ON HOLD (EDITING) Rise of the Dragons: Beginning

Chapter 12

I ran through the chaotic village, my breathing loud in my ears. The sword was gripped so hard in my hand, that it was digging into my palm. I veered around fallen solider, and cried out, as a I felt someone grab hold of the cloth on the back of my jacket, and yank me back. 

I stumbled back, and let out a cry of surprise, as my feet collided with the fallen soldiers' body. I tripped over him and tumbled to the ground. Hard. I landed on my chest, and lay their stunned for a minute. My sword slipped out of my grip and clattered to the ground away from me.

I gasped in air scrambled onto all fours, trying to get up. The breath was knocked out of me, as I was pushed back onto the ground with a foot in my back. I thrashed around under the persons' foot, trying to get free and failing miserably.

"Where do you think your going little girl?" A rough, male voice growled, pressing his foot even harder into my back. My back light up with pain, as my bow and quiver dug into it. 

"Get..off...of...me!" I shouted, gasping for air.

"Now why would I do that, little girl!" His foot shifted slightly, and I threw my body to the left, trying to dislodge him. It didn't work. He stumbled, but righted himself almost instantly. 

"Why you little..!" He snarled, and I stiffened, freezing, as I felt the tip of a sword pressing against my back, above his foot. 

Suddenly, I heard a furious voice yell, "GET OFF MY FRIEND, YOU BASTARD!" 

My heart leapt. It was Kayla, and she was fine. The foot and sword on my back were abruptly gone, and I twisted onto my side, scrambling for my sword. 

Kayla had managed to throw the solider to the floor and was straddling him, sword pressed against his throat. I could see this right hand reaching towards his sword, which lay on the floor, just within his reach. 

I lunged for his hand, but someone beat me to it. A foot swiftly stepped on his foot, earning a cry of pain from him, and swiped up his sword. I looked up, into the face of the person who owned the foot. Liam.

"Kayla, move." He ordered.

His eyes were determined and he looked more ruffled than I'd ever seen him. The top three buttons on his shirt open, sleeve ripped, shirt covered in dirt and blood, not his thankfully, his jeans ripped at both knees, hair drenched in sweat, and wild from the wind. 

Kayla shoved away from the solider, shooting upright next to me. I opened my mouth to thank her for saving my life, but she interrupted me with crazed eyes. "Robins' still in the house," She belted out the words in a rush, "I wasn't at the house when the soldiers came."

I gaped at her dumbly, before Liams' voice cut through the pandemonium, strained. "Go!" He was wrestling on the floor with the solider. Both their swords had rolled away, and they were trying to keep each other away from the swords. 

I kicked the sword next to Liams' hand and took off after Kayla towards her house. We were both puffing hard when it finally came into view. We both bolted towards the door, when suddenly we heard a harsh crackle.

My mind was abruptly filled with an image people crowded around a fire that crackled harshly as someone threw a log on it. I couldn't make out the people, as they were in the shadows, but I could tell that there were five people there, and that they were in a cave.

However, right then only one thing matters about that scene I'd just scene. The harsh crackle. 

"Stop!" I reached out and managed to grab Kayla forearm. I shoved her behind me and she stumbled and pitched backwards onto the floor. 

Not a millisecond later, the house went up in flames with a loud whoomp. I was thrown off my feet and flew into the air. A scream tore its way out of my throat, as a beam hit me midair and I was thrown back in the direction of the house. 

I hit the cracked window and it shattered, the sound drowned out by the roar of the flames. Unconsciously in my head I screamed Eridor's name. This time there was something there. Like a flicker of recognition.

The breath was knocked from me, as I hit the floor and rolled, landing on my back. I scrambled to my feet and sucked in a sharp breath, as pain rocketed through my right wrist like a bolt of lightning, I glanced down at it, and saw that it was bleeding profusely, the bandage falling off it in bloody tatters. 

Cradling it to my chest, I lurched to my feet and coughed hoarsely as smoke filled my mouth and invaded my lungs. The house was on fire, and the wooden beans that held it up were cracking and falling to the ground, burnt charcoal black.

Tears blurred in my eyes unwilling, as the smoke burnt them. Suddenly, a scared cry split through the roar of the fire. My head snapped to the sound. Robin.

I staggered through the burning house, smoke filling my lungs and blurring my vision, towards the sound of Robins' voice.

"Robin!" I shouted, my voice hoarse from coughing. There was no answer, and the wailing got louder, more desperate. 

Eridor! I shouted in my head. Help! Again, there was a flicker of recognition, but no answer. 

I stumbled back with a cry, as a burning beam crackled to the floor in front of me."ROBIN!" I screamed again. My voice sounded like it had been scraped with sandpaper. "ROBIN!"

I crashed through the burning door frame, into what used to be Kayla and Robins' room. Through the grey wall of smoke, I could see Robin lying sprawled, motionless, on the floor in the middle of the room. My heart pounded in my chest, and I forced myself to stumble blindly, towards him. 

I scooped up his limp body into my arms, coughing hoarsely. Turning, I staggered, swaying from all the smoke I'd breathed in. I staggered forward, and managed to get out of the room somehow. There was a loud crash behind me, and I numbly realized that the door frame had collapsed.

My dazed mind slowly comprehended that the house was only a few minutes away to collapsing also. I tried to walk faster, but my vision swirled and I started to pitch forward, Robin clutched tightly to my chest, my injured wrist dripping blood all over his clothes. 

ERIDOR! I screamed in my mind. There was no answer, but an image filled my head. Eridor standing in a clearing protectively over Narkul, and the man from the prison. He leapt up, head suddenly pointed towards the village. 

I snapped out of the image, as I hit the floor on my side with a thud. Dimly, I heard a mans' voice that I didn't recognize shouting, but everything was slowly turning black. In front of me was the window that I'd broken, when I'd been thrown at it. 

If I could just stand up, I could get us out of here. With a groan, I heaved myself to my knees, my hands weakly holding Robin closely to my chest.  Protecting him from the smoke and fire. 

I tried to clamber to my feet, managing to get up onto one leg, before collapsing onto my knees again, the world spinning as I coughed hoarsely. 

I reached up with my hands, towards the window. Desperately, trying to stay conscious, I lifted Robin shakily out the window and felt a rough, large hand grab him from my grip. 

The same hand grabbed my injured hand, and turned it over, so the palm faced up. I lost my balance and started to pitch forward. Dazedly, I remembered that there was something on my palm I should be covering.

I felt those same hands reach in the window, and start to haul me through the window. The darkness closed over me, and smoke filled my lungs. I closed my eyes, giving in, and with my last thought, screamed Eridors name.