Bentwhistle the Dragon Box

by Paul Cude

  From his position high up in the shadows, a sense of panic surged through the master weapon smith's soul that was Fu-ts'ang. Utilising more than a lifetime's worth of courage and passion, and without any thought for his own safety, he surged towards Manson and Earth's position, knowing that if he wanted to save his friends, Janice and Flash, as well as the others, there was only one thing to do: he had to kill the murderous couple, and he had to do it now. Faster than a speeding bullet, imbued with ancient Chinese magic and empowered by righteous fury, the speeding blur of the cold, frosty blade extended out like a tail, making him look like some kind of blazing comet in the night sky. Unseen by every other being, as they all had their eyes glued to the now defenceless group of heroes, the tiniest hint of satisfaction ran along the weapon's shaft, knowing that he was about to not only save his friends, but kill two of the most vile beings he'd ever had the displeasure to encounter. As the blistering speed closed the gap between them in units of time so small they were almost impossible to measure, the mighty, feared and dreaded Fu-ts'ang arrived unnoticed within two arms' lengths of impaling the lovers.

  Entwined in the bliss that was the combination of their magic, Manson's frenzied state allowed his magical abilities and senses to extend far beyond their normal reach and in doing so, he'd constantly had his eye on the futuristic looking blade that had done so much damage on the field of battle up until this very moment. He'd assumed that it might have sought them out after the barrier had been destroyed, and of course he'd been right. Letting it get as close as he dared, without even turning he whipped his right arm around towards its trajectory and let rip with the surprise he'd been saving up especially for it.

  Dark, gruesome magic forked out of Manson's extended fingers, rippling its way through the space between them and Fu-ts'ang, covering the distance instantaneously. The master weapon smith had no time to react, no time to deviate, change course or mount any sort of defence. Black, soulless magic bored into the shaft and the hilt, piercing the weapon's very essence, tearing away its psyche, sending its spirit spiralling into the afterlife, its physical form exploding out into a thousand tiny pieces.

  From amongst the group of light sided heroes, Janice's scream rang out, before she too dropped to the floor, her mind in tatters from the surge of feedback through what remained of the link to her friend. Peter draped his monstrous dragon form over the top of her, immediately offering a modicum of protection, cradling her broken mind and body.

  As the shards of what remained of Fu-ts'ang tinkled to the ground, Manson and Earth let go of each other's hands. Straight away, the supernatural power that had encompassed both of them disappeared.

  Taking two steps menacingly forward, the leader of this dark new world, the one that had schemed and manipulated events for so very long to reach this exact point, bared his teeth in a wicked grin, and declared for every being there to hear,

  "Isn't this nice?!"

  Close by, the taint of the primordial, abhorrent magic used by Manson and his queen woke up the dormant, roaring lion inside the slumbering kitten. An agreement was quickly established and reality returned. If magic was a rock concert, then all that had happened so far was the warm up. The headline act was about to begin.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Paul Cude is a husband, father, field hockey player and aspiring photographer. Lost without his hockey stick, he can often be found in between writing and chauffeuring children, reading anything from comics to sci-fi, fantasy to thrillers. Too often found chained to his computer, it would be little surprise to find him, in his free time, somewhere on the Dorset coastline, chasing over rocks and sand in an effort to capture his wonderful wife and lovely kids with his camera. Paul Cude is also the author of the Bentwhistle the Dragon series of books.

  Connect with Paul Online

  Bentwhistle website: bentwhistlethedragon.co.uk

  Blog: thesoberhockeyplayer.co.uk

  Twitter: twitter.com/@paul_cude

  Facebook: facebook.com/Bentwhistlethedragon

  Thank you for reading...

  If you could take a couple of moments to write a review, it would be much appreciated.

  BENTWHISTLE THE DRAGON WILL RETURN IN 'A FIERY FAREWELL'