“It makes us stronger,” the lieutenant said reflexively.
Keane smiled back and looked at Naeru. “Honor, loyalty and nostalgia, that will get them every time.”
“These men have no honor,” Maerek said bluntly and sniffed the air again. “They aren’t the only ones out there.” Just then, there was an audible twang of bowstrings, and the arrows landed with a sharp thud in a circle around the traders.
“All we want is the new comer and the woman called Ledría. Let us have them, and we will let you go freely,” the bound lieutenant said.
“And what crime has he committed?” Japeth jeered at the lieutenant and took a defiant step forward.
“That is none of your concern. The new comers will come to us, or we will kill you and take them by force.” The lieutenant smiled toward Maerek. “We know your secret, and it has been Seen as to why you are traveling.” Maerek gave a short snarl and turned toward the group.
“Do you trust me when I say that I will not harm you?” Each group member looked at him curiously and then quickly nodded. Ledría looked down at the fire, and then over to Keane. At the same time, the lieutenant’s eyes went wide.
“Fire!” the lieutenant yelled.
In an instant, Maerek was surrounded in his own smoke and arrows were loosed. Maerek changed into his true form and rushed over to the traders. The arrows bounced off his hardened scales like water on rocks. A few arrows punctured his wing membranes, but it was worth protecting his new family.
“Pull back your archers or die!” Maerek roared and then let out a low, loud, deep growl that shook in his chest. He lowered his head and let his mouth fill with incendiary spit. Globs of the sticky substance dripped from his lips, igniting instantly with the dry air and setting fire to the ground below his jaw. As the fire hissed on the grass, a sharp pain stung at his wings where the arrows had torn through. The sting faded and was followed by numbness that spread slowly to his wing joints. Maerek grimaced as he tried to keep his wings tucked against his body, but his muscles went numb, and the wings drooped onto the ground. A few of the guard started to rush toward him but stopped as the lieutenant held up a hand.
“These tips are bathed in wyvern spit, dragon. One arrow is hardly enough to bring a beast like you down, but more than enough to kill each one of your group. How long do you anticipate being able to protect them before even you are overcome?”
In one quick, firm motion, the lieutenant brought his hand down and pointed two fingers at the dragon. There was a twang from Maerek’s left, another from his right. He turned to his right, still protecting the traders, blocked one arrow with his head, and the other he snapped with his tail. He launched the fireball toward where the first arrow came and turned completely around as he heard another twang from a third archer, but the arrow was traveling away from him, not toward. Keane came out from the cover and shot one of the guard’s own arrows back to their aggressors. Maerek heard the fleshy impact and gurgle of blood. It had embedded in the guard’s throat to the lieutenant’s right.
“The next arrow is your lieutenant’s. Retreat or he dies.” Keane placed another arrow on the bowstring and pulled it tight against his cheek, the point of the arrow sticking into the skin of the lieutenant’s neck and drawing a faint trickle of blood. Both of his eyes were opened and locked on the lieutenant’s head.
“Your dragon cannot protect all of you. If you kill me, my men will continue their assault.” Nonchalantly, the lieutenant looked up at Maerek. “Come quietly and your friends will be spared. You have my word as a lieutenant of Tessír.”
“What honor is in a title that kills for gain?” Maerek said soft and low, eyes fixed on the lieutenant.
“There is honor enough for you to trust my offer,” snapped the lieutenant. Maerek growled again and stared back with unblinking eyes.
“How many of your men are you willing to lose for me?” There was a split second of silence, enough for Maerek to let out a short chuckle. Keane picked up on the cue and changed his target to the guard that sat next to the lieutenant and loosed his arrow. The guard choked and gurgled on his own blood and fell onto his lieutenant, dead.
“I won’t kill you, but we could kill every one of your men,” Keane said, pointing another arrow at one of the bound guards.
“And when the last arrow has flown, and the last sword stroke is given,” the lieutenant replied, shrugging off his dead soldier. “You will find your entire band dead. Even you cannot see a way out of this, dragon!”
Kaalúm would know how. During the short dialogue, Maerek thought of dozens of strategies to save the group and retreat safely. The lieutenant had already shown his tactic for taking down the dragon and it was clever. Maerek knew that at his command, selected archers would shoot an arrow or two, forcing the dragon to turn one way or another to protect the group beneath him. If Maerek curled into a ball around the group, the Guard would rush down with their swords and engage in close combat, stabbing between scales, forcing Maerek to move to defend himself and exposing the humans he protected. Without the use of his wings, he couldn’t carry them to safety. Kaalúm would have anticipated the poisoned arrows and flown as far away as possible, but what Moving Mountain would’ve done was in the past. He could only see one option out, and it didn’t promise total safety for him and his friends.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you,” Maerek said flatly, his mouth filling with spit, “but your plans are ruined, you will come away from this adventure with nothing.” Maerek shot a thin line of saliva at the trees around him. The wood caught fire instantly, sending up a thick blanket of black smoke. “After this next volley, run for the Blades,” he whispered as he curved his body around the traders, tucking his tail in front of his face. The arrows were loosed, and another set of arrows struck at the dragon, more still piercing his limp wings. One lucky archer managed to embed an arrow in the wing joint, striking a sinuous mass.
After the last arrows fell, Maerek uncurled and the traders ran. Maerek ran behind them, keeping his bulky mass above the humans, shielding them from any other archer that hadn’t loosed their arrow. His gate was floppy, his wings even more weak than earlier dragging behind him, the membrane tearing and scrapping against the rough rocks, now streaked with dragon blood. Maerek looked back and spat another line of fire behind him to block anyone who would have followed.
“Move men!” the lieutenant shouted. They were gaining ground. There was no way that the guards would be able to catch up to him. The archers that he anticipated to hold their arrows had either missed their mark or held for a cleaner shot.
“Is everyone ok?” Maerek asked, struggling for breath as they ran.
“We are,” Japeth called out, but said no more. The rest of the group remained silent. Maerek kept his ears up and listened for any other patrols that may have been positioned further down the path. They could even be armed with the large crossbows, he thought, thinking back to the attack at Moving Mountain, and that fear kept him alert, all of his senses focused on the slightest unnatural noise or movement. Not being able to fly made him a vulnerable target. They were not safe, not yet, not from the men that continued to hunt them.
Maerek knew that safety from them would only be found in one place, but it opened him and his friends to another realm of danger that those belonging to Moving Mountain even feared… the Broken Blades.
CHAPTER 10
“How far are we going?” Thomas asked, fighting for each word as they moved on.
“To the Broken Blades. I think the rest of the trail is compromised. I couldn’t smell the guard earlier because they were lathered in deer urine. Each guard hid behind the trees and was very still. We walked right into an ambush. I don’t want to risk a second attack.”
“We need to stop, Maerek,” Japeth said, stopped and hunched over even as he spoke. He leaned against Maerek’s arm and heaved. “We can’t go on like this.”
Maerek skidded to a stop. The next moment, he filled his mouth with saliva. He scanned both
sides of the trail and sniffed the air savagely with fast and full inhales, and powerfully quick exhales. Trees bent left and right as he poked his head through the branches.
A bowstring twanged. Maerek raced back over to protect the group but stopped just short. Keane shot an arrow at Aelex who was walking off the trail. The arrow wobbled in the tree that was just in front of the negotiator. Aelex froze.
“What’d you do that for?” Aelex said, still looking at the arrow as the shaft stilled.
“I don’t want to kill you Aelex,” Keane said sharply and slowly.
“Keane, what are you doing?” Japeth scolded. Keane, ignoring Japeth, put another arrow to the nock and pulled the string back.
“Step away from the woods Aelex and come here where I can see you better.” Aelex complied and walked back to the center of the path. “I will only give you one chance to be truthful. Maerek has super sensitive hearing and will be able to tell me if your heart rate escalates even the smallest degree.”
Maerek understood what Keane was up to, swallowed his spit and walked next to Aelex. Japeth seemed to understand also and was silent, taking purposeful steps away from Aelex.
“The dragon is a lie detector. Dragons also cannot, and do not lie. He will not cover for you. He will tell me if you are dishonest, and then I will kill you.”
“What! What do you want to know, anything, ask me!” Aelex stammered.
“His heart rate is up.” Maerek lowered his head next to Aelex. Aelex took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. When his heart rate lowered, Maerek nodded to Aelex.
“Are you in any way associated with the Guard and or hunters that are trying to capture Maerek.”
“No.” Aelex’s answer was flat, short and firm.
“Truth,” Maerek said. Keane sighed lowered his bow, returned his arrow and retrieved his other arrow that was imbedded in the tree.
“And what about you Keane, what about any of us?” Aelex hissed. “The guards knew where we were going to be. They knew the route. They weren’t marauding a common trading path, they were hunting us,” Aelex turned and pointed a finger at Maerek, “hunting you. Why? What is your real story, dragon? Keane said you cannot lie, but something tells me you held portions of truth back. Why are they hunting you? Why is one dragon so important?”
“I don’t have time to tell you everything. I promise to, in time. Quick, on my back now, I’ll carry you to the pass.”
Japeth walked up to Maerek’s side and was about to climb on. Maerek held out a claw to assist him. Japeth placed a hand on Maerek’s side for balance and then quickly withdrew it. His hand was covered in blood. He looked down at Maerek’s wings, still paralyzed from the poison. Scraps, cuts, rips and tears ravaged the wing membrane. Behind them, streaks of blood could be seen on the tree trunks, ground, and other plants. It didn’t matter how far ahead they ran, Maerek had left a trail even a novice hunter could follow.
“Maerek, you’re hurt.” Japeth wiped the blood off on the ground. “You should change back. You’re leaving a lot of blood behind.”
Maerek hissed at first, looked back, and sniffed the air. His blood trail was heavy on the air and it would lead the guard straight to them. He grunted, scratched at the ground and looked up toward the sky, stretching up and up. The next instant the entire area was filled with the scent of rotten apples and tree-sap. As the smell lifted, he let out a thick cloud of black smoke. When the smoke cleared, Maerek lay on the ground on his side, his back to the group. He looked as if he had received a hundred lashings. Thick red welts swelled all over him and burst out, letting slow sheets of blood flow down and around his ribs. The group was still. When Maerek didn’t move, Ledría ran to him, gently placing a hand on his bare shoulder. Naeru followed behind her, taking off his coat and placing it over Maerek.
“Maerek,” Ledría whispered. There was no reply. Naeru checked his pulse and listened for breathing. Both were found, and with a sigh of relief, Naeru waved the group over. “He’s alive. His pulse is weak, from the poison, I am guessing. He needs rest. We should to carry him to safety. The smell of blood will attract predators this close to the Blades.”
“Keane, how long do you think we have until the Guard catches up?” Japeth asked as he looked around the trail. Thomas was scanning the undergrowth for some sort of plant.
“With the fire and the smoke, the distance covered, and if they are taking off in a full sprint, at the most, a quarter of an hour.”
“Aha!” Thomas shouted. The group looked over at him as he cut large patches of green moss from a tree stump. Thomas ran over to the wounded dragon, took off his coat and placed it next to Maerek. Next, he covered his jacket with the moss, placing it green side up. Then carefully, he rolled Maerek onto the jacket, his welted back laying on the moist fuzzy plant. “It will help with the bleeding and ease some of the pain.”
The Blades stretched up and into the white puffy clouds like grey, ancient daggers with rusted edges stabbing into a fleshy underside. Small wisps of red and white swirled on the mountain side, rust red dirt mixing with old snow. In the forest below, the tree branches were laden with deep green needles and tree trunks covered in thick layers of deep brown bark. The new segments of needles from pine trees were pushing out of the points of branches in a light green color. Ferns, thistles, huckleberry and elderberry bushes, and other undergrowth filled any and all space around them, save for the rough trail that the group traveled on.
“Wrap Maerek’s back with whatever we have,” Japeth said as he took off his coat. “We need to go north, get off of the path. If we are lucky, we should be able to stay hidden for a time.”
“But if we hurry, we could make it to the pass before nightfall,” Keane said. He had taken off his cloak and thrown it to Naeru and Thomas who were tying the clothes around Maerek’s body.
“We probably would, but if we take a wounded,” Japeth paused and looked over at Maerek, still unconscious, bleeding, barely breathing, “friend, the cockatrices would pick up on his scent and tear him, and us, to pieces. We have a chance of survival if we wait until he is fully recovered and then head for the pass.”
“Do you anticipate the guard to follow us or try to track us?” Aelex asked.
“They will, for a time,” Japeth said. “They are unfamiliar with this terrain, considering that Tessíran rule borders the Blades on the eastern side. My guess is that they will give up their search and wait for us at the pass.”
“Then what Japeth?” chided Keane. Keane was about to say more, shook his head and kicked at the ground and then looked at Ledría. “Is there anything you can do?”
“Not here,” she said, rubbing her shoulders at the cold. “I agree with Japeth. We need to hide.”
“We hope that when Maerek is healed,” Japeth continued, “that he will be able to figure a way out of this. Until then, we pray. Is he ready to move?”
“Just about,” Thomas replied as he finished binding Maerek’s legs together with a coat. Brown leather from overcoats was torn into long strips and tied around his chest and back to hold the moss in place while other jackets were placed over his shoulders and then tied in place with other strips of fabric. Thomas grunted at his work and adjusted most of the knots twice more. Naeru placed a hand on Thomas’ shoulder.
“Why do you think he flared his scent before he changed?” whispered Naeru.
“Animals scent mark for a variety of reasons, territory, finding a mate, alerting others of food, but the foul odor just before he changed back… It could have been a distress call, a warning, but to who?” He stared at the dragon’s human form for a moment and wiped some sweat off of Maerek’s forehead. “We’re ready Japeth.”
Keane handed his bow to Japeth and helped Thomas and Naeru carry Maerek in a straight three-person-carry, holding Maerek like a log, Naeru holding the head and shoulders, Keane holding the waist and legs, and Thomas carrying the feet.
The traders walked into the wood, and once past the first shadow of night and forest, disappe
ared from the trail. No one was coming, at least not yet. Tracks from the group led directly into the forest and it was too late to cover them. Aelex cursed under his breath and turned away.
“I hope you’re right, Japeth,” he said to himself, “for all our sakes.”
[][][]
Moonlight beamed down through patches in the forest canopy, shining pallid disks in portions on the thick undergrowth. The path the traders tried to cut was up hill and filled with rocks, loose ground, plant life and a few fallen trees. Luckily, the darkness and decaying debris shrouded any trail left behind. Aelex looked back repeatedly, hoping to spy a moving figure in the moonlight that shot down from the trees. In the scarce light and thick underbrush, not much could be seen. Japeth maneuvered to the front of the group and led the group straight north, turning around trees, guided by some internal compass. He stopped briefly to look at the moon through the trees and then continued on.
The group handled the quick exertion well, but Keane, Thomas and Naeru were beginning to show signs of exhaustion. Twice, Thomas misplaced a step and lost his footing, catching himself and falling to a knee instead of tumbling down the hill. On the third fall, Keane couldn’t get back up unless he laid Maerek down.
While Thomas was on his knee, Aelex walked over and helped carry the still unconscious dragon in its human form. Thomas grunted and in one motion stood up straight and started walking up the hill. Not long after, Japeth called for a stop, raising one fist in the air. He pointed over to the right. About thirty yards off, there was a fallen pine tree. Brown needles covered each branch while the stump was visibly brittle and in the latter stages of decay. Chunks of brown bark lay around the stump and looked more like compacted dirt rather than portions of a tree.
“We’ll hide on the north side of that clearing till morning,” Japeth whispered. “I want eyes open all around us in case the guard does come looking for us. I won’t be caught in the open a second time.” The group nodded in silent agreement and continued their hike.
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