After his charge Cyerant wheeled around and saw Shira leap to free the dragons and Veer jump to the ground to stand over and protect her back. Cyerant then charged his horse right back at the pursuers and he and Corth slammed into the oncoming half dozen men. Corth leaped onto one rider and bore rider, horse and all into the ground ripping both apart with tooth and claw. Cyerant managed to fell one rider with a sword blow while another rider was thrown from his horse. Cyerant rode a fully trained war horse which he had taken from the burning stables. With a pressure from his knee the horse under him wheeled and kicked out with his back hooves staggering another horse in the melee, another signal and the horse kicked out to the front crushing the skull of a man who had been tossed from his saddle. Then Cyerant realized that he was being closed in upon. As he saw that he was surrounded he also saw that the situation for Veer and Shira had become dire.
*****
Sergeant Baris of the Ducal Guard and his men heard the sounds of battle from just over that hill top. They had seen movement and followed as quickly as they could. Now he and his five men were about to see who it was they were following. He slowed down to see what was beyond the tree line and hilltop before he rode into something that might not concern him at all. His orders were simple; find that boy and bring him or his body back to the ashes of their manor house so that he can die in the fire that the rest of his family died in. As he reached the tree line he could see everything. There really were bandits, but they hadn’t rescued the boy they must have taken him prisoner. But he had gotten a sword and a horse and was fighting. And fighting well, that old general had done well teaching this boy. There were two other kids also surrounded by the bandits who looked to be trying to tie the kids and their dogs up. These bandits must take kids and sell them or hold them for ransom. Well they are only bandits so they will run when they see armour; or they will die. And the other two kids – well orders were no witnesses. Baris saw that his men already had their swords out so he gave the signal and he and his five men charged a dozen and a half bandits, because bandits always run anyway.
*****
Cyerant saw the armoured guards break from the tree line and he knew why they were there. He took the moment of surprise among his immediate opponents to kick and cut a path toward Veer and Shira. The men surrounding his friends parted in surprise and then moved back in. The foreigners who were on horses quickly joined their companions on foot and now the three young people with five dragons were surrounded by foreigners and there was a small company of guards charging at the whole group.
*****
Baris saw the boy force his way through the bandits to get to his friends which grouped all of the bandits together conveniently. Strange that the bandits didn’t flee at the sight of armed soldiers. Oh well, fully armed and armoured soldiers verses lightly armed and non-armoured bandits will be easy enough. Then his charge carried him into the group of bandits and he was surprised to find that they fought with discipline more like soldiers. Still without armour the bandits would be no match for soldiers.
*****
Cyerant watched as the battle became a mess. The guardsmen had charged right into a greater number of foreigners. But the guardsmen having on chain and with battlefield weapons and riding trained warhorses had an advantage. The foreigners were managing to take out the guardsmen but they were sustaining uneven losses. The foreigners had all dropped their ropes and were now using swords but most of them were on foot and so they were giving that advantage to the guardsmen as well. Cyerant paused there for a few moments to let his horse rest and gather strength for what was coming. The guardsmen were steadily cutting through the foreigners. The leader of the foreigners fell. And some of the foreigners broke and fled. Cyerant noticed that Veer had somehow kept his bow and was quietly standing in the centre of the circle feathering the fleeing men. As the guardsmen broke into the centre of the circle Cyerant wished that a dragon would roar or something to startle the horses. Just then Corth raised up, spread his wings and roared. The horses and guardsmen were stunned and the horses all reared and the armoured men were thrown to the ground Corth immediately leaped upon an armoured man. Cyerant cut down the leader of the guardsmen. Shira and Cyool laid about themselves, she with her fighting knife and Cyool with tooth and claw. Drace tore into a group of foreigners who discovered that his scales were tougher than armour and died with the realization. A few foreigners tried to flee but far fewer made it to the tree line before sprouting feathers from the long bow which Veer held.
Within a few minutes the field was clear with the exception of two young men, one young lady, a few dragons and some riderless horses wandering around. All of the guardsmen were dead as were most of the foreigners. As Veer gazed at the forest where the escaping foreigners had fled he heard a man scream and then shortly that scream was followed by a few more then there was silence until a small dragon with green eyes flew into a treetop and screeched very loudly and angrily. “I guess that they didn’t get away after all,” said Veer.
“One did,” yelled Shira as she looked around for her horse which she quickly found and mounted. “And he had a dragon.” Shira headed for the forest where the man who had the captured dragon had disappeared. “And I’m going to get it back.” Cyool, having recovered her strength took flight and headed in the same direction quickly outpacing Shira and starting to sweep across the sky as though she were searching for something.
Veer and Cyerant both quickly gathered their own horses and the pack horse and set off after Shira. Veer called, “Shira, slow down.” Shira slowed as she reached the edge of the trees and brush and let her horse move at a walk. “It is just a dragon Shira,” Veer said as he caught up to the girl.
Shira turned in her saddle pointing at Drace and said. “And so is that. Imagine what they will do to the poor thing.” The realization caused the colour to drain from the face of the young man.
“It is a dragon,” added Cyerant.
“Shira glared at him and responded. “You saw what those ropes did to the dragons, and he has that one tied up. I’m going after it; and you can do whatever you want.”
“We’ll go with you, Shira. Just slow down and go carefully,” answered Veer.
“Do you think that foreigner is going to slow down now that he has caught a dragon?” Asked Shira.
“No, but how can you find them? The Wall is enormous and you know he is headed for the mountains,” said Veer.
“He is headed for the furway and then north. I’ll track him like I was taught,” answered Shira. “Besides I can see his tracks already. Right there on the ground and there are marks where he passed in those bushes.” She said while pointing a little ahead of her.
“How can you see tracks? I can’t see anything and I know how to track,” said Veer.
“I don’t know but I can see them, just like I could see the tracks of those horses after the rain. My eyes must be really good or something because I’ve been able to see more and more tracks since I woke up from that bite,” answered Shira. She stopped and looked at Veer and continued. “I think that we are changing, I can see tracks and I swear that I can smell the guy, the horse and the dragon. And you, you’re getting bigger lately – stronger looking. And I see you when you are gathering wood, you are getting stronger.”
Veer looked down at his bow and said. “I know, when I went hunting before I got bitten this was my new bow and I could barely pull it but now it feels easy like it belongs to a little kid. I don’t know what is going on.”
“I do,” said Cyerant. “The legends are true. There really are dragons and we are bonded to them somehow and we are changing because of it and so are they. Look at your dragon Veer. He looks like a walking war, he is the size of a wolf and looks like he is armoured all over and look at the horned crest that he is growing. The non-bonded dragons are still the size of a little dog or a big bird. But that one that Shira has looks different so it must be some other kind of dragon. I don’t know why mine is getting so tall but it is a
lready nearly the size of a pony.”
Just then Shira turned to the west and said, “she’s found them.”
“What?” Asked Veer. “How can you know that? They must be miles away by now.”
“No, not that far.” Shira responded as she turned and guided her horse into the forest.
Veer and Cyerant followed her lead. Veer glanced over at Cyerant. “I’ve never seen anyone ride and use any weapon like you just did. You really are good.”
“Not that good. I was trained by the best but I’ve never been able to ride that well or use a sword like I did today. I don’t know how but today I fought like I saw Gofreys fight on the night we were getting out of the manor house. I can’t fight like that. Or I couldn’t until now. And that wound of mine; nothing heals that fast.”
Shira listened to the other two speaking behind her but said nothing. They all fell silent as Shira started to set a faster pace in order to catch up to her quarry. They continued to move through the forest for several hours until Shira signalled a halt. She signalled for both young men to remain silent then she pointed up to the sky to what looked like birds flying in a slow circle. It looked as if one smaller bird was harrying a larger bird as they often do. But both young men knew that they were not birds. One was Cyool and the other was Green Eyes. Then Shira pointed up at the next ridge where she knew that the captured dragon was located. She held up three fingers to let Veer and Cyerant know that the man who fled with the dragon had met up with two of his companions and there were now three men guarding the dragon.
They silently secured their horses to a bush and then quietly moved forward and up the incline to the top of the ridge. With a pair of dragons following just behind the three companions and two more dragons descending in long slow spirals. Just before reaching the top of the ridge, Shira motioned for the two young men to stop. She then sank to the ground and crawled the last few feet in order to peek over the top. Raising her head just high enough to see over the ridge Shira saw three men sitting around a bundle which lay on the ground between them. The men seemed to be having some sort of heated debate and two of the men kept pointing in different directions, one pointed to the west as he argued and then another would point toward the northwest as he responded. Shira could not understand the language in which the men argued but it appeared that they were having a disagreement as to which way they should go. Every now and again Shira would see the bundle shudder or try to move a bit and would hear weak cries come from the poor captured dragon. In their anger the men seemed to have forgotten the captured dragon on the ground in front of them. Shira motioned Veer and Cyerant forward to take up positions along side of her.
While Shira was still working out a plan the captured dragon let out a cry that while still weak was a bit louder than earlier calls. There came a loud answering shriek from above as a small dark creature dove from the sky right toward the foreigners. Veer was suddenly overcome with anger and let out a yell of rage at the same time as Drace screamed his rage. Without warning Drace leaped over the edge of the ridge and charged the three men. A moment later Corth followed over the ridge. A louder call sounded from higher above as Cyool began her dive toward her enemies. The men only had a moment to realize that four dragons were bearing down on them. Veer drew his sword and leaped over the edge charging the foreigners in his blind rage.
Green Eyes pulled against her dive at the last possible moment extending her wings to brake her speed a bit while extending four clawed feet and her fangs into the face of one man. Drace tore into a man tooth and claw and the momentum of his charge driving his victim back many feet but the man was dead before his body came to rest. The taller but lighter dragon Corth skilfully dispatched the last man with a single lashing swipe of his front claws. Cyool finished her decent with no enemy left to fight and instead landed aside the smaller dragon tied on the ground spreading her wings protectively but careful not to let herself touch the hated ropes.
His bloodlust not yet satiated the powerful, armoured Drace continued his forward charge after dropping the first man and plunged among the three horses tied nearby. Tooth and claw the enraged dragon tore at the poor beasts and they fell under him. The enraged dragon had no intention of stopping and so he continued to rip at the dead horses. Veer reached the bodies of the men before his friends and he fell onto one of the dead men beating the corpse with his fists and screaming. Veer felt unable to stop himself. Cyerant and Shira both grabbed Veer to try and calm him down and pull him off of the corpse of the foreigner. Veer had become so strong that he easily shook off his two friends.
“Veer stop!” Shira shouted at the young man who seemed to not even recognize her. “Stop, he’s dead, it’s over.” As Shira continued to shout Cyool and Corth both leaped toward their brother Drace who was still tearing at the pile of flesh which had only moments before been horses. Cyool roared at Drace as Corth tried to get close to the angry dragon. As Veer seemed to calm a bit Shira lowered her shouts to a speaking voice and Cyerant put his arms around the shoulders of the now shaking Veer. At the same time the taller Corth was able to move next to Drace and Cyool started to make soothing crooning sounds to Drace. As Veer lost all of his strength with the last of his anger he started to collapse forward only the strong arms of his friends kept him from falling atop the body which he had been beating. Shira and Cyerant gently laid Veer down on his side as he began to heave his stomach clear. At the same time Drace collapsed in exhaustion and Corth was able to break the fall of the shorter but heavier dragon. Cyool and Corth together managed to push the heavier muscled and armoured Drace away from the scattered remains of the horses. Finished purging what little had been in his stomach Veer lay on the ground in exhaustion the same exhaustion that seemed to have felled Drace.
There came a pitiable cry from the bundle of baby dragon and poisoned ropes. Cyool moved away from her brothers and toward the poor baby dragon tied on the ground. Cyerant stood and pulled out his fighting knife and headed to ward the bundle. Suddenly from nowhere Green Eyes leaped at the young nobleman claws extended toward his face. Cyool roared at her sister as she leaped toward the angry tiny dragonet. Green Eyes managed to scratch Cyerant across his cheek before her larger sister drove her away and the green eyed little dragon returned to the tree tops where she perched and started to shriek and hiss at the group of humans and dragons on the ground. Corth who had let out a roar when Green Eyes had launched herself at his bondmate moved to stand under the tree in which Green Eyes had perched. The two dragons exchanged screeches and angry calls at one another until Corth quickly spun and struck the tree with his long slender spade tipped tail. As the tree shuddered Green Eyes had her perch whipped out from under her and she fell a few feet before opening her wings to catch herself and return to her still shaking seat. A shower of pine cones fell from the tree onto the larger dragon and the ground around him. The dragon stepped away from the tree with a loud hiss.
Cyerant bent to cut the bindings from the baby dragon and he very roughly grabbed at the ropes and gave them a jerk which caused the baby dragon to cry out and Cyool to hiss a warning at Cyerant. Cyerant took a deep breath to calm himself and then more gently went about removing the ropes from the dragonet, this time having a care to not hurt the poor creature.
Shira was sitting next to Veer who seemed to have already fallen into a deep sleep. She had been counting backwards in an attempt to calm herself down and to quell the anger of her dragon Cyool. She then spoke, “it’s from the dragons.”
“What is?” Cyerant snapped back at her with an angry look in his eyes. At the same time his dragon Corth hissed in the direction of the girl.
“The anger is,” the girl responded. “We feel the same things that they do and when they get angry so do we.” At the same time as Shira spoke to Cyerant Cyool was making a soothing croon toward Corth.
Shira continued to sit next to the sleeping Veer and noticed that Drace was also sleeping where the other two dragons had left him. She looked at the dragon which
lay there and noticed how truly powerfully built he was becoming. He was growing so fast and becoming very solid and muscular and his scales seemed so much thicker than the other dragons. She noticed that the bony plates on the head of the sleeping dragon were growing thicker and hornlike and spikes were growing on the top of his head. Like the other dragons Drace too had a spade shaped section at the end of his tail which seemed to be made of the same stuff as his wings. But there was also a barbed bony spike growing out of the end now and it was starting to look almost as though it were a spear. She realized that as she had been examining the sleeping dragon her hands had been tracing the outline of the arms and shoulders of the young man asleep on the ground next to her. She looked at Veer now, he too had been changing rapidly his arms and his shoulders had become larger and he was as solid as a man ten years older. Shira noticed that she could hear humming and as she started to look to see where it was coming from she realized that it was her own voice. She had been humming quietly over Veer for some time. That was very unlike her and she felt a little embarrassed as she stopped. Then she noticed that she could still hear the sound of the humming and she looked around to see that Cyool was sitting next to the dragonet which had been recently freed and the larger dragon was crooning softly to comfort the tiny dragon. The crooning seemed to calm the other dragons and Shira had a sense of mother. The girl could not remember her own mother, but she guessed that the crooning was what the mother dragon had done to calm her brood in the cave.
Dragons of Summer Tide (The Dragons of Hwandor) Page 11