After nearly two hours, Kirsten could see individual men in armor as they broke into smaller block formations. Their rebel army remained still, hidden in the trees. Kirsten saw movement overhead in the gap between trees. Suddenly, she saw a burst of dragon fire lighting the sky high in the air. Leaning into Bo, she pointed to the sky, “Look!” At the same time, she heard the gasps of others who were pointing skyward now as well.
“Dragons,” she heard Thomas say as she watched three dragons race across the sky.
“Is it Anders?” Bo asked, using his hand to block the afternoon sun.
“Could be,” Kirsten said. “I only know of one other dragonrider.”
“That’s not the dark sorcerer’s dragon,” a girl standing on the opposite side of Rune said. “I’ve seen them before. His dragon is black and about the size of that red one there.”
Kirsten raised an eyebrow at the girl in leather armor, not much older than she was. “When did you see Merglan and Killdoor?”
“So that’s what they’re called,” she responded. “I saw them in Grandwood, right after you left for Solomon’s. And, if I might ask you a similar question, how is it that you know the names of one of them up there?” she asked pointing to the three dragons as they flew out of view.
“My cousin is a dragonrider,” Kirsten said. “Who are you?”
Reaching across Rune to extend her hand in greeting, she replied, “Ophelia. I’m the doctor’s apprentice.”
Kirsten took her hand, “Oh, I’m Kirsten.”
“I saw you once before, but you weren’t conscious. Glad to have you back now,” Ophelia said.
Kirsten felt Rune’s gaze on her, and she looked to him.
“You know the new rider? You know we could use him in this war,” Rune started, but was interrupted by shouts from the soldiers ahead.
Kirsten’s attention flashed back to the army in the field and her heart began to race. Merglan’s soldiers were charging en masse.
“Get ready,” Rune said. “It’s about to begin.”
Kirsten put her hand on the hilt of the short sword, then hesitated. Reaching her hand into her pocket, she withdrew the crystal and pulled the thin chain down over her head. The sapphire glowed a light blue and she felt a sense of comfort knowing she could defend herself with it. She didn’t yet know if she was any good with a sword, but as she imagined, the battlefield wasn’t anyone’s first choice to find out if they were a natural.
As the screaming horde of soldiers rushed through the grass, Kirsten watched men and women from the rebel army’s front rank move into block formations in front of the trees. As they lowered their spears and waited for the first wave of attackers to hit, archers filled in behind them, taking aim and firing at will. Kirsten wondered if all armies were so well trained that they didn’t need commanders barking orders at them or if this group was different.
She held tight to her crystal as charging men fell under the onslaught of arrows, more charging in behind them. In a horrid clash, she could almost feel the front row colliding as they met nearly face-to-face in the open field. She watched in agony as humans killed one another to gain an upper hand. Waves of soldiers on both sides charged one another and soon the long grass was trampled flat and stained red with blood.
Unable to handle watching helplessly as these brave men and women threw themselves into harm’s way, Kirsten’s urge to help compelled her forward. She heard Thomas calling to her, but ignored him as she felt the need to use her gift in helping bring an end to the fighting. If she could take out the soldiers with her magic crystal and save a few lives in the process, she would.
Kirsten jumped over downed bodies as she rushed into the chaos. Before she realized what she was doing, she had expelled a blast of energy at a group of flanking soldiers, blowing them apart. Bo came into view, passing her and cutting into those among the enemy who had now turned their focus on Kirsten. Arrows pierced men scrambling for her and she knew Thomas was close behind.
Kirsten lost herself in the madness of war. She wielded the crystal in one hand and her short sword in the other. Several times she flung herself into the front lines, blasting through multiple enemy soldiers at a time, waving those behind her forward and shouting for them to fight harder. The day waned and night began to fall. The bodies piled up around them and she lost track of her friends in the fighting.
She felt a hand land on her shoulder. She turned with her sharp-edged blade raised and crystal glowing. Through the blue hue, she saw Britt. “Kirsten, we need to get out of here,” she was repeating. The words didn’t register until they were repeated a third time. She turned to see why Britt was beckoning her so frantically. In the distance she saw a dark line moving toward them. The sound thundered as they ran with speed. At the center of this mass, she saw a bright blue light. It swung back and forth around the neck of someone, a man riding on horseback. Even though the light of moon and stars, Kirsten knew who that man was. She knew he would be coming ever since Ophelia told her Merglan had returned to Grandwood. Rankstine and his orcs had arrived.
As she turned to flee with Britt, Kirsten heard kurr screaming their ghoulish cry in the darkness. Kirsten broke into a run, retreating with Britt as she found Max, Bo and Thomas still close by. They all retreated into the woods. Kirsten was shocked to see that she’d ventured so far out ahead of the others. Her heart pounded as the evil group moved in closer. She heard the twang of bowstrings and the whistling of arrows as they shot through the trees. Moments later orcs screamed as the rebel arrows found their targets behind her. She didn’t want to turn around, but she knew they’d caught up.
Kirsten watched as a kurr passed, catching several rebel soldiers who’d lingered too far beyond the safety of the trees. As she neared the tree line, more kurr passed and she could hear the breathy huffing of one at her heels. Turning and shouting, Kirsten sent a blast of energy directly behind her. The blast blew apart the chest of a kurr just as it reached to grab her. The beast vaulted into the air and fell limply into several charging orcs. Her eyes grew wide when she saw the evil creatures had succeeded in surrounding them.
“Britt!” Kirsten shouted. When Britt looked at her, she slowed, turning to face the oncoming enemies. She then directed blow after blow of energy from the crystal into the charging force, creating a dent in their ranks. Soon Kirsten heard Britt, her warriors, Max and Bo at her side. Thomas shot arrows from the protective pocket behind them. As Kirsten formed the head of their defense, the others battled to create a buffer around her.
Their display worked exactly the way Kirsten had intended. She watched as the glowing light rode nearer. As soon as Rankstine came into view, Kirsten directed a bolt of energy at him. Deflecting it with ease, the man stepped down from his horse, orcs and kurr parting around him in the darkness. She saw an arrow zing toward him and arch around him as his protective spell cast Thomas’ shot aside.
Max, Britt and her men charged through the orcs and several kurr toward him. As if orchestrating his band, Rankstine moved more kurr in on them, driving the friends aside and out of view. Kirsten sent several more blasts at the man, which he deflected as he continued to walk ever closer. While she distracted Rankstine, Bo made his move. Kirsten doubled her effort to batter the man with her crystal’s energy. Rankstine moved deftly to deflect them, his eyes catching sight of Bo as he cut through orcs to get closer. When Bo was finally on him, Rankstine whipped a lashing of energy down on him. Kirsten shouted upon seeing Bo crushed under its force. She ran toward them and Rankstine whipped the lashing of energy at her. She raised the crystal and blocked it, but the force of the blow knocked her backward. A second blast landed directly behind her, the force sending her tumbling across the ground. As Kirsten rolled, she felt the sapphire necklace slide up over her head. Before she could grab the chain, it had slipped off. She stopped, instantly searching for her lifeline. The sapphire wasn’t anywhere near her. At this point, Kirsten thought the poison would’ve taken her. Was something different? She looked down and saw the special pink-hued stone caught in the neck of her chainmail shirt.
“What’s wrong girly?” Rankstine’s wicked voice sounded behind her. “Lose your crystal?”
Kirsten grinned knowing she still clutched the other sapphire in her hand. Turning and expecting to catch Rankstine off guard, Kirsten fired a shot at him. The man jumped back, surprised at her sudden move, but nothing had threatened him. Kirsten frowned. She tried the crystal again, but still nothing. She opened her hand to see that the light had gone from the stone. Tossing it to the ground, Kirsten cursed, knowing that was the only thing that could help her defeat him.
Rankstine stopped, facing her, but at a distance. As she lifted the pink sapphire’s chain back around her head, Kirsten stared at the man. “Thought you would get away with it, did you?” he shouted as he raised his blue-glowing crystal over his head. “Too bad for you that I have friends in high places.”
As he spoke, Kirsten saw an orange glow in the sky to his left. She smiled, her reaction confusing enough to make him pause. Before he could lash down on her with more energy, she replied, “So do I.”
Jetting in from her left, a shower of flame descended on Rankstine, burning him instantly and flashing out through the enemy army at his side. Kirsten jumped back, shielding herself from the dragon fire. After the brunt of the flames had dissipated, Kirsten looked back to see a red dragon unleashing hellfire down on the orc and kurr.
Chapter 67
Unexpected Encounter
Shielding his face from the wind-driven rain, Anders blocked the pelting downpour with his arm. The darkened skies had turned midnight black while they’d been in the elven city. Using his mind to sense where Nadir and the elves had gone, Anders and Zahara led Maija and Raffa through the forest’s undergrowth. Lightening momentarily brightened their path, followed immediately by a deafening clap of thunder. Skirting the city, Anders and Maija clung to their dragons. Anders could almost feel Zahara’s claws digging into the soil in an attempt to brace herself against the punishing winds. They trudged through the forest at a grueling pace, not stopping until they’d reached the outer edge of the heightened storm.
Anders straightened in the saddle, feeling a tightening in his lower back from having scrunched over for so long. He could see the shadowed outline of Maija’s dragon stop at their side. Maija’s darkened figure loomed over them as she shifted in her new saddle. Zorna tapped Anders on the shoulder, reminding him of her presence.
“They’re waiting on the path,” she said in her childlike voice.
Dismounting, Anders led them toward the elven trail that headed south away from the capital. Free from the towering cloud, Anders stepped out onto the path to examine the gathering elves under the light of the half-moon and star-filled sky. Soldiers from the elven army mixed ranks with those wearing red shirts, supporters of Nadir’s claim to the throne. Anders spotted Nadir in the distance, his long silver hair shining at the head of the gathering forces. The elves parted for the dragonriders as they moved toward the front of the loosely organized ranks.
When they reached Nadir, he was immersed in a conversation with an elf Anders recognized from their campaign in Southland. Bronson had remained loyal to his commander and followed the excommunicated Elf King from Cedarbridge. Capturing their attention, Anders asked, “What do we do now?”
Nadir glanced at Bronson, then replied, “With kurr roaming the area, it’s best we hole up here until dawn. I don’t like rushing through the forest at night when such creatures roam freely.”
