The Order of Dragonfire

Chapter 30

"Are we safe?" Aylith asked.

"I believe so." Booker pulled his horse to a stop. The tribe had made little effort to pursue them, apparently safe in the knowledge that their targets would need to return at some point. After putting themselves at a safe distance they had stopped for respite.

"They will already be preparing for our return. We must not wait long." Lucian said.

Alex looked across the group. All had survived, but only just. Blaze's condition didn't seem quite so dire anymore, but a couple of the soldiers and another mage had taken wounds as well. Their injuries weren't healing either. The Order could probably fix that, but not without reaching Serpensbane. It was excruciatingly close but Alex saw no way of reaching it.

"Should we head east?" Alex asked.

"No." Booker said after a moment's thought. "Not immediately, at least. We have to make every effort to return to Serpensbane as soon as we can. If we do not..." He looked over to Blaze and the other wounded who had gathered together besides one of the mages trying, in vain, to heal them. His meaning was obvious.

"I'm not sure what else we can do. We can't climb the mountains here, and I certainly wouldn't advise heading back west..." Aylith murmured, deep in thought. Although they were all trying to plan how to proceed, as far as Alex could see it was a hopeless situation. Though she loathed to admit it, the wisest option was to travel east and try to cross where the Edge opened slightly. It would cost the lives of those who came to save her, and she hated herself for dragging them into this, but it was the sensible course of action.

"We have to fight." She found herself saying, despite herself. She knew, of course, that that was hopeless. But some feeling deep down, be it honour, hope, or just stubbornness, was still insisting that they could get everyone home safe. Well, all of those still left, she thought as she cast an eye over the bundle thrown carelessly over the back of Booker's horse. It was the best that could be done for her under the circumstances.

"And we will. And what's more, we shall win." Booker said, an air of confidence returning to his voice.

"You can't be serious." Aylith said. "And how do you plan to achieve that?"

Booker looked back towards the tribe, hidden behind the faint glow of dragonfire on the horizon.

"Things aren't quite as dire as you think, my friend. We have time to plan, they shan't be following us, and with any luck Serpensbane will know we are here."

It seemed he was right. From what they had seen, the tribe was perfectly content to wait for the Order to approach them. It was probably safer for them to let their prey walk into the snare. Even so, Alex was surprised by their persistence. Dozens of them, at the very least, had been incinerated. Hundreds more must have been wounded or killed. Why not just retreat and let the group pass through on its way? She realised that Thorn wouldn't allow that. He surely cared nothing for their lives, and they knew it. No matter how many died he would want Alex and her friends dead. She didn't know if it was for revenge, to eliminate a threat, or just insanity, but whatever the reason his rage was unparalleled. No, the group could kill hundreds of the attackers and it wouldn't help them one bit. Unless the entire tribe could be destroyed, they remained a threat. The bandits would continue to fight and risk a swift death at the their hands rather than a torturous one at Thorn's.

"Those suppression conduits didn't seem as powerful as the ones they used on you..." Booker mused. "I suppose they took the most powerful ones to control you with, Alex, leaving their friends with a primitive supply."

"I guess so." Alex said, unsure where he was going with this. "Does it matter?"

"Of course. We may still be able to use a little dragonfire and almost certainly won't be incapacitated by them. The soldiers certainly won't be anyway, so as long as we are in a fit state to ride we could go straight through and without being entirely defenceless."