The Dragon Chase: A Tale of the Everburning City

Chapter 17: Amelian

"Ammo check!" Amelian called, as the last creature went down at Valen's feet. Mia was already in the middle of reloading, and Barnes was applying a compress on his arm, from a bite wound one of the creatures had managed to inflict.

Of course, anyone smaller than Barn wouldn't have survived grappling with three of the creatures, and his efforts managed to keep Mia safe enough to stick to her Salamander work. Amelian smiled in relief, and with as much pride as she had ever felt.

Mia was the first to respond, somehow managing to count her shots while she reloaded. "Thirty-four rounds, Ma'am."

Valen tossed his ammo pouch over to Mia, as he drew a knife and set its blade into the fire pouring from the nearby exhaust port. "Bites from one of those things can be gangrenous. I'd rather Barnes didn't lose an arm to it," he explained, as the knife heated in his hand.

"You really think we'll live long enough for me to lose an arm, sir?" Barnes asked, as he fumbled with the pouch at his belt. "Twenty-eight, ma'am."

"Who knows?" Valen asked. "But if we do survive, I get to say 'I told you so' for the rest of my life, Barnes," he grinned as he spoke, and gestured for Samuel to join him.

"Good thing you're older than the fifth tapestry, then. Completely badass for a fossil, mind you," Barnes replied.

"Then let's add insult to your injury. If you live through this and keep your arm, you have to name your firstborn after me. And I'll tell him to keep saying 'I told you so,'" Valen said, with a smirk.

"Deal." Samuel replied, as he took off the compress and held out his arm to Valen. Without preamble, Valen stepped forward swiftly, set his shoulder under Samuel's arm, and set the knife on the wound.

Samuel hissed, and clenched Valen's other shoulder, but held without a word until Valen pulled his knife away.

Amelian unbuckled her sword, and offered it to Samuel hilt-first. "We have a minute. Set the scabbard against your arm. It's about as cold as ice."

"Thanks, ma'am." Samuel replied.

"Forty-eight rounds. Mia, how many does Valen still have?"

"Fifty-five. The old man was hoarding on us."

"One hundred and sixty-five, then," Amelian thought out loud. "And the Gloamtaken have those shots outnumbered at least five to one." She turned to Mia, and thought for a moment.

"We had better make the most of them," Amelian said, as she slid her ammo pouch to Mia. "Take every shot we have. Two of us will screen, one will reload if we can spare the time, while you do all of the shooting," she ordered, and Mia nodded.

"Any sign of that rider?" She asked.

"No, ma'am," Valen replied. "Which might not be a good thing."

"We'll deal with that when we have to," Amelian said. She took her sword back from Samuel, who nodded gratefully as she belted it back on. "Drink some water, and move out at a march."

"We aren't going to try and run for it?" Barnes asked.

"No," Valen explained, as the four of them started marching. "We could beat them in a sprint, but the Gloamtaken don't get tried. They'd eventually run us down. It's better to save our steam for when they catch us."

Samuel nodded, and the march passed in silence, long enough at least for Amelian to consider their next few moves. It was a bad situation to be in; miles from any reinforcements and hard pressed with a horde of enemies behind them. Even without the rider, the odds of making it to the next wall were slim. She could see, faintly, how large the horde was at the end of the Causeway, massing in numbers that would drown the four of them as soon as it caught up with them.