WREN Book Three Prince of Dragons

Deception

Cordgi had already blunted his blade with a magic shield. It would no more hurt any one than a club would. He held the sword in one hand as he shifted beside me. The staff in my hand would remain as such, for here I had no need of the weapons within it.

The warm right hand of the man who had stolen my real heart, touched my shoulder. His left hand was raised above his head. The sword held up catching the flickering fire light around the top of the walls. His foot hit my thigh. I braced to take his weight. It was slight, yet enough from him to rise fully above my head.

Dodging back, I moved out of the way of his feet. They came down to puff up the sand before me. As he landed, I saw the opponent he had chosen. Slightly shocked, I stared as Attroxia, greeted the rider who had fallen out of the sky to engage him. The sword would be useless against the smoke dragon.

"Zyn, now!" Cordgi cried.

What did he want me to do? I looked at his chiseled back as his hand cut through the smoke of the dragon. Water blossomed within the smoky mist. Ah, yes. I laughed as my breath blew out over Cordgi's body. The water he was infusing with he air dragon became ice. It froze the mist in place.

"Not fair!" Attroxia cried solidifying most of his body to glare at me.

Wics chuckled as his weight landed on my shoulders.

"What you thought this was going to be fair? You're fighting my brother!" He teased his boyfriend.

With a roar that echoed that of any dragon, I flung myself forward. "Find a way to thaw it, dumbass!" I cried to Attroxia.

"Trox!" Bran yelled as the four of us surrounded him.

I knew even as we did so, that we could very well be at his mercy. Bran was a born fighter. His fever for it was all too real. That look in his eye, they way he tried to make himself appear smaller. All of it was a ploy. He wanted us to go soft on him since we were many.

"Not gonna happen!" I screamed as a whirlwind spun around me.

I dodged around Neffy's back. Bran's eyes crossed as he tried to keep my movement, as well as the whirlwind in place. Water broke through the wind pelting sting icy shards at the teen. I burst forth the staff tangling with Bran's legs. He cried out as he fell into my fist.

His head snapped back as he fell onto his back. I stood above him looking down. There it was, the fire I knew the air rider to posses. He was pissed now! I laughed. Flipping backward I quickly changed places with Wics. The Earth dragon managed to land only one hit before the sand was blowing over him, obscuring his sight.

Yanking him from the storm, we turned together. Attroxia had managed to free his leg, which was what I had encased in ice. He was now snapping his dragon teeth at Neffy, who was chuckling as he swiped at him with his claws. A flashed zapped before my eyes.

Suddenly I wasn't in the fight. Neffy was fighting before me, but it wasn't Attroxia he was going against. A bruise and battered body lay between his back legs. He was protecting the lifeless form of his Nuare. A wall of fire rose around the pair. The smoke cutting off my eyesight. I couldn't breath as I chocked upon it. No! I couldn't...

As suddenly as it came, the vision vanished. I gasped clutching at my chest. Neffy was still taunting Attroxia, Cordgi was at his side. The way his body rippled in the fire light. I turned to see Bran facing off with Wics. My small brother was doing all he could to combat the wind and the sand.

I knew I would have to lose them, have to let them go at some point. There wasn't a guarantee we would all survive this. But I knew, as I stood there in this mock fight that I would do anything to save those within these walls. These were the people I was fighting for. The friendships I had forged, the life I wished to have when this was over with.