Deepforge by R.J. Washburn, Ron Washburn Page A

match for his, but she tried anyway.
    “Pearl! We can’t stand by and let this happen, we’ll draw the creature away from the fleeing populous. Fly away if you must,” Brendon said.
    “No!” she cried, and began flying in circles around them, faster and faster. Her multicolored wings began to make a bright display of color around them like a shell.
    At that point, the dragon released the fury of hell upon the warriors. Most of the force of the flames seemed to be deflected by the pixie’s wings, but enough got through to cause severe burns on the warriors. All but the dwarves cringed at the extreme heat.
    “Is that all you’ve got, you pathetic dragon? Come and face us like a warrior, not as the coward you are!” Grognor yelled.
    Pearl fell to the ground, badly burnt.
    Bōddy reached down and picked her up, inspecting the extend of the damage. “You shouldn’t have done that. We can handle anything this creature dishes out, Pearl. Heal yourself and redirect your skills.” Bōddy motioned up at the dragon.
    Pearl smiled, and then flew off toward the dragon using her natural healing ability on herself.
    “Did you just send her to her death?” Grognor asked.
    “No, not at all. She’s way tougher than she appears.”
    Hentlehoff nodded in agreement. “Yea, pixies are badass, for sure. Just watch. Here comes the beast for another attack.”
    Grognor didn’t believe it. How could a little thing like that possibly be ‘badass’? Oh, well. It wasn’t his problem. “Ok, we need to get that damn thing on the ground and stomp its head in. Any ideas?”
    They started giving suggestions, anything from throwing a massive volley of hammers and axes to barbed spears and ballista bolts.
    “No, you guys don’t understand, we got this,” Bōddy pointed up.
    Everyone looked up and saw nothing except for the little pixie flying around randomly, the red dragon circling a bit higher. The dwarves were very much confused.
    “What?” Grognor asked. “What are you pointing at?”
    “Just watch and learn.” Bōddy chuckled and looked at Hentlehoff, who knew what was about to happen. He nodded and pulled out his short sword. He dropped his helmet visor and stood ready.
    The dwarves looked at each other in confusion, but prepared for battle anyway. The dragon swirled around and began descending again toward the warriors in the arena.
    “Come on, just a little more,” Bōddy said.
    Grognor glanced at him, wondering what was about to happen. “This is ridiculous. Doesn’t anyone have a better idea than just standing around? Maybe a harpoon or something?”
    “Here it comes, watch,” Hentlehoff said, readjusting his defensive stance.
    The dragon swooped up again to aphelion. At that point the pixie began flying in rapid circles around the dragon’s head, creating a dense sphere of multi-colored light. This confused the dragon and it began flapping its wings again, roaring in frustration. It attempted to swat the annoying insect of a creature until it became so disoriented it couldn’t discern up from down. In extreme frustration it let go with a fiery breath, scorching the pixie.
    “That little gnat’s going to get herself killed,” Grognor said, grimly.
    All the dwarves agreed.
    “Oh that?” Hentlehoff chuckled. “She’s just a little scorched like before. You forget, Emperor. We are all warriors here, including her. What would turn the average citizen to ashes would just piss us off. Look, see how her flights are becoming even more intense? Just wait until you see her really get angry!”
    Bōddy chuckled and unsheathed his dainty looking sword that Grognor shook his head at. Pearl could be heard screaming in anger as her flight exponentially increased in intensity. The dragon began flying in random directions, expelling fire and swatting at the pixie in frustration. Finally, it managed to score a solid hit on Pearl, knocking her out of the sky. She crashed down onto the area floor with a pathetic little