Destroyers and the Dragons

Page 1

     I stand in the kitchen tent as I work on a meal with the little supplies we have. Thankfully I'm only feeding myself and six or seven others. I work on the thick stew with a little seasoning and I am thankful that I can hunt unlike most of these guys. I hear the horn blow and grit my teeth. Another raid, already, but I've got to get this food done. I ignore the horn and continue to add seasoning. I know when they've made it to the tent by the snickers that follow.

     "A woman cook, here?" one of them jeers. I ignore him and pull down a container labeled Fiery pepper blend. I dump a handful of it in my right hand and stir with my left hand and wait. The first one lunges at me and I throw the peppers in his eyes, temporarily blinding him. I pull the butcher's blade from its wood and slice through the next man's throat. Swords are pulled as I've been upgraded to a threat. I throw the knife between the next man's eyes and then back towards one of my cupboards like a person without my weapon. I fumble with the stubborn latch and pull it open. I thrust my hand through the gap and wrap it around my hunting bow. I find the arrows next and grab both. I notch and arrow and let it fly pegging another man in the sword arm.

     "I am a woman and I am the cook, but I'll be damned if you treat me as such," I say notching another arrow. The shining armor lets me know who these men belong to I adjust my aim for the shiny armor and wait.

     "Well then," says shiny armor, "how should we address you?"

     "I know you Prince Snow, the exile of the Light Court." He smiles and then looks me over.

     "Ah you must be Adrina also known as the Destroyer, from the lawless plains clans," he says bowing low in a mockery of court protocol.

     "I will never be your equal but on a battlefield," I say sending the arrow into his bodyguards head.

     "You are more than my equal here," he says quietly. I don't see where it comes from but I am suddenly pulling a dart from my neck.

     "You asshole," I muttered as the world turns dark.

     I wake with my hands, feet, and mouth bound. My head is pounding in time with my heart beat. I groan around the gag and try to figure out where I am and why when Prince Snow comes into view.

     "Good to see you are awake," he says quietly. "It took a lot of work to find you Destroyer." I can't conceal my reaction that someone's been looking for me. "Shocked anyone would look for you? Well, that makes two of us. Now if I remove the gag you'd better not scream. I lay on my side and wait as Prince Snow hauls me into a sitting position and then carefully removes my gag. "Tell me, the man you threw the spices at, how do I heal him?"

     "Let the water wash away the spices, after a couple of days his sight will return," I say quietly. I hate being confined and Snow seems to know it.

     "Are you hoping your group will attempt a rescue? Well, we put poison in the food just in case." I don't bother to tell him that they won't touch dinner without me manning the pot. I wait for the next set of questions, but he seems done until he hits the opening of the tent. "Your past is catching up with you Destroyer. I'd slow down if I were you." I sit and think as the tent flap closes over what little light there was. I sit in the darkness and try to figure out how to get these damned ropes off my wrists so I can reach my boot knife.