Magic! It had to be. They were squandering the last of the essence on increasing the speed of their horses. I called, “Kendra, how do you know the dragon will come at dawn?”
“It hates flying at night.”
Well, that made sense, if I didn’t follow up with a hundred reasonable and logical questions, such as how did she know? Was it coming to help or hurt us? The other ninety-eight could wait.
I longed to use my magic to make a horse behind us trip, or a rider drop his torch and panic the horses behind. My mind tried and failed. And again, my bow was not in my hand. There hadn’t been time to grab it. Well, yes there had been, but I was not used to depending on one and hadn’t brought it.
When we returned to the palace, I was going to work on a leather sheath similar to the one for my sword, but it would hold an unstrung bow, extra strings in a pocket, and at least five arrows. It should be attached to the sheath for my sword because carrying a long weapon on both sides would not only look silly but get in the way.
Designing and refining the pattern, choosing the right bow, and wishing I’d made it weeks ago kept my mind off the catcalls and threats coming from behind. They were getting close enough to use their bows, and if a little magic was still available to them, we were in trouble.
The eastern sky tinged pink. How long before the dragon would wake, and how long before it came? Alexis and the other horses were winded and couldn’t maintain their pace.
Kendra called, “Just a little longer.”
Whatever that meant. Didn’t she hear how close they were? Of course, they were closer to me than her since I rode behind the others. All she had to do was remain ahead of me. Springer had been incessantly barking but quit because of being winded. I caught a glimpse of him speeding off into the rocky land to the side of the road and didn’t blame him.
Someone behind screamed amid the threats and taunts. It sounded out of place, not at all like a war cry, but I was bent over Alexis’ neck urging her to run faster. A second scream made me turn and look. A black shadow was descending over the thirty or forty men chasing us. The dragon. It swooped in from behind, before most of them were aware of it, and spread its wings wide. The body of the dragon flew knee-high as it swept at the men on horses with its rear talons.
Both horses and men fell from that first pass. Torches skittered along the road, although they were no longer needed in the dawning light. Then, the dragon flapped its wings harder, and it raised high enough in the air to fly well above the four of us. It continued flying higher until making a wide, lazy turn and aiming directly at our pursuers again, gaining speed as it lost altitude.
It approached from the front of them this time. Both the riders and horses saw what was about to happen, and men dived from their mounts, as horses broke away in panic. Riders were trampled. Horses ran into each other. Before the dragon roared, the mad scramble to get out of its way caused more confusion. After the roar, there was total panic in men and horses.
Tater fought to control the bucking of his horse, and Elizabeth short-reined hers to pull to a stop behind him, twisting the horses head until it faced the rear and she had control. Kendra had anticipated the problem and had crawled up the horse’s neck far enough to wrap her arms around its head and placed both palms over the horse’s eyes as she talked soothingly to it. Alexis trembled and bucked a few times but remained calm enough for me to remain seated.
An arrow whizzed past me.
“Ride,” I shouted, spurring my horse ahead. I took the lead, not because of wanting to, but the dragon had made another circle and now swooped down from our rear again. Alexis spotted it, and despite being tired, she sprinted. I heard at least two of the other horses behind me, and a quick look confirmed all were there.
Alexis made it to the top of the nearest rise, which was too far away to make out details of those chasing us. Her sides heaved, her coat was soaked, and foam dripped from her muzzle. I leaped off her, giving her less weight to carry while she recovered, and while I kept hold of her reins, my attention remained focused on those who had tried to catch us.
The other three of our party were also dismounting, and Tater held a bow because he was smarter than me. He also had a broken arm. He said while waving the bow in the air at the confusion behind us, “Wouldn’t want to do that again.”
I was about to ask if they were going to chase us again, when the dragon made a quick turn, spread its wings until fully extended, and slowed. It dropped to the ground beside the road as easily as a leaf in a breeze in fall. The dragon sat equidistant between our pursuers and us.
“That should slow them down,” Kendra said in a way that made me think she was responsible for the positioning of the beast.
“I thought the dragon didn’t fly in the dark,” I reminded her as I accepted the proffered bow from Tater.
“No, it doesn’t like to, but this was an emergency, so it did,” Kendra briefly explained, telling me little of what I really wanted to know.
“What happens now?” Elizabeth asked.
We all looked to Kendra.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Kendra returned our blank looks and watched the dragon. We followed suit. It was obvious Elizabeth, and Tater were as frightened of it as me, but Kendra wore a wisp of a smile. She had the same expression young mothers have when they watch their children play with a ball on a warm summer morning.
She said, “Isn’t it beautiful?”
That was the second time she had said something similar. It was the second time I disagreed with her. The creature was larger than most farmer’s barns, it smelled a rank odor of rotting meat that drifted all the way to us, and one swipe of its tail could kill all of us and our horses.
It squatted or all four legs, each toe with claws as large as my forearm. It growled a rumble deep in its chest, and when it shifted positions, it revealed blood that had run down its chin. Man, or horse, I didn’t know, nor did I wish to. A horse bucked and ran in wild panic directly for the dragon. With a snap, of the mouth too fast for my eye to follow, the horse was eaten, saddle and all.
“Beautiful?” Elizabeth asked.
“It just saved your life, and probably days of torture,” Kendra said, a little too rudely.
Tater stepped in front of us and pointed. Following his finger, I saw a man had stood from a concealed place in the scrub where he had been sneaking up on us. I pulled an arrow. He ran away. I lowered the bow and said. “The horses need a longer rest and water.”
“So, we walk,” Elizabeth said, her eyes still watching Kendra with an expression that said their entire relationship had changed.
To me, both of them were being rude. Only Tater and I were acting polite and genteel, which would surprise everyone in the palace because they normally conducted themselves the opposite. Sniping didn’t suit either of them. Elizabeth was a princess and used to having all the attention directed her way. She was in command. Kendra was normally subservient. Their roles were changed, and neither seemed able to adjust without tension and anger and perhaps jealousy.
There were at least two injured men laying on the road and three horses. I glanced at Tater in silent agreement to walk our horses and caught another flash of movement. Turning back, there was now only one man on the road, and the dragon was chewing.
As Tater and I began walking, Elizabeth did too. Kendra remained behind, sitting and watching. She held the reins for her horse and observed the dragon carefully before finally standing and walking over the crest of the hill to join us. As we disappeared from sight, the dragon let out a piercing screech as if saying good-bye.