by Halie Fewkes
There wasn’t a dog alive who could match my short swords, but killing the thing with its mind mage master nearly at arm’s length didn’t appeal to me. I dodged trees as I ran and skidded down a hill of loose dirt that stuck between my feet and the sole of my sandals, but I couldn’t hear anything pursuing me.
I was nearly back to the Wreck entrance when an unnatural sound rumbled through the entire forest — like a growl, a hiss, and a long scrape of metal on metal.
I whirled around and just about screamed when I saw the thing — a massive red-eyed wolf with a barbed tail and metal plating growing around his chest like a mane. I didn’t usually freeze with fear, but his blood-washed eyes bored through my defenses and nearly paralyzed me as he crouched.
Chapter Six
Allie
The beast sprang on powerful hind legs, and I jammed both blades between the metal plates on the dog’s chest as he bowled me over, his paws larger than my hands. One sword stuck into the ground, keeping the snapping teeth away from my face as I landed on my back, craning my head away as hot drool peppered my face. With the blade rammed between his neck-plates and the hilt stuck into the ground, his ferocious teeth fell just short of ripping me apart.
White magic leapt into my hands and eyes, and I brightened the entire forest with a crackling stream of destruction. It crashed into the wolf with the same force that had once blown a hole in the back of a ship, and he barely shuddered.
“DON’T LET IT BITE YOU,” I heard Archie shout as he scrambled over the Wreck’s entrance boulders to dash toward us.
I took a horrible risk and rolled to my feet as the wolf turned to see Archie and I made a mad leap for the safety of the tree limbs above.
The wolf twisted back and lunged, but the blade in his neck caught against a gnarled root in the ground and jerked him to a stop, sparing me half a second to pull myself up as more drool spattered onto my legs. He thrashed sharply to dislodge my sword, then leapt with snapping jaws as I got my first knee up to safety. And by the thinnest hair of fate, the beast’s teeth missed my dangling foot and sank into the leather sole of my sandal. I wrapped my arms tightly around the rough limb as he shook his head rabidly and tugged, hind legs dragging the ground beneath us. My sandals were too durable to tear and laced all the way to my knees, so I couldn’t just shake one off.
“ARCHIE!” I shrieked as the tree bark ripped against my forearms and I struggled to tighten my grip on my only lifeline.
Archie had at least thought to bring a bow, and an arrow pierced into the wolf’s neck, right above the metal plated mane. A second and third arrow joined the first before the monster even squealed, and I had nothing but fingertips holding me up as a fourth arrow slammed into his jaw, forcing him to let go with a yelp.
I regained my grip and pulled my feet quickly up as the unnatural beast changed targets and bolted toward Archie. I yanked my hunting knife from the laces of my sandal to hurl it, and the dog stumbled as the blade stuck between his shoulders, but he didn’t slow.
Archie was already sprinting up a steep incline, toward one of our dragon caves further up, and I leapt quickly back to the ground to grab my closest sword and pursue as the vicious wolf gained on him. I wanted to scream. He was going to reach Archie in four, three, two—
Archie disappeared into the black cavern, and the predator darted in after him.
Everything fell completely silent as I raced up the moonlit slope in terror, but a sudden cacophony of roaring and squealing echoed over the mountainside as the wolf met the dragons inside. I thought my lungs might explode as I forced my legs to push through long strides, and I grabbed every shrub in my path to pull myself up faster.
I reached the mouth of the cave just as the monstrosity dragged himself out on powerful front paws, his hind legs bloodied and mangled while half a quiver’s worth of arrows protruded from his neck. The injured beast snarled at me as I ran forward to drive my sword through his ribs. I knocked him down and pushed all the way through his chest until my blade sank into the ground, pinning him in place, and still he twitched and snarled at me.
Archie emerged from the cave and shot two more determined arrows into the massive wolf before looking up to meet my eyes, and just as I took a breath to say, I am so sorry, Archie ran at me. I jumped skittishly back, not sure if he was going to maul me with a relieved hug or what.
When he collided with me, he wrapped both hands around my neck and shoved me back against a tree, rattling my nerves. I had never seen him so frantic, and I froze as a different kind of terror shot through me.
“Tell me it didn’t bite you!” His voice was hoarse with fear. The moon cast shadows across his face as his blue eyes pierced mine with desperation. He had a tight grip on my jaw, like he was ready for me to lunge and bite him.
I shook my head as much as I could with his hands crushing my wind pipe. “No,” I gasped. “It didn’t. Look.”
I stood on one leg and pulled my foot up to show him — dirty but unbloodied.
Archie looked down and took a full three seconds to make sure, then collapsed against me, pressing his face to my shoulder. He took a steadying breath, then stepped back. “It did bite one of the dragons. We’ve got to go kill it.”
Archie turned, but I put a hand on his shoulder to ask, “What happens if it bites you?”
Vicious snarls erupted from the cave again, as though the dragons inside had turned on each other, and I guessed the answer.
Archie glanced at me and said, “I’ll go take care of the dragons. Can you make sure that thing is dead?” The wolf struggled and I nodded quickly. Archie dashed back into the cave and I stooped to wrench my hunting knife from between the monster’s shoulder blades. The brute reeked like a wet dog who’d died three weeks prior, and he bared yellow teeth at me with a snarl until I drove my knife in just beneath his jaw. I held my breath as the life haunting his red eyes finally faded to an aimless, dead stare, and I removed my blade to take a step back and breathe again.
Another roar echoed from the cave, startling me back into action. I darted inside and ducked under the rocky overhang to see a black dragon lying dead and a furious green dragon stomping two clawed feet onto Archie on the ground. Archie had thrown his hands defensively over himself, and the golden shimmer of his shield power stopped the dragon from crushing him into the floor as he gritted his teeth and hissed at the strain.
The dragon turned to greet me with an angry wave of flames just as Archie’s shield shattered beneath the weight. I dove to the side and landed on my elbows behind a short boulder, but not before I saw blood welling up from Archie’s chest where two taloned feet held him down. I clambered back to my feet as the beast snapped at Archie’s face and he flung his right hand up in desperation, forcing the rows of sharp teeth to sink into his forearm rather than his eyes. Archie released a tortured scream as the dragon pulled his arm back with a sharp jerk, trying to rip it off.
Every blade I owned was outside, so I panicked and leapt onto the boulder I’d hidden behind, launching to land on the dragon’s back. I sank my own teeth into the scales on its neck as the most natural response in the world — anything to make it stop tearing into Archie.
Releasing Archie, the dragon snaked its head back to snap at me, forcing me to jump off the other side and dart away. The thing jerked its feet off Archie in an attempt to maul me with a shriek of rage, but heavy chains prevented it from reaching me, giving Archie just enough time to scramble away. We were both out of its reach, but Archie had barely stumbled to his feet when I saw the dragon take a massive breath, and—
“NOOOO!” I screamed as the scorching flames washed over my best friend. The fire roared and crackled against him with a blazing heat that curled even the ends of my hair. When the dragon ran out of breath, Archie stood alive and wincing with his hands held in front of him, the golden shimmer of his shield just barely present.
I ran straight to him and dragged him behind a sharply angled boulder before more fire blazed out to roast us,
and we crouched from sight. Archie groaned and coughed as he sat back against the rock, blood dripping from his arm and smoky sweat from his face.
“What’s wrong with it?” I asked quickly. “What happens when that Zhauri dog-thing bites you?”
Archie gritted his teeth with a pained grimace and touched his mouth several times, looking for an explanation. “It’s… the spit,” he said, squeezing his eyes closed. “The Zhauri call it a death hound, and its teeth are coated in a poison that makes you lose your mind before you die.”
“Is the dragon going to die on its own then? I can still—”
Archie threw his good arm out to grab mine in a crushing grip. “Leave it. I already killed the one that was bitten. This one’s just panicking.”
“Oh shanking life,” I whispered in relief, glancing to where twenty teeth had torn into Archie’s arm and raked across his very bones, a sight so awful that my own skin stung and cried out in sympathy. His chest, thankfully, wasn’t nearly as bloodied. “Here, let me help—”
“Don’t touch it,” he growled as I reached for him, and it finally hit me that Archie’s expression of agony was laced with an angry glare. “I’m a Tally. I’ll be fine in five minutes.” He held the wound tightly to himself as he began to shake.
“I’m so sorry,” I said as drops of blood pattered rhythmically onto the floor. “But we have to do something, Archie. The Zhauri will be here any minute—”
“The Zhauri? You mean the hunters who have never been evaded in Human history?” Archie wasn’t just angry — a livid ferocity had darkened his face. “The ones I just warned you about?” His jaw twitched several times, and I nearly expected steam to pour from his nose as he demanded, “What. Were. You. Thinking?”
“I’m…” I nearly choked on my words. “I… saw the smoke from their fire, and I didn’t think they would hear me—”
“And I’m sure you went running straight toward it! Didn’t you?” Archie looked to the cave ceiling in disgust and snarled, “You’re shanking lucky sometimes that your insanity is at least predictable! Liz came in and admitted why you’d stormed off, because she was worried you were about to do something stupid. And you know what, Allie? I knew to come straight outside, because this is literally the dumbest place you could have possibly come! The Zhauri?” Archie growled sharply in frustration, looking ready to murder.
Justified or not, killing their death hound wouldn’t go unpunished. The Zhauri would be here any minute, and Archie’s injury put us in a terrible position. The skin was so mangled that his good hand couldn’t cover the whole wound, and when I reached again to help, Archie twisted away, his glare warning me back.
“Does it ever cross your mind that your actions might affect other people?” he demanded. “I watched that death hound grab hold of your foot, and I thought I was going to have to kill you, Allie. To say you gave me heart attack doesn’t come close to what you just did to me. And for what?” he shouted. “Because you misunderstood something you heard eavesdropping?”
A sick new sense of guilt twisted into my stomach, and I tried to respond, but only ended up speaking empty air and closing my mouth again. “Yeah, you heard me. Corliss and I are just friends. The same way you and I are just friends.”
“I get it, alright? I’m sorry,” I said. The message that we were to remain as friends couldn’t possibly be clearer, and it wasn’t exactly a surprise. “I’m sorry for getting us in this situation, but we need to pull ourselves together and figure a way out of it.”
“And what do you suggest we—”
“If we can’t run from the Zhauri, then I’ll walk out with my head held high and try to talk our way out of this. I just need to know what to expect from them.”
Archie glanced at the ground, and I seized the opportunity to lunge and wrap my hands around his mutilated arm, putting immense pressure on the skin to hold it together while his Tally blood healed it. Archie winced and let the smallest groan escape, leaning his head back against the jagged boulder as he released his arm to me.
“It’s the only thing we can do at this point,” Archie growled reluctantly. His entire body shook and he wiped a shiny layer of sweat from his forehead with his good hand. “But you’re not going out there alone. I’ll—”
“I’m not offering for altruistic reasons,” I cut him off, not knowing how much time we had. “I don’t want them to know you have anything to do with me. If things go sideways with the Zhauri, which they very well could, I’d rather have you in a position to help me than sinking in my boat. Do you think your shield can keep that mind mage from sensing you?”
“They have two mind mages,” Archie said. “Maverick’s a reader, Iquis is a writer.”
“A writer?”
“I mean Iquis can cause pain, bend ideas, and take control of your mind — but he can’t sense anything. Maverick’s the one who can read your thoughts, and he’s the leader of the group.”
“Alright, but can he sense you? Since you’ve got your shield?”
“I don’t think so. But you have to be so careful, Allie. Aside from their mind mages, they have two telekinetics and a shade who gives them their brutal reputation. I know I already warned you—”
“You don’t have to warn me again,” I said. “I know you’re serious. That was why I approached them. I heard them…” I froze because breathing became harder at the thought of the word torture. “I heard… screams.”
Archie’s eyes widened as I bit hard at my inner lip, trying to detach myself. “They… had an Escali, somebody who would have known Prince Avalask. They were asking her where the Epic would hide something of importance.”
Archie held his breath for a moment, then asked, “What did she say?”
I took another moment to gather a false sense of calm. “Nothing. Their leader, Maverick I guess, said she didn’t know anything… And they killed her when they realized I was close.”
All of Archie’s anger vanished with his next exhale as his shoulders sank and his eyes softened. “I’m sorry,” he said as I gritted my teeth and stared at the ground, “but… it’s nothing you could have prevented.” I nodded quickly, but a bitter ache had crept into every crevice of my chest. Archie gripped his uninjured hand into his hair for the duration of a stressed thought and said, “They must be after Prince Avalask’s son.”
“Maverick said that wasn’t it. And the only other thing nearly as valuable would be Sir Avery’s daughter.”
Archie groaned and took a stuttered breath. “The Zhauri are Human, but if they get ahold of Ebby, they’re not going to hand her back to her father. They’re held accountable to no one, and she’s more powerful than anything else they could attain. But if we get away from them unscathed tonight, we might be able to reach her first and get her back to Sir Avery.”
I readjusted my hands around Archie’s arm, causing him to screw his face into a pained grimace. “Have you considered that it might be better to leave her with Prince Avalask?” I asked. “He… could protect her.”
Archie hissed a chuckle of mockery through his teeth. “I thought Sir Avery was joking with me. Prince Avalask actually tried to convince you to leave Ebby with the Escalis?”
I squinted back at him, unamused, and replied, “Yes. He made some very good points about the future of the world and such small things.”
Archie watched me like I might be delusional, and said slowly, “She’s been kidnapped.”
“Yes, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
Archie’s frown turned into disbelieving disgust. “Look… Let’s deal with the Zhauri right now,” he said, “and afterward, we’ll sit down and come to an agreement. Because if I’m trying to help Sir Avery and you’re trying to help Prince Avalask, we’re worth nothing. We have to take the same side.”
“You know, it’s sort of funny,” I mused. “That is literally, exactly the reason Prince Avalask is keeping Ebby, so she and Vack can grow to be more than enemies. Those kids could change the world, Archie.”
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“Oh good,” Archie said scathingly, “a better world brought about by child abduction. I can hardly wait.”
I felt my jaw drop in exasperation and asked, “What did Sir Avery offer you? And how did it make you blind to everything else that matters?”
A dog yipped loudly outside the cave, startling us both. I leapt to my feet as Archie quickly said, “We’ll talk about this later.” I flicked my gaze to the cave entrance, wary of the still angry dragon eyeing me. “But listen to me, Allie. Fighting the Zhauri isn’t an option. Running isn’t an option. Use your brain, and don’t provoke them. Just get through this, and we’ll leave the Dragona tonight.”
“Alright,” I said, feeling my exhausted heart begin to accelerate again. “Stay hidden, and I’ll say I came out here alone.”
“Don’t say it, just imply it. Maverick will know if you’re lying.”
I turned away and Archie hissed, “Allie!” right before I stepped out into the moonlight. I peered back, and he brushed his fingers against his mouth, raising his eyebrows.
I touched my fingertips to my lips, and they came away with crimson dragon’s blood, reminding me I’d bitten the thing. Archie broke a smile, and I wiped the blood onto the cave wall as he whispered, “Go get ‘em, Tally.”
An evening breeze drifted through the late summer leaves, making the entire hillside whisper like running water. The cool air felt good in my lungs as I padded toward the dead, armored wolf, the white light of two moons reflecting off his metal plated chest.
I stopped and peered into the dark to watch for the Zhauri, spotting a furry snow-dog staring at me from a safe distance. Grey with a black raccoon-mask of fur around his eyes, he sat with the patience of a statue who’d been sent to keep an eye on me, and I held perfectly still to listen for his owners.
