The Final Storm (Part 3)

A Narrow Escape

“Aidan!” both Ralem and Jaydon yelled simultaneously

To their left, the window exploded, sending razor sharp shards of glass spraying everywhere. In reflex, Jaydon jumped in front of the old man and his wife, his arms spread like wings. He bit his lip as he felt several jagged edges dig their teeth into his skin.

Oof! The breath was knocked out of Ralem as something heavy crashed into him, mowing him into the glass-strewn floor. Ralem yelled as something scrabbled on his chest, his fist connecting to something solid. The beast recoiled and struck like a cobra at his forearm, digging its canines deep into the muscle.

Jaydon bit back a yell as the echo of the pain reached him. Thinking quick, he ushered the man and his wife into the nearest room, as far away as he could from the roiling cat and Rider. “Stay here,” he urged, pointing to under the bed. “We’ll protect you.”

The old woman quickly slid under the bed but the old farmer jogged to the other side of the room, where a sword hung over the mantel. It was beautifully intricate, definitely a heirloom in the family. The farmer handed it reverently to Jaydon just as he felt a shockwave of pain shudder through his shoulder.

Creaak. The knob to the door creaked as it slowly revolved. Jaydon was immediately at the door, slamming his weight against it to keep it closed. He glared hard at the farmer as his muck boots slid across the wooden floor. “Hide!” The farmer didn’t argue. He wormed under the bed, where he put a reassuring arm around his shaky wife. Even with all the noise, Jaydon could hear the calming words of the Lord’s Prayer whispered under the bed.

“I know you’re in there,” a voice whispered, deadly and terrifying. The door opened a fraction of an inch, just enough to let three long black claws slide through to scratch at the door frame. Jaydon grunted under the pressure, sweat beading on his forehead. His grooved soles managed to catch a raised wooden board but his other boot was fighting to find friction. He was sliding.

Jaydon- where are you? Ralem’s voice cried in his mind.

Just a second longer, he thought to himself, pulling all his might into it. The door groaned under the pressure, the wood snapping as it started to splinter. Jaydon smiled as he felt it shove harder, feel the power separated only by a thin strand of wood.

He jumped back.

The cat burst into the room, nearly severing the door from its hinges. A huge head emerged, followed quickly by a heaving muscular chest and clawed hands spread to catch the dragon up like a net. Jaydon had landed with a clatter on the nightstand. Now he threw himself at the beast, his talons forming even as he shot through the air. Using the cat’s momentum against him, Jaydon delivered a punch that sent the creature’s brain reeling and his body crashing back to the hallway, where Ralem was still in an intense wrestling match with a big black one.

Jaydon landed on his feet and tossed the sword to his Rider. “Catch!” The flame-haired one that had attacked him shook his head drunkenly. Seeing his advantage, the dragon bashed the cat in the head again and again and again. His fists moved like a blur and the cat backpedaled slowly, a confused look on its brutish face.

On the floor, Ralem had deftly caught the sword in his good hand. The cat snatched for it, but his mouth was met with steel. “Take that!” Ralem grunted as it bit down on the blade. “Wait, oh no!” It jerked its head, trying to get the weapon out of Ralem’s grasp. Realizing that fighting was futile, Ralem went with the motion, effectively driving the blade into the cat’s cheeks and gums. Screaming, the cat drew its bloody head away from the Rider, giving him enough time to scramble to his feet. Avoid the teeth, claws, and paws, he reminded himself. Frantically, he ran through every training lesson he had with Lauri. What’s their weak spot? Aha! He remembered Lauri saying, If you can, go for the heart. The second best place is the eye and the neck. But when you’re actually face to face with one of those suckers… just stick the blade wherever it will go!