The Final Battle by Stuart Daly

Author:Stuart Daly
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia
Published: 2015-11-08T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 15

A STRANGER IN THE NIGHT

Caspan and Sara flew Frostbite downstream for several minutes before they turned around and drew close to the northern bank. Driven by the blustering wind, clouds raced past the full moon like tattered ghosts, and the pale moonlight shone upon the river surface, providing enough light for Caspan to navigate by. Huntingdon Hedge was ominously still and silent. Caspan was keen to finish the task and return to the safety of Rivergate. Even his sharp eyes couldn’t see far into the dark wall of trees, and he feared there might be Roon scouts spying on him, their axes and spears poised, ready to throw.

He glanced back at Sara. ‘Do you think we should start here?’

She nodded. ‘We need to create a wide front so that the Roon won’t be able to find a way around the fire. We must be at least a mile from Rivergate. I think that should be far enough.’

‘Are you ready?’

Sara set an arrow to her bowstring. ‘As ready as I’ll ever be.’

Before setting off they’d planned that Sara would watch the woods and provide cover as Caspan steered Frostbite along the winding river and the drake focused on setting the forest alight. Sara had proven herself a competent archer during their training sessions back at the House of Whispers, and Caspan was relieved to have her keeping an eye on his back.

‘Then let’s do it.’ Caspan dug his heels into Frostbite’s flanks, sending the drake upstream.

They flew at a steady pace, wary of presenting an easy target to any Roon in the area, but also cautious of rushing the task and leaving gaps in the wall of fire. Caspan tapped Frostbite twice on the right side of the neck, directing the drake to turn his head towards the river bank but still fly straight ahead. It was one of the first commands Caspan and his friends had mastered during training, and his Warden responded instantly. They had just rounded a bend in the Mooryn and flew along a straight stretch, perfect for creating their deadly wall.

‘Fire!’ Caspan ordered.

Frostbite filled his lungs with a great breath, arched his neck forward and shot a geyser of blue fire from his nostrils, illuminating the river and the neighbouring section of forest in a turquoise light. Patches of snow lay at the bases of the trees and clumped on branches, but it had no effect on the magical fire. Within seconds, a fifty-yard section of the river bank was ablaze. Driven by the strong wind, the fire spread rapidly through the trees, driving deeper into Huntingdon Hedge.

Sara stared grimly at the inferno. ‘It won’t take the Roon long to spot that.’

‘I don’t care if they do, just as long as it stops them from coming anywhere near Rivergate.’ Caspan steered Frostbite into the middle of the river, away from the scorching heat, then commanded the drake to deliver another fiery blast towards the woods.

Up the Mooryn they flew, setting the forest ablaze until the night sky had an eerie, blue glow.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.