magic had stopped its flight even before it reached the skin of the great worm. The dragon didn’t even bother to respond; it simply hopped up the short steps of the bank.
Tiberius looked at his brother in horror. He tried to speak but he didn’t feel like shouting with the dragon about, so ducking low, he ran over next to him.
“Our arrows are useless. How do we stop that thing?” Tiberius asked.
Marcus gave the practical answer. “We don’t. We keep our heads down, work on crowd control. Ti, they’ve got specialists for this. It’s not up to us.”
Tiberius didn’t like it. A true knight did not recoil before any enemy, but Dad had long taught him there was a difference between cowardice and suicidal stupidity. Even Hector fell back at times when forced by circumstances. Marcus was right, too; the town had professionals, ballista teams with special holy arrows. They would be here soon. The two of them took cover by the brick steps of a nearby building.
The dragon was an awesome, terrible sight. The look in its eyes sent a chill down Tiberius’ spine. There was a vile darkness in its heart that chilled him to the bone just to be near it. It landed in front of the bank and uttered some dark incantation, making a gesture in the air and drawing a mystical symbol with its claw. In response, the steel bank door ripped off of its hinges and flew aside. Then the dragon smiled. The vault was filled with gold, piles of it.
Tiberius could only watch. There was nothing he could do to hurt that thing. He had just made up his mind to be sensible when he heard the scream.
Across the green, not a hundred yards away from him, he saw Marybeth cowering in a corner of the building. Worse, she’d screamed because the dragon had seen her too. Slowly turning its head away from the vault it was methodically ripping open, it had paused to spy the young, virginal female cowering nearby.
Tiberius didn’t know what sort of vile lusts had arisen in the dragon, but no knight let his lady die while he stood by and did nothing. He had no hope of victory, no weapon that could harm this dragon, much less kill it. Still, he might at least distract it and give Marybeth a chance to flee to safety.
He charged forward. It was only a few feet away and he might just cover the small bit of ground in time. If he whacked it on the back of its head, or the eye, if he could get close enough, he might at least distract it.
Marcus was there too, though, and read his mind, as only a brother might. To his horror, he heard and saw Marybeth scream. He saw Tiberius leap out and charge the dragon. He did the only thing he could, which was to madly leap out and try to grab hold of his brother and stop him. Barely catching hold of an ankle, he managed to trip Tiberius. He wasn’t sure if that would be enough, so at the top of his lungs he screamed.
“TIBERIUS, NO!!!”
The dragon stopped and jerked as if stung by a hornet. Then its head whipped around, fast as a viper. It sent out a blast of flame behind it. Fortunately Tiberius was not in range; he’d barely moved a foot. The dragon’s blast hadn’t been aimed at him, just a quick defensive blast over the shoulder. All the same, that was much too close. Even from here that felt hotter than anything he’d ever known. He could barely breathe through the heat and smoke. He tried to push his body deeper into the earth but the ground was unyielding. Marcus at least had a little cover from the corner of the nearby building.
At least he got its attention, Tiberius gulped. Or had he? Had the dragon gone nuts? It wasn’t looking at him, but it was looking all about, looking for something now. It obviously heard Marcus shouting. His name upset the dragon. Why was he still alive? Why didn’t it aim at him? He couldn’t miss at this range.
Tiberius had never been more
Tiberius looked at his brother in horror. He tried to speak but he didn’t feel like shouting with the dragon about, so ducking low, he ran over next to him.
“Our arrows are useless. How do we stop that thing?” Tiberius asked.
Marcus gave the practical answer. “We don’t. We keep our heads down, work on crowd control. Ti, they’ve got specialists for this. It’s not up to us.”
Tiberius didn’t like it. A true knight did not recoil before any enemy, but Dad had long taught him there was a difference between cowardice and suicidal stupidity. Even Hector fell back at times when forced by circumstances. Marcus was right, too; the town had professionals, ballista teams with special holy arrows. They would be here soon. The two of them took cover by the brick steps of a nearby building.
The dragon was an awesome, terrible sight. The look in its eyes sent a chill down Tiberius’ spine. There was a vile darkness in its heart that chilled him to the bone just to be near it. It landed in front of the bank and uttered some dark incantation, making a gesture in the air and drawing a mystical symbol with its claw. In response, the steel bank door ripped off of its hinges and flew aside. Then the dragon smiled. The vault was filled with gold, piles of it.
Tiberius could only watch. There was nothing he could do to hurt that thing. He had just made up his mind to be sensible when he heard the scream.
Across the green, not a hundred yards away from him, he saw Marybeth cowering in a corner of the building. Worse, she’d screamed because the dragon had seen her too. Slowly turning its head away from the vault it was methodically ripping open, it had paused to spy the young, virginal female cowering nearby.
Tiberius didn’t know what sort of vile lusts had arisen in the dragon, but no knight let his lady die while he stood by and did nothing. He had no hope of victory, no weapon that could harm this dragon, much less kill it. Still, he might at least distract it and give Marybeth a chance to flee to safety.
He charged forward. It was only a few feet away and he might just cover the small bit of ground in time. If he whacked it on the back of its head, or the eye, if he could get close enough, he might at least distract it.
Marcus was there too, though, and read his mind, as only a brother might. To his horror, he heard and saw Marybeth scream. He saw Tiberius leap out and charge the dragon. He did the only thing he could, which was to madly leap out and try to grab hold of his brother and stop him. Barely catching hold of an ankle, he managed to trip Tiberius. He wasn’t sure if that would be enough, so at the top of his lungs he screamed.
“TIBERIUS, NO!!!”
The dragon stopped and jerked as if stung by a hornet. Then its head whipped around, fast as a viper. It sent out a blast of flame behind it. Fortunately Tiberius was not in range; he’d barely moved a foot. The dragon’s blast hadn’t been aimed at him, just a quick defensive blast over the shoulder. All the same, that was much too close. Even from here that felt hotter than anything he’d ever known. He could barely breathe through the heat and smoke. He tried to push his body deeper into the earth but the ground was unyielding. Marcus at least had a little cover from the corner of the nearby building.
At least he got its attention, Tiberius gulped. Or had he? Had the dragon gone nuts? It wasn’t looking at him, but it was looking all about, looking for something now. It obviously heard Marcus shouting. His name upset the dragon. Why was he still alive? Why didn’t it aim at him? He couldn’t miss at this range.
Tiberius had never been more
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