“RRRRRAAAAHHHH!” It looked down and boomed, “WHO DARES!”
“Fast!” I said.
Sasha ran.
“You better help me,” I said to Fang.
I banged the blade on the ground. Nothing!
“Drat it , Fang! I need you!”
The blade shimmered with blue light. Almost mocking me. I shook my red mane. I was getting frustrated. But I had a bigger problem to deal with. The first Ettin.
Both its fist s came down.
I jumped out of the way.
“Fine then,” I said to Fang. “I’ll do it the hard way!”
I darted between the Ettin ’s legs. Chopped halfway through the back of its foot with Fang and my Dragon arms.
It howled. Hopped after me. Fingers stretching for my neck.
But I was fast. Angry. Stronger now than ever. My blood was up too. And I could breathe. I’d had enough of this. I pocked its hand. It howled again. I ducked under a fist. Hopped back from a kicking toe. Stabbed Fang into its other big toe.
“Stop it!” “Stop it!” both of its heads yelled. It was hopping up and down on the foot with the bleeding big toe.
I did no such thing. I struck out at its legs. Hit one. Then the other. I wanted to punish it.
It wailed. It begged. Finally it fell.
“No more, Dragon Man!” “Stop now!” It waved its bleeding hand in my face.
I cut off a finger.
I t howled and rolled.
“Dragon!” Brenwar yelled. He towered over me. Hands on hips. “Get ahold of yourself.”
“Would it show mercy to me?” I said, raising the sword over my head. “To the people it’s hurt? Killed?”
“No,” Brenwar said, “but it’s Evil. You’re good. ” He nodded to the Ettin that was out cold behind him. “Besides, I think they’ll tell us what we want to know, now.”
I took a deep breath. I was shaking.
The Ettin was bleeding. Badly.
I didn’t feel bad. I felt frustrated.
“This is your fault, Fang.” I slammed him in the sheath. “Well, start the interrogation then, Giant Beard!”
“Don’t you dare call me a Giant ever again!” Brenwar poked me in the chest with his oversized finger. “And settle yourself down, Dragon.”
I walked away, clutching my ribs that ached from the first Ettin’s grip.
“Dragon.”
It was Sasha, coming after me.
“Just go away,” I said.
She stopped, a sad look on her face, and turned away.
I just wanted to be alone. How can I fight evil when I can’t kill it?
CHAPTER 14
“Urk!”
All four eyes of the Ettin widened. Shum got it. Right in the heart. The great Elven spear jutted from its chest.
“Ugh,” he said, removing his spear.
Shum had been fighting for hundreds of years. He’d killed and hunted many beasts, some mystical, some natural. Killing didn’t bother him. It was survival. Him or them. Such was the Roving Rangers way.
He closed the Ettin’s eyes and muttered in Rover, “May Nalzambor make good soil from your wicked bones.”
He called for his horse.
It trotted over.
Shum hopped on, muttered a word.
The spear collapsed to little more than a pointed rod that he tethered to the saddle.
He looked for Bayzog.
The wizard was gone. Safe now, he hoped.
“Good,” he said. He patted his horse on the neck. “Let’s go.”
Over the plains, across the creek and into the forest he went, picking up the trail where he left off. The Ettin had made it easy. Branches were broken or crushed on the forest floor. It had been sloppy, trying to find the woman.
Even an Ettin can be cautious. It must have been in a hurry.
His horse nickered.
Shum stopped. Cupped his ears and closed his eyes. His nose crinkled.
The sweat of Ettins caught his nose. Pungent. Like a rotting rain.
“Ah,” he said, “more mystery, it seems.”
The scent and trail led him to a crater. Not one of the small ones that littered the hot lands in the south, but a huge crater a mile across, filled with rocks and greens. It was the biggest crater he’d ever seen. An inverted mountain. Its sides were lined with caves, clefts and other openings.
“You better wait
“Fast!” I said.
Sasha ran.
“You better help me,” I said to Fang.
I banged the blade on the ground. Nothing!
“Drat it , Fang! I need you!”
The blade shimmered with blue light. Almost mocking me. I shook my red mane. I was getting frustrated. But I had a bigger problem to deal with. The first Ettin.
Both its fist s came down.
I jumped out of the way.
“Fine then,” I said to Fang. “I’ll do it the hard way!”
I darted between the Ettin ’s legs. Chopped halfway through the back of its foot with Fang and my Dragon arms.
It howled. Hopped after me. Fingers stretching for my neck.
But I was fast. Angry. Stronger now than ever. My blood was up too. And I could breathe. I’d had enough of this. I pocked its hand. It howled again. I ducked under a fist. Hopped back from a kicking toe. Stabbed Fang into its other big toe.
“Stop it!” “Stop it!” both of its heads yelled. It was hopping up and down on the foot with the bleeding big toe.
I did no such thing. I struck out at its legs. Hit one. Then the other. I wanted to punish it.
It wailed. It begged. Finally it fell.
“No more, Dragon Man!” “Stop now!” It waved its bleeding hand in my face.
I cut off a finger.
I t howled and rolled.
“Dragon!” Brenwar yelled. He towered over me. Hands on hips. “Get ahold of yourself.”
“Would it show mercy to me?” I said, raising the sword over my head. “To the people it’s hurt? Killed?”
“No,” Brenwar said, “but it’s Evil. You’re good. ” He nodded to the Ettin that was out cold behind him. “Besides, I think they’ll tell us what we want to know, now.”
I took a deep breath. I was shaking.
The Ettin was bleeding. Badly.
I didn’t feel bad. I felt frustrated.
“This is your fault, Fang.” I slammed him in the sheath. “Well, start the interrogation then, Giant Beard!”
“Don’t you dare call me a Giant ever again!” Brenwar poked me in the chest with his oversized finger. “And settle yourself down, Dragon.”
I walked away, clutching my ribs that ached from the first Ettin’s grip.
“Dragon.”
It was Sasha, coming after me.
“Just go away,” I said.
She stopped, a sad look on her face, and turned away.
I just wanted to be alone. How can I fight evil when I can’t kill it?
CHAPTER 14
“Urk!”
All four eyes of the Ettin widened. Shum got it. Right in the heart. The great Elven spear jutted from its chest.
“Ugh,” he said, removing his spear.
Shum had been fighting for hundreds of years. He’d killed and hunted many beasts, some mystical, some natural. Killing didn’t bother him. It was survival. Him or them. Such was the Roving Rangers way.
He closed the Ettin’s eyes and muttered in Rover, “May Nalzambor make good soil from your wicked bones.”
He called for his horse.
It trotted over.
Shum hopped on, muttered a word.
The spear collapsed to little more than a pointed rod that he tethered to the saddle.
He looked for Bayzog.
The wizard was gone. Safe now, he hoped.
“Good,” he said. He patted his horse on the neck. “Let’s go.”
Over the plains, across the creek and into the forest he went, picking up the trail where he left off. The Ettin had made it easy. Branches were broken or crushed on the forest floor. It had been sloppy, trying to find the woman.
Even an Ettin can be cautious. It must have been in a hurry.
His horse nickered.
Shum stopped. Cupped his ears and closed his eyes. His nose crinkled.
The sweat of Ettins caught his nose. Pungent. Like a rotting rain.
“Ah,” he said, “more mystery, it seems.”
The scent and trail led him to a crater. Not one of the small ones that littered the hot lands in the south, but a huge crater a mile across, filled with rocks and greens. It was the biggest crater he’d ever seen. An inverted mountain. Its sides were lined with caves, clefts and other openings.
“You better wait
Similar Books
