The arrow drifted silently through the air like an owl gracefully descending upon its prey. It struck the drunk pirate squarely in his heart. A bottle fell from his hand and shattered when it hit the ground. Stunned silence filled the air. A foul gust of wind swept through the trees all around them as if the true nature of the world itself had shifted against them in an instant. No one had even noticed when the creatures of the night fell silent moments before it happend. Everyone could only watch as he staggered back a few steps and slowly looked down at the projectile sticking out of his chest. Finally, he fell to the ground with a soft thud.
“We’re under attack!” Elana was the first to react. Everyone scrambled away from the light like a colony of rats chased from their nest. They knew it was safer to spread out while they still could. A couple of them couldn’t find their weapons, afterwards. One dove behind the woodpile. Someone else crawled into his bed and covered his head with his blankets, unable to come up with a better idea about where to hide in his inebriated state. Several horses panicked, kicking hard against the straps around their hooves. Breaking free, they thundered off toward the lake in a blur, clipping some of the wood by the fire and sending a burst of embers up into the air with an earthy crash.
Only four horses remained close to the camp including Elana’s small, proud stallion and three bedraggled mountain mares all standing proudly near the edge of the light, refusing to run away from their herd of people like the others that had fled. It was clear which ones had experience war in some form or another. The remaining four stood at full attention, watching the same spot near the forest’s edge in unison, marking the exact place that the surprise attack had originated from.
One crewman had his hunting bow in-hand, which happened to be the only one they had brought for hunting. His lack of experience using was obvious as he violently drew back the string and let an arrow fly randomly into the woods. He had no idea where the attack had come from, but he kept launching one arrow after the other until they were all gone.
Doogin crawled away from the fire, waving for Kalos to follow him. Everything seemed to be happening so fast, but somehow he managed to keep up amid the chaos. The two of them made it out of the light and into a tall clump of grass without being noticed, where they quickly lay flat on their bellies to talk.
“Blasted pirate scum!” Doogin spat furiously. They watched the same spot the horses were fixated on. The first wave of assailants suddenly broke into the light of the campfire from that direction with swords drawn. From their position, the two of them could see what was happening all around the camp while remaining safely hidden in the shadows.
“H-how many are there?” Kalos stammered. He was breathing heavily and had one hand near the small of his back, poised to draw the Ostele dagger in an instant if needed.
Doogin was silent as he tried to assess the situation, “Bout twen’y, maybe more. Tis a foul bit’o luck for us, indeed.” With wide eyes he watched the enemy party advance on the camp in two waves.
“Come, boy, we’ll have ta flank ‘em if we're to stand any chance a'tall.” Doogin crouched onto his feet and quietly jogged in a wide arc around the horses as the first wave of enemies foolishly walked straight up to Elana, Lugor, and a very wobbly Avestus, expecting an easy victory.
Elana’s troupe quickly proved lethal despite their drunken mental state, which was sobering quickly as a result of the adrenaline in their veins. When the first six enemies stepped within range, they met an overwhelming onslaught from Elana’s small group that quickly drove them back with only three left. The next wave of ambushers screamed loudly as they ran to join their comrades, as if somehow their voices would send the trio of killers away in terror. Before the second wave could merge into the first, four of the original attackers had been slain by a combination of vicious pelting from rocks and unexpected attacks from hidden daggers. Elana’s group obviously wouldn't be overpowered anytime soon. A temporary surge of morale that came from Elana's success pulsed through the entire camp, wherever they were scattered despite the tremendous odds that were stacked against them.
The second wave multiplied the attacking force from three to nine. Elana’s group quickly tightened around Avestus, whose expert combat sense had enabled them to defend against greater numbers by quickly organizing them into an ancient phalanx formation that would be very difficult to defeat regardless of how tipsy they might be. The three of them stood tightly-locked beside one another, always attacking only when the opportunity presented itself. The strategy had caught the attackers off-guard multiple times already, never allowing them to strike back effectively from any angle for there was always a second or third weapon to contend with.
Kalos’ froze when Doogin placed one hand on his chest without saying a word. Just up ahead, three unfamiliar men were sneaking up to the remaining horses from a different location than the first two waves of attackers came from.
“We can’nay let’em get to the horses. Soon as they reach for the cords, we attack” the old man whispered while gripping his fists in anticipation and waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Soon, the men knelt together to try to loosen the horses’ hobble straps without drawing any attention. The creatures shifted and squealed in panic as the strangers drew near.
Without a second thought, Doogin surged up behind them carrying a large, white stone and conked one of them on the head with a loud, squishy thud that instantly rendered him unconscious. The others screamed in protest as he tried to do the same thing to another one.
Adrenaline shot through him as Kalos drew his blade. His eyes lit with the vigor of a dozen men all at once while he dashed forward and latched onto one of the men who was about to stab Doogin in the back while he heaved a large stone at the third saboteur of the group.
Kalos was barely able to knock his enemy off-balance before the man turned to thrust his sword at Kalos' chest with blinding speed. Instinctively, Kalos parried the sword to one side with his dagger and threw his full bodyweight into the man’s chest, knocking him to the ground before he could try even one more attack.
Without pausing to think about it, he placed his foot on the man’s wrist faster than he thought possible, pinning his weapon to the ground and delivered a vicious punch to his jaw. The hilt of the dagger reinforced his grip, multiplying the intensity of the impact he could deliver, which enabled him to land such a powerful blow that the saboteur's head bounced against the dirt and knocking him unconscious.
Kalos realized Doogin had already taken care of the other two, and slowly stood upright, still looking down at the man he had just incapacitated. He wanted to make sure the fellow wouldn’t be waking up again anytime soon.
“Easy ole’girl,” Doogin said as he lightly patted the nearest horse on the neck, trying to quiet its anxiety.
Just as the old man turned to face Kalos, a squatty figure emerged from the shadows behind him.
Doogin’s eyes widened as he struggled to reach back and stop whatever was happening to him with a long, deep gasp. The blacksmith eventually growled in pain before collapsing to the ground in front of him and passing out.
Kalos watched Doogin lay motionless on the ground for several seconds. His chest clenched as soon as he looked up to see the face of the one who had stabbed Doogin from behind. Recognition tickled the back of his mind when not just one, but two men stepped into the light a few paces in front of him with haughty smiles. Confusion shook him to his core. They both looked so familiar, but didn't know from where until one finally spoke up.
“Why ‘ello there. Been quite a day, yeah?” The putrid stench emanating from his breath, that oily, sinister voice and sleazy posture, only two people he’d ever encountered matched that description.
Kalos’ eyes narrowed as he struggled not to lose himself to the erratic waves of stress and trauma rolling over him. He felt like he would've aleady passed out had it not been for the adrenaline coarsing through him from wielding that mysterious dagger.
Reid spoke up as he stepped into view from a nearby shadow, “Don’worry, dis won'take long, Sef.” He took a large step toward Kalos just before Sef spoke up again, “Oi, Reid, we’re still supposed ta take'im to the Cap’n, right?”
Reid seemed hesitant about what to do next all of a sudden. His reserved expression signified that he wouldn’t protest the decision either way, then he paused, “Fo, sure, Sef. We’ll jes’ave a lil fun first though, right?”
Kalos couldn’t understand how it was possible for those two pirate spies to show up right in front of him again after so many days of separation. He took a shaky step back, feeling like he’d been running from his fate for days and didn't even realize it. His dad was gone, Doogin couldn’t help him, his troupe was about to be destroyed by ambushers, and his home was so very far away. He felt totally alone and exposed in that very moment.
“Like we did wit’at wee girl, right?” Sef’s words went through Kalos like a spear. His lungs trembled. His grip weakened despite the rage churning through his body. His head throbbed. Suddenly his vision faded out and back in.
“Nava..?” Kalos whispered breathlessly.
“Aye.., thats’er. Smart lil squit aren’t we?” Sef drove the realization of what they were talking about deeper like a hot branding iron that’d been sharpened down to razor's edge.
Suddenly, Reid latched onto his shoulder and slowly drove the tip of his long, narrow saber into his stomach like a hook through a fish’s mouth, but at a painfully slow pace that he just couldn't react to in his current mental state. As the pirate tore through his flesh, blood started trickling down his blade in a crimson stream that tainted the ground red with several droplets that only seemed to increase in size as the blade went farther into his flesh.
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Kalos gasped, gripping the man’s hand before instinctively stabbing his arm with the dagger.
Reid growled, leaping away from Kalos and dislodged his sword from the boy’s body. He grabbed the wound on his arm and glared right into his eyes.
“Oh yu'll regret dat, Princey!”
Kalos stumbled backwards again even more confused than before. His legs wobbled like jelly before finally giving out. He clumsily dropped to one knee in shock and stared at the wound in his gut for several seconds before feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over him. He slowly looked up at Reid and Sef as they stalked forward toward him at the same time. His vision darkened for a couple seconds once again while his body struggled to endure the unnatural pain bursting through every inch of it.
Vivid memories quickly filled his mind. He wasn’t sure how long it was before his vision started clearing up again, but it looked like the men were only a few inches closer since it had happened. His nerves felt dull and sluggish. After what seemed like several minutes of kneeling, Kalos’ mind cleared just enough for him to perceive what happened next. Though he couldn’t hear or feel much, he watched the two men suddenly leap back while staring toward the forest with terror in their eyes. Kalos felt so sleepy. All he needed was a little rest and then he was sure he would be just fine in no time. He fell heavily onto his back and started taking an uneven series of long, sporadic breaths. The intense desire to close his eyes and relax after watching the stars for what seemed like hours completely drowned out his ability to think logically in any way, shape, or form.
Suddenly a large, dark shape five times bigger than any horse he’d ever seen passed by overhead, blocking out several of the stars he had been looking at. As fear gave way to heightened perception, his ears, eyes, and other senses grew sharp once again. He recognized what he was hearing right away. The same hollow roar that haunted his dreams the night before seemed to shake the ground all around him. He slowly propped himself up with one elbow, somehow ignoring the pain, to see what was happening.
That dark, oddly familiar shape suddenly dropped from the sky in the middle of the camp by the fire and let loose another mighty roar that tore through the atmosphere like a volcanic eruption as full-grown men screamed like children and nearly everyone dropped to the ground in panic all at once.
The longer Kalos watched, the more he came to understand what he was witnessing. Atop the its head were two long horns that spiraled backwards in the shape of a long corkscrew for two to three revolutions. Only one creature had features like that. He noticed that the dragon’s eyes emanated with a yellow aura that matched a fiery glow shining through its nostrils in the darkness like some sinister campfire ready to leap forth and consumer anyone who got too close. Snarling viciously, the dragon suddenly chomped down on two people with a single bite before carelessly tossing their bodies to one side and chortling with satisfaction.
One drunken crewman from Elana’s troop randomly roared at the beast, emboldened by the drink still scorching his veins, and ran forward with a large sword held high above his head as if somehow intending to cut all the way through the great creature's neck in a single blow when he got close enough. The beast whipped its head around and narrowed its eyes at him before batting him away like a fly with its tail and sending him all the way back to where he was standing several paces earlier with little effort.
The creature immediately turned toward two ambushers that started closing in, and opened its mouth to let loose a screech at a much higher sound range than the previous roar had been. The vocal burst turned out to be nothing more than a preparatory step for a powerful blast of fire and sparks that exploded like a barrel of gunpowder from its mouth, coating their chests and faces with a terrifying burst of magmatic substance that killed them almost instantly.
The dragon immediately turned to face a now diminished army of nearly a dozen attackers that were timidly trying to surround it before lifting its head high above theirs as if to challenge them all at once while completely ignoring members of Elana's scattered group wherever they were.
“Kalos! Get up!” He heard his name, but couldn’t see the person who called out to him. He couldn’t see anyone standing nearby. Dazed, he tried to find the one calling to him.
Suddenly the image of a man kneeling on the creature’s shoulders faded into view, causing another shock to pass through his system. Kalos couldn’t believe his eyes. Right there, riding atop one of the most feared creatures in all Ceirlan, was his father.
“You must get up!”
Though the beast and its rider were several paces away, Grimm was high enough above the ground that he could see Kalos lying near the horses from where he stood.
Kalos impulsively leaned forward, trying to lift himself up, but gasped as another wave of pain shot through his chest. He yelped loudly while pushing himself onto his knees despite the paralyzing sensation afflicting his torso and placed his palms on the ground in front of him as he started coughing. A splash of crimson liquid fell to the ground from his mouth. Sweat rolled down his face like someone had poured a glass of cold water over his head. He felt like he wanted to vomit.
Grimm’s face paled when he realized the condition his son was in. He jumped down from the dragon’s back and ran straight toward Kalos just before the dragon swung its tail around in a wide arc, causing a few of the enemies behind it to dive to the ground in fear.
As soon as Grimm’s feet hit the ground, Kalos caught glimpse of three enemies collectively drawing their pistols and aiming right at him in unison. The dragon darted right in front of them just as they pulled their triggers, absorbing all three shots at the same time with its thick, scaly armor, and narrowed is eyes while Grimm was forced to stop as a result of the dragon’s defensive posture around him. The dragon had saved his life and looked as though it were about to make a quick meal of the shooters.
The creature had grunted in pain from the impact of the bullets, but rather than collapsing or shying away from the shooters afterwards, it swiped one foot at them, slashing all three of their chests with a single swipe from its long, sharp talons, and knocking them down in a single, blurry movement.
Despite a most valiant effort from their group to win the battle up to that point, only Grimm, Elana, Avestus, and Lugor were still capable of standing by the time the dragon arrived. Everyone else in the party was either dead or incapacitated nearby.
Kalos was alive, but Doogin was still lying motionless beside him. The image of a tall, powerful man on a large, cat-like beast slowly emerged from the shadows behind the last remaining ambushers who had yet to join the fray. In total, one dragon and four warriors stood against ten enemies including the rider who sat atop his own ghastly mount wearing a full suit of black armor that glistened in the moonlight.
Grimm was next to speak, “What do you want, crow-man? Only cowards slay enemies with night arrows and use hordes of boat slaves to do his bidding while he hides in the shadows.”
The black-clad warrior rumbled a low, deep laugh before answering, “I would never soil my sword with such filthy blood, you lapdog of old."
“I’ve come for the heir, and I aim to put him under the Black King’s boot, myself. Tell me where he is and maybe you’ll live at least a few more days before you are executed for treason.”
Grimm’s brow furrowed, “I only see the filth you brought with you, crow-man. Even children know the Good King’s line no longer exists in this blighted land.”
The blackclad rider snickered, “Surely you jest. Why would a Reaper commit himself to a hopeless battle when he could’ve easily avoided revealing himself at all? And what’s more? Not just any Reaper, but the Great Reaper himself!”
The black knight’s mount barely moved. If it wasn’t for the long, black tail constantly swaying back and forth behind it, one might not even see it crouched in the shadows at all. The creature’s claws dug into the dirt at steady intervals in anticipation of the slaughter ahead.
“I guess you’re just a broken relic after all. Kill them all!”
The black-clad rider suddenly launched forward over the heads of his last wave of men at full speed. As he drew his sword, his mount sprinted straight toward Grimm while baring large, white fangs with a primal grin. The dragon, which had been coiled like a snake around Grimm roared, launching from its mouth another crackling burst of flames to disrupt the cat’s pathing as quickly as possible. Grimm, who had been standing in the center of his dragon’s crescent-shaped form adopted a peculiar stance of his own, and calmly waited for the perfect moment to strike as the black knight approached.
Draconic flames slammed into the ground, causing a whirlwind of dirt and charred grass to ricochet into the cat’s face as well as those of the ambushers behind it.
Elana’s group rushed forward, closing the gap between themselves and five enemies who hadn’t been affected by the blast while the rest of their party fumbled around in a cloud of smoldering dust, trying to find a way out. Though outnumbered, Elana’s group quickly cut two enemies down before getting locked in battle with three more.
Kalos could no longer wait and see what would happen next. He had to do something. He slowly stood to his feet as sweat rolled down his face and weakly stumbled toward the battle.
Elana’s horse unexpectedly whinnied from behind and started stamping the ground with its hooves in protest.
Kalos glanced over his shoulder just in time to see Reid walking up behind him with a large stone in one hand. The pirate scowled at being revealed before he was able to make his move, and angrily hurled the rock at Kalos’ skull as hard as he could.
Kalos managed to raise his dagger just in time to block the projectile with the flat of the blade before weakly dropping to the ground on his side. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't keep from screaming in pain from the impact of the fall.
Just as Reid raised another, smaller rock to try and bash Kalos again with a more precise blow, a fierce roar caused him to stop dead in his tracks and tilt his eyes up at the sky. Hovering directly above his head and creating huge gusts of wind with every wingflap was Grimm's fierce companion. Kalos watched in awe as the creature took a long, deep breath, preparing for its next fire blast. Its mouth lit up like a cannon right before releasing a large spiral of flames directly at them.
Kalos rolled to one side, curling up in a fetal position as if he would somehow be able to save himself from certain death by doing so. The fiery spiral slammed into the ground just far enough away that only the hairs on his arms and head were singed by the heat. It was so precisely aimed that while Kalos only received a mild scathing, Reid had no other choice but to leap and roll away from that spot with all of his might just to survive.
Kalos slowly looked over toward the battle in time to see Grimm’s blade parry the black rider’s own. Somehow the cat creature was already laying dead on the ground beside them. The old reaper kicked the black knight away before stealing a glance in Kalos’ direction to see if he was still alive.
Dread covered Grimm's face entirely. He was more concerned for his son’s well-being than his own life, but now that the dragon was with Kalos, his expression changed. He whirled around just as the black knight was preparing to run him through from behind.
Kalos felt warmth as if from a freshly-lit campfire slam against his back as a firm, almost uncomfortable, clamping sensation around his torso locked him in-place. He weakly looked over to see brilliant, golden eyes only an arm’s length from his face as the dragon scooped him up into its mouth. Kalos desperately tried to grab at its fangs to pull himself free of the creature’s jaws, but he was far too weak to keep trying after only a few seconds.
The dragon lifted its head up and shook him deeper into its jaws. Kalos' body slid into place on its tongue with his legs dangling out of one side and his head leaning against the opposite jowl like a fresh kill being saved for later.
Kalos felt colder by the second. His stomach started wretching as he tried to figure out what to do next, but his energy was completely drained. By the time the creature took flight, his body had stopped working altogether. The ground shrank below while he watched the battle rage on without him. Eventually, the world faded to nothing at all as Kalos lay cradled in the dragon's mouth.
?2024, K. M. Plum, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
