The Nine (Blood and Fire)

Chapter Three

The arrows flew, thudding into the trees around us. Wood splintered. Small shards of tree and bark fly through the air.

"Ok, there are four archers... I'll handle them," I said, quickly ducking to get behind a tree. I looked at the dragon beside me.

I drew a bow off my back, knocking an arrow. Drawing back the string I focused. My breathing slowed. I fired, a soft yelp and a thud followed suit. I drew another arrow back, but this time a blast of pure gold light shot out. It incinerated everything in its path. My bow ashes in my hand.

"A Lightbringer..." I heard Eregorn say from behind the tree beside me.

"A what?" I asked Eregorn.

"Yeah, They use light to smite the unholy abominations that they consider elves. They butcher them at the Gate of the Kastle." Eregorn said, "We shouldn't underestimate them. Even if they are humans."

I heard yelling on the human's side of the battlefield. I rolled on the ground, skulking through the bushes and weeds of the forest floor. I drew a dagger, the blade made a slight ringing noise as I pulled it from its sheathe.

"Where's the Zaadian at...?" One of the humans said above me. The man wore shiny silver armor, his sword held in front of him. I ran towards him, as quick as lightning. My blade cut through his shin easily and quickly. He fell to the ground, I plunged the dagger through his chest and threw him to the side. The humans focusing now on where the soldier disappeared. Their arrows flew at me.

As I snuck forward, an arrow landed. Nailing me in the shoulder, I stumbled backward.

"I hit it! I hit it!" I heard one of the soldiers yell.

I threw the dagger, and a thud sounded through the forest, silencing the human's joyous yells. As I got up a hand grabbed me by the top of my tunic. I was lifted off the ground, my toes leaving the ground.

"What have we got here?" A man looked into my eyes. He was taller than me but was most certainly a human. He had dark skin, and golden eyes that seemed to pierce my soul. "We've tracked your friend for a while. We found him suspicious... Thought he had something to do with you wretches." He looked around, scanning the forest.

Where was Eregorn? I looked around the forest, not seeing the dragon. "What... Do you w-want, L-Lightbringer?" I said struggling from being lifted from the ground.

A deep laugh sounded from him, "You are a Zaadian. A kind of elf." He said the last word as if it was a kind of rodent, "You'll be hung at the Gate."

It was my turn to laugh now, "I'm not just any ordinary Zaadian."

He looked at my face, looking into my eyes. His golden eyes widened, in both a look of fear and surprise. "Sevewrynn the Third... I was wrong, you won't be hung. You'll be executed, publicly."

Behind him, I saw one of the soldiers fall, an arrow in his chest. The other humans started yelling. "My friend is still here..." I said smiling at the Lightbringer.

An arrow shot into the paladin's back. By instinct, he dropped me. He sent out a beam of light in the direction of the arrow. He turned back to me. "You aren't going anywhere."

I drew my broken sword from my side and slashed it up at him. The blow struck his hand, blood dripping from the wound. I rolled behind a tree, hiding behind it, as I heard his light charging in his hand.

I quickly pulled a dagger from my side. I ran from the tree and threw the dagger, it slammed into his shoulder. Eregorn ran beside, "What do we do?"

"We run."