Dragonborn

Chapter 17 ~ The Swallow

As she awoke, Akila tried shifting into a more comfortable position. Charred building wasn't the most comfortable thing to lay on. Unfortunately for her, she'd forgotten about the giant stab wound she had going through her stomach. Blinding pain made her world spin. She would have already fainted if she didn't have a reason to stay conscious, Gwendolyn.

The poor girl was probably scared out of her wits, and she was blinking her eyes open. When she saw Akila she turned and yelled, "The demon's hurt. We can run Fallon!"

When no one responded, she called again, "Fallon?"

Her crystalline blue eyes filled with tears before she marched over to Akila with a stick, "Tell me what you've done to him or I swear I-I'll hurt you." The girl was trying her best to be courageous, but her hands were trembling.

Akila didn't have enough energy to open her mouth.

"Answer me!" Gwendolyn wailed.

After a moment of silence the little girl brought the charred stick nearer. Instinct kicking in, Akila turned her head and growled. "I didn't do anything!" Her statement was followed by a flare of her red eyes.

Gwendolyn immediately dropped the stick and started trembling violently. "D-d-d-don't hurt me. Please..." Tears were flowing freely down her cheeks, soaking her delicate pink lips.

"I don't have enough energy to tell the story twice." Akila bit out. "Just wait for my friends."

"I don't want to go with your friends." Gwendolyn complained.

She didn't have it in her to say anything other than, "Trust me."

It seemed like forever before she saw the other knights in the sky. The sight of them was enough to convince her to plough through the pain just a little while longer.

Not only did the fact that her intestines were probably pouring out bother her, but the knowledge that some deadly poison was looking for a way through her defenses, probably to corrupt her soul.

An eternity later, Gavin was the first to land and change into human form. "Akila!" He rushed over to her side.

Gwendolyn simply stood and marveled at the dragons.

He was reaching for Akila's wound to inspect it, but Moon swatted his hand away. "Don't."

Akila looked between the six that had approached her. She lived a year in a second and took every ounce of energy she could muster the word:

"Help."

~

Akila awoke in her room. She was surprised to find her wrists unbound. She looked around to find one other person. "Gwendolyn." She called weakly.

The girl looked up. Pain was evident on her face. "What do you want, demon?" She rasped.

Akila winced at the title, a movement that brought on immeasurable amounts of pain.

"I'm only here until I know what happened to brother. Then I'm going to go back h-" The girl cut off the word. Akila sensed there was more to the story than Gwen, as Fallon has called her, let on.