The Eighth Warden Bk. 04 Ch. 27-28

The dragon struck before Corec could unsheathe his sword, the creature's foreleg slashing out and down with talons extended. There was no time to dodge, so Corec braced his feet at an angle and held his arms up in front of himself to shield his head. The shimmering of his shield spell disappeared in an instant as the dragon's claws tore through the barrier without stopping, then crashed into him and knocked the sword out of his hand.

A deep, reverberating echo sounded around the battlefield... but it was the dragon, not Corec, that was jolted back from the impact. King Argyros's armor started humming in the same way the war maul did.

It took Corec a moment to overcome his surprise. The sword was on the ground, still sheathed. To strike before the dragon could recover, Corec held out his hand and summoned the hammer. It leapt up from where he'd left it propped near Ballista One and flew into his grasp, just barely missing one of Nedley's soldiers. Using the maul's momentum to spin himself back toward the dragon, Corec rushed the last few steps and slammed the weapon against the creature's breastbone, where the keel would have been if it was a bird.

There was a crunching sound and the dragon lost its footing. It swept its wing out and down to try to regain its balance, and as the wing brushed close to the ground, Corec tossed the hammer onto it, pinning the leathery membrane between the weapon and the earth. When the maul landed, there was a faint rumbling sensation and the humming from the armor faded away.

The dragon shrieked as it tried to pull its wing back, tearing a gash in the membrane from the hammer's weight enchantment. Taking advantage of the creature's distraction, Corec crouched down to grab his sword. Boktar had climbed to his feet and pulled his shield from his back, standing between Corec and the dragon while Corec slid the scabbard off the blade and tossed it to the side.

The dragon managed to pull its wing up, the hammer sliding off to the ground and pulling a strip of scaled skin off along the way. Before the beast could attack, though, the catapults launched their second loads. One of the weighted nets undershot its mark and the second never unfurled--the tight clump bouncing off the dragon's body--but the third catapult launched a bundle of heavy chains that draped themselves over and around the damaged wing.

The dragon took its anger out on Corec and Boktar, angling its head toward them and opening its maw before blowing its breath out and igniting the area around them once more. The heat was more intense this time and Treya cried out in distress. Her protection spell wouldn't last much longer.

This close to the dragon it was almost impossible to see through the fire. Corec swung his blade up at the beast's snout, hoping to disrupt the flame, but it drew its head back on its long neck while still keeping its breath aimed in their direction. Boktar attacked its foreleg, not causing any real damage with his warhammer but keeping the dragon from bracing itself to launch some other attack.

Suddenly, a burst of cold, frosty wind washed over the area, blowing the creature's breath out of the way like a campfire in a storm. Corec risked a glance to the rear. Shavala, not looking to be in much better shape than Treya, had joined the other woman on top of the freight wagon. Ariadne was no longer with them. The elven woman held her arms outstretched before her, palms facing forward toward the dragon.

A look of intense concentration grew on her face and the wind grew stronger and colder until hundreds of hail stones were pelting Corec's armor. The dragon's breath was forced completely backward, the flames curling around the creature's own body. Startled, it stopped breathing fire.

With the flames out of the way, Ariadne and the knights from the rear ranks rushed into the melee, pikes in hands. Ariadne and Cason ran past Corec around to the creature's right side while Trentin and Georg took its left, ensuring the dragon couldn't reach them all at once. A few scattered crossbow bolts arced through the air as the rear weapon crews, their ballistae out of position, joined their commanders in the assault.

When the knights struck with the pikes, the dragon's head darted to the side. It bit down on Sir Cason's shoulder, the teeth penetrating into the silversteel armor but not able to bite all the way through. The knight cried out in pain and lost hold of his pike as the dragon shook its head trying to get loose.

Corec slashed at the creature's long neck, his glowing blue blade scoring deep marks into the scales. It managed to get its jaw loose from Cason's armor and turned its attention back to the front, but Corec kept his sword up, striking the creature's head each time it attempted to bite him. A sword wasn't an ideal weapon for fighting a dragon, but the enchanted blade was shattering scales and cutting divots of flesh out of the creature.

Roaring in defiance, the dragon rested its weight on its rear legs and stretched out to slash at Corec, but the knights took the opportunity to stab it again with their pikes. Kevik and Osbert joined in this time, having left their ballista crews behind.

The dragon's head reared back as the creature was distracted by the new attacks. Corec took the opportunity to rush in toward its body. The sword began buzzing as it had during the battle at Tir Yadar, and the blue light coming from the blade was replaced by the weapon's natural green glow.

Dodging between the dragon's forelegs, Corec grasped the sword's ricasso in one hand and the hilt in the other and rammed it into the creature's chest. It went in cleanly, slicing through scales and bone as if they weren't there.

The dragon gave a gasping attempt at a roar as it tried to scramble back out of the way. Corec pulled the blade out and struck again, this time closer to the neck.

The knights had followed the creature's failed attempt at a retreat and struck at it again, and then the infantry squads came in next, leaving their shields behind and charging with their own pikes. The impacts from both sides at once caused the beast to shudder and twitch.

After that, all it took was time.

The men struck again and again, doing their best to avoid the dragon's flailing limbs and wings. The creature cried out piteously as it died.

When the last of its whimpering faded, Corec stepped back, his blade still dripping with blood. Stunned silence settled over the battlefield as everyone realized the fight was over.

With the danger having come to an end, Corec saw things he hadn't noticed before.

Bobo pulling a white-glowing pike from the dragon's body. He'd likely joined in once there were too many people in the way to risk using the ballista.

Boktar standing near him, now wielding Sir Cason's pike. Cason himself was on his knees, using his uninjured arm to try to get his damaged armor off.

Treya, unconscious, her head resting in Shavala's lap.

Shavala staring at the dragon, tears running down her face.

Priest Conley helping Sarette back to the group, blood and dirt caked over her left temple and cheek.

And, half-buried by the dragon's corpse, the savaged body of a man. Judging by the crushed armor, it had to be Sir Willem.

The fight was over, but it didn't feel like a victory.