She watched as Thunde slashed his blade in the air, but he kept hold of it, almost as if he were enticing the dragon towards him, making it think he was going to fight, but then disengaging at the last second. He must have a plan, a way of getting to the dragon and killing it.
Her eyes widened as Thunde continued to edge backwards, getting himself into an even smaller space. It was too dangerous; maybe he really didn’t know what he was doing. Jessie opened her mouth but stopped herself again. No, he was a warrior. She had to trust him.
The dragon roared and lunged towards Thunde again. Its claws swiped out, missing Thunde by inches, and Jessie couldn’t help but let a squeak of alarm shoot out of her. She ducked behind the tree, terrified the dragon had heard. But when she looked back, it was still focused on Thunde, still intent on killing him.
Thunde rolled backwards, widening the gap between him and the dragon. He grabbed a rock from the ground and hurled it towards the beast. It smacked the dragon in the chest, but it barely seemed to notice as it continued to lumber towards him.
Jessie edged out from behind the tree, desperately trying to figure out what Thunde had planned. His back was now against a solid rock wall, the sides packed with trees. She couldn’t see a way out for him.
The dragon lunged again, and Jessie screamed as it appeared to engulf Thunde in its jaws. She ran towards Thunde, unable to stop herself, as the beast lurched forward. It made a strange huffing sound and then collapsed, its legs no longer able to take its weight.
Jessie slowed as she reached the dragon beast’s tail, her pounding heart ringing in her ears. She couldn’t see any sign of Thunde. Had the dragon eaten him? Would she find his torn and bloody body on the ground? Her legs trembled as she reached the head of the dragon. Its large red eyes peered sightlessly at her. It was dead. Thunde had killed it.
Jessie licked her lips as she kept her gaze on the dragon. Where was Thunde? Had he died trying to keep her safe?
She dropped to her knees and looked under the beast’s head. Thunde was there, covered in blood and not moving.
Jessie’s throat tightened as she reached under the beast’s head and caught hold of Thunde’s hand. He had to be alive. He’d saved her from this beast, and he wanted to get them out of this game. This couldn’t have all been for nothing.
She felt his wrist for a pulse and detected something faint and irregular under her fingers. “Thunde, can you hear me?”
There was no response.
“We need to get out of here.” Jessie shot a fearful look over her shoulder. “I can’t manage this on my own.”
Still nothing.
She tugged on Thunde’s arm, but couldn’t move him. Letting go of his hand, Jessie studied the dragon’s head. Its teeth were clamped around one of Thunde’s legs. She needed to free the leg, and even then he’d not be easy to shift.
Dashing around the other side of the dragon, Jessie winched its jaw open with a piece of wood and pulled Thunde’s bloody leg free. Dropping the wood, she ran around and grabbed Thunde’s hand again.
“No one is going to call me puny if I manage to do this.” She leaned her weight backwards on her heels and tugged. At first, Thunde didn’t shift, but slowly, he emerged from beneath the dragon.
When he was almost free, Jessie dropped his arm and gasped in air, before swiping sweat from her brow and kneeling by his side to feel for a pulse again. It was already a little stronger, but she still couldn’t ignore the worry churning in her stomach. Several gashes covered Thunde’s chest, and there was a bite mark on top of one arm.
Jessie swallowed as she looked at Thunde’s enormous bulk. There was no way she could move him any distance. But she was determined to keep him safe, get him warm, and treat his injuries as best she could.
She wiggled her fingers under the weapons harness strapped across Thunde’s chest and began to drag him. He didn’t move. She tried several more times before slumping to the ground.
Jessie looked around at the trees for inspiration, something to help her move Thunde. There were several fallen branches on the ground, broken by the dragon’s attack. She collected them one by one and carried them back to Thunde. If she could get him on top of these, she could drag him and use the movement of the logs rolling to propel him along the ground.
After several muscle rending attempts, Thunde was on top of the logs. Jessie took a few deep breaths, grabbed his harness again, and began to pull.
The logs worked, but it was a slow process, and every few steps, she had to run to Thunde’s feet, remove a log, and place it under his shoulders, before dragging him a few inches closer to shelter under the trees.
But she did it and dragged him into the tree line and out of view of the Fraken. Once they were far enough inside the trees, she let go of his harness, giving an exhausted sigh as she did so, and rested against a tree for a moment.
“If we survive this, you’re going to have to show me how you get such big muscles,” said Jessie, her gaze on Thunde. “I need to build mine up.”
Thunde shifted on the ground, his eyes still closed. Pain was etched in the deep lines around his mouth.
Jessie pulled open his bag and extracted a Healing Stick and several Medi-patches. She ran the Healing Stick over the wounds, before applying the Medi-patches to the dragon bites, the worst of the gashes across his chest, and the bite on his leg. The effect was almost instant, and Thunde’s face relaxed.
“Now, all I need is for you to rest and get better so we can get out of here.” Jessie moved her fingers across Thunde’s forehead, checking for a fever. “And thanks for saving me from the dragon.”
***
Thunde jerked upright, hissing out a breath of pain as he did so. He looked down to see deep slashes across his chest, partially covered by Medi-patches. His left shoulder throbbed, and his right leg felt numb. A small fire crackled near his feet, and there was a container of water and a ration pack next to it. Flashes of the fight with the dragon passed through his mind, and he looked around swiftly, his senses focusing, looking for any sign of danger.
When he’d determined the dragon hybrid was not going to spring out from the shadows, his thoughts turned to Jessie. She must have patched him up and moved him, but where was she now? He looked around again, peering into the gloom of the trees, but couldn’t see her.
Thunde dropped his head; his whole body felt sore and bruised. He took a slug of water and downed the food before easing to his feet, intent on finding Jessie. He circled the tree he’d been hidden behind, getting drifts of her scent as he did so, before making his way back through the trees to find the dragon hybrid’s body. It was an ugly beast, covered in sharp scales, and the spikes on its tail looked metallic, most likely grafted on by the Fraken.
Thunde headed back into the trees. There was still no sign of Jessie, but she couldn’t be far away. He stopped by the fire and inhaled deeply, a rumble of frustration sliding through his chest and out of his mouth.
Something pinged off the top of his head and Thunde looked up. Jessie was sitting in the tree above him, her legs hanging over a branch.
“What are you doing up there?” Thunde felt a rush of relief at the sight of her.
“I feel safer in the trees,” said Jessie. “And I know you can’t climb them.”
“Why would I want to climb a tree after you?”
“I thought you might be angry with me. You almost got yourself killed protecting me from that dragon.”
“But you didn’t send it into this game,” said Thunde. “I’m not angry with you. How can I be? You saved my life by dressing my wounds.”
“I did what I could,” said Jessie. “I don’t know much about medicine.”
“You’ve done a great job.” Thunde tensed his left shoulder and winced. It would be a couple of days before he was back to full fighting strength, but the Medi-patches Jessie applied helped speed up the healing process.
“If I come down from this tree, you’re not going to stick me with a blade, like you
did that dragon?” asked Jessie.
Thunde shook his head. “You’re safe with me. But we have a lot to talk about.”
“Like how we’re going to get out of here alive?”
“That’s right,” said Thunde.
“Well, I’d better get down, and you can show me the way out.”
Chapter 10
Jessie dropped to the ground and peered at Thunde cautiously, her nerves making her skin feel itchy. “How's your shoulder? The dragon tried to take a bite out of you.”
“It did,” said Thunde. “But I had to let it get close enough before sticking in the blade. I was aiming for its heart.”
“You got it,” said Jessie. “But you had me worried for a second when it collapsed on you. I thought it was chewing on your head.”
“It nearly did,” said Thunde. “But it got a leg instead.”
Jessie ducked her head. “I’m glad you survived.”
Thunde raised his eyebrows as he looked steadily at Jessie. “Did you move me out from under the dragon?”
“Are you impressed?” Jessie grinned up at Thunde, the nerves in her stomach settling. “I’m going to ache for days after dragging you across the ground.”
“You should have left me there.”
“I couldn’t do that,” said Jessie. “I knew you’d been injured and needed treatment.”
Thunde gave a nod. “Let’s check on the dragon, make sure it really is dead.” He walked slowly out of the trees, leaning heavily on his left leg.
“Do you need a hand?”
“I’m fine.”
“You can lean on me if you like.” Jessie saw how Thunde’s brows pinched with every step he took.
“That won’t be necessary.”
Jessie shrugged and dropped back a few steps. If he wanted to be stubborn and proud about his injuries that was his choice.
Thunde continued his slow limp into the clearing.
“It’s dead,” said Jessie. “Well, it didn’t try to bite me when I dragged you out.”
“Good to know,” said Thunde. “But these beasts can be tricky.”
Jessie chewed on her bottom lip as she watched Thunde inspect the dragon’s carcass. “You know, you now owe me. As you said, you might be dead if I hadn’t helped you.”
Thunde’s lips twitched at the corners. “Are you wanting to call in your favor, now?”
“I’m not sure what you’ve got to offer me.”
“I can show you how to throw a blade.”
“That would be a good skill to have,” said Jessie, seeing Thunde’s shoulders relax as she spoke. “I might need that talent if we’re staying here much longer.”
Thunde looked around and beckoned Jessie to his side. “You’ll definitely need it if you stay with me after we leave the game.”
“Are you going somewhere dangerous?” asked Jessie, not hating the idea of having such a strong warrior to keep her safe.
He nodded. “We will be up against plenty more unpleasant enemies.” He kicked the side of the dead dragon.
“My skills are better suited to research than blade throwing.”
“You can do both,” said Thunde. “I’ve seen you in action, and you’re impressive for someone so small.”
Jessie shook her head. “I’ve stopped you in your tracks once already and saved your life from a dragon. You should know by now, I’m not easily beaten.”
Thunde looked down at Jessie, a soft smile on his face. “No, you’re not easy to beat. We need to get out of here, though. The Fraken will have seen the dragon die and won’t be happy. They’re likely to retaliate, and whatever they do, we won’t like it.”
Jessie nodded and followed Thunde back into the trees and through the undergrowth. “Why do you keep defending me?”
“I need to,” said Thunde.
“I get that you don’t like these games, but why me, in particular?”
“Because it’s time,” said Thunde as he pushed aside some trees and continued walking. “We’ve made the first move to change things and need to keep going.”
“What’s happened?” asked Jessie. “How have things changed?”
“It’s on a need-to-know basis.”
Jessie sighed and squeezed her hands into fists. “How can I trust you if you won’t tell me everything?”
“I trust my leader, and he has yet to tell me everything about this new situation.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t trust him,” said Jessie. “What makes you so loyal to him?”
“Because of what we’ve been through,” said Thunde. “My warrior brother is more important to me than family.”
“You must have a lousy family,” said Jessie, her heart giving a sad thump as she thought about her dead parents.
“Most were acceptable,” said Thunde. “I had a blood brother, and we were close.”
“You’re not close to all of your family?”
“Not all of them,” said Thunde. “I know my father. He put me through basic training in warrior school. But my blood mother, she wasn’t interested in raising children, simply having as many strong warriors as possible. She did the essentials but then handed me onto wet nurses and minders. Once I was able to stand, I began my warrior training.”
“Any other family members? Brothers or sisters?”
“Other than Thaddeus, I know of a number of half-brothers and sisters,” said Thunde. “But we’re not close. We went on different paths and joined different warrior squads. Once you join a squad, your loyalty turns to them.”
“You mentioned a brother, Thaddeus,” said Jessie. “Tell me about him.”
Thunde was silent for so long, Jessie thought he hadn’t heard her. “He is dead.”
Jessie stopped walking and grabbed hold of Thunde’s hand. “I’m sorry.”
“So am I,” said Thunde, looking down at Jessie’s hand. “He was killed on his first mission to investigate Fraken wrongdoing. They deny it, of course, but I know the truth.”
“It must have been hard to say goodbye to him.”
“I didn’t,” said Thunde. “There was no body to mourn over. His ship was blown up in space. He most likely became space debris.”
“Well, then I’m truly sorry,” said Jessie. “It must be hard to grieve for someone who was lost in that way.”
Thunde cleared his throat. “It has been difficult.”
“Do you still look for him?”
Thunde glanced at Jessie. “What do you mean?”
“I lost a best friend in one of the wars. We’d been friends since we were kids and went to school together. She was as much of a geek as me and loved nothing more than spending her days reading and researching history. After she died, I used to think I saw her in crowds. She had this incredible long, blonde hair that hung to her waist, and every time I saw a woman with hair like that, I would chase after her, thinking it was Emilia. It never was, of course, but a tiny part of me never gave up looking.”
Thunde shook his head. “Enough of this, we need to keep moving.”
Jessie dropped her hold on Thunde’s hand, and a sliver of disappointment ran through her at his cold reaction. She thought she'd been getting through to him. “I didn’t mean to make you sad.”
“I’m not sad, but we’re wasting time. Come on.” Thunde strode ahead, without looking back.
Jessie tugged on the strap of her bag she had tied around her middle. She could tell Thunde found it difficult to express his emotions. Everything about him seemed uptight as if he suppressed everything to avoid losing control of his feelings. It must be a difficult way to live, constantly having to hide what you’re experiencing. She knew this was the Vorten way, but there was a lot going on inside this warrior, and she was interested in learning more.
***
Why had he told Jessie about Thaddeus? Thunde barely knew this human woman, yet there he was, spilling out his family history to her. He should know better. She didn’t need to know all of this, and she wouldn’t be interested in his family, anyway. He n
eeded to focus on getting them out and ready to leave as soon as possible.
But a part of him had wanted to tell Jessie more. And he’d sensed she was interested in him and wanted to know about his life. But why? He could tell just by looking at her that he terrified her. He held in his anger as much as possible, not wanting to scare her, but every time he thought about how close that dragon had been to killing her, rage simmered just below the surface.
But that was it, he didn’t need to share any more. He needed to keep this professional. Thunde glanced over his shoulder and saw Jessie lagging behind, her narrow shoulders slumped and her head down. He slowed his pace and waited for her to catch up. He hoped he wasn’t the cause of her misery. He liked it when she smiled.
“Did you ever go on any of the early space flights with your father?” asked Thunde.
Jessie glanced up at him. “Dad never let me on any of the ships. He told me they were too dangerous and said to stick to learning from books and simulations. So, that’s what I’ve always done.”
“Research has its place,” said Thunde, as they walked side by side. “But sometimes, you need to get out there and experience things first-hand.”
“I guess you’d never learn how to kill a dragon hybrid by reading about it in a textbook.”
“You’re right, and most of my training has been hands-on,” said Thunde. “But I use simulations to learn how to fly different starships.”
“You do?” Jessie raised her eyebrows. “I’ve been in loads of simulations. They’re great fun.”
“It’s a helpful skill to have. And if I ever have to commandeer another alien spacecraft, I know my way around the controls. Some of them are so different, and I’ve flown a few that use mind control techniques. But, usually, the basic techniques are the same. Everything needs an engine, a thruster, and a brake.”
“We never got far with space travel on Earth,” said Jessie. “My dad had a big breakthrough, but we wouldn’t have gotten farther without the assistance from other alien races.”
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