Page 88 of Storm of Desire
"Got him!" Haakon bellowed, leaping over the cable as it snapped taut. He dragged her to her feet, and shoved her head low as the rope suddenly cut towardthem.
It shot over their heads, as Roar veered to the side, flapping madly. Haakon pressed her back to a boulder, his face intensely focused as he watched thedrekibattling to free itself. The other twodrekiveered out of their dives, flapping a hasty retreat, as if the attack flusteredthem.
The shot had flown true. The grappling hook had hooked into Roar's flank, the cable twisted hopelessly over his body and wing. The more he tried to free himself, the more he tangled himself up. Roar threw himself against the weight of the rope, but it was holding, and though the enormous boulder shifted and slid a fraction, it was too heavy for thedrekitomove.
He was goingdown.
She was surprised by how much she enjoyed the sight. Árdís jumped into the air, punching her fist toward her cousin. "We didit."
"The only way he's going to free himself is to change forms," Haakon said, with grim satisfaction. "He'll have to face me as aman."
As if thedrekiheard him, Roar landed with a faint whump, hissing in their generaldirection.
"Be careful. He can control the elements," she warned. The other twodrekilanded beside Roar, sniffing cautiously. "That's the three of them on theground."
Drekiwarriors carried travel bags with them. Ylve shimmered with a golden light, her spread wings shrinking into arms. The glow subsided, and the woman looked up, her teeth bared fiercely as she found mortal form. She picked up her bag, and yanked her clothes on before withdrawing hersword.
"She's mine," Árdíssaid.
Balder made the shift to mortal flesh, helping to untangle Roar. Her cousin looked furious when he changed shape. The three of them were dark blurs in themist.
Árdís planted herself between the two enormous stones, holding her sword with both hands, the tip pointed toward the ground. She had the higher ground here, and her position between the boulders meant Ylve could only come at her from onedirection.
The enormousdrekiwarrior bared her teeth, her braids swinging. Ylve wasZilittu, an outsider from her mother's clan who'd followed the siblings across the sea. An enormous scar bisected her cheek, and she had several holes in her ears where she normally wore her goldhoops.
Nottoday.
"I'm going to enjoy this,Princess."
"Likewise," Árdís replied, shifting lightly on her feet. Thank the goddess she'd worn breeches and a tunic today. She'd needed the extra padding for the saddle, but the skirts would have hampered hernow.
Ylve sprang at her, trying to take her by surprise so Árdís's advantage with the higher ground didn't matter as much. Steel rang as the pair of swords met. The first blow jarred up her arm, but it also served to slam sense intoher.
She'd spent years in the training halls with Master Innick, drilling relentlessly under the brutaldrekiwarlord who'd once served her father. Adrekiprincess didn't need to know how to duel, but Árdís had always felt more than just a little unsafe in her mother'scourt.
And when one had to rely on the males around them for protection, it left one remarkablyvulnerable.
Árdís beat back the first assault with a swift flurry of precise blows. Ylve's eyes widened, and the olderdrekistepped back to assess the situation for a second. It was clear she hadn't expected to find a worthy foehere.
"Come out and play, Princess," Ylve taunted, gesturing to the wide-openspace.
"I'm quite content here, thank you." Ylve couldn't flank her with the enormous stones standing sentinel on either side ofher.
A clash of swords behind her broke her concentration.Haakon.
"Are you all right?" she yelled, not daring to take her eyes off the female in front ofher.
A startled scream of rage returned, and someonegrunted.
"I do this for a living," Haakonbellowed.
Ylve was slightly taller than her, and broader through the shoulders. She sparred on a daily basis, and had years of experience beyondÁrdís's.
"Your mother wants you alive," Ylve said, and then smiled. "She didn't say it had to be in onepiece."
"I dare you to harm a single hair on my head," Árdís taunted. "You might be her lapdog, but I'm her daughter and she has plans for me. Do you remember what happened when Ion broke Marduk'sarm?"
Ylve darted forward, blade held low. Árdís disengaged with a prompt sidestep, but Ylve was inside her guardnow.
