by Taylor Leigh
She had nominated herself as the second bomb-lighter, and ever since she’d volunteered, she’d become aware of Andrew’s mood growing steadily darker. By now he was practically seething.
‘You haven’t said, but I can see it. What have I done now?’
‘Nothing. It doesn’t have any relevance to what we’re doing now.’
Victoria rolled her eyes. He could be so exasperating at times. ‘Then just tell me!’
Andrew sighed heavily and looked up at her. ‘You broke your word. You weren’t supposed to come back.’
She raised her eyebrows. ‘Oh? You expect me to just sit back and do nothing as you lot charged off and died?’
Andrew stopped what he was doing. ‘I expected you to do as you were told! You were supposed to stay at the keep, where you would be safe. Like you promised.’
She crossed her arms across her chest. ‘You know I couldn’t do that!’
His pale eyes blazed. He pressed his hands to his temples with a moan. ‘We’re not going to survive this, Victoria. At least at the keep you would have had a chance.’
Victoria huffed. ‘Don’t talk that way. Of course we’re going to survive this. And what good would it be if I’d stayed at the keep and the Blaiden had won, anyway? They’d still find me and kill me. I’m not going to live if I’m not with you.’
Andrew swallowed, staring at her. ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’
Victoria took a deep breath. ‘I’m not. Without you, I don’t think I could survive. It’s not ridiculous. It’s logical.’
He made a face and then whipped his head back towards his work. ‘We need longer wicks,’ he muttered after a moment.
‘I thought you said these would work.’
‘They will. We just might end up full of glass shards.’
‘Would a spool of twine work? Something like that?’
Andrew shook his head. ‘No…there’s nothing…oh…Oh!’ His eyes lit up. ‘Victoria, you’re almost brilliant at times!’
‘Lovely. What have you got?’
Andrew paced. ‘There’s this rope. Use it to make nets and things because it’s strong. It’s made out of the sinewy parts of bay sharks and it’s rather greasy. Accidently lit it on fire once, don’t ask why, and the whole thing raced off like wildfire.’
‘Brilliant,’ Victoria said. ‘And we can use it?’
‘As a fuse, yes. We should be able to light the bombs from a safe distance then.’
‘Great!’ Victoria smiled. ‘Where is it?’
‘Down in the boathouse,’ Andrew mumbled.
‘Right smack dab in the middle of the battle,’ Victoria glanced up at him. He nodded.
Andrew marched towards her and took her by the elbow. ‘No time to waste! You’ll find it hanging up from the rafters! Bring as much back as you can. We’ll sort it out here. And do be careful!’
Victoria staggered from his room and stumbled down the hall with a swear. So much for her brilliant ideas, she thought.
Being back outside in the village was jarring. The lodge had muted much of the noise, and she couldn’t see the smoke or fire from Andrew’s dark room, but now that she was back out in it, Victoria began to feel another wave of hopelessness wash over her. The place had completely changed. Buildings were demolished, animals were running amuck, bodies lay strewn on the sloshy ground and the giant beast was tromping about, crushing things at random, causing havoc. Even part of the lodge, Molly’s room, was smouldering. Victoria thought it dangerously close to Andrew’s room and his exploding powder.
She froze for a moment, unable to move, and then her eyes darted down the main street towards the docks. The tiny marina was frozen, most of the boats pulled up on land to escape the ice. She saw the small boathouse sitting near the beach and took off at a run towards it.
Navigating through a battlefield with a ten-metre-tall beast blundering round and giant drug-crazed savages was a challenge Victoria never thought she’d face. She raced through the large white pine trees, past the blacksmith’s smouldering building and towards the lake.
‘Victoria!’
She stopped dead and turned to see Flynn jogging towards her. He looked surprisingly good, considering everything he’d been through. His olive skin still appeared a bit pallid and there was a large cut over one eye, but he moved with ease, as if what had happened to him earlier never had.
‘Flynn! Have you met with Tollin? Has he told you the plan?’
He nodded and followed her as she started to jog again. ‘Yes. Completely insane if you ask me, but it seems the only option we have now. Most of my warriors who aren’t being used as bait are positioning themselves above the gully. They’ll be armed and ready, just in case.’
‘Well, I hope it doesn’t come to that!’ she panted.
‘Where are you headed? Not running away, I hope!’
Victoria gave him an affronted look. ‘Of course not! I’m on a mission for Andrew, something that will help with the plan.’
A Blaiden woman dove in front of them with a horrible snarl. She was wounded badly, someone had taken a sword to her leg, but still she came, gripping an auroch horn like a knife. Victoria tried not to imagine what being stabbed with such a large, blunt object like that would feel like. Flynn pulled an arrow back in his bow and brought the woman down with one shot.
Victoria let out a held breath. ‘Thanks!’
He nodded. ‘Anything I can do to help you get on with this plan?’
A horrible roar came from behind them and they both turned to watch the Guardian shove through the pine trees and away from them, ground shaking beneath its feet.
‘Some cover would be nice.’
Flynn nodded. ‘That I can manage.’
Victoria and Flynn raced the rest of the way to the boathouse, Flynn dispatching any trouble they bumped into. While Victoria rooted round inside the darkened house, Flynn stood guard.
Victoria cast about in the messy, musty boathouse in desperation. There was so much stuff crammed everywhere it was hard to know where to look. Nets, ropes, lines, hooks, barrels, paddles, poles, boots, bait, sails, lures, buoys, lamps and a thousand other bits and bobs were hung and strung and stuffed everywhere.
What exactly did shark line look like? She pulled up a canvas and looked round. Seashells and gull feathers dropped to the floor. She chewed her bottom lip, then her eyes flicked up to a high shelf and she saw a coil of thin, black twine. She grinned. That had to be it.
Victoria struggled to reach but finally managed, using a barrel and a harpoon. She pulled the twine down in an avalanche of junk and emerged from the gloomy space, grinning at Flynn victoriously. She held it up to him.
Without another word the two of them dashed back to the lodge. Flynn turned to her. ‘I’ll see you soon then. Hopefully we can end this without much more bloodshed.’
She nodded. ‘Thank you. Good luck!’ With that, she dashed back inside to Andrew.
‘You took your time,’ he said by way of greeting.
‘Well, I didn’t exactly know what to look for.’ Victoria tossed the coil to him. ‘That better be right.’
He caught it without looking and ran it through his hands. ‘Yes,’ he said at last. He offered her no congratulations or praise. Not that she expected any.
‘ then, let’s get on with it!’
Chapter Fifty-Four
They sat across from each other, the gully between them. They were perched high at the mouth, makeshift bombs in place, nestled into the loose rock. The fuses Andrew had constructed kept them a considerable and safe distance away from the blast, but right now they were both near the edges, looking out beyond.
The gully was situated in the pasture, carved out over the years. It stretched back for about seventy metres and was about twelve metres deep and even. At the very far end were a group of people, including Tollin, Thedric and Bard. Round the edges of the gully, hiding back in trees and near the ground, were the Druids, all sharp shooters. If things went bad, the Blaiden wouldn’t
stand a chance.
Unfortunately for the Guardian, it had been decided that the only way to get rid of it was to kill it, and both Druids and Tartans were gripping their weapons grimly, wary of the daunting task ahead of them.
Victoria shifted uneasily and made eye contact with Andrew across the fifteen metre expanse that separated them. She could barely make out his features but she could tell he was warning her to keep still. Victoria sank back impatiently. It felt like they had been waiting for ever, though it couldn’t have been more than several minutes since she’d parted with Flynn outside the lodge. He was supposedly in charge of leading a group to lure the Blaiden and the Guardian to the gully, but so far, she’d seen nothing. The hill and trees blocked the village from Victoria’s view, so she couldn’t see where the Guardian was, but she could hear it every now and then let out a terrific roar. That noise still caused a shiver to run through her.
She turned her attention back out to the field, hardly aware that she was whispering unheard words, praying that Flynn would make it. It was then that he, and about twenty others, came dashing over the hill, running at breakneck speed. Right behind them were the Blaiden, not chasing but also running for their lives, wild looks of panic gleaming in their yellow eyes. Following close behind was the Guardian, racing with heavy thudding footfalls, head low to the ground, snapping at the men and women as they raced for the gully.
The Blaiden seemed to realise they were running into a trap, for Victoria saw their pace slow, but when one woman straggling in the back was scooped up in the huge jaws of the beast, it encouraged the rest of the pack to follow Flynn and the other Druids to the ravine. Victoria saw a flicker of light as Andrew lit his match and she did the same, watching with relief and butterflies in her stomach as the Guardian charged into the gully after the rest.
She touched her flame to the fuse and watched in satisfaction as the fire raced along the twine towards the glass jar bombs. She scrabbled backwards into the brush just as a deafening explosion, followed quickly by another, rocked her to the ground. Victoria pushed herself up dizzily in a haze of rock dust and smoke and staggered back to the edge. The rocks had completely caved in, effectively boxing the entire group inside. She doubted even the huge beast would be able to push its way through it without a great deal of difficulty.
Satisfied that her work was done, Victoria cast a look across the gully and, upon seeing no sign of Andrew, broke into a run to the far end of the ravine.
It was complete chaos when she arrived. The Druids had been pulled up with a rope ladder by the time she got there and in relief she threw her arms round Flynn, not caring what the other members of his tribe thought. Andrew had already arrived and was staring emotionlessly down into the pit.
The Blaiden and the Guardian were in a complete panic. The beast was tossing about, its size taking up almost all of the room, unable to turn round. Beneath it were the Blaiden, lost and without a cause. The Guardian didn’t seem to notice them as it shoved about, squashing them up against the stone walls of the gully or crushing them underfoot.
It was a horrible, disturbing sight to watch but Victoria couldn’t tear herself away. Everyone else seemed to be just as mesmerised as she was. Distantly she heard Thedric mutter, ‘Bloody hell.’
They seemed to have completely forgotten what to do and could do nothing but watch. Perhaps it was because it was their first chance to see the Guardian so close; perhaps it was because the total destruction was so morbidly fascinating. Whatever the reason, no-one made a move to do anything to stop it.
Unfazed like the rest, Tollin pushed through the packed crowd, his face twisted in anger. ‘Andrew! Stop this right now!’ he shouted, coming up close to Andrew. ‘Let them up!’
Andrew made no move.
‘Andrew!’ Tollin roared. ‘You help them out of there right now or you’ll have to deal with me as an enemy and I swear that’s not something you want!’ He grabbed the front of Andrew’s shirt, jarring him slightly.
Andrew gazed at him steadily with hooded eyes. Despite the horrible noise below, the group above was fixed on the two men. Andrew and Tollin became locked in some silent battle of wills. Victoria bit her bottom lip nervously. It did not seem likely for either one of them to give in over anything. Andrew would happily go down, pulling the rest of the world with him if it meant not admitting he was wrong. Tollin, on the other hand, seemed to have the power to bend the heavens if it would help him achieve his goals.
Tollin’s dark, warm eyes didn’t leave Andrew’s bright, cold stare. He raised his chin challengingly.
The noises below grew more desperate as both the beast and the Blaiden panicked.
Tollin released him with an angry snarl.
Slowly, Andrew turned from Tollin and marched to the edge of the cliff. He kicked the ladder over the side and snapped an order at the Tartans round him to seize the Blaiden when they climbed up.
There was a mad dash for the ladder. The Wolves fought against each other to avoid the smashing footsteps of the Guardian.
‘One at a time!’ Andrew shouted above the roar of the beast. ‘Or so help me, I will give the order to shoot every single one of you if you do not come up in single file!’
The Blaiden stared at him. They must have seen the deadly look in Andrew’s eyes, for they obeyed his order. They crawled up the ladder, shaking and terrified, as the beast snapped at them and smashed them up against the walls. Slowly the group began to filter from the gully to the top. The Tartans and Druids kept their crossbows and spears aimed at them, unwavering. Tense minutes passed and soon the surviving Blaiden were all huddled at the top of the gully in a miserable circle.
The creature below in the pit let out a mournful howl and slammed itself up against the rock wall, shaking the ground beneath everyone’s feet. Andrew strode to the Blaiden. ‘You will surrender and agree to our terms. You will not try to escape or fight or you’ll be dealt with severely by me personally. Is that understood?’
The group nodded dolefully.
‘Now, dispose of that animal!’ Andrew ordered to the Druids and Tartans round him. ‘It’s too dangerous to be kept alive, as much as I’d like to.’
Cautiously the sharpshooters took aim at the beast and let their arrows and spears fly. It became apparent immediately that their plan wasn’t going to work. The weapons bounced harmlessly off of the beast’s thick outer hide. The monster let out an irritated roar, but otherwise appeared unharmed.
‘It’s not working!’ Thedric moaned. ‘You have any more of those bombs, brother?’
Andrew shook his head. ‘Used the last of them sealing that creature into the ravine.’
The beast let out a strange, warbling cry that shook not only Victoria’s skull, but seemed to try to force its way into her brain, something deep that was desperate to be heard. She gasped despite herself.
Tollin’s eyes brightened and he stared ahead with a look of horrible realisation. His hands were half raised to his temple and he gasped. ‘Wait! Stop!’ he shouted, dashing towards the edge of the pit. ‘Don’t shoot at him anymore!’
The ground shook again as Tollin made it to the edge of the pit to get his first look at the Guardian. The beast slammed itself into the rock wall again and its great horned face tilted upwards to look at the people at the top.
Tollin let out a breath and sank to his knees. The Guardian’s beady yellow eyes searched the silent crowd and stopped to lock with Tollin’s. The creature reached its head up and let out a mournful, low howl. Tollin leant forward, reaching his hand down till it almost touched the Guardian’s nose.
‘What are you doing?’ Victoria gasped.
‘Oh, you are beautiful,’ he said quietly, his voice close to shaking. ‘I’m sorry. I’m so very sorry for what they did to you. I didn’t realise. I’m so sorry. I know now. I understand.’ He sucked in a wracking breath.
The beast’s jaws swung open and it let out another broken moan. A little tendril of black leaked from the corner of its mouth.
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‘Tollin,’ Victoria said quietly. ‘What’s wrong?’
Tollin didn’t take his eyes off of the creature. He pulled in another deep breath. ‘I don’t know how I didn’t know till now. I can be so thick sometimes.’
‘What?’ Victoria took a hesitant step towards him.
Tollin sat back on his heels, still keeping eye contact with the creature below. ‘It’s a dragon.’ A grim smile pulled at his mouth. ‘He’s a dragon. Or was. Suppose he’s so insane and twisted now there’s not much left of him. He’s lost his intelligence.’
Victoria had never seen a dragon before; she had never believed in them. They were just magical, mythical beings of old. Creatures that were said to come in Scrabia’s time of need. Creatures that helped them. Creatures that were betrayed and destroyed and were now gone from history, but still powerful and spoken of in Denizen ceremonies about the past.
This creature did not look like a dragon—at least not Victoria’s view of one. She had seen the engravings on temple walls. Dragons were lean and sleek and had wings. This bloody, warped, knobby creature below her couldn’t be! Then she looked harder. Two strange knobs between the Guardian’s shoulder blades could almost pass for what might have once been wings. And if she looked at it hard enough, perhaps it could be a dragon.
The creature opened its mouth and made a noise then that did not sound like a growl or howl. It was almost as if it had structure and meaning to it. Whatever the noise was, it caused Tollin to lean forward. He dropped to his stomach and held his face close to the beast’s. And then, to the amazement of those around, Tollin repeated the same noises back. The beast studied his face and let out a low, miserable rumble. Tollin nodded and sighed heavily. He pushed himself back up and fished in his vest pocket.
‘I can destroy him,’ he said numbly. ‘Put him out of his misery.’
Andrew shook his head, confused. ‘How? Weapons don’t work against it.’