The League of Dragon Riders: Fight or Flight (book 2)

Drake

I gasped as we neared the towering stone walls of the city. I've heard that the lost cities of old were magnificent but this...you could only get over those walls if you flew over.

"I've never seen walls so big..." I muttered.

"Not have I," Felix said as we neared the gate. We had our hoods pulled low over our eyes.

"Halt!" A rough voice said. I looked over to find a hooded man leaning against stone wall. We stopped and waited for him to speak again.

"Who goes there?" He asked. I could hear the smile on his voice as he brought out a dagger. Felix's hand went instinctively to his sword.

"What's it to you?" Felix called out.

"Everything. See," the man said as he stepped away from the wall. He tilted his head as he came near us, "I run this here door. No one passes by it without paying me."

"Are you working with DeNeigh?" I asked. The man through his head back and laughed.

"That fool? Never."

"Then we owe you nothing for our passage," I said simply as we started forward.

"You think it would be that easy?" The man asked as he stepped in front of us.

"Please move. We are kind of in a hurry," Felix said flatly. He didn't seem to care that the man was pointing a dagger at him. Well, I didn't even care so...

"Not without my money," the man said and raised his dagger. Felix laughed as he jumped off his horse and pulled out his sword.

"Come and take it then," Felix challenged as he raised his sword. The man paled at the sight of it. Sure, we didn't look like much with our raggy clothes and itchy black cloaks. But Felix's sword looked nothing like something only a commoner would have. It was shiny and sharp without a spot of rust.

"Where'd you get that?" The man asked with awe in his voice.

"Doesn't matter. Are you going to let us free or shall we fight?" Felix asked, growing impatient by the minute.

"I know that sword."

"I don't care. Like I said before," Felix said though his eyes had narrowed in curiosity. His sword had belonged to his father, "we are in a hurry."

The man sighed and stepped aside. Probably doesn't have much people who stand up to him.

"Thank you," I said as we passed by him. He grumbled something under his breath.

"We should probably watch out for him," I told Felix, "he seemed very interested in your sword."

"He won't get close enough to touch it," Felix said though he did keep his hand on the hilt of his sword even after we left our horses at the stables and began making our way through the crowded streets. The sword was the only thing he had of his father's after his home was burned down last year.

We passed by shops and inns and, actually, quite a few angry people. I bumped into some people and they yelled profanity at me. There were these group of kids running around in dirty clothes that bumped into a cart of apples, spilling the fruit all over the muddy ground. The man running the cart chased the poor kids away while several other people took the apples that had been lying in the street and ran. This one kid even snatched Felix's coin sack right off his belt. Felix chased after him and it took him a good five minutes to take it back. Being the kind man he was, however, he gave the boy one gold coin.

"Why'd we come here again?" Felix added angrily. He was slightly it of breath and I had to laugh at him.

"Did the little kid beat you?" I asked him. He glared at be before turning around.

"Did you-" I turned to ask him again when a rough had came over my mouth. I struggled as a strong arm wrapped around me, barricading my arms to my side.

"Come now," a voice, a familiar voice that I couldn't quite place, said, "or I'll break her neck."

"Think you can do that before I cut you down?" Felix asked.

"I know I can," the voice was from the man at the wall, "come with me."

He started to back up, dragging me with him. There were people around us though none of them glanced in our direction. This must happen often, I thought as I was brought through a doorway and thrown to the floor. Felix stepped between me and the man with his sword drawn.

"Put that sword down, Felix," the man said roughly.

"Um," Felix narrowed is eyes at the man. I stood and frowned, "how do you know my name?"

"Simple," the man said, "I knew your father. That was his. There's no other like it."

"What do you want?" I demanded.

"I'm the one who told your friend to tell you to come here," he said, "DeNeigh would like to speak with you."

"You said he was a fool," Felix said.

"He is," the man said while rolling his eyes, "however, I'm still his servant."

"Take us to him," Felix said. I nodded and took the chance to glance across the room we were shoved in. There was a table that the man was leaned against. His hood was gone and his cheeks looked hollow and his hair was dark. His dull brown eyes were fixed on Felix. There were chairs around the table and a door way leading elsewhere. There was also a staircase directly behind me. The walls and floors were bare.

"Why didn't you just tell us at the gate?" Felix asked.

"I needed to be sure of who you were," the man shrugged.

"Well, when are you going to take us?" I asked. The man looked at me for a second.

"You're her. The last pure dragon leader," his voice was filled with an odd type of respect.

"Yes," I said sharply and squared my shoulders, "are you going to bring us to him or not?"

"Certainly," he said as he headed towards the doorway behind him, "there's a secret passage to the castle. Best you weren't seen with me."

"Why?" Felix asked.

"The man who likes to steal money at the gate has friends? No one would like that."

"Thank you," I told him as he led us into a kitchen. He led us through another doorway and into a bedroom. One that was rarely used by the look of it. There was a tall wardrobe standing in the corner.

"Through there," he said as he left the bedroom and shut the door behind him.

"Through the wardrobe we go," Felix muttered as he opened the wardrobe door. We stepped into it and started moving past the heavy coats. I made sure to shut the door behind me.

Big mistake. It left is in complete darkness.