A pair of shabewts that had been circling both dragon and fire thrower suddenly abandoned their attack and instead focused on the single human standing off by herself. Both sprung forward at the same time. Also at the same time a nearby tree bent at an unnatural angle and was broken off at the trunk by an invisible force. The large trunk whooshed through the air as it was swung like a giant club and made contact with one of the shabewts. The howling creature was sent end over end up and over the base of the gray hill they were up against.

  The floating broken tree suddenly reversed direction and swung again. The second shabewt was struck. This time the blow was lower and the shabewt was sent rocketing off through the trees at an incredible velocity. They could hear branches and possibly even trees snapping in half as the unfortunate animal hurtled past.

  More of the shaggy bears appeared. Whether they had been hiding in the woods or else had been alerted to possible prey no one knew, only that in a blink of an eye the number of shabewts doubled. Half a dozen of the snarling creatures began circling Pryllan, waiting for the exact moment when the dragon would drop her guard.

  Pryllan blasted out a huge wall of flames. The shabewts scattered but quickly reformed their ranks. One darted in to take a bite out of her tail. Sarah shouted a warning just in time for Pryllan to flick her tail out of the way. Steve managed to blast two more of the shabewts but unfortunately it didn’t seem to do any good. The shaggy bears kept getting bolder by the second.

  “Get on my back,” Pryllan ordered as she noticed more and more of the monsters were focusing their efforts on the two humans.

  Steve threw a chaser at one particularly brave shabewt as it ventured too close to his wife for his liking. Thankfully the monster was too busy salivating over what it thought was an easy meal to take notice of the burning fireball speeding towards it. The chaser struck a split second later. The shabewt howled angrily and disappeared into the woods. Steve eyed his wife as if to indicate she should have been paying better attention.

  Steve turned in time to see three of the shaggy creatures leap towards him at the same time. All three hung suspended in mid air a few moments before they were all slammed together and dropped unceremoniously on the ground. He turned back to his wife in time to see her give him her own speculative stare.

  The remaining shabewts, easily numbering over a dozen, massed in front of the cave and slowly spread out. The expanding ring of creatures started to stretch around Pryllan once more, presenting an unwelcome possibility of being attacked on all sides again. Steve threw two more chasers but the shabewts scattered before the flaming fireballs had a chance to strike their targets. Instead the chasers slammed into trees, or boulders, or whatever else the shabewts managed to duck behind.

  The shabewts returned, this time slowly circling around Pryllan. Steve readied several chasers while Sarah scanned the area looking for other objects she could lift and fling at them. Pryllan, slowly circling in place as she watched the brown shaggy animals pace by, hesitated. She cocked her head as her neck rose higher into the air.

  “What is it?” Steve asked, alarmed. The last thing they needed to see was another adversary.

  “Do you feel that?” Pryllan asked him. She quickly flicked her tail across the ground, managing to sweep away three of the shabewts in the process. They slammed up against the solid gray hill and fell limp to the ground.

  “I don’t feel anything,” Steve told her. He looked at Sarah. “You?”

  Sarah nodded. “Actually, yes I do. What is that?”

  Then Steve felt it. The ground was shuddering. Either it was an earthquake or else a really large object was moving around, as if taking hesitant footsteps.

  They felt it again. The footsteps were becoming more pronounced. Whatever was making them was coming closer! Steve eyed the dark opening on the side of the stone hill. If he didn’t know any better then he’d think something was in the cave and was in the process of coming out.

  The shabewts also felt the disturbance on the ground. They whirled around to stare at the mouth of the cave. Four of the creatures instantly adopted a more aggressive stance and snarled even louder than they had already been. The rest of the circling shabewts paused to look at the mouth of the cave.

  “I don’t know what’s coming out,” she softly whispered, “but if it’s bad then I’m getting us out of here. All of us.”

  “Pryllan, too?” Steve whispered back.

  Sarah brought up a mental image of the serene valley she knew was nearby. Just in case.

  “Right. All of us.”

  The rumblings grew stronger as whatever was in the cave moved closer. A thick jet of dark smoke shot out of the mouth of the cave and obscured everything, even the light of day. Steve coughed and pulled his shirt up over his nose. Sarah did the same.

  “It’s a dragon!” Steve smiled with relief. “At least I think it is. I can’t see anything anymore. This stuff is thicker and heavier than the fog we saw in Sacramento when we were last visiting your family.”

  Do not speak. Whoever this dragon is might not have seen the two of you on my back.

  You can’t tell who it is? Steve mentally asked the dragon. I thought everyone knew everyone else.

  The smoke has reduced visibility, not to mention the other dragon isn’t presently using the Collective. I have no idea who it is.

  Steve groaned. That’s just swell.

  They heard several shabewts roar as they attacked the new dragon. Then they heard several surprised squeals of pain followed almost immediately by several seconds of utter silence. Steve wrapped his arm around Sarah as he felt Pryllan go into action as well. She seemed to be stomping on the ground with every step she took. He figured Pryllan must be hoping to step on one of the shabewts as she moved about in the thick smoke.

  Steve’s eyes were watering. He had pulled his shirt up and over his nose but it didn’t do much good. His throat was raw and itchy. He couldn’t see and he didn’t risk taking an unfiltered breath of air. He hugged Sarah closer to him. From the sounds of it, she wasn’t doing much better.

  Pryllan! I need you to fan your wings or something. It’s getting hard to breathe in here.

  They felt Pryllan spread her wings, dig her talons into the ground, and pump her wings several times. Most, if not all, of the smoke was blown away. Steve grunted with satisfaction. The shabewts were now looking uncertainly around, as if they missed the cover the smoke provided.

  Steve blasted a shabewt with each hand before the shaggy bears could recover. In unison they roared angrily and split their forces. Two tried to sneak into the cave. Two hastily created chasers brought them down. Three foolishly attacked Pryllan, who instantly squished one flat as she turned her bulk around to face the threat head on. Pryllan opened her jaws, ready to bite the remaining two creatures in half when a wall of flames appeared between her and her two attackers. With an indignant howl they both fled into the woods.

  Pryllan turned to the cave’s occupant, who was still standing, motionless, out in front of the mouth of the cave. This dragon, Steve saw, was as white as snow. However, the scales of its front forelegs were still green, almost the same color as the grass they were standing on. Steve squinted his eyes. He could see that several of the green scales were barely clinging to its legs. Was it in the process of sloughing them off? Could some dragons change color as easily as shedding their scales?

  I didn’t know dragons could do that.

  That is a trait available on only a select few of us. Most of us, when shedding old scales, will still be the same color as we are now.

  Oh.

  The two shabewts that had chosen to attack the white and green dragon darted in to take a bite of the dragon’s underbelly, not knowing that a dragon’s stomach was just as armored as the rest of it. Just as the two shabewts readied themselves for a bite the wyverian standing over them suddenly came crashing down. A few seconds later they could hear the reason why: it was snoring. Whether the dragon knew the timing was right to catch both of its attackers when it was positioned directly over the shabewts, no one could say.

  That appears to be all of them. I do not smell any more in the area, aside from those that we have already dealt with.

  They’re all gone? Really?

  Aye.

  A western breeze appeared. Steve noted, with dismay, that the large cloud of smoke Pryllan had driven away was threatening to head in their direction again. They felt Pryllan arch her back and then jumped with surprise as the dragon snapped her wings open and then closed, all in less time than it takes to snap your fingers. The smoke cloud all but exploded apart. Once more the air was clear and devoid of any smoke.

  Steve took in a deep lungful of air as he tried to get his breath back. Sarah had recovered first. Her eyes had widened with shock as she got her first glimpse of the second dragon. It was enormous! This wyverian, they noted, was almost as large as Rinbok Intherer.

  The cave’s inhabitant was lying, motionless, directly in front of its cave. Of the two attacking shabewts there was no sign they had ever been there. In the bright sunshine Steve could see that the new dragon had another surprise in store for them: it had not two but four horns sticking out of its skull. The two large ‘primary’ horns on the outside of the skull extruded at least three feet while the smaller ‘secondary’ horns were less than a foot long and were sticking straight out.

  The dragon’s head lifted into the air. Was it waking up? Did it sense danger was still in the area? Did it…

  The white dragon lifted a foreleg and gave a few errant scratches to the other foreleg. Husband and wife watched as several more of the green scales fell off its leg. It then repeated the process with its other leg. Then it fell still once more.

  Steve studied the motionless dragon. What was it doing now? Was it lying in ambush for them? The dragon’s white head was slowly lowered back to the ground. Its wings were folded flat against its back and it was making an intermittent buzzing sound. The odd thing was, Steve noted, that it only lasted three to four seconds before it vanished, only to reappear in another three to four seconds. Perhaps the dragon had allergies?

  Pryllan was standing just off to the side of the white dragon and hadn’t moved a muscle. Now that the smoke cloud had cleared she was waiting for a sign of acknowledgment from the new dragon but hadn’t received it yet. It was almost as if she hadn’t been noticed. She felt Steve and Sarah stir on her back.

  Is he friend or foe? Steve asked.

  Does it matter? Sarah’s thought cut in. We need to get off of Pryllan’s back before that other dragon sees us. We don’t want to get Pryllan in trouble.

  Be at ease. This is Vanze. He is a friend.

  We need to get down, Steve reiterated. Friend or not, we can’t let him see us on your back.

  There is nothing to be concerned about. Behold. Vanze’s eyes are closed. He’s known to be always lethargic; groggy. As a result he sleeps a lot.

  Steve stared at the large white dragon. Sure enough, the eyes were closed. Was that what that noise is? Was Vanze snoring?

  Do you think he was helping us with our fight or do you think it was blind luck he ended taking out several of those shabewts?

  Unknown. If I were to venture a guess then I’d say it was luck.

  You mean we finally caught a break? There’s a first.

  Sarah, be ready to teleport down in the event Vanze starts to awaken. I do not believe he will, if his previous behavior holds true.

  Sarah agreed. You got it.

  Movement in his peripheral vision caused Steve to look down near the mouth of the cavern. Little Aislinn, looking even more improved than the last time he had seen her, was seen staring up at Vanze with wide, frightened eyes. Her terrified glance shifted to Pryllan and the little underling’s eyes teared up. She began crying as she ran over to Pryllan and threw her arms around her right foreleg.

  Sarah caught sight of the dwarf child and went instantly sympathetic. She teleported herself and Steve down to the ground and appeared directly beside the underling. Aislinn caught sight of another friendly face and threw herself into Steve’s arms. She started trembling uncontrollably.

  “What’s wrong with me?” the girl sobbed. “Why do I feel so restless?”

  Steve and Sarah shared a look before they both turned to look up at Pryllan. Steve gave the girl a few awkward pats on her back. Aislinn wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve. She pulled away from Steve and looked adoringly up at Pryllan, who was giving the child a disconcerting stare from high above.

  “We’ll get this figured out, Aislinn,” Steve promised. “You just have to give us a little time.”

  “I’m never leaving Pryllan’s side again,” the underling tearfully vowed. She reached out to try and give one of Pryllan’s massive legs a hug.

  We need to resolve this, Pryllan’s gentle, but firm thought spoke.

  I know, Pryllan. I know.

  Chapter 11 – You Can Run

  “You found her? Is she safe? Is she well? We found signs of shabewts so we feared the worst. By the wizards! I am so relieved that I cannot think straight. Where is my little princess?”

  Selwyn had emerged from within the woods and had practically collapsed to the ground when he had been told the good news. Steve appeared in front of the dwarf, holding Aislinn in his arms. He dropped down to one knee and held the girl out to her father. Selwyn crushed her to his chest and gently rocked her back and forth. A single tear slid down Selwyn’s face as he gently crooned a lullaby to his one and only daughter.

  “You scared me, little princess.”

  Aislinn sniffled back. “I’m so sorry, father.”

  “Why did you do it? Why did you run away?”

  “I had to see her again. I just had to!”

  “Who? The dragon?”

  Aislinn eagerly nodded her head. “Aye. I had to see that she was safe. I remembered feeling that I would feel better if I could just see her again.”

  Selwyn’s older brother, Harrig, came crashing through the brush, his axe gripped tightly in both hands.

  “Did I hear that right? Has Aislinn been found?”

  Selwyn nodded. “Aye.”

  “Where?”

  Selwyn shakily regained his feet.

  “I am not sure. Aislinn found a cave to hide in, so she…”

  “Dolt,” Harrig interrupted. “Where is your daughter right now? I want to see for myself that she is well.”

  Aislinn stepped out from behind her father and timidly approached her uncle. Relief washed through the older dwarf’s face as his axe slipped through his fingers and fell to the ground. He pulled his niece into a fierce hug.

  “Don’t you ever do that to us again, do you hear me?”

  Aislinn began crying again.

  “I’m sorry, uncle.”

  Selwyn cuffed his brother on the back of his head.

  “I just got her calmed down. She’s already upset. Let’s not make things worse, agreed?”

  Harrig grabbed his axe as he rose to his feet. With a practiced swing of his axe he had his weapon stowed back on its holder on his back. At that moment Galman, Selwyn’s other brother, the eldest of the three, emerged from deep within the forest. He was gripping his battleaxe tightly in one hand and had one of his daggers in the other. There were several fresh gouges and scratches in the eldest dwarf’s leather armor.

  “Were you attacked?” Selwyn asked, worried. “Are you well, brother?”

  “Forget about me,” Galman exclaimed, brushing aside Selwyn’s concern. “Has Aislinn been found?”

  “She has, aye. She’s over there, next to the dragon.”

  “What the ruddy hell is a dragon doing here?” Galman demanded as he slowly turned to face Pryllan. “Is it not bad enough that we were trying to come to the aid of a family member? The last thing we need right now is –”

  “Quiet,” Harrig snapped. “The dragon aided in the search. Judging from the scorch marks I’d say it was entirely responsible for driving away the accursed shabewts.”

  “It was a collected effort between us all,” Pryllan curtly informed them as her long supple neck twisted to face the newcomers. “No one person was responsible.”

  Galman eyed the two humans for a few seconds before he nodded his head and then bowed.

  “I don’t know why you are here, but I am glad that you are. Thank you for coming to the aid of my niece.”

  “That goes for me, too,” Harrig added.

  A twig snapped loudly from behind them. All three adult dwarves whirled around, weapons drawn, to face what was assumed to be a new group of the terrifying bear creatures. Pryllan bared her fangs and gulped air, fueling her flames in preparation for an imminent attack. Steve ignited both hands while Sarah used her jhorun to pick up the same broken tree that she had used before. Everyone was silent as they waited for the newest aggressor to appear.

  More twigs snapped. They heard something grunt loudly, followed by a few low growls. There, straight ahead of the mixed group of companions, they caught signs of movement. Something was there, just beyond the trees.

  Pryllan’s nostrils pinged closed.

  Half a dozen dwarves appeared. None were armed. In fact, all were wearing the decorative ceremonial robes that denoted their position on the Council. Each elder had the exact same reaction as they emerged into the clearing and saw what was waiting for them. Eyes shot open and arms were lifted.

  “Selwyn!” one of the elders called as he, too, lifted his arms into the air. “We come in peace! Call off your dragon!”

  Selwyn glanced back at Pryllan, whose jaws were open and was ready to fire. Literally. Flames had appeared in the back of her throat and were rapidly expanding.

  I cannot call the flames back! Pryllan worriedly thought to her two human friends.

 

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