Dragon Born: Book I of the Tendaaren Chronicles
Chapter 23: I will not stand by

“A hero rides with his people and dies with his people. No one respects the general who sits idle in the back.“--KB

Baellnar put a solitary finger to his lips. He gestured for Celeste to move to the front. She bore an enormous shield and deadly looking scimitar. She was no stranger to combat and judging by the excitement in her eyes she enjoyed every bit of it.

Next Baellnar signaled for Aagi and Roxanne to take the perimeter. The dwarf crouched low in the tall grass and disappeared among the trees. Simultaneously Roxanne grew to an incredible size. Her rainbow eyes swirling in excitement as she slunk to the other side of the monster mob. Cleverly hidden by the shimmering veil. She crouched low, in a very cat-like position her tail flicking in the air as her forked tongue tasted the air for her first victim.

Baellnar signaled to Aly to stay put. I will do no such thing! She thought to herself. Furious Aly stalked up to Baellnar and whispered. “I will not stand by while my friends fight for me.”

Baellnar rolled his eyes “Aly, what good are you to our people if you’re dead?”

“What good am I to the people if I stand back and let others do the fighting for me? Some hero I would be, taking the cowards way out.”

“Aly, you have only been in one fight and you broke your ankle just falling off your horse.”

“You are one to talk! You almost died falling off yours!” Her angry whisper was laced with venom.

“Aly, the world will not end if I fall, but it will if you do.”

“The world will end if I don’t try.”

The inflections on her words were final. Baellnar looked at her for a long time. Acceptance and annoyance scrawled on his face. “Fine,” He took a deep breath “stay on the outside. Only pick opponents already distracted by one of us.” His whisper was deadly with caution. “If you deviate and they do not kill you, I will.” The empty threat an attempt to enforce how dangerous this all was.

“I accept your terms,” Alyenna said brightly.

Aly, jumped off Sadie. Stroking her forehead she told her to replace herself a nice safe place. Aly was not a skilled enough rider to attempt a battle on horseback. Though Aly was determined to help she understood her own weaknesses. Then Aly slunk around in the tall grass behind Aagi. “Howdy partner.” She whispered. “Which one do are you gunning for?”

“See that orc there? Da one pickin’ ’is nose?” Aagi said in hushed tones. Aly nodded. “I want the one next to ’im. I would ’ate to interrupt a man’s lunch.”

Aly giggled and steeled her nerves. She was excited and terrified of the mob that waited just beyond the veil. Their fangs dripping with venom, their sharpened claws shining and wicked.

Baellnar raised his hand in the air. Three fingers prominently displayed. Slowly he lowered them one by one. A noiseless countdown to the rest of their lives or the end of them.

As the last finger fell Roxanne’s deadly battle roar shook the forest. The mob of more than thirty Orcs, Demons, Trolls, and other terrifying creatures covered their ears and eyes in shock. The veil had done its trick. The party had stayed invisible long enough. It was time to fight.

Aagi roared, he raised his battleax high. He cleaved his intended target easily in two. In the upswing, he caught the neighboring target, still mid pick under the chin slicing his head in twain. Several more orcs collapsed limp and lifeless to the ground as Baellnar’s arrows whistled through the trees.

Roxanne had covered five Orcs in dragon fire. The dazzling multicolored fire consumed them and they ran screaming. The effects of the fire spreading to their companions in their panic. Finally, they too fell lifeless to the ground. Still simmering and crackling with prismatic flames.

Celeste was having a ball. She sliced vehemently through the ranks. Slashing and cutting. She plowed through four with her shield. As she struck each target sparks of lightning would dance off her armor and weaponry, burning and paralyzing the victims.

Aly licked her lips in anticipation. She eyed two smaller looking Orcs sneaking up behind Aagi aiming to stab him through the back. She deftly swung her sword catching one of them by surprise as she sliced his head clean off.

Emboldened by her strike she went after his partner. Her blade clashing rhythmically with his. Her eyes swirling in excitement. Her muscles pulsing and tightening with adrenaline. She turned growled fiercely at another Orc. Baring sharpened teeth from a partial transformation that she had dreamt up. Her sharpened teeth had the desired effect. The orc was startled by her ghastly maw and tripped on his own feet. She dove on her sword stabbing him in the heart. Aagi slapped her on the back

“nice one!” He grumbled proudly, as another much larger fighter attempted to strike him. He blocked it with the center of his battleax then spun and cut the orc’s legs out from underneath him. “Back ta work!” He said cheerily and continued to hack away at his targets.

Aly was thrilled. They were winning. They had made quick work of the thirty warriors, too quick. They stood in the clearing smiling. Pleased with their work. An arrow flew past her face, she heard a deadly thud. She turned to see a goblin mid-strike fall to the ground a silver tipped arrow embedded in his throat. Baellnar’s pranced past her on his horse and he smiled and winked. “Well done Alyzon.”

Their victory was short lived. They heard the thunder of dozens of more troops rapidly approaching their position. It had been a trap. They came crashing through the trees. This time there was no veil to protect them they were surrounded. At the head of the army was a tall dark figure. It wore an angrily spiked helmet. All of his armor was black and red with Scelestra’s insignia branded brightly on the front. The figure raised his sword, instantly silencing his troops. His attention directly centered on Alyenna. He pulled off his helmet revealing a scarred face and ebony black hair. It was Paul.

Alyenna’s fury roared wild within her. At the sight of her tormenter, she snapped her morphed teeth and charged. Baellnar blocked her with his horse then stared down Paul. He shook his head at her and said, “He’s mine,” the deadly tones of his voice sent chills down Aly’s spine and she slunk back behind him.

“The hell with that! I am with her!” Celeste roared slamming her scimitar against her shield. Lightning danced around the shield creating a terrifying and thunderous effect.

Paul’s raised sword fell, and the second contingent charged. Aly’s thoughts were clouded with white-hot fury. She was fueled by all of the anger, hatred, and pain that he had tormented her with for over a decade.

She silently dissented with Baellnar. No, He’s Mine. Her eyes narrowed into slits. Her vision became immensely clear. She could smell the rancid sweat coming off the armor of the dead and dying Orcs. She shook her dark fur and smiled. A terrifying toothy grin.

Paul smirked subtly. Something Aly did not see. She only saw him flee at the sight of her new form. Her tail twitched in anticipation. She tested the predatory muscles that rippled in anticipation of the hunt. She had chosen the form of a dire wolf.

She enjoyed the feel of her enormous fangs. She licked her smile as snarled at an Orc running towards her. The effect was perfectly terrifying, and he froze in place. She jumped on him clawing at him with enormous claws and tore out his throat with her three-inch fangs. Blood splattered her ebony fur in a sticky delicious mess.

She raised her incredibly powerful nose to the air and sniffed delicately. There it was Paul’s smell. Palo wood incense mixed with a rotten soul.

She felt her body coil and then she was off. Racing in and out of intense battles between her friends and the evil contingent determined to destroy the world. She lept over Celeste who was in the middle of slaying an enormous troll. Celeste had jumped off an Orc that Aagi had impaled and was holding a loft with his battle Axe. She used the orc as a trampoline and then backflipped, slicing the titan troll in the throat. She then bounced off of the troll’s falling body and used her shield to crush an Orc as she landed on him with the full weight of her trajectory.

Aly was nearly oblivious to the maneuver. She had one fight on her mind. She would take him on her own. Baellnar be damned.

Suddenly Baellnar’s horse was in front of her again. He was guiding it with only his legs. Vollies of arrows were flying around the area. “Not alone, Aly please.” He begged.

She simply growled at him and turned immediately toward the main fight. Tail twitching in fury waiting for him to move his attention elsewhere. She took down several more orcs, and when Baellnar was sufficiently distracted she was off again. Furiously seeking the scent of the coward who left his troops in the middle of battle.

Her giant paws pounded deep into the forest floor. She was nothing but a dark blur through the trees. She barreled through the wilderness wildly chasing his scent and a new one.

The terrified smell of horseflesh filled her nostrils There he is! She spun in the air flipping 180 degrees landing directly in front of Paul’s horse snarling she paced closer to the terrified animal. As a dire wolf, she was nearly the Horse’ size and she loved using it to her advantage. The horse reared bucking wildly, but like Aly, it could not throw Paul. He held strong to his horse in a defiant show of control. Forcing it still beneath him.

“Well hello pretty puppy, what big ears you have.” He said laughing wickedly.

Aly could not speak, yet. She simply snarled and continued her predatory stalking in an ever-tightening circle around him. Suddenly an ornery bee stung her shoulder. She raised her nose and howled angrily to the sky. She turned her head to the spot on her shoulder. Her ears sank behind her head and she whimpered. On her shoulder was a dart with ebony and blood red striped feathers.

Her vision began fading. Her mind flashing in and out of responsiveness. Colors and shapes spun before her eyes. Her muscles were disintegrating from within her. She began to shrink her fur gave way to delicate human skin exposing her to the elements.

Aly was left with nothing. Shakily she collapsed from all fours, landing in a helpless fetal position. Naked, her body exposed to the wind.

The last thing she saw was Paul and two orcs circling her. Paul’s predatory expression filled with wicked mirth. His dark eyes piercing her soul filling her with fear. Then the world went black.