Blood Knot

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve:

The Thoi tore soldiers from the east walls. Avoca snarled in frustration. She ran to an archer; he drew back his bow with trembling hands. She seized it and ripped the quiver from his back. It was crudely made and clumsy in her dexterous fingers. By then the two Beusers reached the castle. A group of soldiers were huddled atop a tower. The largest Beuser soared towards them, its gaping mouth wide. Avoca took aim; the Beusers weren't slow but they were easier to hit than Thoi. She released the arrow. It flew in an arch, hitting the Beuser on its side. It didn't even flinch. Instead, it seemed to suck in all the air around it, then blow it back out. But when it came out it became a sticky substance; a toxic glue that flew out and entangled the archers. They were covered in the burning slime, writhing in pain and fear. Atop the dragon, Avoca saw the rider raise his hands and begin muttering. She knew he was a magic user. Aiming again, she sent another arrow screaming through the air. It missed the rider, skimming past his ear as the Beuser turned away.

'NO!' Avoca was vexed and ran closer. This time she aimed for the wings. It tore a hole in the thin wing flesh. The Beuser screamed, toxic phlegm dripping from its jaws. The dragon flapped harder, trying to put some height between itself and the castle. Avoca didn't hesitate. Again, the arrow head ruptured the wing, flying clean through. The dragon's wail was terrible. It thrashed in mid-air, losing control. Tumbling down, it crashed on the roof of the castle. Soldiers piled over the walls to attack the grounded Beuser.

The rider leapt off. Avoca could only hope his spell had been disrupted. She turned her attention to the other fights, leaving the others to deal with the lessened threat. Three other dragons were attacking. Avoca saw they were targeting only guards on the east wall and archers. And most mystifying of all, the Viarop were circling above, making no attempt to join in the fight. Why did they target the east? Avoca frowned, confused. All that was in the east wing of the castle were the chambers of important people and the war room.

And the Viarop. Why weren't they attacking? She looked up again at the Viarop's hungry expressions. Then it dawned on her. They were saving their energy. Their electrical energy.

Avoca knew moments before what was about to happen. There was no time to do anything, nothing but get out of the way. Together, the Viarop dived down at the east castle wall, right above Lord and Lady Chetwick's chambers. There wings were tucked tight to their thin bodies as they swooped and they were faster than a speeding arrow. Almost synchronised, they widened their pointed maws. At the last second they pulled out of the dive, but not before releasing a huge blast of energy. It was a great blue ball that hurtled through the air so fast it could hardly be seen. As it hit the battlements, stone shattered, fragments flying in every direction, the whole roof crumbling.

A huge hole had been created. The Viarop pulled away from the castle and retreated high into the air. Then, Avoca remembered. Merek had said her mother was in her chambers. 'Oh, damn!' she said. 'Damn, damn!' She drew the bow, not bothering to aim carefully. Instead, she fired in quick succession at any dragon she could see. She shot at the slow blue Viarop. It bounced of its rubbery skin. The next scratched its cheek. Caught its tail. Bounced of the green Viarop. Pierced the Blue's underbelly.

The remaining Beuser clawed its way into the Lord and Lady’s chambers. Avoca’s arrow nicked the blue Viarop’s wing. The Viarop was flapping, climbing laboriously higher. It hissed in annoyance, fed up with this small human that dared to offend him. Ignoring the instructions of its rider, it swerved in the air and turned towards Avoca. She fired one last arrow and ran behind the tower, taking cover. She heard a yowl as her arrow hit. The ping of a returning arrow made her flinch, but it clattered harmlessly on the stone as she dived around the corner. The Viarop's muzzle came into view and she ducked through an open doorway in the tower. She knew it had seen her cloak flutter out of view. She was proved right, for at that moment a clawed foot came scraping through the door. She dodged to avoid the sharp talons and shot another arrow at the flesh. The claws curled as the muscles in the foot clenched. Avoca took the opportunity to leap over the claws towards the steps. She hesitated a moment. Up or down? She ran up, to find another place to fire her arrows. Avoca emerged half way up the tower through another door. The lookout point was a path that encircled the taller tower. As soon as she peeped out of the doorway an arrow soared straight towards her. She jerked back and missed it by a hair's breadth. Avoca's breathing was calm. She blindly fired yet another arrow round the corner. There was no screeching this time. The arrow had missed but she rolled out of the door anyway. Immediately another arrow came zooming towards her, but it was blasted out of the way as the Viarop breathed out a gust of its electrical energy. Avoca managed to tumble out of the way with only a singed jacket. She ran around the tower to reload. When she came around, she saw the other Viarop, the one with greenish scales, diving down again. He was attacking the wall.