Fight And The Fury (Book 8) (2 page)

“We might have to take them out.”

Brenwar twisted his neck around.

“What?”

“It’s us or them now.”

“Are you feeling alright, Elf?”

“Never better,” he said. “And we can’t avoid these conflicts forever. I say we take them out, as quickly as we can.”

“Are you sure it can’t wait a little longer?” Brenwar said. “They may pass.”

“They’ll have our scent soon enough. You know that. And since when do you prefer stealth over an attack?”

“Argh, since never.” Brenwar nodded. “What is the plan?”

“Just remember,” Bayzog said to Ben, “they have a breath weapon. Keep your distance.” He looked down at the stream full of dragons. “Wait for my signal. I’m going in.”

CHAPTER 3

Bayzog’s son Rerry strolled barefoot through their home in the city of Quintuklen. His stomach rumbled, and the smell of his mother’s cooking didn’t linger in the air. His brother, Samaz, sat at Bayzog’s great round table with his nose in a scroll. One of many that were scattered about.

“Where’s Mother?” Rerry said. He slid on his shoes near the fireplace, buckled on his sword, folded his arms across his chest, and waited for Samaz to answer. His brother slept even less than he did, so if their mother, Sasha, had left, then he’d know. He tapped his foot on the floor. “Samaz, you toad, where is Mother!”

Samaz’s head eased up. There was a sad look in his bigger, brooding, older brother’s eyes.

“What is it?” Rerry said. His blood raced. “What is wrong?”

Samaz wiped his robed sleeve across his brow and said, “She has not come home yet. She’s been gone since yesterday.” He swallowed. “That feeling … that feeling I’ve had, it’s gotten worse.”

In two quick steps, Rerry grabbed him by the collar and started to shake him.

“Why didn’t you wake me? Why didn’t you wake me, you oaf!”

With a single move, fast as a fly, Samaz brushed Rerry’s arms away and forced him backward.

“Because I’ve been trying to find her.” He tapped his meaty fingers on the table. “Using these scrolls. This feeling, Rerry,” he clutched his robes. “It won’t go away.”

“Then we need to find her,” Rerry said, taking a mail coat out of an open closet and buckling it on. “We need to go now.”

“Where do we start?” Samaz said.

“The gardens. Certainly someone saw her in the gardens.”

CHAPTER 4

Man-sized dragons. Emerald. Black tailed. Dark winged. They greeted Nath’s descent with open maws filled with sharp teeth. Plummeting through the air, Nath didn’t think. He reacted. He let go of the gnomes, crashed into one of the dragons, wrapped his arms around its neck, and squeezed.

Its wings flapped vigorously, but not for long. Nath pinned them down with his legs. The emerald dragon’s claws tore at him. They fell fast and hit hard.

Splash!

Deep into the water they sank. Fighting. The dragon’s tail coiled around his neck. It felt like an iron bar, choking him. Nath continued squeezing its serpentine neck. It snapped at him. Clawed at him as they sank deeper into the water. Nath sent his thoughts out to it.

I’m not giving in!

He didn’t know if they registered or not, but the tail did not loosen. His arms didn’t either. He was a dragon. His scales were steel. His muscles stronger than iron. He wrestled the dragon’s neck into the nook of his arm and put everything he had into it.

It’s me or you!

The dragon fought.

Nath fought back.

You cannot win! I’m Nath Dragon!

There was no give in the dragon. It was proud. Devoted. Its tail flexed and tried to pull Nath’s head from his shoulders.

It made him mad. He summoned his strength and wrenched its neck.

Pop!

The great green lizard went limp. Nath released it and watched it sink to the bottom, its beautiful form coming to rest on the great river’s floor. Lungs burning, he swam for the surface and emerged, gasping for air. Treading water and spinning around, he spied the gnomes, who were paddling their way towards the bank with a poor effort. They screamed back and forth at one another.

Great dragons!

The other emerald dragon slithered through the waters like a great snake, quick after the gnomes.

Nath yelled and waved his arm over his head, “Over here! Over here!”

The dragon’s neck snaked around, and evil intelligent eyes glared back into Nath’s. It went back and forth between him and the gnomes for only a moment before gliding after the gnomes.

No!

Nath swam, arms churning like paddles as fast as he could. He cut the distance in half while the gnomes scrambled up on the sandy river bank, coughing and wheezing. One helped another and cried for the last to hurry along.

The dragon closed in on the last gnome in the water, and like a snake, it struck. Its jaws clamped down on the gnome’s leg and pulled it underneath the waters in a violent surge. All the gnomes screamed in horror.

Nath filled his lungs full of air and plunged into the waters. In seconds, he made out the shape of the dragon. The deeper he swam, the more he saw.

Swim faster!

He pulled Dragon Claw out of Fang’s hilt and closed in. He could see the gnome’s stubby fingers clawing for the surface, its little leg pinched between the dragon’s jaws. Nath reached out and locked one paw around the dragon’s arm, and with the other he struck. Dragon Claw’s glowing tip went deep. Straight into the head of the dragon beast. The fire in its eyes extinguished, and its jaw went slack.

Hurry!

He scooped the unmoving gnome up in his arms and swam for the surface. Seconds later, he carried the gnome’s limp form onto the river bank, where the gnomes waited with tender looks on their faces, one and all.

They pushed Nath away and huddled around their friend. The throng of small river-soaked bodies started to chant and sway. Moments later, Snarggell stepped away with his head down.

“Flupplinn is gone.”

“I’m sorry,” Nath said. “I tried.”

“You hurried us from our home and into death,” Snarggell said, balling up his fists. “You’ve failed yourself. You’ve failed us all. Most of all Flupplinn.”

“Sorry,” Nath said, raising his eyes to the sky. He could see more dragons perched in the Floating City’s towers above. The shadow of the great city sent a chill through him. “We must go.”

“Go! We must have a burial, Rescue Murderer.”

“There’s no time for a burial,” Nath said. “I’ll carry Flupplinn. We can bury him later.” He moved towards the fallen body that lay still on the ground. The gnome’s small form was like that of a child, and Nath felt sadness run through him. He started to stoop down, but the gnomes stopped him.

“We’ll carry our own dead,” one said, “Rescue Murderer.”

“Be on with you now,” said another.

“Go, go away.”

“Rescue Murderer.”

“Safer with dragons, we were.”

“The lurker was safer too.”

The comments stung. Bit. But Nath didn’t have time for any of it. He didn’t have time to explain himself, and it wasn’t surprising that the gnomes didn’t see the truth of it. They’d gotten settled in their jaxite home.

He turned and faced Snarggell.

“I know this is hard, but it’s going to be much harder if you don’t come with me.”

“Are you going to snatch me up like a child again?”

Nath’s golden eyes flared. Smoke rolled from his nose.

“Alright,” Snarggell said, eyeing the city in the sky. His ancient eyes narrowed a little. “We’ll go with you then.”

“Good.”

Nath led them along the river bank for about a half mile, keeping his eyes on the city behind him. The dragons remained still as gargoyles in their perches. Not a wing in the sky. His mind raced, wondering why they didn’t come. What were they waiting for? He glanced back at the gnomes. Four of them carried one dead friend. All of their faces were dour. It left a guilty feeling in him. But he hadn’t invaded the city to make friends. He had done it to put an end to the jaxite mining that allowed the Clerics of Barnabus to control the dragons. And to save Bayzog from Otter Bone’s spell.

My friend had better be in good order.

He pushed his way up the river bank, through the clinging briars, and into the forest. The frozen stares of the dragons were now gone from his mind. He focused on catching up with Bayzog, Brenwar, and Ben.

A hundred yards deep in the forest, he pushed through the foliage and into a grove of pines. He came to a stop. The ground rumbled beneath his feet.

“What is it?” Snarggell said, squinting his eyes in the growing darkness. “Why did we stop?”

“Sh,” Nath said, staying the gnomes with his hand. He kneeled and put his palm on the ground. His nostrils flared. A moment later, birds exploded from the tree and the forest shook.

Ear-shattering roars filled the valley like thunder. Nath shrank back. The gnomes fell to their knees, quivering.

“What in Nuh-Nalzambor was that?” Snarggell said.

“Dragons,” Nath said, unsheathing Fang. “Bull dragons.”

CHAPTER 5

“A mad elf,” Brenwar said to Ben, lifting his brows. “I thought I’d never see such a thing. The war’s gotten to him. He goes to feed himself to the dragons.”

“Maybe he’s being brave,” Ben said. His strong features shone well in the dimming light. Rugged. Battle worn. He readied his bow.

“An elf, brave?” Brenwar said. “A wizard, at that? You know this is not a time for jesting.”

Ben shrugged and positioned himself for an open shot. Brenwar kept his eyes on Bayzog.

The elf glided through the forest on cat’s paws, a shade of himself.

He grunted. He’d seen elves move with plenty of stealth before, but not Bayzog. The part-elf was clumsy by such standards, except today. Today, Bayzog was as graceful as a ghost.

“Magic,” he muttered under his beard. “I heard you use it, you tricky one.”

Still, his heart pounded beneath his breastplate like a hammer. He wasn’t used to watching another take the heavy risk.

“It’s not dwarven-like.”

Bayzog weaved through the trees, blending in with everything he passed, becoming more difficult to see with every step. Straining his eyes, Brenwar lost Bayzog in the forest. At the same time, the copper dragons froze their wading in the waters. One barked an awful sound to the others. The others barked back. Their serpent eyes shone like yellow moons, narrowing while their necks swayed from side to side.

Brenwar’s knuckles turned white on War Hammer’s handle.

“What are ye doing, Elf?”

He glanced over at Ben and caught Ben glancing at him. The well-knit warrior pointed at the stream, his lips mouthing the words, “He’s there. He’s there. Right in front of them.”

Brenwar inched forward, squinting.

There!

Bayzog stood like a sapling on the edge of the stream, easing his staff into the waters.

A copper dragon stood in the waters no more than twenty yards away, eyeing the spot where he stood. It barked. A sharp dreadful sound.

Bahhhct! Bahhhct!

It waded deeper into the waters.

“‘Wait for my signal’ he says,” Brenwar grumbled. “He can’t signal if he’s dead.”

***

With fire charging through his veins, Bayzog eased the Elderwood Staff into the waters. He could feel the power of the dragons, who were strong like iron, powerful like a gale, but little bigger than a large man. But he’d already seen one rip Horse Neck apart like a cat does a mouse.

Don’t think about that. Block it out.

He’d already used magic to conceal himself. An old elven spell he’d learned when he was young. But now, so close, there was only so much you could hide from the powerful sense of a dragon. The most excellent hunters in the world.

Feeling the dragon’s eyes burning a hole right through him, he summoned his power and fed the Elderwood Staff that rested in the waters. The silvery stream burbled a bright spark of blue under the surface. The spark spread. The waters began to crystalize, crackle, and turn to ice. In seconds, the mystic power raced from one side of the stream to the other, forming a huge slab of ice.

The dragons barked back and forth, thrashing in their frozen bounds. The giant ice slab held their legs and bodies fast. They roared at the frozen waters. One of the three’s neck was frozen under. The nearest dragon showed Bayzog a vicious stare and opened its jaws wide. A stream of acid shot forth.

Bayzog dove, but failed to beat the acid, which burned into his legs.

***

Ben heard the waters crackle and watched in amazement. The waters turned to a sheet of ice, damming up the stream in seconds. The cold expressions of the dragons he’d never seen on their serpent faces before. Surprise that quickly turned to anger. A black stream of liquid sizzled from the copper dragon’s mouth, and he heard Bayzog cry out.

Twang!

The first arrow went into the copper dragon’s neck.

Twang!

The second clattered off its horns. He reloaded and aimed. Brenwar charged between the dragon and his sight with War Hammer waving like a banner.

“Shades! Get out of the way!”

***

Brenwar barreled through the forest towards the river bank. His knees sprang into action the moment the dragon opened up its maw. Instantly, he knew he’d be too late to warn Bayzog to get out of the way. Instead, he watched the part-elf fall in a heap of agony.

“I’ll give you a fight, Lizard!”

Brenwar’s boots hit the ice, and Ben’s arrow whizzed into the dragon’s neck. The dragon’s head recoiled back. Another arrow ricocheted off its horns. Brenwar slid across the ice and swung.

Pow!

He caught the beast full in the chest, rocking it back. He drew his arms back to strike again.

Whap!

The dragon’s tail knocked him across the ice. He scrambled to his feet, slipped, and fell down again. He popped up just in time to see the dragon’s lungs fill with air.