Now his enemy was on the verge of finishing him.
Jaw hanging on the ground, Nath caught the flash of Rybek’s blade.
With two hands clutching the handle, Rybek brought the blade down with wroth force.
Nath rolled out of harm’s way.
Rybek’s blade bit into the stone floor and stuck.
Brenwar started forward with his war hammer ready to go. His bearded face was a mask of worry. Laylana was right beside him with her sword poised to strike at Rybek.
Sword out before him, Nath said, “No! I can handle this.” There wasn’t a mortal in the world who had undone Nath in a long time. There’d been close calls when he was much younger, testing his skills in the world of men, but he’d always overcome the odds.
This was different.
The feeling in Nath’s gut now was not the same. He bled. He was maimed. Rybek, somehow, had shown more skill and outwitted Nath.
Don’t let him get in your head, Dragon. There’s too much riding on this. Your own scales, for example.
Rybek yanked his sword free of the stone floor. With the rain dripping over his body, he said, “Oh, what a glorious day for victory.”
Nath could have sworn the evil man’s ugly iron helmet was smiling. Nath pulled his wounded hand to the side. It dripped blood. It burned as if it was a torch on fire. His jaws clenched. “I’ll grant you a small victory, but that’s it.”
Rybek swiped his sword back and forth, scattering the rainwater that was filling up the floor. “I can see the anguish in those golden eyes. The doubt. The pain. Your cocky voice trembles. You are lost, Nath Dragon.”
Nath planted his feet and readied his stance. “No, I know exactly where I am.” He beckoned Rybek over with the stump of his hand. “What are you waiting for? Come on, then.”
***
Ben’s heart pounded in his chest. It took everything he had in him to not rush out and try to battle alongside Dragon. Ben himself gasped for breath. The healing potion had restored him, but he wasn’t getting any younger. He was beyond tired, yet his fingers were wrapped around the pommel of his sword, gripping it tight. He slid the blade a little into the scabbard and out again, snapping it in and out of place.
Click. Click. Click.
Eyeing the fight, he made himself breathe deeply and stop gasping.
If I had Akron, I’d blow Rybek away. One shot. Boom! Dragon would forgive me. Eventually.
The battle between Dragon and Rybek raged on. Rybek was a gorilla of a man with hard muscles bulging in his arms. Two handed, he swung his sword in tremendous swings meant to cut a man in half. Nath backed away. Ducked. Dodged. Parried. He climbed over the dead wurmers and fallen giants, changing the ground where the men battled.
Clever, Dragon. Clever.
Ben had never seen two men fight so hard. Rybek was a force. His sword skills were nothing short of a marvel. Tirelessly, he took it to Dragon. Every strike was powerful, determined, and precise. Even for a man his size, it seemed impossible he could keep up the pace at which he attacked. Deep creases formed in Dragon’s perfect face. He’d parry one blow only to defend against another. Rybek’s sword licked out like a striking snake. Its point grazed the outermost skin of Dragon’s forehead.
Laylana gasped. Brenwar stirred.
Ben’s heart jumped.
That was close!
He ground his teeth.
Too close!
Blood trickled over the bridge of Dragon’s nose, washed away by the pouring rain that came down in sheets through the cracks above.
Rybek continued to taunt Dragon. “I’m going to take you down one piece at a time. Fingers, toes, legs. Once I’m finished, I’ll feed you to the wurmers.” He struck. Swords collided with jarring impact, sending anguish through Dragon’s face. “You’re losing precious dragon blood. You weaken. Your fall will come fast.”
Dragon’s grim face remained silent. Normally, he’d have something to say even in the worst of situations, but not this time. No, his eyes were fastened on Rybek’s, and his face was a mask of agony and concentration.
Come on, Dragon! I know you have something up your sleeve. Use it!
Ben watched in helpless fascination. Two monumental swordsmen seemed equally matched in power, skill, and strength. Ben never thought any mortal could stand a chance in a one-on-one fight with Dragon. He was too strong. Too fast. Yet Rybek impossibly did. The warrior’s iron helmet had a living glow to it. The eyelets in the helmet pulsed with a life of their own. As the sparks flew between the wondrous swords, Ben got a sense Rybek’s power was not going to fade, but Dragon’s was.
“Keep those elbows up, Dragon!” Ben yelled.
Brenwar looked up at Ben and snorted. Then the dwarf yelled, “Quit fooling around, Nath, and just kill him!”
Dragon kept his wounded arm pinned to his side. His broad shoulders sagged. His jaw hung open. He swatted at Rybek’s strikes desperately.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Ben clutched at his chest. Dragon continued to retreat, now at a faster rate. He moved toward the temple exit, outside, and into the pouring rain. Ben and his companions followed the battling men outside. They stood at the top of the steps watching the two fight on the bridge.
The sheets of rain pounded the fighting men, but even the pouring rain couldn’t drown out the sound of colliding steel.
Rybek’s voice cut through the torrent of nature, saying, “Did you come out here to drown before you die by my blade?”
Lightning flashed. Thunder clapped. The bridge shook.
Rybek pounced. Swinging his sword in windmill-like circles, he beat Dragon and Fang down in strikes coming one stronger than another.
How Dragon managed to hold onto Fang Ben did not know, but he did. Dragon was down on a knee. His arm juttered beneath every bone-jarring blow. It rang out so loud it tickled Ben’s teeth.
Do something, Dragon! Do something!
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
CHAPTER 7
The horned giant’s hands closed in.
Rerry’s locked-up joints came to life. He stuck his sword in the giant’s eye.
It lurched back, clutching at its face, and let out a tremendous bellow. “YOWOOOOOO!” It stood with its shoulders heaving up and down. The sword protruded from its eye. It said, “I was just going to eat you. Now I tear you apart, bit by bit!” It stomped the ground.
Rerry fell.
The giant came right at him.
A blue ball of energy streaked by Rerry’s head and smote the giant in the chest with a mighty explosion.
Ka-BOOoooooooM!
The ram-horned giant teetered backward. Its arms flailed wildly at its sides. It stumbled backward, groaning and clutching at its chest … and fell.
Boom!
The giant lay on its back. Smoke rose from its expansive chest.
Rerry looked back at Samaz. “What did you do?”
Eyes no longer rolled up inside his head, Samaz dusted off his hands. “Just a spell Mother showed me. I’ve had it mastered for quite some time, but I’ve never had the chance to use it.”
“You could have used it sooner!” Rerry crept closer to the giant. Standing beside its massive foot, he said, “Did you kill it?”
Samaz shrugged. “I don’t think we should wait around to find out. Let’s just get going.”
With bright eyes, Rerry said, “Samaz, do you know what this means?”
Staring at the foul monster that lay strewn out on the creek bed, Samaz replied, “No.”
“We killed a giant!”
“You mean I killed a giant.”
“No, if I hadn’t stalled it—extremely bravely, I might add—you never would have gotten around to casting that sorcery.” Rerry lifted his chin. “It was a team effort we can both take the glory in, even though I did the hard part.”
“Do you have any idea how hard it is to cast a spell while running through a forest? No, of course you don’t. You don’t have the ability in you.” Samaz pull
ed his helmet off and dropped it on the ground. “With this ugly helmet on, no less. But it’s not a competition, Rerry. We live. That’s what matters, so let’s get moving again.”
Rerry crinkled his nose. Eyeing the body of the giant, he said, “I need a souvenir, a trophy or something.”
“Don’t be foolish.”
Rerry bent over the giant’s crusty hand. It was almost big enough to pick him up with. He spied a ring on its finger. “I’ll be!” Using both hands, he wiggled it loose and tugged it off. With his back to Samaz, he held it up over his head. “Looky looky what I found. I think it’s gold.” He spat on it and rubbed the grit off with his sleeve. The metal twinkled in what sunlight cut through the trees. “Yes, it is gold. Hah, what do you think of that, Samaz?” He stuck his entire arm through the hoop. “Now that’s a trophy we can be proud of. Right, Samaz? Right?”
The forest was oddly quiet.
Rerry turned, eyes searching for his brother.
Samaz was nearby, but he wasn’t alone. He was surrounded by fully armed elves. His hands were above his head. Rerry didn’t recognize any of the elves—except for one, Captain Scar. The edge of his rapier was at Samaz’s throat.
Wearing the standard black tunic of the elven guard, left eye covered in a patch, the fit, brown-haired elven soldier said to Rerry, “That is a fine trophy. It will look great hanging from my wife’s neck.”
Rerry made a move.
More elves emerged from the woodland with bows nocked with arrows pointed at him.
Captain Scar motioned to him. “Please, toss the bauble over. Finders keepers, eh?”
“I tell you what, Scar. How about this? I keep the ring. You keep my brother.”
Samaz’s eyes widened.
Scar showed a cocky smile. “Why settle for one when I can have both?”
With a shrug, Rerry said, “I see your point.” He rubbed the ring, shining it up a bit, caressing it with his eyes. “How about I fence you for it?”
“No.”
Holding the ring in both of his hands, Rerry looked at the golden object and said, “I promise I will see you again.”
Birds scattered from the trees. Many of the elven soldiers clad in black tunics trimmed in silver glanced up.
Without warning, the horned giant’s hand came to life and smote one of the elves dead with a single strike. With an angry groan, it sat up, saying, “Ah! A feast of elven meat is upon me! I’ll relish all of your bones!”
Every elven warrior sprang into action. Bowstrings were pulled back. Arrows were let loose.
Twang! Twang! Twang! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
The arrows skipped off the giant’s horns. Some of them pricked its skin. Their efforts were futile. The giant brushed the missiles aside and attacked. It snatched an elf in each of its hands and snapped their spines, making a horrible sound.
The elven ranks ripped out their swords and swarmed the giant. They chopped and hacked. Their blades hacked at the giant’s fingers. They climbed up its body like stinging ants and smote it in the face.
But one by one, the giant slung them off. It grabbed one elf and tossed it into the trees. It rammed its horns into two elves, grinding them into the ground.
Scar shouted out, “Take the legs! Take the legs!”
A pair of elves worked a coil of rope and entwined the giant’s legs.
The giant’s foot snagged. It stumbled. Its angry eyes found the rope. It snatched up the coil.
The elves hung onto the rope just long enough for the giant to dangle one of them toward its mouth. It bit into one of the elves’ legs, making a loud crunching chomp.
The elven soldier screamed. “Aaaaaugh!”
“Enough of this!” With his blade still under Samaz’s chin, Scar said, “Don’t you go anywhere, because if you do, I’ll track you down and kill you!”
Rerry, who had concealed himself away from the fray, saw Samaz nod. Instantly, Scar’s eyes somehow found his. “And don’t you try to run either, prisoner!”
With a wild look in his elven eyes, Scar charged the giant at full speed.
The giant took a swipe at him.
Scar slipped beneath the swing, jumped onto the giant’s chest, locked one hand in the scruff of its facial hair, and said, “You’ve brought enough death! Now it ends!” He pierced the giant’s chest with his rapier. The blade sank deep, right where the heart should beat.
The giant’s eyes enlarged. Its great limbs drooped.
The surviving elves, two of them, chopped into the heel of the giant.
The horned monster fell like a great tree and splashed into the creek. Giant blood mixed with the waters.
Still standing on the giant’s chest, Scar yanked his sword free. Without a drop of sweat in his eyes or stain on his uniform, he said, “That’s how you kill a giant. No dwarf could do any better.” He wiped his sword on the giant, checked its clean edge, and slid it back into his sheath.
Rerry approached from the brush. He couldn’t believe Scar had killed the giant with a single strike. “You have my admiration, imprisoner or not. That was—impressive.”
Hand out, Scar said, “I’ll be taking the giant’s ring now.”
Without a word, Rerry tossed the ring to Scar. The elven fighter had earned it.
“Hands up,” Scar said.
Rerry and Samaz both surrendered their hands.
Only two elves out of the small band remained alive. The rest were dead, their bodies scattered and broken. One hung in a tree, and the others were smashed into the ground. Even though Rerry wasn’t a full-blooded elf, he still felt great loss. He said, “You could use our help caring for the dead. It would be our honor.”
Rolling the giant’s ring like a bracelet around his wrist, Scar said in a nasty tone, “If you hadn’t run away, none of them would be dead, now would they?” He shook his head. “I’ll think about it.”
But in the wink of an eye, the giant smashed Scar between its hands so hard his helmet popped off his head.
CHAPTER 8
The battle with Rybek was the longest sword fight Nath had ever been in. Regardless of the outcome, the unrelenting warrior had gained his respect. Rybek’s mighty blows would have burst the elbows of a lesser man. The jarring impact felt as if it could shatter bone.
Where does he get his strength?
Nath deflected another devastating blow.
Clang!
And yet another.
Bang!
No one of any race but dragonkind had ever before matched Nath’s speed and strength, not even when he was young. He was a dragon, with a dragon heart the size of four men’s. Nath suspected Rybek possessed supernatural powers like his brother Kryzak had, probably from the sword but possibly from that helmet. He already knew Rybek’s sword had magic within. He’d seen its power level the trees in the forest when they’d first clashed.
He’s got to have a weakness. Find it before his sword finds your neck!
Rybek cocked back to uncoil another bone-shattering swing.
Nath rolled backward, pushed off the ground with his powerful legs, sprang high in the air, and did a back flip. He landed on his feet a dozen yards away.
“Buying time, Nath Dragon?” Rybek scraped the edge of his sword over the bridge. “I can’t blame you. Your death is inevitable, for I am invincible.”
“You sound too sure of yourself, Rybek.” Nath gulped down some air. “You should know nothing in Nalzambor is certain. Not even death.” He glanced at his missing hand. The bleeding had stopped. His hand was a stump of ebony scales, but his thumb remained. He wiped the gash on his forehead. The wound Rybek had cut open had healed up.
Thank Guzan!
Pointing his sword at Nath, Rybek said, “Stand your ground! No more dancing! It’s time to finish this!” He stormed forward, feet splashing in the puddles on the bridge. “Now it ends!”
Fang pulsated in the palm of Nath’s good hand. He pulled his shoulders back. His blood churned. He’d bought enough time. Saved his energ
y. The bleeding had stopped. The loss of his hand had frightened him. Shaken his confidence. Now the fighter within was coming back. Confident. Certain.
I am Nath Dragon. I am the Dragon Prince. I could beat this man without any hands. Well, maybe I do need one.
He set his sight on Rybek. Locked his jaw. Narrowed his golden eyes. “Dragon! Dragon!” He charged.
Rybek laughed. He lowered his sword and shoulders and rushed at Nath in giant strides. “You’re a dead dragon!”
The great blades collided. Thunder clapped.
Boom!
Rybek poured it on. His eyes behind the helmet were ever intent to kill. Metal scraped against metal. The men battled back and forth with lightning-fast strokes that were the stuff of legends.
Nath parried.
Rybek counterattacked. The warrior’s magical blade came dangerously close to Nath’s vitals.
Nath fought back. The strength in his arm renewed. His power seemed everlasting. The weakness from the loss of blood was gone. One handed, stroke after stroke, he pressed back against Rybek’s fierce attacks.
“You might have a second wind, but it will still be your last.”
“Will it?” Nath brought Fang down on Rybek’s awaiting blade. In an impossible move, he shifted his swing. Fang slipped by Rybek’s guard and slapped the man upside his iron helmet.
Krang!
Rybek staggered backward. His head wobbled on his shoulders. He shook off the blow.
Nath hit him in the head again.
Rybek fought to parry Nath’s striking edge. His parries were too slow.
Nath weaved around Rybek’s defense, Fang striking like a metal snake. He skewered the man in the meat of his shoulder. He jabbed him in the thigh. He punched Rybek in the helmet again, knocking him backward.
Rybek fought back more slowly.
Nath attacked faster. “Give it up, Rybek.”
Hobbled, Rybek said, “Never!” He swung.
Nath sidestepped with ease, and with the tip of his sword, he flicked Rybek’s helmet off his head. The helmet sailed over the bridge and into the canyon.
Flight of the Dragon (The Chronicles of Dragon, Series 2, Book 5 of 10) (Tail of the Dragon) Page 3
