Drakon Book IV: Butterfly by C.A. Caskabel

Author:C.A. Caskabel [Caskabel, C.A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: C.A. Caskabel
Published: 2018-01-30T22:00:00+00:00

At the first breath of dawn I could make the legion’s sentries huddling under their red capes, most of them half-asleep. They didn’t expect an ambush. Our boots crackled on the leaves as we got in position, but the nightingales covered the sounds. I placed two archers every fifty paces apart to cover the length of the glade.

Bera had trained me long ago to keep the pace when shooting. An arrow every two breaths. I still remembered the words from my first day of bow training with the Uncarved:

“Redin, shoot. Malan, shoot. Gunna, shoot. Lebo, shoot. Anak, shoot. Noki, shoot.”

Noki shoot. A battle of fire. You would have hated me, Noki. I needed you today. You left too early.

Before the sun rose between the tree trunks, a thousand smaller balls of fire lit up the woodland left and right of the glade. We kept shooting as fast as we could, aiming for the wagons. The Empire’s soldiers had come to set fire to the wood, and some of their wagons were filled with resin and oil. Their cohorts were drowning in a sea of fire. Flaming tongues surrounded them, and the pack mules were screaming, running, spreading the fire to the soldiers’ tents. Men cloaked in red and flames jumped in the rivulet, the flesh falling from their faces. The wind was blowing down the glade, covering everything in smoke. We retreated unseen and unchallenged, still setting the trees and the bushes on fire. Burning and retreating.

I had ordered every man to make it back on his own. Vani was in the same post with me, and we ran together for the whole day, stopping only for water. We set a meeting point close to the cave of the White Doe for the coming evening. Zeria and the ones left behind were to meet us there too. If we didn’t come back, they’d hide in the caves, and if we returned defeated, we’d all escape south.

At dusk, we reached the hidden waterfall. A few of the Dasal had made it before me, and the rest of the Blades quickly followed behind me. They were drinking from the stream like wolves on four legs, washing, trying to rinse the soot and the dust out of their faces.

“I think it worked. The ambush,” said Leke. “No one followed us.”

“Where are the rest?” I asked.

“All here. We lost twelve men. Mostly Dasal. They ran among the wagons, setting them on fire. If it was not for them…”

“Too brave,” I said.

“Too brave for forest rats,” said Vani as he spat.

I was too tired to confront him. I searched around with my eyes. The blue-eyed boy had made it back. I gestured to him to come close.

“What’s your name?” I asked in the tongue of the Dasal.

“Veker.”

“Your grandfather is proud, Veker. You did well.”

He didn’t smile or look proud.

“I must go, Blade,” he said.

The Dasal usually called every one of us “Blade.” He was right.

“Where is Zeria? The others?” I said.

“We’re late, Firstblade. Maybe they hid in the cave.

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