Warriors of the Dragon

The Nomads

Photo: Viserion from Game of Thrones.

It was the third morning on their journey to Ragnarok to board a ship to Saskatua and although the climate was unforgiving and the soil was rough and rocky, flying over the empty fields had been peaceful. They had stuck close to the shore, knowing Ragnarok was a large port city on the coast.

Hoof-beats made the dragons stir and when Isis sounded a psychic alarm in Caius' head, Sephira jolted awake. Craven heard it too and his expression was one of dread before they scrambled to get on their armor and boots. Sephira pulled her mask on and the fast hoof-beats and battle-cries filled the air.

"What's going on?" Isolde cried as Sabine practically pulled her rider onto her back before leaping toward the beach and then into the air. Sephira waited a moment to make eye contact with Sorin before she got on Caius' back and he took her high above the hundreds of horseback riders that trampled into their camp. She was still panicking when she drew her swords and Caius avoided arrows as she flew low to scan the camp for anyone left behind.

"Let's go!" Dawn called to her from above. All the dragons had taken off and not left any of the riders behind. Sephira let Caius swoop down and grab one of the horses and rider before pumping his wings to get back up into the air. Sephira swiped her swords through oncoming arrows as the riders turned their bows on her during Caius' ascent.

"Shouldn't we go back?" Markus asked, having not taken his tent or sleeping furs like everybody else. They landed about three miles away out of view of the nomadic tribe.

"Is it really worth it? We should just get on the ship and get off this continent!" Malina argued.

"We have a long journey ahead of us still. Longer than most of yours. We will need our tents and we don't have money or time to get new ones." Rauka pointed out.

"Maybe we can make new tents while we're on the ship?" Isolde asked, eyeing the furs that still clung to their dragons' flanks and abdomens. She noticed Sephira still had her tent and Malina did too.

"You can have my tent. Let's just get out of here!" Malina growled at Rauka.

"No." Dawn said with something in her voice that made the others freeze. She looked down like she was looking for something in her saddle bag and then felt in the pockets of her tunic. She looked utterly panicked. "The spells that Dagda gave us. I must've put them in my parka that I left with my sleeping furs." She cried, looking back to the west with intense worry.

Sephira looked to Sorin who nodded slowly. Craven drew his sword and Sephira knew he was on the same page.

"We'll get them." Sorin's voices insisted with a ghostly ring in the still air. The three of them took off with Leuthil and Markus not far behind.

"You can stay here." Malina directed at Dawn and Isolde as she urged Desoto to follow the other dragons. To Dawn's dismay, Luna leaped on Floki and her and the monkey-dragon ascended into the blue sky as she notched an arrow onto her long bow with determination in her brown eyes.

The piercing war-cries of the wraiths filled the air over the Kazakh Steppe as the dragons picked up speed and dove at the nomads. Their horses screamed in fear as the black dragons ploughed through them with sharp claws. Crow had joined the Duvendis dragons with his back talons stretched, his clicking abuzz in the air, and excitement in his demonic red eyes. Sorin targeted the riders with his black arrows while Sephira fearlessly leaped into the fray off of her dragon's back. Her sharp swords cut through the armourless tribesmen like they were made of warm wax.