Talon the Black (Dragonwall Series # 1)

Chapter 22 - An Unexpected Attack

She pushed down a grumble. It wasn't easy, knowing the answers to their questions. In fact, it was incredibly frustrating. The longer they spoke of it, the worse their speculations became. At one point, Jovari insisted that the dragons intended to take over the kingdom. She alone knew the truth, that Kane was the one behind it all.

She wanted to join in their discussions, but couldn't. Besides, she had different things to think about. Cyrus knew something big was coming for Dragonwall—something devastating. He knew it was only a matter of time. He knew that the people needed to be warned. Reyr's news confirmed Cyrus's worst fears. Kane had made his first move. How many more would die before she could relay Kane's existence to the king?

The conversation about Belnesse carried on late into the night. Her incident with the Marble Dragon was completely forgotten by everyone but her. She had hoped to tell Reyr about it, hoped that he would have some answers, but in the end, she never got the chance to ask. She finally gave up and curled up with her bedroll.

Sleep was difficult to find. She tossed and turned for what felt like hours, drifting in and out of odd memories that were certainly not hers. On occasion, voices filtered through her consciousness. Whether they belonged to the strange memories or came from outside her head, she couldn't have said.

Just as she was drifting into another strange dream, a hand gripped her shoulder. She sucked in a breath. It shook her, urgent. Her eyes flew open. Reyr crouched over her, finger pressed to his lips. A deep feeling of unease settled over her, prickling her neck. This was a familiar feeling. Her pulse sped up.

"It is as I feared. Fan out," came Reyr's telepathic command.

Something heavy was thrust into her hands—the sword Reyr had gotten her. Her eyes went large. She tried to catch a glimpse of her surroundings, but there was no moon out, and the stars were hardly bright enough. All she could see were black shapes moving around the perimeter of their little camp. She knew without needing to see them that the Vodar had found her. They had come for the Stones.

Instinct took over. She reached for her backpack and put her hand over the pocket where her revolver was hidden. She had killed them once before, she would do it again.

"They are closing in, Reyr. We are outnumbered. Keep them in your sights," Koldis said.

The Drengr used telepathy to keep quiet.

Reyr stood. His hand was on the hilt of his Sverak, ready to remove it from its sheath. She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry.

"Beware of their magic. On my count—" Reyr was slowly moving away from her, his back now turned. Through the loud rush of blood pounding in her ears, she heard the scrape of swords being drawn.

Using this as a cue, she quickly unzipped her backpack and removed the revolver. She kept it loaded for this very purpose. Hands shaking, she got on her knees, trying to digest what was about to happen.

This was real. They were here for her. They would not stop hunting her until they had the Stones. In a few moments, that very same notion might become obvious to her companions, jeopardizing her entire mission. If they found out she'd hidden this....

Reyr's voice was in her mind again. "Ready? Three, two, one—"

There was a bright flash of white light. She cursed, momentarily blinded. The sound of clashing metal reverberated loudly, forcefully. It seemed to hum through her body. But these were not the only noises to greet her ears. Pops and crackles like sparks of electricity echoed around her. These were paired with more bursts of blue and white brilliance as her surroundings flashed from light to dark.

"They are going for Claire!" The sudden shout exploded into her mind. "Stop them!"

Freeing herself from the chains of shock, she jumped to her feet. Two of the six black shapes were gliding towards her. The other four were trying to free themselves from their fight with Jovari, Koldis, and Reyr.

Without further hesitation, she held the revolver out, both hands gripping it tightly to keep from shaking. She fired. The shot split through the air. The head of the nearest Vodar exploded into smoke, quickly followed by its body. There was a momentary silence that came after, but she did not stand stunned like the others. Once more she aimed, both hands on the gun as she pointed it at the head of the next wraith. She pulled the trigger. This time something entirely different happened. The air around the Vodar grew opaque, flickering as the bullet encountered an invisible shield. As it passed through, it turned to dust and disappeared.

"You will not thwart me this time," a terrible voice hissed. The sound of it sent chills across her skin. For a moment, she could not move as fear sank its claws into her.

The wraith moved towards her, gaining speed, arm outstretched. A glittering sword slashed through the air beside her, followed by an aggressive cry as the weapon made contact with the Vodar's neck. Reyr's appearance saved her. He took off the wraith's head in a single sweep. It vanished.

She did not have time to thank him. A burst like fireworks illuminated the air around her, followed up by another. The strange orbs she had seen were exploding. Reyr must have erected a shield of protection around them.

A renewed sense of duty took hold of her. Kane would not win. Not today. Fiery courage blazed up within her. She grabbed her sword from the ground.

Relax your mind. I will guide you...

The thoughts in her brain were absurd, especially now in the heat of battle. She ignored the commentary, thinking only of what she wanted in that exact moment—the death of the wraith standing before her. Crying out with a passion she did not know she had, she took several strides forward and lifted the sword to meet the Vodar. It raised its own weapon in response. She did not stop to think about what its blade could do to her. Instead, she focused on what happened next.

Their swords met. The reverberation crashed around her.

"Claire, no!" She heard Reyr's shout of surprise. She ignored it, swiping at the Vodar and then jumping backwards. Had she time to think about it, she would have been dumbfounded. She had never used a sword. Not once. How the hell was she fighting with one?

Lifting the blade again, she swung it around, spinning on her heel as she ducked from an oncoming blow. She let her blade follow her movements. She struck the Vodar's legs hidden beneath its smoking robes. It hissed and tried to lash out at her, but she jumped back. Back and forth they fought, evenly matched it seemed. As they continued, she began to get the impression that the Vodar was toying with her, going easy on her. As soon as she let her mind lose focus, she erred, moving in the wrong direction. The Vodar's blade sliced along her leg and she felt white-hot searing pain.

A scream tore through her throat as she jumped aside. She was about to lift her sword to block another attempt, but a different sword beat her to it. This one glittered with dark green emeralds. Koldis was beside her, taking over. It lasted only the length of a breath before the Vodar's head was removed.

The world around them fell silent, almost as if the universe had come to a halt. She was vaguely aware of the searing agony in her leg. Her mind was spinning. Everything was spinning.

Fight it. You must.

A surge of something that could only be described as energy burst through her. Squaring her shoulders, she turned. Koldis stood beside her, arms limp at his sides. He was breathing heavily, staring blankly in front of him where the Vodar had just vanished. Then, as if coming out of a trance, he turned to her. "How are you going to explain your way out of this one, Claire?" Even in the darkness, she could see his angry glare, but that wasn't what surprised her. He had just saved her life. The thought left her head whirling once more in confusion. And suddenly, as if the dim lights of the world were being extinguished, she felt her legs buckle beneath her. She dropped to the ground.  

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