"Give me the dragon," the man repeated icily. Areyna backed up further and shook her head. Behind her, Peter raised his bow.
"I think not," the man said.
"Who are you?" Areyna stuttered. She tripped and fell into the ashes. Her hand, thrown out at the last second to catch her fall, struck something hard. Without giving any indication she was doing anything she picked it up. Tears hazed her vision. This was her father's old rusty sword. This was her house. So the skeletons were… She didn't want to think of that now.
Meanwhile the little dragon stepped closer. Confidence and curiosity coursed through Areyna's body, though she herself felt nothing but raw fear. Peter aimed his bow and fired. Before Areyna could look away, she saw the man catch the arrow and snap the wood with a loud crack. She winced.
Suddenly the word Shade crossed her mind. She wondered where it had come from. Searing pain stabbed at her skull. She tried to fight it off and failed. Where was this coming from?
The man, no the Shade, she corrected herself, muttered a few barely intelligible words. Peter was thrown off of his feet and into a nearby tree. Areyna couldn't watch. He was the last family she had left.
Suddenly she felt a stab of bravery. In one smooth movement she leaped to her feet, swinging the sword with all of her might. It cut deeply into the Shade's side. Blood poured onto the ground in a scarlet waterfall. Groaning hideously, he collapsed.
Areyna didn't wait to see what happened next. She spun on her heel and sprinted away from the terrible scene, calling for Peter.
Besides hands mangled and bloody from catching a tree branch, Peter was fine. Together they mounted Midnight, their horse that had miraculously survived the blaze. Areyna dug her heels into his side. He was off like a shot.
Areyna's family hadn't lived far from the next town, Teirm. The past tense sent an icy chill down her spine. There they would purchase supplies.
Peter swore he wasn't surprised to find the town crawling with soldiers from the Empire but they seemed to scare him nonetheless. They sat atop regal mounts in perfectly polished armor, images of death and destruction.
"Where are we going?" he asked after buying some gloves to protect his hands while they healed.
"To the Varden," Areyna answered in hushed tones. She had heard stories of the new rider from there. If they could find him, he could teach them everything they needed to know. Maybe they could even help fight the empire. When she expressed this thought to Peter his eyes lit up.
"Sure," he said animatedly, "anything to defeat those soulless monsters."
The dragon stirred from inside the saddle pouch. Just their luck, one of the Empire soldiers noticed and trotted over to their horse. Areyna touched her sword instinctively.
"What's that?" he asked, suspicion tainting his voice.
"N…nothing," Areyna stammered, then cursed herself for being so foolish. Before she could stop him, the soldier used the edge of his sword to lift the flap. He gasped when he saw what was inside.
"A dra…" He never got to finish his sentence. A gurgled cry escaped his lips as Areyna bashed his uncovered head with the side of her blade. Peter stepped over the unconscious man and ended his misery.
"Nobody can find out about this, unless we want to die," he said in response to Areyna's horror.
Another guard was coming to investigate the cries. They'd been lucky nobody had seen the first one go down.
"Get on, quick!" Areyna shouted, swinging a leg over the saddle. A hard kick urged Midnight on.
"Close the gate!" the guard screeched. The heavy gate scraped against the ground as the guards pulled it closed. If it closed all the way, there was no hope of escape. Through her teeth, Areyna cursed. She leaned close to Midnight's neck, hot from the heat of the day.
"Come on!" she urged. It seemed like the gate was getting farther away instead of closer. Midnight put on a burst of speed. It was going to be tight…
"Whew!" Areyna cheered as Midnight's flank brushed the closing doors. She squeezed her eyes shut as they passed. Her one distinctive quality was her eyes. One was forest green, the other violet. She was sure people would be searching for her.
I hope that was good, especially the action part. If it wasn't I promise it will get better. I'm also trying to think of a name for the dragon (it's male) so suggestions would be awesome.
I'll try to update soon but I'm really busy with school and gymnastics so it might be awhile.
