. I locked it with my own before fully registering who it belonged to. I dimly recognized seeing the stringy hair and awkward, gangly limbs before. With Jennik. The man’s eyes widened in mutual recognition.
Anger boiled through me. Jennik had sent his men to attack Emsha while everyone was asleep, torching the buildings and killing as many as they could in the ensuing panic. I twirled my wrist, knocking his blade aside and moving in closer for a clean strike. He danced back, then scampered away.
I was about to pursue when a woman ran past me, shouting. Another Krenish man charged after her. I stepped in his path, ducking low to catch him across the midsection, and flipped him over my body. He rolled back to his feet, but I was already there, sending his sword flying and knocking him across the side of the head with the hilt. He dropped heavily to the ground and didn’t get back up.
More screams. A couple attackers blocked the exit to a nearby building. A child’s wail came from the other side of the wall as smoke poured out the door.
My vision flashed red. One of the few Traditional virtues I treasured was the principle of honor. Only a coward causes harm to those who cannot defend themselves.
I shouted as I charged the men. They turned as I slammed into the first one, knocking him to the side. The second one deflected my swing and returned with one of his own. Something caught at my ankle, and I had to jump to one side while parrying the incoming strike.
A woman darted out of the building, two children in tow, and raced away before either men noticed. Good.
The second man raised his sword to swing again, but hesitated. A roar from the sky made his decision for him. He skittered back, grabbing his friend and pulling him behind the building.
Axen landed on the road. What do I do?
Fire or steam wouldn’t help matters here. She could easily pick out the attackers from the villagers, but right now, I was more concerned with the buildings and the possibility of others being trapped. We need to get these fires out.
She reared up and flapped her wings. The ensuing wind would have knocked me off my feet if I hadn’t been braced for it. Some of the flames near the road died down, but the rest were too strong.
The attackers scrambled to their feet as soon as the gust quieted and scattered, taking cover behind the buildings. The villagers took advantage of the reprieve to escape into the forest, dragging the young and the injured with them.
I looked around for signs of anyone left in the buildings. Can you tell if anyone’s trapped?
She snuffed. No meat things. Just fire.
We need water. Lots of water.
She leaped into the air and flew off.
The moment she vanished, a strange sort of howl came from behind me. I turned to find the stringy-haired man standing a couple of building lengths away, hands cupped around his mouth. A signal?
The attackers emerged from behind the buildings, their eyes on me.
Of course. They’d hesitated to engage me at first because they didn’t know where Axen was. Now that she was gone, the man signaled that all was clear.
I spun, looking for a clear route away, or at least to a more defensible position, but there was none. A solid ring of men closed in around me, moving with slow caution, a few keeping an eye on the sky above. The rest filled in gaps between burning buildings, blocking the way through. If anyone from Emsha tried to reach me, they’d have to fight their way through men or flames to do so.
I was alone.
It was simple logic, simple enough that even their thick skulls could muddle it out. If the girl is connected to the dragon, then kill the girl to get rid of the dragon. My left hand curled into a fist. The edges of the ring dug into my skin. I wasn’t going to let that happen.
A man lunged forward, testing. I knocked his sword aside and left a long gash on his arm before he withdrew. Movement behind me. I ducked under the strike as I pivoted, but he pulled back before I could lash out.
I could call Axen back. Maybe I should. But then who would deal with the fires? All of Emsha would be burned to the ground, and likely much of the forest along with it.
But I couldn’t risk these men killing me. It wasn’t just about me. It was about what would happen to Axen. I had to call her back.
One of the men suddenly screamed, not a scream of attack but of terror and pain. The others near him turned, but Jec was already sliding into the center of the circle, pressing his back against mine. He held a sword in each hand, one glowing bright with reflected flames. It took a second look before I realized that it wasn’t reflecting anything; he’d grabbed one of the partially formed swords from the forge, still glowing hot and steaming.
The attackers rustled a bit. A familiar, grating voice spoke. Jennik.
“We have no interest in you, old man. Walk away while you can.”
I shifted to see the leader, standing almost out of my range of view in the circle. He had the smug look of someone who’d gotten exactly what he wanted.
Jec leveled the swordbrand at Jennik. “You know us old folk. Don’t walk so well anymore. I’ll stay where I am.”
Jennik’s eyes narrowed. “So be it.”
It was the command his men had been waiting for. They charged as one.
I moved at the same time, lunging forward and to the right, toward the weaker fighters. If I could force a way through, I’d grab Jec and make a break for it.
As I’d hoped, my attackers were well trained in general thuggery, but not in coordinated attacks. They swung madly the instant they came in range, putting their comrades at just as much risk as myself. I blocked the first few strikes, dancing one way and another to avoid more, watching for my opportunity. One man had to duck to one side to avoid another’s wild strike. I took advantage of the distraction and knocked him off balance, sending his sword flying.
But his friends stepped into the space too quickly. Not enough room for me to get through. And I’d moved too far away from Jec, too close to the circle. A hand grabbed my hair and yanked my head backwards.
Then released with a shout of pain. I blocked a blow and glanced back to thank Jec, but it was Rik standing behind me, his sword joining mine in holding back the attackers.
The stringy-haired man leapt forward while my blade was locked with another man’s. I kicked him back, but not before getting a swift gash across my sword arm. I sucked in air and switched hands. I wouldn’t last as long with my left hand, but it was better than nothing.
I’m almost there. Axen sound
ed anxious to be back at my side.
I dodged backwards and found my back against Jec’s again, Rik at my side. Axen would be here soon. The men wouldn’t dare keep up the fight with the dragon towering over them. I just had to hold on a little longer.
“Get behind me!” Rik shouted, pushing my shoulder.
I blocked a strike that had nearly taken his arm off and tried not to let his foolishness distract me. Chivalry was noble and all, but we couldn’t afford to lose a single blade from this fight.
Just a little longer.
I deflected another strike and barely dodged to the side to avoid a kick aimed at my midsection. My leg ached at the sharp movement. Light flashed off a blade swinging at me, but Rik caught this one, knocking it aside and lashing out at the attacker.
A sense of familiarity washed over me. My older brother, his back to me, the two of us fighting together as one unit, protecting each other. It had been far too long since I’d fought with someone at my side.
I didn’t let my memories hinder my focus. I parried a blow and swished my wrist inward. Only the man’s hasty retreat saved him from more than a shallow cut across his chest. The smoke was thicker now, making it hard to breathe. I lifted my injured arm across my face, breathing through my sleeve as I dodged another strike.
The ground shook, announcing Axen’s arrival.
There was no time to think things through. Do it!
The attackers had paused in their onslaught, startled by the shaking ground, looking toward the threat. I grabbed Jec and Rik, yanking them to the ground with me moments before a flood of water blasted the circle to pieces. I clutched the men tightly, holding my breath until I thought my lungs would burst.
Scales grated rough against my skin, and Axen closed her hand around the three of us, lifting us free of the torrent as she shifted her aim to the buildings. Screams and hissing steam competed with the gushing roar of the water, but I hardly noticed as I coughed and sucked in clear air. Jec wheezed beside me, thumping a fist against his chest and panting. Rik gasped on my other side, coughing intermittently with muscles frozen in fear, his fingers clinging to the scales and his eyes fixed on the ground far below.
I released my grip on their arms, pausing to pat Rik’s arm. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.”
He didn’t answer, just trembled and clung.
Jec eyed the scene below. “Safer than they are, that’s for sure.”
I was impressed by how he seemed to be taking this all in stride. Somehow it didn’t surprise me that he would be so calm about sitting in the palm of a dragon several stories above the ground. I peered between Axen’s fingers to see what Jec referred to.
Jennik’s men floundered in the water, struggling to regain their footing in the heavy mud it left behind, scrambling to flee. Axen’s other hand helped a few with a well-placed flick, sending them flying into the forest back toward Krenish. The rest did their best to run before she could get to them, their only reprieve being the fact that she was mostly focused on extinguishing the fires.
The buildings were in sad shape, soggy and smoky and dripping, but most of the fires were gone now. Axen unleashed her spray on the remaining building, reducing the flames to black ash and smoke. She eyed the few unlucky men who hadn’t managed to regain enough ground to retreat. With a snort, she swished her mouth around and blasted a narrow stream of water at them, sending them tumbling in the correct direction. They came up spluttering and ran, never looking back.
I leaned against her finger, closing my eyes as I felt her amused chortle rumble between our minds. Nicely done.
Did you have any doubts?
I grinned. Never.
She lowered the three of us to the soggy ground. Rik immediately jumped off and scrambled several steps away before recovering his dignity. Jec paused to pat Axen’s thumb a couple times. “You get a nice view up there, raisa-dragon. Not that I’m keen to see it again anytime soon.” He climbed down off her palm. “But perhaps someday.”
I jumped down after him and surveyed the smoking ruins of the village. Most of the buildings were still fairly intact, thankfully, but others barely stayed upright. We’d have a lot of work to do to get it put back together. Go on. We’re okay now.
She snuffed, bent down to nudge me with her snout, and flew off.
Rik jumped backwards, stiff and on alert, staring after her with wide eyes before looking back to me. “I thought she was going to… I mean…”
I stared.
He fumbled for words a moment before finishing lamely. “I thought she was going to eat us.”
Of course. I knew too well what her head nudge meant, but it must have been terrifyingly out of the ordinary for him to see a dragon’s head zooming in so close to him. I tried to think of the best way to describe it. “It was… a hug. That was her way of giving me a hug.”
He stared a moment longer before finally nodding in a way that suggested he still didn’t understand, but would rather feign understanding than get further explanation. Then he straightened, seeming to gather his composure. “Were you hurt?”
Always the proper Elf gentleman. “Not too badly. You?”
He looked down at his clothes, and I saw a few tears that hadn’t been there before, some lightly edged with red. “Just some scrapes.”
“Lucky for us those morons don’t know how to work together,” Jec grunted. “We might’ve actually been in trouble or something.”
I turned to him, but he waved a hand before I could speak. “I’m fine. Takes a bit more than deadly, overwhelming odds to slow this stubborn old fool down.”
I smiled a moment before realizing that we still were the only three standing inside the village. The others hadn’t returned yet. The three of us had managed to escape with only a few cuts and bruises, but what about the others?
“Which way would your people go to evacuate?” I asked.
Rik started toward the back end of the village. “Beyond the fields. They probably headed for the river. It’s the safest place to be in a fire.”
Jec and I fell in step behind him. We walked in silence for a while before it occurred to me that I should be speaking.
“Thank you. Both of you, for coming to my aid.” I paused. “How did you get past them?”
Jec shrugged. “I’m a slow mover. Old joints. I just made it outside my smithy when I saw your dragon flying off and all them Krenish boys moving in after you. Call me old fashioned, but it didn’t sit right, that many going after one. Figured I’d help the odds.”
I smiled again. “Thank you.” I looked to Rik and waited.
Jec was apparently waiting, too, because after a moment of silence, he nudged Rik. “Well?”
Rik cleared his throat and gave me a funny look. “I was looking for you, actually. I hadn’t seen you make it out of the village and wanted to make sure you were okay. You know, because you’re a guest of the village and all.” He cleared his throat. “It’s the honorable thing to do to make sure the guests are safe.”
“Mm-hmm,” Jec hummed, looking amused. “Honorable.”
I wanted to shove him and wasn’t entirely sure why.
Rik’s face reddened, but he continued. “I was on the other side of the inn when your dragon arrived. I took cover, but once she was gone, I heard them signaling and knew they were trying something. I had to fight my way through a couple to get to you, or I would’ve been there sooner.”
“It’s nothing to apologize for,” I said. “They went to great lengths to try to keep everyone else away from me. Thank you.”
He glanced back at me, but before he could speak, raised voices caught our attention. Shouting. Another fight? We glanced at each other and wordlessly hurried our pace, jogging the remaining distance.
The trees thinned, revealing that Rik was correct; the villagers were all there, at the river. Many women huddled at the sides of the group, clutching children close. Red-faced men shouted at each other in the middle. My eyes searched the banks, the
trees, the surrounding area, but saw no signs of attackers. It wasn’t a fight with Krenish. The men of Emsha were fighting about something else.
A man whose name I couldn’t remember spotted us as we emerged from the trees. He jabbed a finger my direction. “There she is! You must act, Thone. She’s already destroyed our village. Get rid of her now before she gets us all killed!”