Page 12 of The Ballad of the Last Dragon

Chapter Twelve

I squint against the dirt in my eyes and the pounding in my head. All around me is a great commotion, but I can’t seem to make sense of any of it. Jaromir hovers above me, and relief softens his features when he sees me, even as a trickle of blood trails from his eyebrow. He hauls me up. When I wince, his jaw clenches.

“Are you hurt?” His voice is demanding as he searches with gentle hands to find any injuries.

Everything sharpens into focus.

Cadoc whispers to our horse, running a soothing hand down her back, avoiding the spot where the arrow is still lodged in her side. Aeron holds up his hands in a calming posture, while Neith is alarmingly still.

A group of unfamiliar warriors, heavily armed and armored, block the narrow road. I count seven of them total; three of their group have dismounted and now form a standoff. The trees suddenly feel too close, surrounding our parties on this too-small road. Tension crackles in the air. Swords are drawn. Everyone has a sharp line to their postures.

Everyone except for Aeron and the man standing within arm’s reach of him.

I realize Jaromir is still waiting for an answer.

“Nothing’s broken. I’m just shaken, I think.”

He nods and keeps a firm grip on my wrist, leading me closer to the group and positioning himself in front of me.

From where I’m standing, I can see my lute fully intact on Jaromir’s back, and despite whatever danger lies ahead, a surge of relief rushes through me.

I peer around his broad frame.

“It was an honest mistake,” the man at the head of the group, the leader, I assume, says with a shrug. I can’t detect the details of his face from back here, but his brown hair is cropped close to the scalp, and he stands a full head taller than Aeron. “Bollen over here is our greenest member.” He shakes a man beside him affectionately. “He has shit for aim, but the intent was to get your attention not to hit your horse.”

Aeron’s smile is tight on his face. “Perhaps, in the future, you might select an alternative means for communication.”

The leader grins, sliding his gaze to me with a predatory stare. “Perhaps he was distracted by their performance.”

My cheeks burn, and I clench my hands into fists. That bastard had been watching us while they took their shot and aimed for our horse.

Jaromir’s hand remains on the hilt of his sword as he angles his body to block me even more. “State your purpose.”

The man laughs. “The name’s Danion. And as for my purpose?” He snaps his fingers, and one of his men pulls a rolled-up parchment from his pack. Danion unrolls it and clears his throat. “Wanted: Any who crave adventure, travel, and unimaginable wealth. I, Sir Aeron Fowler, do swear that any and all who wish to join my team will be offered fair compensation, team building exercises, and the chance of a lifetime. We will travel the merchant roads as far as Gilbrock where we will then venture to uncharted terrain in search of a secret cache. Requirements to join my quest include, but are not limited to: courage, loyalty, fighting skills, survival skills, willingness to share with others, and leadership potential. I look forward to meeting you.”

Danion rolls it back up with a sneer, while Aeron looks sick to his stomach. “We all fit your criteria, do we not, Sir Aeron ?”

Cadoc hisses a curse, still tirelessly working to keep our horse calm. “I thought I tore all those notices down. I told you not to state your travel route!”

Aeron winces. “Hindsight, I suppose, is the greatest teacher of all.”

Neith flexes her hand on the hilt of her sword, and Jaromir still hasn’t allowed me to pass him. I lean around him to address their leader.

“You can’t really expect us to believe you want to join up.”

A slow grin creeps across Danion’s face. His gaze darts between Jaromir and me. “Are you part of the compensation? Are we to share you when we grow bored?”

Jaromir yanks his sword from his sheath.

Danion’s eyes flash, eager and hungry for a fight, as he pulls his sword from his belt.

This is the part where I should stay silent, shrink back, and hope Jaromir’s threats are enough to deter this group.

Problem is, that doesn’t sit too well with me, this idle business. It makes me appear an easy target, and in a world such as this, I can’t allow myself to become that.

I scoff and step out from behind the safety of Jaromir’s body. “Is that any way to address whom you hope to work with? We’re going to need a lot more team-building exercises to rectify this rift between us.”

Danion relaxes his stance, keeping his weapon light in his grip. “What would you suggest? I’d hate to ruin this burgeoning relationship.” He grins at Jaromir.

“Well,” I say, “trust is a big issue for us at the moment, and you just shot our horse. Perhaps a show of good faith would be for you to give us one of your horses and be on your way. Perhaps we can agree to meet for a drink in a few days.”

I’m not a fool, what I offer him is shit. But if I can distract him long enough for the others to form a plan, I have to try.

Jaromir reaches for me but I shrug him off. He needs to stop making me a target. Men who crave a fight are gluttonous the moment they find a weakness.

I edge closer, keeping my steps light and unhurried.

Before I know it, I’m standing before Danion. He isn’t so formidable up close. He has a splattering of freckles across the bridge of his slender nose, pale green eyes, and short brown hair. He has the sort of face you’d imagine a lovelorn farmhand might have, one that harbors deep affections for the landowner’s daughter in a romance tale.

But there is something about the sharpness of his gaze, something that speaks of cruelty and malice.

Danion circles the sword in his hand, the metallic rush of every swing sings through the air, blowing the hair back from my face for how close he taunts me.

“I’ve got a better idea,” Danion says. “How’s about we join Sir Aeron ’s crew and take care of this venture ourselves. Think you might be of use to us?” He’s openly leering now, and my skin crawls under his thorough stare.

I glare at him—at his disgustingly arrogant face. Keep the tone light; do not incite violence.

“I’d rather fuck a fire iron.”

Whoops.

Aeron chokes, and Neith lets out a sharp exhale.

But Danion returns my glare. “That can be arranged.”

Aeron clears his throat and steps closer, until he’s right beside me. “I believe we got off on the wrong foot—my fault, of course.” He places a hand over his unarmored chest. Just this morning, I was grateful for his lack of armor, but now the icy grip of panic clenches in my gut. “I penned this flyer when I was without a crew. Now that I have one, I find we’ve become somewhat of a tight unit. I appreciate your interest, but the positions have all been filled.” He gives his dazzling smile, the one that’s all heroic charm. I almost believe his blind optimism. That false bravado and good manners are formidable weapons against steel.

For several heartbeats, no one moves or so much as utters a sound.

Finally, Danion speaks. “A right shame.”

His sword cuts through the air, and I don’t have time to register the impact. I don’t have a chance to cringe or leap out of the way, and yet, I’m falling.

My body hits the earth with a resounding thud, rattling my teeth and sending stars exploding through my vision. My head pounds, and when I place my fingers to the spot, they come away coated with blood. Somehow, I’ve fallen sideways and knocked my head against a large stone.

No. I didn’t just fall. I was pushed.

I glance up, a scream building in my throat.

Aeron stands where I stood not seconds ago, Danion’s sword is embedded through his back, and the bloody tip juts from his chest. He yanks it free with a swift pull, and Aeron sways on his feet before sinking to his knees.

Aeron’s lips are already stained red. A soft expression claims his face, almost one of disbelief as if he doesn’t understand what’s just happened. He slumps forward, and a scream rips from my throat.

I crawl to him, ignoring the clashing of steel and the shouts of pain. Arrows whistle through the air, and a responding groan sounds before the heavy thump of a body hitting the earth. But I refuse to look. Instead, I turn Aeron over so he can face the sky, and I can see the light remaining in his blue eyes. They’re growing hazier by the second. The fight continues, and I can’t find it in me to care. Everything narrows to this moment.

“Aeron,” I murmur, “stay with me.”

His lungs rattle with each wet inhale, and his fingers twitch at his side. Without thought, I grab his hand and press it against my cheek.

“Neith.” Blood spurts from his lips, and a crushing despair presses in my chest.

He is dying. He is going to die. What do I do? How can I stop this?

I can’t.

I can’t.

“Neith,” he repeats. “Neith… I need…”

“Neith!” Her name screeches through my lips.

“Home…” A tear escapes the corner of Aeron’s eye, trailing down his temple and carving a path through the dirt on his skin. “Wanna go home.” His eyes are losing focus, and I squeeze his hand as if I can hold on to his spirit just a little longer. He’s looking past me now, and a soft smile curves his bloody mouth. “Neith,” he breathes.

It is his last word. His last breath, and the last time I see life in those eyes before they usher in the void of death.

There’s a sharp inhale above me. I glance up to find Neith fisting a hand in her hair as she backs away.

I place Aeron’s hand against his chest as gently as I can before I raise onto unsteady feet. All around us is a massacre. Bloodied bodies decorate the road, and utter stillness fills the air. Cadoc leans heavily against a tree, his nose bleeding and his face crumpled in pain as he regards Aeron’s corpse.

Jaromir stands nearby, chest heaving and face painted with blood. I can already tell, it isn’t his own. Our gazes meet, and his stare thoroughly assesses me head to toe before finding my eyes again. There’s a flicker of something. Relief? Longing? But it’s smothered when he drops his attention to where Aeron lies entirely too still.

The words come to me again, the ones I thought of but never wrote down.

For where stories end, they begin anew

So instead of farewell, I’ll say to you

Until we meet again.