Chapter 12

Pel screamed and ducked low behind her rock, while Ket retreated a step, his sword raised high in an attempt to protect his mate.

I nocked another arrow and loosed it toward the dragon, more to distract her than in any real hope of causing damage. It flashed toward her – and stuck solidly between two of her neck scales. She swung her head around with a sibilant hiss.

“Burn!” She roared, and, lowering her neck, she opened her mouth. I heard Vall chanting something from behind me, and then the dragon’s head disappeared behind a ball of fire that shot from her mouth. I raised my hand in a useless attempt to shield myself. The fire roared toward Vall and me, too quickly for us to dodge or run.

Then, it burst against something a bare handspan in front of me. I felt the terrible heat, but it did no harm. Then, the fire was gone, and I smelled a sharp odor from the fire. The grass on both sides of the road was burnt to a crisp, and the road bed was dried and cracked.

The dragon roared in frustration and took a step toward us, ignoring Ket and Pel. “Ornthalas, the gems!” Vall called to me. She stepped in front of me. “Hurry!”

I snatched the pouch from my belt and opened it with my teeth, and then fished out one of the gems. It was buzzing continuously now, and, placing it in my palm; I pressed it against my bowstave. The gem seemed to melt into the wood, and the entire bow began to hum.

Vall called out again, and a reddish flash shot from her fingers and slammed into the creature’s chest.

The dragon roared again, and her head lashed out at Vall. She was able to avoid the creature’s teeth, but the dragon’s head slammed into her and sent her flying to the side.

I set my feet, and drew another arrow. My bow hummed even louder, and I could feel the vibration in my hands. I aimed for the dragon’s chest, and loosed the arrow. At barely five paces, the creature had nearly no time to react. The arrow drove straight into one of her massive scales, and she howled in pain as the clothyard shaft buried itself to the fletching in her tough hide.

“How did you do that,” she roared loudly enough to make my head hurt. I slammed another arrow into her, and she scrabbled backwards, screaming in fresh agony. I nocked another arrow as she spread her wings and began to lift into the air. This one caught her lower in the body, and she flapped her leathery wings in earnest as she continued to roar in pain and fury.

She was a massive creature, but she was also a quick flier, and she was soon too far away for me to hit her with another arrow. I turned away from her retreating form, and ran to Vall. She was lying in a crumpled heap at the side of the road, and I knelt beside her.

“Vall?” I brushed her hair back from her face. Her cheek was slashed and bloody from the dragon’s blow, so I placed my palm gently on her face and softly intoned the words to activate my healing ability. The familiar blue glow suffused her face and jaw, and I exhaled heavily as the magic flowed through me. I sat back on my heels, taking a deep breath to steady myself.

Vall took a breath, and opened her eyes. She seemed surprised to be lying face down, and she quickly sat up. “What happened?” She looked around, her eyes wide. “Where is the dragon?”

“The dragon knocked you senseless, and I shot her, so she flew away.” I shrugged. “The crystal did something to my arrows; they were going straight through her scales.”

“The halflings?”

I looked over to where Pel and Ket were kneeling beside Gim’s lifeless body. “They’re still here, and unhurt, except for Gim.”

Vall pulled herself up on her hands and knees, and I rose to help her to her feet. She smiled wanly, and stood on wobbly knees for a moment.

“Are you able to walk?”

“I think so,” she nodded. She took a tentative step. “I will be fine. Go see to the others.”

I walked to the halflings, turning my head to search the sky in case the dragon returned. The pair was still kneeling beside Gim’s body; Ket was stone faced with rage, while Pel wept quietly, her face buried in her hands. “We need to go,” I said quietly. “She could return.”

Ket murmured something to Pel in a language I didn’t know, and she stood, keeping her face turned away from me. “We can’t just leave him here,” Ket said, “it’s not proper.”

I looked around at the rocky ground. “We can find a low place, and build a burial mound. It’s the best we can do.”

Ket agreed, and we all took part. Pel took charge of her brother’s possessions, but chose to leave his sword, clothing, and armor with him. We wrapped his body in his cloak, and bore him a short distance off the road. There, we found a depression in the ground near a mighty birch tree. The halflings laid him to rest, while Vall and I gathered rocks to build the mound. It was hard work, but we finally built it well enough to discourage predators from disturbing the grave.

By now, it was past high noon, and my stomach reminded me that I had not eaten. “Come, we need to eat something.” I led the way to a small stream, where we washed the dirt away, and refilled our water skins.

“I’m not hungry,” Pel said softly. She sniffed and sat down on a fallen log.

“You should eat a little,” Ket said as he sat beside her.

I left the two of them to their conversation and turned to Vall. “Are you feeling better?”

She nodded as she opened one of our rations, and handed me a wedge of cheese. “I’m still scared half out of my wit. I hadn’t seen a dragon before.”

“What did you do to protect us from its fire?”

Vall shrugged. “I don’t know. The spell just leaped into my mind and out of my mouth.”

“Dreev. And Nilyn,” I breathed. “They knew more than they told us.”