Starsky Academy

27.

WARNING BEFOREHAND: PLEASE READ!

This chapter will contain some mild gore - it is a battle after all - so if you get queasy at that kind of thing I suggest you don't read. There's no extreme violence or anything, so don't worry, but there will be some blood and violence. Also this is a longer chapter than usual, so enjoy! But some important things do happen in this chapter so if you skip it, at least read the end :P

I heard nothing but the ringing in my ears at first.

It took me a second to adjust as it seemed that bodies were moving everywhere; some being thrown around the room, others spinning and trying to strike at anything they could.

Suddenly, I was jerked back into reality as I felt something crash into me. I grunted, locking eyes with a girl who looked older than I, and was wearing a dusty black robe. I gritted my teeth, seeing the knife she drew, and swung my head up to meet hers. She moaned in pain and dizziness and in the moment, I flipped my wrists and turned us over. Now I was on top, holding my twin daggers to her throat.

She smirked at me and then swung her knee up, connecting with my back, and I elbowed her stomach. She tried to bite at my forearm but I yanked it from her reach and instead rolled off her and jumped up. Dazed, she tried to mimic me but I punched her square in the jaw, and she groaned, her eyes glossing over for a second. I punched her again, and again, and again, and she finally stumbled and collapsed. I swung my leg to kick her but was distracted by a blur of movement to my left.

I gasped, seeing Avyn matched up against ten or fifteen of Duke's men. They lashed out, darting in between my dragon, slicing him with their swords and knives. I gasped, feeling his pain, and then sprinted forward, leaping over fighting, writhing forms like a gazelle.

Brandishing my twin daggers, I threw myself at one cloaked man who was preparing to thrust his sword into Avyn's flank. Before he knew what hit him, I had already cut his shoulder deep with one of my daggers. With the other, I managed to leave him half-bald after a failed attempt at cutting his head.

He screamed, so high pitched that it scared me at first, and then started convulsing, trying to shake me off. I would have clung to him like a parasite, but there were other enemies I needed to stop from attacking Avyn. And so I just tore the sword from his hand, and threw it out of reach. It was heavy, yes, but I could deal with it.

Avyn, meanwhile, flapped his wings, roaring at the three men who were nervously gripping his scales. I launched myself up at one of them, quickly de-arming him and then leaving a nasty-looking wound on his palm. He fell to the floor and I heard the crunch of bones.

I climbed up on Avyn's back, hearing his thunderous growl, and stood shakily, asking him to stop moving so much. He complied briefly and I took the time to stomp on one of the other's mans hands, who yelped and let go of Avyn's neck.

When I turned around, the third soldier had fled from my dragon and returned to the fray.

Thanks for that, just now. My dragon's smooth voice popped into my head.

Time for you to repay me, I joked.

With that I jumped from Avyn again, landing in a tuck-and-roll so as to not snap my legs like the first man had. With my indigo-colored dragon behind me, I stabbed both daggers into a woman.

"Lana!" I whirled, hissing like a cat, daggers bloody and threatening, only to see Amber running towards me. I sighed in relief before screaming out, "Behind you!"

Amber turned last minute, and her shortsword cut through the air with a swish, and blood spurted. I somehow managed not to gag as I realized that my usually sweet and quiet friend had just slit someone's throat.