The Dragon Eaters
Page 39
Chapter 24
Tina felt the surge of adrenaline bringing her senses into focus again. The world was still blurry as she realized her glasses had been thrown off when she’d been tossed halfway across the city. Though she felt battered, she managed to call out her gift and apply magical force to the roof. Throwing it off Kravek, she rushed to him and skidded onto her knees in front of his muzzle. Luna grabbed Aiden’s unconscious body from the porch of the Stumble Drum.
“Kravek! Kravek, wake up!” Tina smacked Kravek on the front of his muzzle.
Kravek groaned, and his eyes slowly opened. He struggled to push himself up, but could only get up onto his hands before he collapsed again. “Nngh. Tina… my legs won’t move.”
Tina bit her lip and looked toward the Dragon Eaters. They had just reached the fallen wall. She knew once they drew closer, her magic would be suppressed. Her mind raced for a way to move Kravek.
Luna knelt down next to Tina and held her glasses out for her. “You might want these.”
Tina took her glasses from Luna and put them on her face. “Luna, Kravek can’t walk.”
Luna nodded and turned her head. Guards from the wall were just reaching them with others either on their shoulders or being dragged. She looked down at Tina and shook her head. “I don’t think there are enough guards still standing who can carry him.”
Tina looked at Kravek with worry in her eyes. If she tried moving him, it could worsen his injuries. But the alternative was unacceptable, and standing there doing nothing would not help Kravek. She didn’t have time to use the spell to summon Shasta.
But then it hit her. She’d already used the spell to bring Shasta into the area. Tina needed only call out for her construct for it to appear from the soil. And Belthazuul had easily poured enough magic into the ground recently for her to call on it before the Dragon Eaters arrived.
Rising to her feet, Tina ran back from Kravek to make some room. Drawing a rune into the dirt, she called on Belthazuul’s magic. In seconds, Shasta pushed her way out of the soil.
Tina turned her attention to Luna. “Shasta will carry all of you out of here, but I need something from you first, Luna. Are you still able to draw your bow?”
Luna nodded. “My bow arm is still strong.”
Tina climbed Luna’s side all the way up to her shoulder. “Then I need you to fire me at the Dragon Eaters.”
Luna’s ears shot straight up. “You have a death wish!?”
Tina clapped her hands together. “We don’t have time for this! The Dragon Eaters breathe through those holes in the sides of their chests. I’m going to hold tight to one of your arrows, and I want you to fire me into one of those holes. These monsters are too powerful for anything to assail them from the outside. But if I can get inside the lungs, I might be able to tear up something vital with my claws.”
“You can’t think you’re going to live through that.” Luna suddenly looked worried.
Tina sighed in resignation. “But the rest of you will. Please, Luna. I don't have time to come up with another solution.” She could tell Luna didn’t like the idea of being the one to send Tina to her death.
But the mink pulled one of her arrows from her quiver and yanked the head off. “I need a vantage point and a clean shot.”
Tina nodded and slid her golden armlet off. She dropped it into Luna’s hand. With a quick incantation, she removed her shrinking spell from the armlet, and it expanded to its original size. “Put that on your arm. I’ll activate it, then you should have enough strength to leap to the top of a building. Once my magic is suppressed, there’s a chance the armlet won’t work any more, so you’ll have to climb down yourself.”
Luna glanced at the armlet, and then slid it onto her good arm. With a few words from Tina, runes appeared around Luna’s ankles, wrists, shoulders, and waist. She stood up and looked at the second story of the Stumble Drum. “I haven’t done this before, so help me if you can.”
As Luna leapt, Tina called on Methystra’s magic in the air to use the wind to guide her to a soft landing. The mink turned to face the approaching Dragon Eaters and nocked her headless arrow. “This isn’t going to be an easy shot.”
From atop Luna’s shoulder, Tina focused on the nocked arrow, and the runic circle appeared in her right lens. She had to match the equation for her personal momentum with that of the arrow’s momentum. A series of silver-blue runes appeared on her arms and legs, then a matching series appeared along the shaft of the arrow.
Tina set the spell, then climbed out onto the shaft and moved to the tip of the arrow. Wrapping her arms, legs, and tail around it, she looked up at Luna. “I have faith in you, Luna.”
Luna bowed her head. “In case we never see each other again, Tina… thank you for bringing Idori back to me.”
Tina wiggled her whiskers. “Whether we see each other again, Luna, I wish you and Idori a long life together.”
Luna drew in her breath and raised her bow. Taking aim for one of the lung holes in the side of the Dragon Eater’s body, she let her breath out. At the bottom of her breath, she let the bowstring snap forward and cast Tina into the wind.