Cyerant was thrown from his feet and tossed hard against the mast which left him dazed for a few moments. When Corth felt the confusion and pain of Cyerant he became enraged and launched himself into flight right at the nearest boat – the one that had been lying in wait. The dragon was skimming just above the water shrieking his rage at the men in the boat ahead of him. Now the size of a colt nearing adulthood, the dragon was a formidable opponent and he looked as if he would crash right into the boat at any moment but then he started to pull up just high enough that he would be able rake the men on board with his claws and tail. Most of the men were rowing and had shields on their backs so they could not see the dragon approaching and the shields would protect them from the raking claws. One man alone could see the dragon approaching and that man was sitting in the back of the boat preparing his lasso for a desperate toss.
Veer was thrown against Drace who had dug his claws into the deck planks as the boat lurched. Veer was rapidly back on his feet with his sword out in his right hand and his hunting knife ready in his left hand. The young man moved toward the railing where the rapidly moving boats following would soon be able to put men onto the Gardenia. He noticed that both Talyat and Myalnar were moving in the same direction and that Captain Tarian was already at the railing with an oar in his hands.
Shira felt the deck shudder and as she was thrown from her feet she tucked into a roll which carried her across the deck toward the bow and smoothly back up onto her feet. As she rolled she pulled her hunting knife and stood poised and ready. After a few moments she saw what Dalnt was doing with the bill hook and that Cralnar was moving in to stand behind his brother so she decided to join Cralnar in protecting Dalnt.
Pelinar felt the boat jerk to a stop and he saw that in moments the following boats would be slamming into the Gardenia. In a single movement that seemed more fluid and beautiful than real the elf placed his bow over his shoulder onto his back and pulled two curved blades from his belt. The blades spread out as if they were the wings of some demon poised on the edge of flight – a beautiful demon with glinting steel wings.
The roar of the dragon ripped across the water and struck the men in the boat like a blow. The people on board the other boats all turned to see the largest of the dragons in his charging flight. The power of the dragon wings beating against the air was creating a wind that could be felt behind the animal and as his wingtips struck the water a spray was being thrown up into that wind. It was as if each wing stroke created a small storm behind the creature. His spade shaped tail was dragging in the water as if it was trying to rip open the river itself and it pulled a wake up into the air; a wake that looked like the tail of a rooster. The claws of the dragon ripped away slivers of wood as they crossed the bow of the boat.
The rowers felt the screaming doom from the approaching beast and they just ducked down beneath the shields on their backs and began to say the fervent prayers of men who expect that they are about to die. The men, huddled under their shields, felt the claws scraping across their backs tearing splinters from their protection. One man defiantly rose in the back of the boat and loosed something into the air. The dragon pulled sharply upwards but it was too late and Corth felt the agony as the rope closed around his neck. In that moment he felt as if a heavy blow had been struck against him and then the choking noose closed around his neck stealing the dragon’s strength from him. The momentum of the dragon carried him yards beyond the boat and as he passed just over the man who had thrown the rope, the spade of the dragon tail struck the chest of the man lifting him from the boat and from the world of the living. The body of the man splashed into the water a dozen feet behind the boat just as the now weakened dragon skidded across the water some yards beyond – skidded and then sank.
The rowers were shocked to still be alive as they saw their sergeant die in the back of their boat. The two men nearest the rear of the boat saw the rope uncoiling as the dragon slipped deeper into the river and they dove and grabbed the rope to secure it. Soon most of the men had hold of the rope and were pulling against the weight of the captured animal. The beast was too weakened to struggle much but its weight and the current were still pulling hard against the men.
Pelinar saw that the men had lassoed the dragon and were scrambling around in the smaller boat which had stopped and now would not reach the Gardenia. The elf ran toward the centre of the deck of the Gardenia and smoothly returned his swords to his belt and in the same motion had grabbed his bow, nocked an arrow and released it into flight. By the time the elf came to a stop in the middle of the deck he was releasing his second arrow. The men struggling with the rope in the other boat were presenting targets of opportunity and the elf was feathering those targets with arrows.
From far above came a loud shriek and a distant speck up near the clouds pulled her wings to her side and began a diving descent toward the river so far below. She was followed by another small speck still yet to high to be seen from the surface. But as the speck hurtled from the sky it became larger and larger. Shira struggled to control her rage – Cyool’s rage. Through the eyes of the dragon, the girl could see the boat rushing up at her.
A seething anger filled Cyool and hatred came over her – a hatred for the men who had used the dreaded ropes on her brother. Downward she dived, dropping like a stone. Soon she had the speed of a falcon hunting prey but her prey was a boat and the men in that vessel. Faster and faster she descended. She was aware that her smaller sister was also dove with her following along just behind. She could see the men pulling at the rope which held her brother. The boat was rushing up at her and growing larger and larger as she aimed herself at the back of the boat where the men struggled against the rope.
As the following boats struck the Gardenia men began to pour over the railing seeking to overwhelm the companions. A lasso was thrown over the railing at the battle dragon but Drace avoided it as Veer’s sword sliced through the rope when it flew by him. Veer stood over Cyerant who was on the deck struggling against confusion and pain. This left Talyat, Myalnar and Tarian to defend the railings of the Gardenia. The Captain with his oar was managing to keep a considerably large section of the deck impassable to the attackers. Myalnar and Talyat both whirled with lashing blades and were each holding well against the attackers. But some slipped through and came against Veer and Drace while others managed to come against Cralnar and Shira.
The deck of the Gardenia turned into a scrambling battlefield and Pelinar was forced to exchange his bow once again for his swords. As he did so he was the only one who saw the dragon strike the boat. She came down so fast that even to his elven eyes she was a streak and she was followed by a much smaller streak. And then the elf began his dance.
Cyool did not target any of the men in the boat she just slammed into the stern of the vessel. Wood splintered as it gave way to the falling rage of the beast and the back of the boat shattered. As the boat was struck, driving the stern below the water as the bow was lifted the men were thrown into the water. One man was tossed high into the air and he met the smaller streak. The claws of the smaller dragon tore into the face of the man and the force of her descent snapped the neck of the human. The path of the dragon was changed so that she was left rolling and skipping across the water from her speed as if she were a stone thrown by a child. Green Eyes recovered and managed to get back into flight. Cyool was knocked senseless from her collision with the boat and her momentum carried her deep under the water where the current took her into the faster water.
Corth felt the rope tightening around his neck and felt the men begin to drag at him against the current of the water. He felt so weak and he had not been able to fill his lungs before going under so he already could feel the urgency for air. Then he felt something impact the water and the rope went slack as the men no longer pulled at it. The dragon had very little strength left but what little he had he used to try to find the surface – to find air. The current was pushing him along but it was also trying to hold him down as mor
e and more of the river rose up to flow over him.
Shira was staggered as she felt Cyool slam into the boat. And as the breath was knocked out of her dragon, she too began to struggle for air. The young woman fell back a bit and for a few moments she realized that Cralnar was protecting her also. Shira forced herself to recover and stepped back toward her enemy as she tried to reach out to Cyool with her mind. She could feel the dragon there but when she tried to look through the dragon’s eyes all that she saw was darkness. She could feel the pressure of the water squeezing her beloved dragon and her heart began to break.
Veer was managing to keep the battle rage of Drace in check and the two of them were fighting together. The young battle dragon and the dragon warrior were proving to be a formidable team and the enemy was becoming wary of them. Since Veer had been forced to control the anger of the dragon so many times he was actually the only one able to maintain some calm within his dragon. Veer and Drace held firm on a section of the deck and gave Cyerant time to recover. Veer felt as if this were the most natural thing to do – as though he were finally in his natural element. The world seemed to have slowed and he found that he knew how and when to move and exactly what moves to make. The he felt a wave of concern from Drace as the dragon leaped the railing an dove beneath the water Veer knew that his bonded was diving deep to save Cyool who was down there somewhere.
Cyerant had managed to clear his mind but he could feel the burning in the lungs of his dragon and he knew that Corth could not last much longer and lacked the strength to return to the surface. The young noble regained his feet but he unhooked his weapons belt an as it dropped to the deck he was already arcing over the railing as he dove in just behind Drace. The water was cold and almost forced the air from his own lungs. The river was muddy here where the waters constantly churned and Cyerant could not see but he could feel where Corth was sinking and so he followed that feeling and swam deeper and faster running with the current.
When Jolss was knocked unconscious from his fall Prin immediately stood over him with her wings spread protectively. Devron could hear the sounds of battle raging across the deck outside and he huddle back in the darkness of the cabin holding two puppies that were hiding with him. He could hear another puppy growling and he knew that someone ha fallen into the cabin and was lying near him. Devron knew that whoever it was he was still alive because he could hear the breathing of the unconscious person. He could tell from the sound that the person was small perhaps that other child who was on board. Then he heard the sound of someone stepping down the three steps descending into the cabin. “Who’s there?” The boy asked.
“Give me those,” sounded a voice with an odd accent.
Devron felt one of the puppies being lifted from his lap and he struggled to hold on to the poor animal – until he felt the numbing bite of a blade.
The Gardenia once again lurched but this time she shuddered into motion as Dalnt succeeded in cutting the rope. In a motion the young man dropped the bill hook to the deck as he retrieved his oar and the two young sailors then rushed forward to stand with their father. Shira headed to stand with Veer and help him hold that section of the deck.
Pelinar had become a dancing angel of death. He moved across the deck like a small spinning storm of steel. His every movement seemed to flow like smoke and his blades were just a glinting blur. Anyone who saw him moving would find his dance hypnotizing except that the warriors around him seemed to blossom wounds as the blurring blades flickered over them. In battle he was at once horrific and beautiful to see. His dance carried him occasionally up onto the railing and then smoothly across the deck stepping lightly over the fallen. He once even stepped on the chest of a falling man and used it to loft himself into the air to carry him over the swinging oars of the sailors and landed in a silent roll which carried him under the blades of friends and foes. Where the others fought to hold ground, Pelinar ebbed and flowed like ocean waves swirling in an around every obstacle.
As he felt the boat begin to move once again Talyat saw a foreigner stepping down into the cabin. The elf ran toward the cabin on a path that carried him right through the whirling blades of Pelinar. Talyat did not even try to avoid those blades he just ran with complete trust through the storm and was untouched. It was as if the elves had done this many times. As the storyteller reached the cabin his own blades led the way. He saw that the blind boy had been cut by the now dead man and that one of the dragons was licking at the wound to the boy’s neck. Talyat dropped to the deck beside the boy and grabbed a nearby cloth to try and stem the flow of blood coming from the child.
Down the dragon swam continuing his dive from the boat. He knew that his sister was there, somewhere in the darkness under the water. Drace beat the water with his tail and his wings, swimming through the depths in the same way that he would fly through the air. The only difference was that the water was heavier against him. He reached the bottom far below and found his stunned sister being rolled along across the stones and mud by the current. The weight of the water was holding her down so he grabbed her with his claws as gently but firmly as he could and he pulled toward the air that he knew she needed but which was somewhere far above. The river fought the dragon as he struggled to lift his sister, but he was slowly winning against the water. And Cyool was slowly winning against the darkness of unconsciousness. As the two dragons broke the surface to take in great gulps of sweet tasting air Cyool finally came completely awake.
Cyerant felt the pressure of the water and could not tell if it was the pressure on him or on Corth that he was feeling. He just somehow knew which direction his bond mate was in and so he swam as hard as he could. He felt something brush his face and he grabbed at it. He ha found the rope so he pulled and felt it tighten and then he began to pull himself along it hand over hand toward the dragon that the other end. He reached again and again until once instead of finding rope he found a dragon. He could feel the noose around the neck of the dragon and he could also feel that he was himself slipping from consciousness. With his last moments of awareness he forced his hands to loosen the rope and freed his bonded as his own lungs shuddered for air and then darkness and the current took him.
Corth could feel his bonded getting nearer and he called out to Cyerant in his mind. Then there were hands tearing and pulling at the rope that was taking his life force from him. There was a desperate tug and Corth was free and in that moment he could fee his strength start to return. He was still very weak but could perhaps reach the surface. Then he felt Cyerant slip from consciousness as the river tore the young man away from him. Corth needed air and his lungs burned and ached but he also needed Cyerant and so he followed the bond, swimming with his returning strength. He found Cyerant as the young man was being dragged along by the river and Corth nudged under the young man and pushed toward the surface. With a last desperate push the dragon broke the surface and he felt the young man take in a deep breath as he himself filled his lungs. Both dragon and man each tried to spend the last of his strength keeping the other afloat and somehow together they managed to stay at the surface as the current carried them along.
As the Gardenia was freed from the rope and she started to, once again, be pushed by the river Captain Tarian moved to the railing at the side of the vessel where he could use the oar in his hand to start righting the boat. Cralnar moved to the rudder oar at the rear of the boat and began to work with his father to bring the boat back around and her bow pointing back downstream in order to better ride the faster water. There were a few foreign warriors still on board the Gardenia but when they realized that the boats were moving and separating they abandoned the fight and abandoned the boat leaping back toward the boats in which they came.
Barroon stood in the stern of his boat and watched as his men were no match for the people on board the larger boat. He watched as the sailors used oars and nets to fight off his seasoned warriors. He watched as the hoods of the elves came down and he realized what he was up against. He watched as
one dragon was lassoed and then the boat destroyed – the beast was probably drowning somewhere under the surface. He watched as a dragon dove off of the boat. He grabbed an oar and used it to right his boat and to slow it so that the larger boat would drift away from him. He watched as only a half dozen of his men survived to make it back to his boat and climb in. He watched as his two other boats were pulled away by the current – empty and adrift. He stood and he watched.
Pelinar could feel the boat start righting itself under the experienced hands of Tarian and Cralnar. Pelinar saw the last few foreigners leap over boar and he saw that only some made it back to a boat. In that boat stood a man in the stern holding on to an oar and watching. The man was obviously the officer for the foreigners and he had never tried to set foot on the Gardenia. He knew that the man saw the elves and knew what he was now facing. Pelinar suddenly swirled is swords in a very fast arc which he stopped with a flick which cleaned both blades of blood. Never taking his eyes from the eyes of the foreigner he continued the motion to return his swords to his belt. The elf smoothly flowed through the movement to bring his bow around and an arrow to the string and he nocked, pulled and released in a single gesture.
Eleves… elves… elves are real. Barroon thought to himself as he watched the larger boat pull away from his boat. He gazed into the eyes of the murderous elf that had taken so many of his men. The elf had been a terrible wonder to see moving across the deck like a whirlpool in the water but leaving dead men in his wake. Now he and the elf gazed at one another. He saw the elf whirl his blades and his hands became a blur. Barroon reached quickly for a shield and brought it up in front of himself as the elf continued to move in a blur. Just as the shield blocked his view of the elf he heard and felt the thunk of an elven arrow biting into the wood in his hands. He could feel the shied vibrating as the arrow quivered there where it had struck. The soldier slowly lowered the shield and once again looked into the eyes of the elf who was drifting away on the larger boat. Barroon ordered his remaining men to grab oars and to pull against the current in order to slow the boat. He would follow from a safe distance. Barroon saw a few of his men swimming in the river being pulled by the current but they were of no concern and the river would have them soon enough.
Dragons of Summer Tide (The Dragons of Hwandor) Page 33