WREN Book Three Prince of Dragons

Danmarkens

Papie froze for a second, then Xixi twittered fluffing his wings on my shoulder. Ammedidon's eyes flew up to lock with mine. Yeah, I heard it. More footfalls. Since Greyson and Shea joined us we had sort of merged back into a group in the center of the tunnels. I turned once more.

But I was too slow. The polar bear stood, in man, form blocking the cave. The wolf growled at his side. Dyami held his weapon tightly in one hand, the other rested on Wics' head. He turned to look at me.

"Its too tight for the dragons to transform." Dyami called.

"Get outta here, Zyn." Greyson snarled.

Shea turned his muzzle toward me. I saw the worried look in his eye. Then his voice reached me. It had been a long, too long, a time since he had reached out to me first this way.

'They want you, go we can hold them off.' I felt his fear for me underlying those words.

"No." I told him glaring into his dark eyes.

"I will always have your back, dad." I insisted swinging the staff up into my hands.

I sensed, rather than saw, Cordgi set his stance at my side. The water sword flamed into existence. Smoke curled around us as Attroxia sought to hide how many there were. Bran stood with his back pressed to his brother. Tanwen and Tempest mirrored them a few feet away. Xixi flew up to land on Shea's head. His nose twitched.

"Less, there are." He called out.

Malvent shifted near my feet. She turned her silver eyes up to me. "Don't worry, we can take them." She grinned.

"Even if one was suppose to be your Nuare?" Cordgi asked her.

"Suppose to be, but never was. She tried to hurt Zyn!" Mal's voice was edged in fury.

Her small cute pixie like form shifted. She didn't change into a dragon. Instead she grew to be close to Tanwen's height. For some reason, she stopped about a head shorter than my Nuare. Her eyes were fierce as they locked onto the tunnel we were all facing.

'I think they may have stopped. I can smell them, but can't hear any movement.' I caught the words as the others tried to communicate silently.

Right, only two were royals. They would have to send their communications through them. Unlike me, who chose to keep everyone in my party connected, they didn't. It was an awkward way of communicating. Also, it was one that was easily tapped into.

'We await you!' I told them.

I heard a footstep stutter. 'How can he do that?' Troupe demanded.

'He is a royal.' A voice I had never heard answered.

'No, Mongar, he is our prince.' These two voices appeared to be unlinked with the rest.

'Prince, if we break our ties, will you spare our lives?' the odd voice asked me.

'That depends. Show me your true intentions.' I demanded.

'It was worth a shot!" Mongar laughed.

Just then, the hackles on Shea's back bristled. He hunched lower reading to pounce. All his muscles were tense. The large man beside him swung a short sword in one hand. He held a club in the other. Why would a bear need a shield? I shook my head.

Then again, I didn't fight with one either. Was that because of them? I didn't have time to figure that out. Suddenly, Xixi flew up to the celling. His small bat wings beat at the air as he squealed. At first I didn't catch what it was he was saying.

"Around, around, more come! Behind, men of Castle." Xixi shouted. There came a low rumbling thumping sound.

I turned to see Ammedidon beside Papie. The stout gobbling like creature was pounding his long flat foot on the floor. Ammedidon looked towards me.