Guards Vestige

by Alexander Adams

  Geieg repositioned himself near her back and gripped where her wing met her body with his forelegs while planting his hind legs solidly on her side. Then he started to pull. Argera appeared to feel it immediately and thrashed under the two in vain. Then it happened all at once. The bone snapped. Her scales spread apart as the skin beneath them ripped, along with the muscles and tendons that held it all together. Argera’s wing was ripped away.

  She didn’t roar. She screamed. Geieg fell back as the anchor it had been holding released. With the weight lessened, Argera managed a burst of strength and rose with astounding speed. She reached for Geiod with her forelegs and pulled the dragon beneath her. She gripped him on the neck where his head connected and bit down until she crushed bone, sinew, and muscle in her jaw. The Kriden dragon let loose a garbled cry as blood started to fill its throat and mouth. But Argera didn’t relent. She released and lifted a clawed foreleg. Stiffening and flattening her claws like a blade, she was about to drive it down into the dragon’s neck to sever it where she had weakened it.

  But Geieg had recovered from his awkward fall and now on his feet. He let loose a wide torrent of fire. Unbalanced by her missing wing, Argera wasn’t able to move out of the way and took the full force of the scorching heat. Even beneath the scales of a dragon lay vital organs and sensitive skin that, like any fighter donned in plate, would be cooked inside from the heat if exposed long enough. Cooking Argera had apparently not been the intention of the dragon, however. The short burst of fire simply blinded her, allowing Geieg time to charge. He barreled into her, his wings beating furiously and his forelegs spread out to embrace her. With incredible strength, he lifted her into the air.

  But the extra weight prevented Geieg from reaching the height he clearly wanted. His initial momentum carried them well above the wall and the buildings below, but he was finally forced to drop Argera. She landed hard and rolled through the buildings before sliding to a stop. Slowly, the Dragon Guard defender rose from the debris and dust, but she stumbled with her first step. Argera shook her head and seemed to struggle to stay upright. She was losing this fight.

  Hall knew it. He gave his next order to Austin: “Order the evacuation. We need to get everyone out of the city.”

  “We haven’t received word from the squad sent to clear the tunnel,” Austin said. “There could be more Kridens down there.”

  Hall narrowed his eyes. “Then tell Kenneth and Claudia to keep their weapons drawn. Get everyone out . . . now.”

  Austin nodded, suddenly seeming sheepish under the commander’s gaze. “Very well, commander.”

  He ran along the wall to the tower. Daniel turned back to watch the battle of dragons. Argera had managed to stay on her feet and now faced a relentless onslaught from the Kriden gods. They stood to either side of her and were ducking in and out of her range, biting and clawing at her whenever she presented an opening, which was frequent with her injuries. The lack of balance made Argera almost defenseless. She was slowly being ripped apart. Her silver and white scales glistened red in the firelight. With each blow, weakened scales were torn away and the skin beneath shredded. Geiod lunged for her again when her attention was turned and gripped the back of her head with his jaw. He then yanked her back and started to drag her through the rubble of the city toward the keep. When they were roughly fifty feet away, he skidded to a stop and threw her toward the keep walls.

  The men and women still on the wall scrambled to get out of the way of the dragon as Argera crashed into the stone, cracking it and crushing those that had been to slow to run. Geiod roared furiously as Geieg dashed past and leapt onto Argera’s upturned belly, digging his claws into her chest and burying them up to his knuckles. Argera screamed again. She gripped the dragon’s head and clawed at his eyes. They rolled, shattering the ballistae on the walls as they headed for Daniel and the others. All of them started to run toward the tower to avoid being caught in the conflict.

  There was a flash of fire behind them as they ran. Hall was the first to reach the tower. He threw open the door and ushered everyone in and down the stairs before heading in himself. Daniel was just behind Clara as they raced down the stone steps. They had gone down only a few when the dragons crashed into the tower, shattering the top and sending debris down on top of them. Most of the larger, more dangerous chunks were knocked aside as the dragons went past and back into the city. Then Daniel noticed a blur at the top of his vision. Without thinking, he grabbed Clara by the hair and yanked her toward him.

  He caught her as she fell back just in time to avoid a mass of stone bricks and wooden supports as they fell onto the stairs where she’d stood less than a moment before. The rubble broke through, shattering the stairway and leaving a eight foot gap in the stairs.

  The two of them stood stunned for a moment until Daniel heard North shout at them from behind: “No time to gawk! Jump!”

  The tower shook as the dragons battled and roared beyond. Daniel knew North was right, so he set Clara back on her feet before jumping the gap in the stairs to the other side. Had this been flat ground there was no way they’d all make the jump, but the downward angle let him clear the gap easier. He landed solidly and turned to motion for Clara. She hesitated a moment before leaping the span to him. She barely made it as one foot touched down at the very edge. Daniel reached out and gripped her arm before she fell backwards.

  He pulled her onto and past the ledge and the two of them continued down the stairs. North easily cleared the gap and started after them. They finally reached the bottom of the tower to see Hall and the others waiting at the doorway. All they could hear were dragon roars and the sounds of their battle raging around them. Hall pushed open the door. As he did so, Geiod crashed against the keep in front of them.

  He roared and as he tried to right himself, Argera clambered over the keep wall and leapt into him, clawing and biting at him with fury. Behind her, Geieg quickly followed. He grabbed her tail with his mouth, dragging her off his companion. Argera managed to retain her balance and whirled to face him. With a roar, she charged into him, slamming him into the keep wall.

  While Argera seemed to be getting better at compensating for her missing wing, she was still on the losing end of the battle. The dragon was a mangled mess. Blood poured from dozens of wounds all along her body. One eye was entirely gone. Her second wing had no membrane left, leaving her looking frail and skeletal. In addition, she was clearly weaker from the blood loss and pain. Her blows carried little weight and the other dragons quickly shrugged them off.

  Daniel and the others crowded around the doorway. As they did, Daniel realized it was only them left. There were no city guards and no other Dragon Guards with them. Only the commander, three captains, and the five trainees remained in the keep. The rest had been thrown from and crushed upon the walls when the battle reached them. If any others still lived, chances were they were making their way for the tunnel in the south of the city along with Claudia, Kenneth, Austin and the civilians.

  “How is she still fighting?” Aaron said. He sounded awestruck and terrified at the same time.

  Coe drew her swords. “It’s not the first time she’s had the odds stacked against her,” she said.

  Jane peered around the corner of the doorway as Argera raked her claws over the eye of Geiod. “I’m glad she’s with us,” she murmured.

  Hall adjusted the straps on his shield as he spoke: “She won’t be for long if we don’t even the odds.”

  Jane peered at him. “How,” she said, “are we supposed to do that?”

  “You aren’t,” Hall said. “You and the other trainees are heading for the far side of the keep. If there are any remaining civilians help them get over the wall and into the tunnels, then evacuate yourselves.”

  “What will we be doing in the meantime?” Hawk asked, sounding like he knew the answer and wasn’t looking forward to hearing it.

  “We’re going to ki
ll a dragon.”

  Chapter Thirty-two

  1st of Eren, 29th year of the Fourth Age.

  Daniel thought he’d misheard Hall for a moment. He wondered if the sound of his heartbeat in his ears had drowned out the words. But when Hall continued and Daniel heard the confidence in his voice, he knew he’d heard correctly.

  “You all need to make a run for it the first chance that arises, understood?” Hall said as he drew his sword and looked at each of them in turn.

  Aaron nodded. “Yes, commander.”

  Hall nodded before looking at his captains. “Coe, Hawk you’re both with me,” he said. “North, get back up the tower onto the wall.”

  Coe crossed her arms. “Are we doing what we did in Volignis?”

  “As closely as we can, yes.”

  North groaned as he turned back toward the stairs. “Verhova save me,” he said, “I just got down the bloody thing.”

  Hall watched him go for a moment, and then signaled for Hawk and Coe to exit the tower. Before following them, he glanced back at the fresh trainees. “First chance,” he said. “As fast as you can.”

  They all nodded. Hall ran across the open courtyard to the corner of the keep. The three dragons battled just beyond in full view. Argera’s situation remained unchanged. She was caught between them, being cut apart by tooth and claw.

  Jane inched closer to the door. “How are they going to do this?”

  Griffon rose slightly to peer over Jane’s head. “They’ve clearly done it before.”

  The three Dragon Guards reached the corner and began conferring with one another. After a few moments, Hawk stepped into the open and threw an ingera at the copper dragon, Geieg. Daniel lost sight of the small orb the moment it left the man’s hand, but he saw the result of it when it struck the back of the beast’s head. It exploded into a dark glob of paste that stuck to the dragon instantly. Smoke poured off in a thick pillar, making the beast flinch, shake his head, and growl deeply. The dragon whirled around. When his eyes landed on the captain, he started toward him in a rage.

  Geieg took only a single step before an arrow whistled through the air and embedded itself halfway into the dragon’s eye. The sudden pain caused him to lurch to one side and slam into the keep. He lifted a claw to dig at his eye, trying to pull the arrow free. While he did so, Coe charged around the corner and past and around the dragon’s other foreleg. She drove one of her blades upward under the scales on the backside of its leg, leaving the sword plunged into the dragon. Geieg reacted instantly, sweeping back his leg to strike at her, but she was already letting herself fall onto her back, allowing the leg to fly over and past her. She rolled backwards and onto her feet.

  Coe dashed back to the corner of the keep as Geieg attempted to put his weight back on his foot. He had obviously given up on the arrow lodged in his eye. But when the dragon tried to use the leg crippled by the sword, he growled and lifted it off the ground in pain before charging after Coe at a hobble. Daniel could tell a tendon on the leg was nearly, if not already, severed. She was already halfway down the length of the keep with Hawk by the time Geieg finished rounding the corner. When he snaked around the corner, Hall was waiting for him. The moment the dragon curved his long body around, Hall dashed forward, just behind his forelegs, with his shield raised.

  He charged at the blade lodged in the dragon’s leg and with a solid clang slammed his etched shield against it. The sword skewed at an awkward angle, causing the dragon more pain as he ensured the muscles and tendons were indeed cut. Geieg again tried to strike his assailant, but Hall was already past and continuing to run until he came to a stop with the keep wall at his back. The dragon saw him, but hampered by his inability to use one of its legs, he chose to employ fire instead of pursuing him. Geieg’s neck flared white briefly before he let loose a stream of burning death. Hall dropped to his knees, placed his shield in front of him, and lowered his head behind it just as the stream hit him.

  The fire hit the shield and spread away and around Hall, with the keep wall further redirecting it away from his body. The dragon maintained the stream. As it did so, Daniel saw Hawk on the far side throw something into it. Again, Daniel couldn’t keep track of it for long, but just after it left the captain’s hand there was a brilliant and deafening explosion in front of Geieg’s face. The dragon’s own flames had set the ingera off right before his eyes. The stream of fire stopped immediately as the dragon whipped his head back, roaring in pain and frustration. The moment the fire was clear of him; Hall stood and blew several quick bursts on his war horn.

  Argera, still battling Geiod, heard and again understood the signal as she glanced Hall’s way. She tried to peel away from her own attacker who, without the aid of his ally, seemed fairly matched against her, even in her crippled and ragged state. Argera leapt back and turned toward the wall. With the aid of her one wing, she managed to leap onto it before climbing over and into the city beyond. Geiod quickly followed after her, leaving the path to the siege ladders at the north wall clear.

  Daniel watched them go. The moment the red tail vanished over the wall, Aaron spoke: “Now’s our chance. Let’s go!”

  Clara and Jane started sprinting across the expanse. Daniel and Aaron hesitated, as Zachery still sat on the stone floor of the tower. Aaron reached for Zachery’s hand to lift him to his feet.

  “You okay?” Aaron asked.

  Zachery nodded and stood on his own. “Let’s just get out of here,” he said. He shouldered past Daniel and started running.

  Daniel glanced at Aaron, who simply gave him a reassuring smile before the two of them started after the rest. Daniel saw another flash of fire to his right, but steeled himself to continue on with his eyes forward. He didn’t know how the fight between their leaders and Geieg would end and wasn’t sure he wanted to. The five trainees quickly covered the distance to the far wall and to the waiting ladders.

  There were no more civilians or guards near them, so the group climbed as fast as they could. When they stood on the wall and looked out over the city, it too sat barren, with no life in sight. Without a word between them, they started down the second set of ladders. When they all reached the ground, they huddled together. They had no idea where to go.

  “Which house was the entrance in?” Griffon asked.

  Aaron was the only one to attempt an answer. “Hall had said the Quin home, I think, not that it helps us much.”

  Clara shrugged and looked down the length of the road. “Let’s just walk,” she said, “and see if we find any trace of where everyone went.”

  “There were at least two hundred people, not counting guards,” Aaron said. “So they had to leave some kind of trail behind.” He started to walk without waiting to see if anyone else would follow.

  All was silent around them. The sounds of the dragons behind them had faded until they were only a distant, infrequent whisper. The inferno had burned through the area and moved on the northern side of the city, leaving only ashes and embers behind. Only the remnants of homes remained, as well as traces of those who had dwelled here. Ash covered the ground like snow.

  Several times they had to walk slowly and gingerly around a gathering of charred remains. Daniel had to focus to ensure that his eyes remained forward. He didn’t want to look at the smallest of the corpses, children who must have been barely old enough to walk on their own. He felt bile building in his gut and that familiar tingle in the back of his throat. The smell of burning skin was all around them. It only grew stronger the further they went into this side of the city.

  Aaron was at the head of their group. When he stopped walking, everyone followed suit. He seemed to be staring at something farther down the main road. A figure was hunched over next to another figure lying on the ground, unmoving. Daniel had only just realized what both were when the valgret lifted its head from its meal to swallow.

  “Hide!” Daniel whispered
.

  He pushed Griffon and Jane to the closest side road and out of the creature’s field of vision. Aaron and Zachery followed quickly and ducked behind a half-fallen wall. Daniel felt his heartbeat quicken. He could hear it in his ears, drowning out every other sound. He knew there was never only one valgret. It was just a question of where the others were. Daniel was at the back of the line that sat against the wall, so he moved further down, allowing more room for the others. They all knelt on the ground, their eyes on Aaron at the front of the line as he carefully peered around the corner and down the road at the monster. None of them saw the figure approach behind them.

  Daniel felt a hand on his shoulder. His senses went into a panic. Without thinking, he reached behind his back and gripped his short sword. As he turned, he drew and swung it in a single, practiced motion. Austin leaped back, just out of range, before dashing forward and placing a hand over Daniel’s mouth. The rest of the group turned to see what exactly had happened. Austin raised an eyebrow at Daniel who, now realizing who it was, nodded lightly. Austin let him go and peered at the scarf around his own neck. The scarf showed a slice along the neckline.

  “Well,” Austin whispered, “at least you took to the training.” He motioned for all of them to follow. “Come on.”

  They went through several more side streets and alleyways. After a few minutes, though still moving, they finally felt secure enough to speak.

  “What are you doing in the city?” Aaron asked Austin. “I thought everyone was in the tunnels.”

  “They are, except for Claudia, Kenneth, and me. They’re guarding the entrance. I was on my way to report to the commander when I found you.”

  “The captains and Commander Hall were . . . trying to kill one of the dragons,” Aaron said.

  “Well then, two down, one to go.”

  Clara crossed her arms. “You think they can do it?” she asked.