Lost Rider- Book 2

Twelve

Maylanth is in the picture (imagine his body a darker shade, but his eyes are perfect!)

As the sun began to rise, Ronyo trotted around the cave. Magnum, and the other horses, stood near the entrance. Rhaegos stirred, grumbling in his sleep. And, Heshni returned from a morning flight.

At the back of the cave, Lorelie still sat, casting her magic over her friend. Ky was spreading the ashes of the fire. Upon hearing a noise outside, he abandoned his task, and went to investigate.

He wandered outside, peering around. Without Ky's knowledge, a bandit landed behind him. When he finally became aware that someone was behind him, Ky turned, only to be kicked in the jaw. He stumbled back, eventually falling to the ground unconscious.

With a mighty roar, Rhaegos jumped on the mountain bandit, surprising him, for the bandit had no idea that the dragon had been inside the cave. More mountain bandits came from ledges above the cave entrance. Harold jumped into action, he had no time to grab his own sword, as he had left it near Rhaegos, so he pulled Lorelie's sword from its sheath at her waist.

Her red eyes were still wide open, but Lorelie didn't see anything that was happening in front of her. The spell was nearly finished, and she had just reached the part which required less concentration.

Somehow, one bandit went unnoticed by Rhaegos and the mercenaries. He made his way to the back of the cave, thinking he'd find something to steal. Instead, he found Lorelie and Maylanth, and automatically presumed that the dragon-rider was a witch, and she was doing something strange to an innocent being.

Unlike mercenaries, bandits were heartless they killed who they liked, and stole what they could. They very rarely worked in groups, and this particular bandit cared not if he killed an innocent being and a witch.

Without hesitation, the mountain bandit drove his small blade into Maylanth's back. Maylanth screamed in pain, tears streamed from his eyes, but he refused to move. Upon hearing his scream, Lorelie snapped out of her trance, and immediately sprung into action.

Barely making it off the ground, she leaped forward, pulled the sword from her friend's back, she did a front-flip which then turned into a front-roll, before swiping at the bandits legs. He fell on his back with a cry of surprise, and had no time to think before Lorelie impaled him through the chest.

"Ky!" Lorelie yelled to her friend. Ky was slowly getting up, shaking his head to rid himself of the dizziness. He managed to grab his hunting knife, and walk quickly over to the dragon-rider.

Without warning, a large chain was swung down, thudding on the earth in between them. Three of the bandits had thrown the chains over Rhaegos, tying him down, and grounding him. While the fourth, made sure Lorelie and Ky were occupied enough that they couldn't get to the dragon.

"Since when did Mountain Bandits have Kendöra chains" Ky exclaimed, not really expecting an answer. Kendöra chains were an ancient weapon, built specifically to tie dragons down.

The mountain bandit withdrew the chain, and then swung it at them horizontally. Ky ducked below the chain, while Lorelie wasn't so lucky. With a grunt of pain, she dropped the sword she had been using, and flew across the cave.

She hit her back against the cave wall, before tumbling to the ground. Where she proceeded to roll uncontrollably, until she rolled off the ledge. Ky was too busy fighting too notice his companion's misfortune, until the chain whacked him across the back, and he fell to his knees.

Fortunately, Lorelie had not completely fallen. She gripped the edge of the ledge tightly, a grunt left her lips, as she attempted to find somewhere to put her feet. Pulling herself up, the ginger immediately noticed Rhaegos's position.

With his jaws encased in chains, his wings weighed down by boulders, and his tail wrapped in the chains. Lorelie's gaze then moved to the back of the cave, where Maylanth was screaming in agony, as the spell had not been completed.

"Well, well. Looks like there's no big dragon to save you now" said a mountain bandit, he stood in front of Lorelie, the toes of his boots millimetres away from the dragon-rider's long fingernails.

Making an annoyed sound, the bandit kicked at her shoulder. One of her hands let go of the ledge, while she still clung to it with the other. And that was a problem, because she was hanging from her injured arm. Gasping in pain, her grip began to slip.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken" Lorelie muttered, a confused expression twisted itself onto the bandit's face. Lorelie smirked.

She knew that she could not hold on with her other hand again, for the bandit would kick it off again. She had but one choice. She let go. And, as she let go, she released a bolt of magic from her hand. And that magic, travelled across the cave, and infused itself into Maylanth.

"No!" Harold shouted, but he could not save her, because a chain was wrapped around his body. A great roar split the air, and the mountain bandit who had 'killed' Lorelie, screamed as a violet dragon dove for him.

But, the dragon had no interest in the bandit, for he dove straight off the edge. To save his friend. He strained his wings, and relished the feeling of the wind brushing against his scales and feathers once more.

After a few moments, Ky and Harold begun to lose hope. But, Rhaegos still knew Maylanth and Lorelie would make it.

"Ha! He fled! Coward!" The bandit shouted, laughing and jeering with his companions. As if his words were a signal, a rush of purple flew upwards past the entrance. Before Maylanth flipped, and dived into the cave. And, upon his back, sat Lorelie.

Lorelie let loose a battle cry as Maylanth released a roar of fury. And that was the end of those bandits.