“How are they?” the dwarf said.
Bayzog shook his head.
Otter Bone and Horse Neck were dead.
Fight and the Fury
The Chronicles of Dragon: Book 8
By Craig Halloran
CHAPTER 1
“What do you mean, more trouble comes?” Nath said to Snarggell, flinging off the lurker slime that coated him. “How could there be more trouble than that thing?” He eyed the monstrous corpse behind him. It smelled as foul as it looked.
Snarggell blinked his eyes repeatedly and said, “Have you forgotten the undead army that awaits? And the dragons? There are many, are there not? Once they sense the lurker is dead, they’ll come.”
Weary, Nath grabbed Fang and pushed himself to his feet. He stuffed Dragon Claw back inside the hilt.
“I suppose we had better get out of here then.”
“And go where?” Snarggell said. “I’m fine chipping away at jaxite until I’m dead. So are the rest of us.”
The gnomes huddled around him, murmuring in agreement. Clenching small tools and chisels between their fingers, they moved on and started picking at the stones.
Nath sighed.
“I didn’t come here to help you continue your work for Barnabus. I came here to put an end to that,” he said, slinging more muck off his hand. “And the end has come. Put down your tools and stop picking.”
“That is not possible,” Snarggell said. “We are crystal gnomes. This is what we do.”
“So you serve an evil cause, then?” Nath said, eyeing him.
“We’ve no proof of that, only your word, and we hardly know you, Scaly One.”
“No proof,” Nath argued. “Were you not brought here against your will? Are you not unable to leave? Snarggell, don’t be absurd.”
Snarggell stormed away, picked up his hammer and chisel, and joined the others.
Tink. Tink. Tink … Tink. Tink. Tink.
Nath felt every little tap inside his skull, and a headache coming on. Sometimes, slaves are uncomfortable with the thought of freedom. Prisoners aren’t kept well, but they know what to expect. Freedom can be scarier, because you have to fight for it. His father had told him that. Nath rubbed his finger under his lip and paced the cave. It wasn’t long before he found himself standing underneath the inverted staircase that had appeared once again. He rubbed his forehead.
What was that thing, the lurker? What kind of power was that?
He ran his claws through his slimy hair and slung muck to the floor.
“Yech.”
He could smell himself. Taste a nasty grime in his mouth. He took a path under the inverted stair and stopped at the edge where the cavern’s mouth opened. The winds were refreshing. The river far below looked refreshing.
I could go for a bath about now. A long one.
A dragon streaked through the sky beneath him, followed by another, two emeralds no bigger than Nath. Necks low and wings spread wide, they glided in circles, screeching back and forth at one another. Nath scratched his back.
If only I had wings!
He headed back for the gnomes, deep in thought. It was time to put their work to a halt, one way or another.
Snarggell peeked up at him, turned away, and kept on chipping.
“This ends now, Snarggell. We’re leaving.”
The gnome’s huff bristled his beard. His hands continued in a flurry of motion.
Nath marched over, snatched the tools out of his hands, and slung them aside.
“What are you doing?” Snarggell blurted out, face reddening. “We aren’t going anywhere! Nothing awaits us but death out there.”
“Nothing awaits you but death in here!” Nath said, snorting small flames from his nose.
All the gnomes stopped what they were doing, eyes wide as saucers. They looked at Snarggell. He looked back at them, folded his knotted arms over his chest, and said, “We’re staying right he–ulp!”
Nath snatched the gnome off his feet and tucked him under his arm like a satchel.
Snarggell kicked and screamed.
“Let me go! Let me go!”
Nath grabbed another one and started carrying them toward the inverted staircase. Their struggles were fierce but in vain. Nath’s powerful arms held them tight.
“Stop him! Stop him!” Snarggell screamed at the others.
The remaining gnomes attacked like a swarm of bearded bees. They climbed on Nath’s legs and on his back. Muttered curses. Tried to pull his arms away.
Nath dragged them one slow step at a time. Toward the inverted stairs and beyond.
“You’ve no right to do this!” Snarggell yelled. “You’ll get us all killed. Kill yourself!”
Snarggell did all the talking. The others fought in a furious frenzy, like wild children oblivious to anything going on around them except bringing the giant down.
Nath lumbered on. He made it ten steps from where the jaxite cavern dropped off into the river. The dragons that circled below were gone. No time like the present.
“You remember how to swim, don’t you?” he said.
Snarggell’s head whipped around in desperation.
“What! Of course.”
“But you haven’t bathed in almost forever, have you?”
“Huh? But you can’t be doing what I think you’re doing.”
Nath made a fierce grin.
“Oh, but I am.”
“Get off him, brethren!” Snarggell yelled. “Get off him. Run!”
It didn’t register with the gnomes. Like a pack of loyal dogs, they only wanted to rescue their leader, giving no thought to the consequences, one way or the other. They clung to him like burs from the brush.
Nath slogged his way over the next few steps and leapt into the air.
“Dragon Home!”
The plunge went fast. Wind whistled in his ears, and Snarggell’s screams could barely be heard. Nath just hoped no one would get hurt. Headfirst he fell, watching the river rush up to meet them. Suddenly, two emerald dragons swooped underneath them, jaws open wide.
CHAPTER 2
Running his slender fingers over the cool wood of the Elderwood Staff, Bayzog sat and caught his breath. He, Brenwar, and Ben had been on the move, cutting through the woods, ever since the copper dragon’s lethal attack left Otter Bone and Horse Neck dead. And they weren’t the only ones, either. Many others were dead. He could still see them in his mind, broken and twisted like a tornado had run through them. He held his staff tighter.
“Can ye keep up, elf?” Brenwar said, combing his stubby fingers through his beard. “Or do I need to carry you?”
“A moment, Brenwar,” he said, taking a deep breath. “A moment.”
“Life and death happen in moments.”
True.
The part-elf wizard had seen it several times with his own eyes, but that last assault had shaken him. The dragon—copper, black-winged and black-tailed—had struck like an assassin. He still saw the murderous look in its snake eyes. It was a predator. A killer. It had snapped the two men like chicken bones. He tightened his grip on the Elderwood Staff and let the power of the ancient wood fill him.
“Here,” Ben said, handing him a canteen, “take a drink. A long one.”
He drank, said, “Thank you,” and handed it back.
“We’re still heading after Dragon, aren’t we?” Ben asked, taking a sip himself. “He needs us. Otter Bone said so himself.”
“Aye,” Brenwar said, “that’s what we should have been doing all along. Let’s move, elf.” He slung War Hammer over his shoulder. “We’ve got a copper on our tails, and I get to protect you all the time.”
“I can take care of myself just fine,” Ben said. Holding out Akron, he nocked an arrow. “I think it’s you who need our help. If a dragon attacks from the air, how will you hit it with that ugly hammer? Your ability to jump is a bit lacking.”
“Watch yourself, human,” Brenwar said, buckling his brows. “I’ve pulled you from the pit mo
re than one time. Now let’s get moving.”
Brenwar led, marching through the forest like a bearded bear. Ben remained close behind. The sun dipped behind the Floating City, and the forest became dark and quiet, the hum of bugs silent. Even the hoots of the owls were missing.
Bayzog had finally become accustomed to sensing differences in nature. This should have been elven instinct, but it had taken decades. And that wasn’t all he had developed. There was a greater sense of awareness. Meditation and the Elderwood Staff helped with that. The suffocating grip of evil was always in his midst.
Brenwar halted. Hunkered down.
Bayzog and Ben flanked the dwarf. Ahead in a clearing, a wide creek’s trickling waters ran toward the river. A dragon’s long neck was lowered into the waters.
“That’s the one,” Brenwar said. “The one I should have crowned. Slippery lizard.”
Ben’s bowstring stretched.
Brenwar pushed it away, saying, “What are you doing? They be upwind of us. Watch and wait, foolish boy.”
Ben’s rugged taciturn face scowled at him, but Brenwar kept his eyes fixed ahead. More movement slithered through the shadows: dragons, two more, weaving through the trees with their necks low and tongues licking out. Bayzog could see the muscles rippling under their scales. Fear filled him, more than ever before. The dragons had gone from fascinating to horrifying.
The dragon with his head in the stream jerked his neck out and choked down a fish. The other two waded into the waters and dipped their scaly heads in.
“We should strike now,” Ben said in a low voice. “While their guard is down.”
“So ready to risk death, are you?” Brenwar said. “We wait. They’ll move along.”
“In a day. Maybe two. They wait for us. Those dragons are no fools.”
Ben was right. The dragons were biding their time. With such long lives, they could afford to. But Bayzog wasn’t sure if the dragons were hunting them or not. Why had they killed Otter Bone and Horse Neck? Was that who they hunted, or were they hunting all who opposed Barnabus now? He felt time pressing inside his chest. He and his friends needed to move. Find Nath. Bayzog couldn’t believe what he said next.
“We might have to take them out.”
Brenwar twisted his neck around.
“What?”
“It’s us or them now.”
“Are you feeling alright, elf?”
“Never better,” he said. “And we can’t avoid these conflicts forever. I say we take them out, as quickly as we can.”
“Are you sure it can’t wait a little longer?” Brenwar said. “They may pass.”
“They’ll have our scent soon enough. You know that. And since when do you prefer stealth over an attack?”
“Argh, since never.” Brenwar nodded. “What is the plan?”
“Just remember,” Bayzog said to Ben, “they have a breath weapon. Keep your distance.” He looked down at the stream full of dragons. “Wait for my signal. I’m going in.”
CHAPTER 3
Bayzog’s son Rerry strolled barefoot through their home in the city of Quintuklen. His stomach rumbled, and the smell of his mother’s cooking didn’t linger in the air. His brother, Samaz, sat at Bayzog’s great round table with his nose in a scroll. One of many that were scattered about.
“Where’s Mother?” Rerry said. He slid on his shoes near the fireplace, buckled on his sword, folded his arms across his chest, and waited for Samaz to answer. His brother slept even less than he did, so if their mother, Sasha, had left, then he’d know. He tapped his foot on the floor. “Samaz, you toad, where is Mother!”
Samaz’s head eased up. There was a sad look in his bigger, brooding, older brother’s eyes.
“What is it?” Rerry said. His blood raced. “What is wrong?”
Samaz wiped his robed sleeve across his brow and said, “She has not come home yet. She’s been gone since yesterday.” He swallowed. “That feeling … that feeling I’ve had, it’s gotten worse.”
In two quick steps, Rerry grabbed him by the collar and started to shake him.
“Why didn’t you wake me? Why didn’t you wake me, you oaf!”
With a single move, fast as a fly, Samaz brushed Rerry’s arms away and forced him backward.
“Because I’ve been trying to find her.” He tapped his meaty fingers on the table. “Using these scrolls. This feeling, Rerry,” he clutched his robes. “It won’t go away.”
“Then we need to find her,” Rerry said, taking a mail coat out of an open closet and buckling it on. “We need to go now.”
“Where do we start?” Samaz said.
“The gardens. Certainly someone saw her in the gardens.”
CHAPTER 4
Man-sized dragons. Emerald. Black tailed. Dark winged. They greeted Nath’s descent with open maws filled with sharp teeth. Plummeting through the air, Nath didn’t think. He reacted. He let go of the gnomes, crashed into one of the dragons, wrapped his arms around its neck, and squeezed.
Its wings flapped vigorously, but not for long. Nath pinned them down with his legs. The emerald dragon’s claws tore at him. They fell fast and hit hard.
Splash!
Deep into the water they sank. Fighting. The dragon’s tail coiled around his neck. It felt like an iron bar, choking him. Nath continued squeezing its serpentine neck. It snapped at him. Clawed at him as they sank deeper into the water. Nath sent his thoughts out to it.
I’m not giving in!
He didn’t know if they registered or not, but the tail did not loosen. His arms didn’t either. He was a dragon. His scales were steel. His muscles stronger than iron. He wrestled the dragon’s neck into the nook of his arm and put everything he had into it.
It’s me or you!
The dragon fought.
Nath fought back.
You cannot win! I’m Nath Dragon!
There was no give in the dragon. It was proud. Devoted. Its tail flexed and tried to pull Nath’s head from his shoulders.
It made him mad. He summoned his strength and wrenched its neck.
Pop!
The great green lizard went limp. Nath released it and watched it sink to the bottom, its beautiful form coming to rest on the great river’s floor. Lungs burning, he swam for the surface and emerged, gasping for air. Treading water and spinning around, he spied the gnomes, who were paddling their way toward the bank with a poor effort. They screamed back and forth at one another.
Great dragons!
The other emerald dragon slithered through the waters like a great snake, quick after the gnomes.
Nath yelled and waved his arm over his head, “Over here! Over here!”
The dragon’s neck snaked around, and evil intelligent eyes glared back into Nath’s. It went back and forth between him and the gnomes for only a moment before gliding after the gnomes.
No!
Nath swam, arms churning like paddles as fast as he could. He cut the distance in half while the gnomes scrambled up on the sandy riverbank, coughing and wheezing. One helped another and cried for the last to hurry along.
The dragon closed in on the last gnome in the water, and like a snake, it struck. Its jaws clamped down on the gnome’s leg and pulled it underneath the waters in a violent surge. All the gnomes screamed in horror.
Nath filled his lungs full of air and plunged into the waters. In seconds, he made out the shape of the dragon. The deeper he swam, the more he saw.
Swim faster!
He pulled Dragon Claw out of Fang’s hilt and closed in. He could see the gnome’s stubby fingers clawing for the surface, its little leg pinched between the dragon’s jaws. Nath reached out and locked one paw around the dragon’s arm, and with the other he struck. Dragon Claw’s glowing tip went deep. Straight into the head of the dragon beast. The fire in its eyes extinguished, and its jaw went slack.
Hurry!
He scooped the unmoving gnome up in his arms and swam for the surface. Seconds later, he carried the gnome’s limp for
m onto the riverbank, where the gnomes waited with tender looks on their faces, one and all.
They pushed Nath away and huddled around their friend. The throng of small river-soaked bodies started to chant and sway. Moments later, Snarggell stepped away with his head down.
“Flupplinn is gone.”
“I’m sorry,” Nath said. “I tried.”
“You hurried us from our home and into death,” Snarggell said, balling up his fists. “You’ve failed yourself. You’ve failed us all. Most of all Flupplinn.”
“Sorry,” Nath said, raising his eyes to the sky. He could see more dragons perched in the Floating City’s towers above. The shadow of the great city sent a chill through him. “We must go.”
“Go! We must have a burial, Rescue Murderer.”
“There’s no time for a burial,” Nath said. “I’ll carry Flupplinn. We can bury him later.” He moved toward the fallen body that lay still on the ground. The gnome’s small form was like that of a child, and Nath felt sadness run through him. He started to stoop down, but the gnomes stopped him.
“We’ll carry our own dead,” one said, “Rescue Murderer.”
“Be on with you now,” said another.
“Go, go away.”
“Rescue Murderer.”
“Safer with dragons, we were.”
“The lurker was safer too.”
The comments stung. Bit. But Nath didn’t have time for any of it. He didn’t have time to explain himself, and it wasn’t surprising that the gnomes didn’t see the truth of it. They’d gotten settled in their jaxite home.
He turned and faced Snarggell.
“I know this is hard, but it’s going to be much harder if you don’t come with me.”
“Are you going to snatch me up like a child again?”
Nath’s golden eyes flared. Smoke rolled from his nose.
“Alright,” Snarggell said, eyeing the city in the sky. His ancient eyes narrowed a little. “We’ll go with you then.”
“Good.”
Nath led them along the riverbank for about a half mile, keeping his eyes on the city behind him. The dragons remained still as gargoyles in their perches. Not a wing in the sky. His mind raced, wondering why they didn’t come. What were they waiting for? He glanced back at the gnomes. Four of them carried one dead friend. All of their faces were dour. It left a guilty feeling in him. But he hadn’t invaded the city to make friends. He had done it to put an end to the jaxite mining that allowed the Clerics of Barnabus to control the dragons. And to save Bayzog from Otter Bone’s spell.
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