Hunt For The Hero (Book 5) (3 page)

CHAPTER 6

“Brenwar,” Bayzog said, “shouldn’t we go after him?”

The Dwarf stood like a tree stump, thick fingers clutching at his sides, brows buckled.

“No,” he said under his beard. “We’ve lost enough already.
Nath should know better.” He turned back towards them. “I’m afraid we can’t help him any right now. He’s temperamental.”

Bayzog’s hand wrapped around Sasha’s. It was cold and she was shivering.

He looked up, hand over his eyes and said, “Let’s get shelter. Perhaps under those trees.”

“What about Shum
?” she said.

The
Elf lay on the ground with a layer of wet dirt and rain muddying his armor.

Brenwar tended to him. Picked him up, moved
him, and set him down somewhere more suitable. He crossed Shum’s arms over his chest, took a knee, closed his eyes and bowed his head. Placing his hand over Shum, he began to sing in Dwarven. A throaty melody. Pleasant and strong.

Bayzog held
Sasha tight, but her sobs shook both their bodies.

Brenwar finished.

“That was beautiful,” Sasha said.

Brenwar nodded.

The rain splashed on Shum’s face, bringing life to it a little. Everyone stood and stared, but Sasha was still crying. Bayzog’s stomach twisted and turned.

“I-I feel so guilty
,” Sasha said. “He shouldn’t have died over me.”

“He’d have died a hundred times for all of us,” Bayzog said, “
That’s what good does. Gives its life so others may live.”

“The
Rovers say ‘Act or evil takes the reins.’ He told me that once in our travels,” Brenwar said.

***

The rain slowed and the clouds began to part. The sun was warm but Sasha felt cold. Nath was gone. Buried in a well of darkness. They’d barely made it out the last time and now he had to make it out alone. It didn’t seem right. She felt helpless.

“Sasha,”
Bayzog said, “Your spell. It saved us too you know. And Brenwar. You did well.” He kissed her on the head. “Shum would be proud.”

“Aye,” Brenwar said
, stepping over and patting her hands. “I’m grateful to you, Lady Sasha. I’m pretty sure I only had a few more seconds at most in me.”

His kind words did little to lighten
her spirits. But she was glad she lived. Just miserable.

“I think I need to sit down,” she said. She sat where she stood, folded her arms over her chest and watched the tunnel
. It was dark. Foreboding. She never wanted to go in there again.

“If I can find some metal,” Brenwar said
. “I can get these cuffs off. Maybe you can then cast a spell to warm yerselves.” He sauntered away.

Bayzog sat down and draped his arm over her shoulder.

“Did you see Nath’s eyes?” she said. “When he killed that thing?” She nodded back towards the Ettin. “And when he left into the tunnel?”

“Yes, Dear.”

“I think I was more scared of him at that moment than I was of the Ettin. His eyes were like fire. I almost felt bad for the Ettin,” she said. “Is that wrong?”

“I don’t think it’s wrong at all. There’s light in all creatures, Sasha,
but many prefer the darkness.”

“Why?” she said, scratching her head. “Why do they do such things?”

“Doing right is never as easy as doing wrong,” he said. “And I fear o
ur friend, Nath, is doing wrong now.”

She
rested her head into Bayzog’s chest and stared down into the tunnel. “Me too,” she whispered.

CHAPTER 7

I didn’t need the light. Fang provided that. A sheer a pale blue light adorned the blade. I didn’t need an orb to follow either.
Now that I knew where the Dragons were, dark or light, I’d never forget. No twist or turn would fool me.

I didn’t run. I didn’t
trot. I dared anything to cross me.

Two
Gnolls did.

Two
Gnolls died.

No one would harm any of my friends again. No
one from this tunnel anyway. Not ever again!

I wasn’t far from
the large cavern with the urns of light where I’d met Kryzak the first time when another Draykis greeted me in the large tunnel.

It
held Brenwar’s War Hammer in its hands and smiled.

“Put that down,” I said.

“Take it,” it hissed.

I didn’t realize they could talk so well. It surprised me.

We charged. Our weapons clashed.

Krang!

It sounded like the world exploded.

Fang kept humming.

The Draykis kept swinging, hammering away at the sword in my arms.

Fang’s humming got louder and louder. The ringing rose.

The Draykis dropped to its knees. The War Hammer fell from its fingers.

I
struck it down with a single blow.

I
ts head rolled away.

Fang’s humming stopped and the blade
’s light went cold.

Laughter echoed in the chamber
. I picked up Brenwar’s War Hammer, stepped over the Draykis, and strode into the light of the cavern.

Twang!
Zip!

An arrow buried itself in my scaled shoulder.

“Welcome back, Nath Dragon,” Kryzak said. He was holding Akron and nocking another arrow. “I sure like these Mithril arrows. They’ll put a hole through anything. Extra light and fast too.”

“Shoot all the arrows you want
,” I said, yanking the arrow from my arm and tossing it. “They won’t prevent your eminent death. I’ll avenge my friend.”

“Friend
?” Kryzak said, cocking his head. “Are you certain about that, Nath Dragon? Perhaps I did you a favor.”

The words struck me funny.
Cooled my inferno. My stance softened. What was he talking about?

Kryzak lowered the arrow tip towards my chest. He was alone.
I sensed no more Draykis, Gnolls, or Goblins. But, certainly the Feline Fury was near, ready to pounce from anywhere? I scanned the nooks and crannies. But it was only the two of us and the flames. Where was everyone else? What game was he playing?

Shoulder aching,
I switched Fang into my good arm and stepped forward.

“I think it’s time to close that mouth o
f yours, permanently.”

“Ah, yes, you never were one to let others do the talking, now were you?”

Again, what was he talking about? How did he know me?

“No,” I said, “I always found the conversation of other
s quite boring, just like the one we’re having now.” I continued forward.

Kryzak closed one eye and took a half breath.

Twang!

Cling!

The arrow ricocheted off Fang’s blade. I bolted towards Kryzak and swung.

Swish!

Like a phantom, he faded and was gone.

“Ah-ah-ah-ah,” he laughed, his voice echoing. “Awfully hard to hit what you can’t touch
.” He was distant now, on the other side of the cavern, standing by one of the urns. He lowered Akron to the ground and held up a finger. “A moment, Nath Dragon. Then you may have at me with all your fury.”

My blood raced. His tone and demeanor irked me. He slid his deep purple robes from his big frame
, revealing a thick leather chestplate of armor. His long arms bulged with hard muscle and tattoos. He wiped the sweat from his tattooed head, rubbed it into his hands, and slid one mailed gauntlet on over the other. He reached down and wrapped his meaty hand around his crude looking war mace and nodded, closing his eyes and murmuring.

I didn’t attack
until he was ready. This was a challenge fight. All of me against all of him. So be it then. No one ever stood against me, one on one. I didn’t care what weapon he had. I had two Dragon arms.

He opened his eyes.
“I’m ready now.” He banged his mace on the floor. It started to glow. “Prepare to feel my power.”

“No, prepare to feel mine!”

I raced across the cavern floor, Fang high over my head in one Dragon hand and Brenwar’s War Hammer in the other. I leapt.

He swung. His mace exploded
into my chest like a crack of thunder. It hurled me backward and slammed me across the floor.

That was fast. That was powerful. Like a
Giant.

“
I’ve been dying to do that,” he said.

I could barely breath
e.
Not again!
I gasped and coughed and rose to my feet. “Why is that?” I said, walking back over.

He didn’t say. He swung instead.

Krang!

Bang!

Clang!

I blocked and shuffled.

Kryzak hammered at me, each strike getting faster than the other. Every blow juttered my arms at the elbows and buckled my knees.

Magic!

He was using
magic, and a great deal of it, at that. Speed. Strength. You name it, he had it. No mortal was that strong or that fast. His head glowed with bright colors and his eyes were like fire.

“What’s the matter,
Nath Dragon?” he said, “Nothing smart to say?”

I drove my fist in
to his mouth. It felt like hitting a rock.

He drove a mailed fist in
to my belly.

“Woomph!”

Steel clashing against steel.

I struck.

H
e parried.

He struck
.

I countered.

We banged back and forth for another minute.

“Tell me how you know me,” I said, shoving him back. I backed up
and rubbed my aching shoulder. My chest burned and heaved.

“Ah,” he said, “so now it matters what I think, does it? Well, after I’ve beaten you into submission, perhaps I’ll tell. Assuming you
survive.”

“Oh, I’
ll live alright,” I said, “I just wanted to give you a chance to talk, before you die. You see, Kryzak, I’m not holding back anymore.”

“Is that so?” he said.

“Absolutely.”

I
sheathed Fang and pulled Dragon Claw out. Its blade shimmered and shined.

Kryzak narrowed his eyes. “Have at it then,
Nath Dragon.”

I puffed smoke and
let the Dragon out.

Kryzak
was a skilled soldier, but his technique was flawed. It was all strength and no finesse.

I ducked under the war mace ripping over my head and drove Dragon Claw into his shoulder.

“Argh!”

I busted his iron chin with
Dragon Claw’s hilt.

Kryzak
’s knees wobbled. He was fast, but not the fastest thing I’d ever seen. Dragons were faster. He wasn’t a Dragon. I was.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

I busted his wrist with one blow after the other.

“What are you doing?” he said, wrapping two hands around his weapon.

“Picking you apart,” I said, laughing.

Stab!

Dragon Claw dug into his leg.

Kryzak busted me in the arm and Dragon Claw slipped from my grasp.
He punched me in the face and rocked my head back. I punched him back. We locked up.

“Drop yours and I’ll drop mine,” he said, staring into my eyes.

“Gladly,” I said.

I broke it off
and tossed Brenwar’s War Hammer and Fang to the ground.

H
e dropped his mace.

Kryzak
was bleeding bad and limping. He didn’t stand a chance. He wiped the blood from his mouth and spat. My shoulder burned, but I could still take him. One Dragon arm was better than two Man arms, magic or not. I would make him pay for what he’d done to Shum. But I wanted answers to my questions. Why was he doing this? Who was behind it all? I was going to pin him down and squeeze his neck until I found out. I balled up my fists and took a step forward.

He raised his mailed fist
s, said, “Next time, Nath Dragon,” and bumped them together.

Boom.

The cavern shook and started to cave in. I jumped out from under a falling boulder. When I looked up, Kryzak was gone. His war mace as well.

“
Guzan!” I said. But I wasn’t alone. Goblins and Gnolls spilled into the room, weapons raised and mouths crying for my blood. I snatched up Fang and War Hammer and faced the hoard that came at me. A furnace erupted inside me.

I yelled out my new battle cry.

“Dragon! Dragon!”