Arcen's Storm

Arcen

" Three dragons incoming, all with riders! "

My thoughts went back to the trading boat, the Terrible Terror and the parchment. He must have sent out an S.O.S.

Cortona and I looped behind the island, flying into the clouds to avoid being seen. By the time we got to the trading boat, which was still afloat, the dragons with riders had begun to engage Steeltrap and his team.

" I know the first two, a Monstrous Nightmare and a Gronkle but what is that one, " I pointed to a slim black dragon with a long tail and tail fins.

" That, child, is a Night Fury. The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. The only dragon I know that can go toe-to-toe with my species," Cortona replied, she kept her eyes on the black dragon.

" It's tail fin! Look, it's bright red! Why is it different from the other one? "

" The rider probably maimed it, so it couldn't fly away. Making it dependent on him. The other dragons are common and the knowledge of breaking them is well known, " the Titan Skrill rumbled.

The Monstrous Nightmare and Night Fury were wearing some kind of metal armor.

I watched the dragon riders chase off Steeltrap, his team followed close behind as they returned to the island.

" Let's get back home. We'll confront them on the beach. You're human and you might not be able to communicate but you can distract them long enough for me to hide our most vulnerable residents and gather the rest to fight, " Cortona decided. She sounded calm. Composed.

I slowed my breathing in an attempt to stay calm, the image of dragons being slaughtered kept coming to mind.

" Do you think, " I asked as Cortona flew back to the island, not bothering to hide this time " They're from my old village?"

" I doubt it. "

I jumped off the Titan Skrill's back as she flew above the beach. Fear gripped my heart as she disappeared further into the island.

Hurry. Please.

The Night Fury landed first, his rider noticed me immediately and spoke but as expected, I couldn't understand him.

A short, black-haired Viking elbowed the Night Fury's rider and said something in a mocking tone, then laughed to himself.

Ignoring the shorter Viking, he started walking toward me. Breath caught in my throat as I noticed the hilt of his sword.

I took a visceral step back, tightening my grip on the scythe.

His skinny frame and scar on his chin looked oddly familiar...

He stopped and said something else.

" I can't understand you, " I yelled, exasperated!

The dragons they flew in on stared at me in shock.

" You... you can speak our language, " the Night Fury stuttered?

" Should I not be able to? "

Another dragon, the tan Gronkle, waddled in front of me, sniffing at me curiously, " None of us have ever met a human that could speak to dragons."

A guttural roar echoed throughout the island, a mob of wild dragons swarmed the beach. Cortona picked me up by her talons and threw me in the air. I landed on her back.

The riders scrambled to their dragons, trying to fly away as fast as possible.

A plasma blast flew past Cortona's wing.

She inhaled and fired at the riders. They scattered, the Night Fury rolled around the lightning blast and fired in retaliation.

The black dragons rider yelled something at me.

" Run, " I growled at him, " please. "

I didn't want to hurt the dragons, didn't want the bodies of Vikings littering the beach, didn't want blood on my hands, not again, but if it came to either them or the dragons, I would kill every Viking with my bare hands.

They were nothing to me.

The Night Fury was as fast as any Skrill but that strength could also be turned into a weakness. It swung in close again to get a clear shot at Cortona through the throng of dragons, she fired another lightning bolt, this time the Night Fury was too close to dodge.

It shrieked in panic as the electricity arced through its prosthetic tail-fin, burning the cloth and channeling the energy through its body. The rider screamed something as the Night Fury fell to the ground.

I flinched at the sound of the impact.

" Why are you attacking us, " the tan Gronkle asked, trying to weave its way through the wild dragons.

" They're not allowed here. I... I'm sorry.... "

A grey Sand Wraith blindsided the Gronkle, knocking its rider clean out of the saddle.

The smaller Viking and his Monstrous Nightmare grabbed the Gronkle and his rider.

They yelled back and forth at each other for a little while, the Monstrous Nightmare firing in every direction, keeping its wings and tail ablaze. Then the Gronkles' rider let out a whimper and nodded.

He huffed, glanced at the Night Fury on the beach then glanced at me before flying away with the other Viking.

I froze.

There was something about the fear in his eyes that disturbed me, it wasn't fear for his own life.

Half the mob of dragons followed the riders, the other half turned to the downed rider and his unconscious dragon.

" NO, " I shouted, positioning Cortona between the mob and the rider.

I didn't know why, I hated the Vikings, but I felt compelled to talk to the Night Fury's rider. Or at least not let him be torn apart by angry dragons.

The mob gave irritated glances and huffs but no one dared challenge the Titan Skrill. The Viking made a comment as the dragons flew away.

I gave the rider a glance before following the mob.

The brown-haired Viking was kneeling by his Night Fury, staring up at us. His green eyes were clouded with worry.

Worried that he'll be stuck here with me... or worried about the dragon?

The Night Fury was lying on the beach, unconscious. The artificial tail fin had been reduced to a few burnt metal poles. Blood trickled from the black dragon's jaws.

I tightened my grip on Cortona's head spikes, a moral quandary was brewing.

We flew away.