The Cursed Dragon

Chapter 5: Attack

Hello lovely readers. Thanks so much for being here. Hope you enjoy this update.

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Purple magic crackled in tiny lightning fissures across the canvas of the tent behind them disintegrating it within seconds.

"DRAGONS!" Ned yelled out the warning, still covering Airne's body with his own. He turned and spun out to the side to face their attackers.

Another spell rocketed their way. Ned flung his arms upwards and the grass by their feet grew into a thick wall creating a temporary barrier between them and the enemy.

"You have to find your brother!" Ned yelled, using his strength and power to hold up the already smoking wall. "Warn him, get out of here."

"You're faster Ned, you go. I'll hold them off here."

"Airne-" Ned started to protest.

"Go!" she shouted as another Dragon blooded came around the corner and started to attack.  With swing of her arm a blast of wind sent the smaller Dragon flying backwards into a rock where he landed motionless. 

Airne turned her attention back to Ned.

"I've got this I promise."

Ned's lips thinned into a tight line.

"I'll come back for you."

"I know you will," she offered him a smile as the wall he made started to crack. With direct and clean movements she lifted a new barrier just as high as his original one. "Go Ned, please trust me."

"I do."

She saw how hard it was for him to leave, and loved him all the more for it, for the fact that he trusted her to stand on her own enough to leave her and save Arrow. There was nothing that Ned wouldn't do for her brother and right now getting the leader of the Phoenix to safety that was what mattered most.

"Come out, come out little birdy," the Dragon who had shot the initial missile leapt up on to the top of the wall and stared down at her. In his left hand was a polished sphere of Red Sunstone she saw the power crackle around it and grow as he lifted his right hand to attack.

Without thinking she let out a blast at the hand holding the stone rather than defending herself. Her instinct going for the source of power.

The Dragon screamed as his hand fell to the ground several feet away, still holding the stone within its ridged fingers. With a second strike Airne threw him backwards and then turned and ran. 

There was a time for standing and fighting and there was a time for running. She was a good fighter, but right now she was outnumbered and while she knew Ned would do whatever it took to save her bother a part of her also screamed to make sure that her older sibling was okay.She needed to make sure Arrow was safe.

"Airne," Tyler's voice yelled from the side.

"Tyler!" her feet changed course running towards him at full tilt.

"Where's Arrow?"

"Your brother went to warn him."

A blast of magic exploded between them and both went flying backwards landing hard on their backs on the grass. Ears ringing Airne shook her head and rolled to the side quickly her training kicking in: Never lay in the same spot you fell.

A Dragon landed feet first where she had been laying and she lashed an arm at his legs out toppling him to the ground. Jumping up she cocked her hand back and smashed a fist into his face. 

The Man snarled at her and grabbed her flipping her over so that she was beneath him. Before she could try and buck him off Tyler was there throwing the Dragon blooded off her  with his preternatural strength.

"Are you okay?" he offered a hand down.

"Fine," she stood and they faced off against the Dragon blooded who was joined by two of his fellow soldiers. They wore their house colors on their chests. Men who served the house of Skylaan, green and navy blue. Dark colors for a dark house.

"How the hell did they find us here?" Tyler asked.

"I don't know." It didn't make any sense, this camp was supposed to be safe. The dragon blooded fanned out to cover as much ground as possible. Airne looked at the three men and made her choice. The one in the center was the leader. If she could take him out.

"Which one?"

"Right," Airne answered. If Tyler could keep the one to the right focused she could attack the one in the center and hopefully defend against the one on the left.

She dropped down to her knees and Tyler did the same. Both hands on the ground, she spoke to herself silently and then she opened up her mind and let nature in.

It was not the dirt or stone that Phoenix's drew their power from it was nature. Plants that drew energy from the earth. Plants that nurtured fire and were in turn nurtured by the ash that fire left behind. It was a beautiful, perfect, never ending cycle.

Roots lifted from the ground ensnaring the Dragonblooded to the left while Airne stood and struck out with both lands sending fire from her fingertips towards the leader of the trio.

To her right Tyler was fighting hand to hand with the Dragon blooded there. The first Dragon struggled as the roots tightened and his grunts turned to screams as they constricted to the point of breaking.

His scream stopped her, shook her. She did not want to be a killer. She had never killed anyone. Airne halted the growth with a wave of her hand, her hesitation costing her the upper hand and the leader turned on Tyler just as Tyler threw his enemy to the ground the leader grabbed him.

"NO!" Airne screamed.

"Surrender," the dragon blooded snarled at her.

"Airne run!"  Tyler elbowed the dragon and the dragon let out a cry and then Tyler went limp falling to the ground as a cloud of green gas forced its way like a sentient being up through his nostrils.

"TYLER!"

They had killed him.

Tyler...

Airne turned and saw the Viper responsible. He was tall, taller than most Dragon's and thinner, with thick grey hair hanging in little waves around his face.  His nose was crooked from being broken in several places and unlike many other dragons she had heard of he didn't bother trying to glamor the flaw away.

"You bastard!" she screamed and her eyes began to glow. Fire engulfed her and she lashed out at the leader.

The viper stepped forward and lifted a garnet clad arm blocking her flames easily.

"You are no match for the power of Abeloth little bird," his voice had a gravely almost wheezing quality to it.

"You killed him!"

"Hardly," the Viper smiled and his pale sickly blue eyes flickered up for a second. It was enough of a warming for Airne to jump back, not enough warning for her to escape the metal bindings that wrapped around her immobilizing her completely.

She struggled and the binds sprouted barbs so that even the slightest movement cut into her skin making her bleed and she did struggle, against her better judgement, against logic, she struggled trying to break free, until her own bonds tightened to the point that she felt them groan on the verge of breaking.

She let out a scream and a rib cracked knocking the wind out of her and stilling her movements.

The viper came and stood over her. He touched her face and she pulled her head back away from the touch only have the restraints tighten further. She couldn't breathe.

"Take this one and put her with the others. Abeloth will decide their fate."

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Just a short chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it, if you did please leave some love.