he could taste it. If only he had his magick. Then it would be easy to summon cover or shield. Hell, he’d be able to flash them into the valley or better yet, home to Avalon. But he didn’t have it…
Suddenly, there was a loud thrashing behind him. He turned to see the gargoyles stomping through the brush, looking for them. They were getting closer by the second. He looked up and saw the dragons eyeing the meadow, waiting for him to break cover and cross it.
He couldn’t go back.
He couldn’t go forward.
What was left?
“We are so screwed.”
Merewyn saw the panic in Varian’s eyes through the slit in his helm as she heard his whispered words. She had to give him credit, he was stilltrying to save her. It wasn’t his fault it was hopeless.
At least he’d tried. It was more than anyone else had ever done for her.
He actually gave her a kind look before he spoke again. “Well, I don’t know about you, sprite, but I’m not going down without giving it all I’ve got, and since you can’t move or speak, you’re in it with me whether you want to be or not.”
How she wished she could tell him how much those words meant to her. The knowledge that he wasn’t going to abandon her to the others actually brought tears to her eyes.
“If you know any prayers, this would be a good time to start in with them.”
His arms tightened around her before he ran headlong for the meadow.
The sound of angry dragon cries filled the air. Merewyn’s head rolled back so that she had a clear view of the mandrakes flying above them. They circled and swooped, breathing fire as they dove.
Varian dodged, turned, and ran. Still his grip on her never wavered or weakened.
She watched the sky as two of the dragons flew at Varian’s back. She wanted desperately to warn him of their silent approach, but her voice was as frozen as the rest of her. All Merewyn could do was watch in horror as they came in fast and deadly with their talons flashing, their eyes cold with maniacal victory.
The dragons raced each other to get to themfirst. Both silvery gray in color, their iridescent scales flashed in the dim light as they shoved each other.
As if he could sense them, Varian ducked the claws of the first one to reach them, then rolled on the ground with her. But before he could regain his hold on her or rise, the second dragon scooped them both up in its talons.
Chapter 8
Varian snarled as he struggled to get to his sword and free it. It was no use.
“Stop fighting me.”
He froze at the sound of Blaise’s raspy dragon’s voice. It was the last sound he’d expected to hear. “I thought we were on our own.”
“Looks like we’re all stupid, huh?”
No sooner were the words out of Blaise’s mouth than the other mandrakes attacked.
Blaise tucked them up under his large body as he veered away from the others and glided over the black water. Varian thought they would safely fly over the valley to the other side until he heard a feral curse from Blaise. A heartbeat later they came crashing down on the opposite bank.
Varian let out his own curse as his armor bit into him. He lay a few feet from Blaise and Merewyn while the dragons still circled on theother side of the moat. Strangely enough, none of them were crossing the water to attack them where they were.
How odd.
He rolled over and scowled at Blaise. “You know, a softer landing would have been nice.”
Blaise changed from his dragon form back into a naked man. It was only then that Varian realized Blaise had been injured in the fall. His nose and mouth were bleeding profusely, and he gasped as if his body was aching as much as Varian’s. There were large bruises already forming on his left rib cage and another on his left thigh.
Varian pulled the helm from his head before he went to kneel beside Blaise to check on his injuries. Blaise summoned clothes for his body as he cradled one arm against his chest.
“You okay, bud?”
Blaise coughed, then flinched.
Suddenly, there was a loud thrashing behind him. He turned to see the gargoyles stomping through the brush, looking for them. They were getting closer by the second. He looked up and saw the dragons eyeing the meadow, waiting for him to break cover and cross it.
He couldn’t go back.
He couldn’t go forward.
What was left?
“We are so screwed.”
Merewyn saw the panic in Varian’s eyes through the slit in his helm as she heard his whispered words. She had to give him credit, he was stilltrying to save her. It wasn’t his fault it was hopeless.
At least he’d tried. It was more than anyone else had ever done for her.
He actually gave her a kind look before he spoke again. “Well, I don’t know about you, sprite, but I’m not going down without giving it all I’ve got, and since you can’t move or speak, you’re in it with me whether you want to be or not.”
How she wished she could tell him how much those words meant to her. The knowledge that he wasn’t going to abandon her to the others actually brought tears to her eyes.
“If you know any prayers, this would be a good time to start in with them.”
His arms tightened around her before he ran headlong for the meadow.
The sound of angry dragon cries filled the air. Merewyn’s head rolled back so that she had a clear view of the mandrakes flying above them. They circled and swooped, breathing fire as they dove.
Varian dodged, turned, and ran. Still his grip on her never wavered or weakened.
She watched the sky as two of the dragons flew at Varian’s back. She wanted desperately to warn him of their silent approach, but her voice was as frozen as the rest of her. All Merewyn could do was watch in horror as they came in fast and deadly with their talons flashing, their eyes cold with maniacal victory.
The dragons raced each other to get to themfirst. Both silvery gray in color, their iridescent scales flashed in the dim light as they shoved each other.
As if he could sense them, Varian ducked the claws of the first one to reach them, then rolled on the ground with her. But before he could regain his hold on her or rise, the second dragon scooped them both up in its talons.
Chapter 8
Varian snarled as he struggled to get to his sword and free it. It was no use.
“Stop fighting me.”
He froze at the sound of Blaise’s raspy dragon’s voice. It was the last sound he’d expected to hear. “I thought we were on our own.”
“Looks like we’re all stupid, huh?”
No sooner were the words out of Blaise’s mouth than the other mandrakes attacked.
Blaise tucked them up under his large body as he veered away from the others and glided over the black water. Varian thought they would safely fly over the valley to the other side until he heard a feral curse from Blaise. A heartbeat later they came crashing down on the opposite bank.
Varian let out his own curse as his armor bit into him. He lay a few feet from Blaise and Merewyn while the dragons still circled on theother side of the moat. Strangely enough, none of them were crossing the water to attack them where they were.
How odd.
He rolled over and scowled at Blaise. “You know, a softer landing would have been nice.”
Blaise changed from his dragon form back into a naked man. It was only then that Varian realized Blaise had been injured in the fall. His nose and mouth were bleeding profusely, and he gasped as if his body was aching as much as Varian’s. There were large bruises already forming on his left rib cage and another on his left thigh.
Varian pulled the helm from his head before he went to kneel beside Blaise to check on his injuries. Blaise summoned clothes for his body as he cradled one arm against his chest.
“You okay, bud?”
Blaise coughed, then flinched.
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