Six Will Stand (First Draft)

Chapter 1

"Watch out!" Caleb screamed as he shoved his sister, Riv, out of the way of a hurtling flame. Riv got up briskly, her sightless pale blue eyes cautious and alert. She brushed the dirt off her dress and aimed a fireball of her own at the dragon.

While Riv was handling the dragon, Caleb went over to the others. He knelt next to his brother's side. "Are you all right?"

Josh looked back at him. For both of them, this action was similar to looking in the mirror, as they both had blond shaggy hair, olive skin, blue eyes, and identical faces. Josh grimaced, the gash in his leg looked no better than the previous day, but he forced himself to nod. He got up shakily, using Fai's shoulder as a crutch. His lips pressed in a thin line; he was obviously in a good deal of pain, but, as usual, he was trying not to show it.

They heard a shriek in the background and flinched. Josh looked up. Though it clearly took effort, he managed to mutter "Have...to help...Riv." Caleb exchanged a glance with the others. Without their magic, they did not even stand a chance against such a foe. Caleb was still furious with Cade. Had it not been for Cade, they would all still have their magic. Without their magic, his blind little sister was forced to be out there fighting on her own. Sure, she was doing a pretty good job, but still....

Just then, Riv appeared from around the corner, looking battered and exhausted, but not seriously injured. She looked at Fai. It was almost freaky how she could look right into someone's eyes even though she was blind. Everyone found it unsettling. She was doing it now. She looked directly into Fai's eyes and said, "Okay, leader. Start leading. Because you definitely are not doing it now."

Fai flinched slightly at Riv's comment, but tried covering it up by looking over the fallen ruins of the ceiling the group was currently hiding behind. Peeking over the rubble, the redhead saw the dragon wrap one of its claws around an unconscious Cade and tucked the scaly limb close to its armored chest.

Fai ducked back under the ruins' protection, asking Riv, "How much did you injure it? If we could find any small openings in its armor...."

Riv rolled her pale eyes. "I melted a little bit of the armor, but he's still pretty strong. We'll have to work quickly if we're going to get Cade out safely."

"At least it's something," Fai muttered as he walked out into the open, a smirk on his face. "Hey, ya big overgrown lizard!" The dragon fixed its golden gaze on the redhead, smoke trickling out of its mouth. It opened its jaws, teeth glistening from the pale moonlight. A yellow light began flickering from the back of the dragon's throat, the small sparks of flame hissing as a warning.

Not heeding the warning, Fai spread his arms out wide. "Why can't we just all be friends, huh?" Bringing his hands to his chest, he turned his right arm over, the forearm covered by an arm brace. Flicking a hidden switch, the brace seemed to grow over the rest of his lower arm, covering his wrist in its durable enchanted leather, and ending with steel claws over his fingers. He smirked again, dashing toward the dragon, his claws outstretched. Caleb mimicked him and charged, right behind Fai. They were the distraction, buying time for Riv to make her move. Riv had been right, she had managed to make a small hole in the dragon's armor. She had to aim perfectly, and they had to stall in the meantime.

Riv groaned inwardly. After hearing the 'men' bravely charge into battle, Riv knew she could not stop them from doing something stupid, and she had little time to worry about them. Her strength was going, but she'd rather die than admit that. Especially to Fai. Gathering the rest of her strength, she summoned one more ball of fire. Listening carefully and feeling the wind around her, she could easily tell where the dragon was flying, and that he was about to breathe fire. Riv could feel the spark in the air, and she knew there was not much time. She couldn't rush it though; she couldn't risk hitting Cade. Again.