Page 84 of The Last Dragon
“Damn it!” he exclaims, loading another bolt immediately. But when he tries to cock the bow, it doesn’t work.
“It’s stuck!” he yells, wiggling the string that refuses to budge. “I can’t do anything, it’s stuck!”
I grab him by the neck and pull him down behind the safety of the boulder. Large stones are scattered around the field, giving us the advantage to take cover. But that’s all we can do. There’s barely any visibility from the smoke and dust. I have to do something. I glance to my left, Nida and Eryca pressing against the stone. Ilian to my right continues to curse under his breath, attempting to fix the string. I grab the bow from his shaking hand, pulling the string hard enough for the bolt to snap in half, and the string uncocks. I take another bolt from the side, place it into the main groove, and return the bow to him.
“Get to the others!” I say. “It’s too dangerous here. Get far away from here. Use the stones scattered on the battlefield as cover.” The ground shudders, the beast’s weight shifting as if it prowls back and forth.
Ilian swallows, rapidly nodding before dashing forward, taking cover behind a larger stone an arm’s reach from me. But Nida and Eryca remain.
“Go!” I say. “Get to safety! One fifty meters!”
“And how are you planning to get out without distracting it?” Eryca hisses.
“I’ll find a way.”
“We’re not leaving you,” Nida says.Damn it.
I keep my focus ahead, watching how several soldiers are getting up, coughing from the smoke consuming their lungs. Alex peeks from behind the burning planks of a wagon, dropping to his knees as the smoke takes over. He’s badly hit.
I press myself harder against the stone. My only defense. A roar slashes through the air. I close my eyes for a minute, taking a deep breath to steady myself.
It’s closer. It’s right behind me. I can hear it. I can feel it.
I quickly glance to my right, but I’m met with a wall of smoke approaching me fast. I can’t see anything. I don’t have a bow. What should I do? Do I throw a dagger? Do I rush to it and plunge a bolt in its eye like last time?
Damn it. A fleeting shadow skims over me, and when I glance up, I see Sarga circling above, waiting for a command. And I know she’s ready to strike any second. She senses the danger I’m in.Fuck.
“What now?” Nida asks, pressing herself closer to me.
A nervous chuckle escapes me. “I need a bow,” I say quietly. “I need a bow!” I yell, hoping someone will hear.
Nida lifts her head up, finger pressing against her lips as she stops breathing. Eryca holds her breath, her shoulder brushing against Nida’s.
The beast is right behind us. Its large throat looming, claws slowly digging into our only protection.We’re now under it.It’s looking for something.
Moments later, the beast slowly backs away, but I can still feel its presence behind me. From the corner of my eye, black curls blur in the dust, and I’m met with golden eyes. Alex is panting, shaking, more terrified than anyone I’ve seen. But his eyes carry determination, and in his hands, a bow. He extends the bow but doesn’t look at me.
“You called for it.” Alex coughs, hands shaking as he scans the rocks around the field. I grab it, feeling the weight in my hands I’ve been missing for the past minutes. Alex lets out a sigh and sprints to the cover in front, making his way back into the shattered formation.
“We need to get the formation back,” Nida whispers, holding her hands up above her head to protect herself from falling debris.
“Easier said than done,” I say breathlessly. “This ambush is going to be hard to recover from. Maybe Sarga can distract it, but she’s too small for this type of attack.”
Nida breathes fast, and for a moment I can hear her heartbeat—and my own up in my throat. I glance at her, and she reaches into her pocket.
My eyes grow wide, but before I can say anything, she’s up on her feet, red flag in her hand, sprinting to the right. Yelling. Screaming. But my heart yells louder.
“Hey!” Her voice takes over the battlefield. “Over here!” The sound fades the further she runs.
“Shit,” Eryca curses, reaching for water bombs attached to her belt.
Stay focused.I close my eyes, listening to the quiet rumble, how stones crack under the dragon’s claws, how the ground shifts under Nida’s feet as she moveslike fluid water to grab the dragon’s attention.
Right.
Nida’s on my right. I glance over my shoulder again. Once. Twice. Scooting to the side of the barricade, I risk a look around it
I can’t see anything yet.
