Dragon Hunter

Chapter 44: Clash of Wills

With dozens of dragons in his sights, Cooper almost snorted out loud. Talk about a target rich environment! Damn, the only thing that was going to be difficult here was picking out the first dragon to die.

Then his oculus swung onto the muscular shape of a male black dragon in were-form that seemed to be in charge, motioning other were-forms into position with firm gestures. And he found himself automatically halting to target him.

Huh. Not so hard after all. Then he pulled the trigger.

The imperial black was in mid-gesture when the volcanic glass bolt tore out his throat, sending blood and acid spraying everywhere. Then he was toppling over, a shocked expression on his face as his life left him in a rush. A heartbeat later Saddahk stepped out from behind cover and, with a shouted word of command and a sharp gesture, pulled an avalanche of killing frost out of the clear sky to hammer into the imperial front rank, carving a path through their midst before fading.

As the dragons in flight had when the silver's breath attack had struck them, these imperial were-forms instantly went still at the frost's touch. Then, with a harsh, cracking sound, they were each shattering into a thousand diamond-like shards.

"I'll never get used to that!" Theron muttered in a low voice, suggesting the silver hadn't wielded that kind of power during his banishment in the Eternal Forest.

Cooper grunted. Him neither. Then he was firing as fast as he could target and pull the trigger as the remaining were-forms charged.

A quick spray across the leading rank dropped a dozen. Then, like in the cave, they were too close to properly target with the crossbow.

-Talos, axe form now! - he shouted into his mind. Then dragonsteel was ringing against dragonsteel as he, Theron, and Saddahk engaged the imperial were-forms in mixed magic and melee combat.

Again the Sidhe demonstrated more than considerable martial skill as he wove Trezm in a tight web in front of him, deflecting multiple attacks at once. And again as they had in the cave, the imperials demonstrated impatience and a lack of discipline as they came at the two mortals and the were-form Primal en masse, a half dozen blades, both swords and daggers, all swinging at the same time.

Cooper too found himself under siege from multiple directions, the were-forms surrounding them in a rush. With Talos helping him swing the less familiar weapon, he also threw up a desperate defense that was significantly more awkward than Theron's, but thankfully as effective as he used both the haft of the axe and its hooked blade to block, parry, riposte and slash.

Saddahk, now armed with Erabak, also demonstrated fluid skill, deflecting attacks and countering almost in the same motion, the Primal obviously skilled in close quarter combat. Unlike his imperial opponents, who fell by the score to his falchion-blade. And, for several heart stopping moments, their combined skill, power, and speed, considerable as it was, barely held the nigh overwhelming tide of imperials back.

With an audible snarl, the dark elves then spun into the imperial flank, their notched and scratched weapons hissing as they cut through the air. That was swiftly followed by the meaty thunks of those same weapons hammering into vulnerable were-form bodies and the grunts of surprised pain from were-form throats as they took mortal wounds for the first time in their existence.

"Tighten up, damn you!" the lieutenant snapped as he wielded an arming sword and shield, his blade already dark with imperial blood. "Keep in formation. Don't let them split your ranks!"

Dragon by dragon, the swirling mass around the beleaguered human, primal, and elf was peeled back by the determined dark elves. A final flurry of violent intent then, for a moment, the three were clear, each breathing heavily and sweating hard from their efforts as battle went on around them, the furious dark elves finally having their vengeance on the dragons that had so sorely pressed them on their original home world.