A bond of flame, p.7
A Bond of Flame, page 7
The giant creatures leaped into the air, dust swirling around in their wake. I left the courtyard and passed the siege weapons, heading south and meeting Sion at her tent. She was wearing a saddle. It was made of dark brown leather, decorated with dragon heads and wings. It was beautiful.
They’re almost here, Sion warned.
I nodded and grabbed the lance that we had practiced with earlier and climbed up her shoulder, awkwardly trying to get in the saddle. My muscles burned as I tried to get settled while keeping hold of the lance. Once I was seated, I lifted the lance into position, using my left hand to hold the heavier end.
I’m ready, I told Sion.
And just in time. The roaring of dragons filled the night as they swooped down from out of the clouds. Sion launched herself into the air, her wings flapping quick and hard, lifting us off the ground and toward danger. My heart hammered in my chest with both fear and anticipation. I didn’t want to fight the riders, but if they were doing evil things, then I had no other choice but to stand in their way.
A blue dragon opened its mouth and sizzling bolts of lightning jutted down, blasting one of the ballistae to splinters. Another dragon, this one green, spewed acid from its jaws, melting cobbled stone and catapults alike.
There’s so many of them, Sion said. I’ve never seen so many of my own kind in one place.
I had seen a couple of dragons during my time at the Citadel, but she was right. There were so many dragons wheeling in the sky that it didn’t seem real. They were all different colors, too. Blues and greens, reds and whites, and even a few blacks. Griffons joined the chaos and began flying back and forth, their riders shooting arrows at those riding the dragons. Within minutes, there were small battles happening all over the place.
Below on the ground, I could see the army approaching the castle. From my vantage point, it appeared a long, thick serpent was slowly devouring the land. I hadn’t trained much with Esmond, so I had no idea where I would best help. I looked down at the siege weapons and saw that soldiers were scurrying around, trying to load and fire them. A ballistae bolt shot into the air, narrowly missing a green dragon.
It bellowed loudly in anger and challenge, then dived down and landed amidst the siege weapons. Between the acid and its claws, it tore many of the weapons apart.
There, I told Sion. It’s alone. Let’s stop it before it destroys all of those weapons.
Sion banked to the side, then descended like an arrow. The wind whipped my clothes and hair wildly and I had to close my eyes because it felt like they were going to be ripped from my head. Sion landed with a jarring thud and I opened my eyes again to see Altin with a group of men running from the green dragon.
I hurled my lance at the dragon, trying to draw its attention away from the fleeing men. The dragon turned to me and stopped. It took me a moment to realize it was confused, but by the time I made the realization, the dragon came rushing forward. Sion ran forward to meet it head-on. I grabbed ahold of the saddle and hunched down.
The two dragons clashed together and despite my grip, I was flung from Sion’s back. I landed roughly on the cobbled stone, bouncing once and striking my arm on something cold and hard on the ground. I struggled to my feet and drew my sword. The green dragon’s rider had also fallen, and the armored man was already up and coming toward me.
Sion was occupied with the other dragon, and the two of them clawed and bit at each other as they rolled across the terrain. I gritted my teeth and brought my blade up defensively as my opponent launched into an attack. His blade struck mine and I was surprised when the force was less than I expected. I pushed my sword forward and to the side, flinging his arm wide as he held on tightly to his sword.
The man was wearing a plate armor chest piece and sported a helmet with a visor that protected his face. With his sword arm away from his body, I came in close and brought my knee up, slamming it into his groin. It barely fazed him and I thought I heard a brief chuckle echo from the helmet. He grabbed my neck with his free hand and tried to squeeze, but his grip was weak. I slapped his arm away and backed up a few steps, then swung my sword horizontally at his head.
A loud metal clang resounded as my blade connected solidly to the side of his helmet. There was a surprised cry and the man dropped his sword as he staggered backward. I glanced at the dragons. They were still fighting, but it seemed that Sion was on the losing side. Her chest heaved and saliva foamed at the edges of her mouth. The green dragon was twice her size and had taken the upper hand. I needed to do something, but I would be easily crushed by the beast.
I rushed the stunned rider and struck him in the helmet again, then kicked his knee. The man collapsed to the ground and I threw myself on top of him, using my knees to pin his arms down.
“Call your dragon off,” I demanded.
The man squirmed beneath me, but he couldn’t get the leverage he needed to push me off. I put more weight on my knees and the man ceased his struggling, crying out as his armor cut into his flesh.
“Call your dragon off!”
The man was stubborn and refused to obey. I jabbed my sword in between the cobblestone and grabbed onto the man’s helmet, yanking until the strap broke and it came free. I tossed it aside and looked down. My eyes widened as soon as I recognized the face that was staring back at me.
“Maren?” I gasped.
13
“W-what are you doing here?” I stuttered.
“I could ask you the same thing,” she grunted. “Get off me!”
I rolled off and offered her my hand. She glared up at me but finally accepted my hand and I pulled her to her feet. She looked at her dragon and with a silent command, it broke away from Sion. The two dragons eyed each other warily.
“So, you managed to find a dragon of your own?” Maren asked, looking up at the sky.
“I did. And you are part of the Citadel attacking helpless people?”
Maren turned her gaze on me. “What are you talking about?”
“I’ve seen the destruction in the valley,” I said, pointing. “Innocent people were killed by dragon fire. That’s not what the riders stand for. It’s not what they do. At least, that’s what I was led to believe at the Citadel.”
Maren shook her head slowly. I could see that she had stopped coloring her hair black. The vibrant red glimmered faintly. She was just as beautiful as ever, but her face was creased with concern.
“Eldwin, we didn’t attack the valley. We’re here to try and stop the Necromancer. This is his castle. Which makes me wonder … why are you here?”
Her words gave me pause. This was the Necromancer’s castle? The man responsible for Curate Josephine’s death? No, that couldn’t be right … but the man who had spoken to Esmond earlier, the mysterious man …
A sinking feeling filled my stomach. No, I thought.
What is it? Sion asked.
We’ve been deceived, I told her.
“It’s a long story,” I said to Maren. “I’ll tell you everything later. Where’s Master Pevus? I need to see him.”
“Master Pevus? You didn’t hear, did you? He’s dead.”
“Dead?” I asked incredulously. “What happened?”
“He was poisoned at the Citadel a few weeks ago. Curate Anesko has taken over as temporary master until the Conclave appoints a new leader. Things have not been going well back home, Eldwin.”
“I need to speak with Anesko, then. Where is he?”
“I’ll take you to him,” Maren said. “Follow me.” She picked up her sword and ran to her dragon, easily climbing into the saddle. She’d clearly had more practice than I had. I mounted Sion and waited until Maren and her dragon had leaped into the air, then instructed Sion to follow them.
I searched the ground for Altin as we ascended, but there was no sign of him. I hoped he had reached the castle safely. He might be aligned with the enemy, but he had been nice to me and provided the salve that healed Sion’s wing. It was a moral dilemma, but I owed him. Sion reached the same altitude as Maren’s dragon and we flew over the chaos unfolding below us. The king’s army had reached the castle and the clash of arms rang out from every direction.
An odd shriek sounded behind me and I looked over my shoulder. Six griffons with riders were closing in behind us. We’ve got company, I told Sion. I drew my sword despite knowing I didn’t have the reach to do any damage.
“Eldwin!”
I barely heard my name over the wind. It was Altin. He was riding one of the griffons. I gritted my teeth and tried to ignore him.
A large shadow zoomed overhead. A moment later, screams filled the sky. I saw a dragon drop suddenly, its rider falling out of the saddle. The dragon’s wings were shredded and it plummeted to the ground. I averted my eyes just before the dragon and its rider smashed into the valley below.
What was that thing? I asked Sion.
She didn’t respond, but I could sense her fear through the bond. Whatever it was, it had taken out a full-grown dragon with little trouble. I scanned the clouds above us, keeping watch for anything out of the ordinary, but I should have been watching the griffons behind me.
Two of the birds glided into position on each of Sion’s sides. Their riders had lances pointed at us, and I saw that Altin was among them.
“Eldwin!”
He yelled my name again. I turned to look at him. His griffon was only a few feet away, but it was safely out of Sion’s reach.
“Come back!” he shouted. “It’s not too late!”
Before I could reply, Maren’s dragon flew up and did a roll, leveling out behind Sion. With an enraged roar, it blasted the griffons on my left with acid. The birds screeched as they fell from the sky, their riders having already melted to death in their saddles. Altin and the other riders quickly turned and fled.
Maren’s dragon took the lead again, and I kept a more cautious watch. The burned-out city in the valley below glowed orange with new fires. There were no sounds of battle, but the cries of the wounded and dying drifted up to my ears. I knew I’d been deceived by Altin, but the carnage I’d seen was definitely the work of dragons. Perhaps Anesko would be able to explain what had happened.
The flapping of wings drew my attention and I turned around in my saddle to see Esmond approaching on the back of a griffon. I tightened my grip on my sword hilt. I didn’t want to fight the man, but I couldn’t trust anyone at this point. It had become obvious through his conversation with the Necromancer that he was a prisoner. He’d probably been a scout or something and had fallen in battle, only to be taken captive.
“Boy!” he shouted. “Flee from here and don’t come back!”
“I don’t plan on it!” I yelled back.
“If you do, you’ll regret it! He’ll enslave you with his magic. Warn the others! Retreat now while you can. He’s raised a beast that cannot be defeated!”
He must have been talking about the shadow that had taken out the dragon. I raised my sword to him.
“I’ll tell them!”
“Forgive me!” Esmond shouted.
Forgive him for what? Thinking back over the last two days, he hadn’t done anything but train me. In fact, he helped teach me to better communicate with Sion. We passed the edge of the burned-out valley below and I watched in horror as Esmond was thrown from his mount by some unseen barrier. The griffon continued flying as if nothing had happened, but Esmond fell through the sky into the darkness below.
We have to turn around! I screamed at Sion.
She didn’t reply, nor did she change direction.
Sion, please!
I realized something was blocking our connection. I could feel it in the way, some sort of invisible web tangled over the bond. I mentally clawed at it, trying to reach Sion’s mind. It was too strong and I gave up in frustration.
A wailing cry filled the air. I looked back, expecting to see a griffon or the shadowy beast, but there was nothing. The sound faded and the night went quiet. We left the valley behind us and as the sun was beginning to rise, I could make out the camp that Maren was leading me to.
Finding Maren was a surprise, and I had a hundred questions that needed to be answered.
On top of all that, for some reason I couldn’t explain, I felt as if I had abandoned Esmond to death.
THE END OF BOOK TWO
The journey continues with The Warrior’s Call, available now.
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