Clash of Captains

Chapter 10

Devyn stiffened, crouching lower in the brush as the dragon raised its head to eye her through the trees. A tickle of dread slipped down her spine, cold and uncomfortable. She risked a glance up and went still as she noticed Aneira's grey eyes staring right in her direction. I've been found, she realized. She held out a hand to her side. Twyl's broad snout shoved its way into her palm. Good. He's still here. Devyn felt some of her initial fear melt away. But her dark eyes lifted up again to find her enemy's green-scaled dragon stepping cautiously closer.

She muttered a curse. There was no use in hiding any longer; it would be safer to flee than to be forced into combat in a dense copse of trees. Devyn remained crouching as low to the ground as she could, creeping steadily closer to Twyl's side until her fingers brushed against his neck spikes. Then, in one swift motion which she made no move to hide, Devyn swung herself up halfway onto the mahogany dragon's back. He roared, deep and resounding, and galloped from the trees, his strong legs making the ground rumble beneath them as he built up speed.

The other dragon reacted at once, echoing his cry with an enraged growl of its own. Devyn narrowed her eyes and tightened her grip as Twyl took to the sky. She heard the beat of wings as the other dragon and its rider ascended just behind them.

"It's due time for a chase, isn't it, old pal?" Devyn murmured to Twyl, who let out a low rumble as if to agree. He veered to one side for a moment to glance behind them, just long enough for Devyn to catch a glimpse of the forest green dragon trailing them. Its rider was just as she expected: the blonde Ledian captain who Devyn still hadn't managed to take down. She gritted her teeth. "Think we can take 'em now?" She asked Twyl. He opened and shut his mouth in quick succession; the snap of his jaw and a flash of sharp teeth made a hint of a smile appear on Devyn's lips. Twyl was the most aggressive dragon she'd ever known. They had a good chance of beating Aneira together.

Devyn tapped lightly on the dragon's red-scaled shoulder and he drifted to a near standstill, turning around in midair to face their followers. His wings beat a powerful rhythm that seemed to make the very sky vibrate with their force. Devyn slipped her sword from its sheath. She wasn't sure if the two captains would be locked in combat on dragonback or not, but she wasn't about to enter a fight unprepared.

For a moment, the blonde rider and her dragon seemed to slow, as if unsure of their enemies' intentions, before the dragon let out a garbled roar and glided forward. Devyn's grip tightened on the mahogany pommel of her sword as Twyl lunged into the fray.

It had been a considerable time since Devyn had been involved in a dragon fight. She had nearly forgotten the terrifying thrill of it, both dragons lashing at each other with tooth and nail, blasting flashes of flame in each other's direction. She had forgotten the amount of skill it took for a rider to avoid being crushed or burned, but she tucked herself safely into the crook of Twyl's neck as the first strike landed, watching and waiting out the most dangerous parts of the fight.

Twyl was the first to strike, lunging at the green dragon immediately. His sharp black claws grabbed for the other dragon's neck, while his back legs kicked out, slashing for the dragon's underbelly. The green dragon, more slender than Twyl by a fair amount, weaved around the initial attacks and let loose a stream of bright blue fire. Enraged, Twyl growled and released a puff of his own orange flame. The colors mixed in a dazzlingly dangerous display. Devyn shielded her eyes and couldn't help but grin as the momentum of the next attack threatened to throw her off of Twyl's back.

"Get close," Devyn murmured, just loud enough for the mahogany dragon to hear. He hung back for a moment instead of attacking, the only sign that he had heard what his rider had said. "I want to get a few hits in myself." Twyl let out what Devyn could only assume was an amused rumble before bringing the pair closer to the opposing dragon and rider with a couple of powerful flaps.

Devyn knew immediately that Aneira understood what was about to happen. The blonde raised her sword and mumbled something to the green dragon below her. She must have told the dragon not to fight, Devyn thought to herself, raising an eyebrow. She tightened her grip on her sword and leaned forwards just enough to strike at Aneira. The first blow hit her shoulder, clinking harmlessly off of her armored shoulder plates. The blonde captain was better prepared for Devyn's next attempt, raising her blade to parry the attack.

Devyn swept her sword around Aneira's blade, stabbing towards her side only to have it looped by Aneira's and nearly wrenched out of her hand. She tightened her grip and pulled away, successfully removing her sword from the tangle and launching another attempt at an attack. This time the tip of her blade slipped past Aneira's initial defenses and swung towards her side; the blonde leaned out of the way just in time, her sword whipping up to catch Devyn's at the last second. Devyn couldn't stop a small smile from gracing her lips as she caught a flash of frustration dart across Aneira's face.

Motivated by her obvious display of irritation, Devyn pushed harder. She shoved herself further into the fray, Twyl hovering closer to accommodate for the movement. The dark-haired captain narrowed her eyes and swung her blade as quickly as she could towards Aneira, approaching at first from above and then inserting a jab from below. The latter finally made Aneira hesitate, and Devyn's fingers twitched tighter around the pommel of her sword as the tip of her blade rested at Aneira's throat just below her chin. The blonde stared down at the silver of the blade for a moment before her blue-eyed gaze darted up to Devyn, panicked and surprised. Her breath came in pants from the effort of trying to hold her off for so long; Devyn could practically see her shaking from the exertion and adrenaline. They held each other's stare for a moment, the only sounds the rhythmic beating of the two dragons' wings and the rush of their combined breathing. Then Aneira nodded slightly, her chin nearly tapping against Devyn's blade, before her dragon flapped backwards to put space between the two.

Devyn considered chasing after the girl as the dragon and rider pair raced across the sky back to the stronghold, but she decided against it. She had managed to strike fear into Aneira's heart. While it wasn't an official win, it was progress. Maybe she'll know better than to try and attempt another attack, Devyn considered as Twyl growled low in his throat at the retreating green dragon. Devyn watched their shrinking forms for a moment before they set back off towards their stronghold.