Breaker by Isaac Hooke

Author:Isaac Hooke [Hooke, Isaac]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Fantasy
Published: 2019-01-11T05:00:00+00:00

23

“Scatter!” Malem commanded.

He swerved to the left, while the others turned in random directions. Just in time, too, because the dragon opened its mouth and unleashed a spray of acid on their former positions. The dragon tilted its head, swinging that stream of acid toward Abigail’s fleeing mount. Apparently the dragon had recognized her as a fire mage, and thus as its most capable foe. He wondered if it could sense the magic in her.

The dragon overshot them, and circled around to make another pass. Abigail released a fireball at its tail, but the flames dissipated harmlessly against those scales.

Abigail pressed the fingers of one hand into the rim of the tight collar that wrapped her neck as if struggling to tear it away. When it didn’t budge, she gave up; her forearms ignited and she spun in the saddle instead, unleashing another fireball at the incoming dragon. The big creature glided easily to the side.

Malem had run Bounder partway up a hill but he returned now to the hollow, which was more a gorge formed between two foothills; the walls of the keep awaited tantalizingly ahead. He could see the doors of the outer protective wall: they were bent askew, and barely hanging onto their hinges. Almost inviting them inside.

The other party members fell back into line beside him.

“It’s going to try Paralyze next!” Abigail said. “Nobody look at it!”

Malem averted his gaze and instead watched the dragon via Spirit, who was far enough away to remain unaffected by the paralyze magic. Those malevolent eyes widened, but the dragon quickly realized nobody was paying attention to it.

Via Spirit, Malem saw the breath tell once again, those small gills on the sides of the neck becoming a faint green.

“It breathes, disperse!” he said.

The party members scattered again. The stream of acid struck the empty grass in their wake, and once more curved toward Abigail, who deftly maneuvered Ember out of the way, putting every ounce of the steed’s speed to use.

Malem felt a stir at his collar as Felipe peeked out. The movement reversed itself as the monkey hid inside a moment later, evidently not liking what it saw.

The dragon passed, and began turning its hulking form around for another flyby.

Malem returned to the gorge and hurried Bounder toward the broken gates. He passed through a moment later, the packed dirt giving way to soiled cobblestones, and he led the way inside the ruined grounds.

Shrubs and trees had grown between the cobblestones, and the ground was uneven in several places. He steered between the worst sections, passing the different outbuildings as he headed toward the doors of the main keep. They also sat askew on their hinges. This place had been looted a long time ago, no doubt. Hopefully nothing… untoward… had taken up residence, because those doors were big enough to fit a dragon.

The exterior shone with a brightness that seemed at odds with the overall state of the keep. There were no rust stains of any kind, and it seemed burnished, just as if it had been polished only yesterday.

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