Anders sprinted back toward camp as fast as he could, leaping over downed logs and bulling through brush as if it weren’t there. As he drew near, he could hear the horrible screams and shouts of battle. Clashing iron on iron rang through the night. He wasn’t sure if Zahara had followed him or not. Before he made it out of the trees and back to the shoreline where they’d set up camp, he saw a group of ugly creatures chasing one of the Rollo Islanders through the woods. Anders halted when he saw the dark figures, but it was too late to go unnoticed. He made eye contact with one of them. They stood tall like men but had the dark gray mottled skin and large tusks Britt had described.
Orcs, Anders thought.
The one he made eye contact with shouted to the others and three of them peeled off from the group to charge directly at him. Luckily, Anders had brought his hunting knife on his nighttime walk. He drew the short blade and ran toward the orcs head on. This was not a time to be fearful. For all he knew, the orcs had already overrun those he held dear back at camp; he had been lucky to be off in the woods when the ambush began.
Before he clashed with the orcs, he counted on his training for the Grandwood Games and flung his knife at the first orc, hitting him directly in the chest. Hoping to strike fear into the others, he bellowed a gut-felt cry and leapt into the air with both of his feet curled up in front of him. He kicked with all his might as he collided with the second orc, knocking it back so hard it took out the third orc behind it. Now on his back and vulnerable, but just ahead of the orcs, he used his speed to his advantage. He rolled over to the first orc, ripped his knife out of its chest, and pounced onto one of the orcs who was still trying to stand up. Anders swiftly slit its throat just in time to see the third orc rise to its feet. He went to throw his knife at it, but before he could, the orc dropped its weapon. Anders hesitated and then saw Zahara leaping over his head. She bared her dagger-like teeth and in one fell swoop landed on the orc devouring its upper half with her deadly jaws.
Anders’ jaw dropped in surprise as he witnessed the sheer power Zahara used to dispatch the orc. She turned and looked back at Anders, crimson blood dripping from her fangs.
Are you okay? she asked him.
“Yeah,” he replied, taking a breath. “That was crazy! Thank you!” Anders exclaimed. “I need to get to my things. I need my bow and sword. I won’t survive with just this knife.” Anders said with urgency.
I hope Max is all right, he thought to himself.
I can check, Zahara said.
“You can hear my thoughts too?” Anders said. It actually wasn’t that surprising to him, but he said it anyway.
Yes. I’ll look for him with my mind, she paused, and then said, I’ve got him. He is still alive, and not far from here.
Anders ran the rest of the way back to his campsite, but Zahara didn’t follow him this time.
I cannot risk being seen by your people, her voice sounded into his mind when he noticed she hadn’t followed him. I’ll watch over you from up here, she added, showing him a mental image of where she was perched high in the treetops. He could tell she didn’t want to leave him by himself to fight, but she needed to protect her identity from those he was traveling with. He understood that many in the war party would want to kill her if they found a dragon was nearby, even if she was helping to kill the orcs.
Out of the trees and onto the beach, Anders could see the attack much more clearly. The rising moon brightened the night sky and the shoreline glowed orange from the light of flames burning many of their ships. The orcs had attacked by land on the east side of the bay, opposite from his campsite. He looked across the bay and watched as several groups of the orcs waded into the shallow water and set fire to two more ships at the southeast entrance of the bay. Anders estimated half the fleet was already ablaze. He saw how the warriors had established a line of defense on the beach to protect their remaining ships.
Anders quickly found his sword, bow and arrows, and began to search for Max. He couldn’t afford to lose another friend; panic began to overwhelm him. His vision blurred and fear was beginning to overwhelm his other senses when Zahara called to him. The familiar presence of her voice brought him back to reality; he couldn’t see her but he could hear her voice clearly in his thoughts. She told him Max was with a group of warriors who were being separated from the line of defense at the other end of the bay. She sent him a mental image of Max’s location in relation to their campsite.
“How are you doing this?” Anders asked searching the treetops, but not finding where Zahara was hiding.
Don’t worry about it now, I will tell you more about how I communicate later, Zahara said, sounding a little frustrated with him.
The ships were all docked near the base of the U-shaped bay. Most of the Rollo forces were in their shield wall formation facing the forest, their backs to the remaining ships. It seemed they had secured a solid position that would allow them to fight back while protecting the remaining ships. Orcs attacked in great numbers out of the forest on the eastern half of the bay. Several groups of warriors stood together between Anders and where the assembled warriors of the shield wall held their ground. The smaller groups who’d banded in between battled orcs that must have made their way around to the western half of the bay before the Rollo Island warriors took their position.
Anders decided to make his way along the western side of the bay working north. Max, who he’d seen through Zahara’s mind, was with Britt. The two were forced away from the shield wall, taking shelter in the forest. Anders could use the cover of the forest to stay hidden from the orcs as he advanced closer to his friends’ aid. Hopefully, he would be able to pick off enough of the orcs with his bow to provide some cover for them to break through the orcs’ ranks and rejoin the shield wall with the others. Anders could only assume Red, Jorgen, and Ivan were leading the main Rollo force and did not concern himself with their safety. Both Ivan and Red had plenty of experience; he knew they could handle themselves.
He snuck his way along the edge of the forest, passing just feet from orcs and men fighting wildly against each other onshore. He could have joined in the fighting here, but the men and women on this side of the bay were already outnumbered and he needed to focus on his task if he ever wanted to see Max alive again.
Anders gathered stray arrows he found on the ground, stocking his quiver with as many as he could fit while he worked his way through the trees. The light from the burning ships combined with the moonlight helped him search for his friends. Soon he saw Britt and Max. They were backed up against the creek bed that led from within the forest and out into mouth of the bay. Taking on twice as many orcs as any other group he had seen so far, he watched as Britt wielded two hatchets and Max struck with his sword to hold the fierce orcs at bay. Anders was within shooting range of the orcs. Remaining hidden behind several large rocks near the stream’s edge, he mustered his courage and began shooting arrow after arrow at the orcs attacking his friends. The orcs didn’t seem to notice their comrades were being killed by something other than the sharp blades wielded by his two friends.
Anders killed two-dozen orcs before some of them began to look around, noticing someone nearby was shooting at them. Anders foolishly shot one of the orcs in the head while several others around him were searching to determine where the arrows were coming from. They now knew where he was hiding. Most of them switched their focus to him and came running, swords in hand.
That worked, Anders thought.
Realizing he now faced a different problem, a much deadlier one, panic began to overcome him once more. A large group of angry orcs headed straight at him and he had no backup. Fearing for his life, he groped desperately at his quiver. Noticing that it was nearly devoid of arrows, he quickly killed two more orcs with his bow before fleeing deeper into the woods. As he fled, he recalled what Britt had mentioned about orcs being notoriously slow; he could use that to his advantage.
Calming his frantic thoughts, Anders continued through the forest, running deeper into the trees. He called with his mind to Zahara for help but didn’t hear a response. He turned around to see the orcs more spread out. He could fight them one at a time. Holding his ground and remaining more confident in his fighting abilities with the sword, he engaged the first of his pursuers. As he exchanged blows, Anders was surprised at the orc’s strength, but it was not as fast as he was. He ducked a swing of the orc’s sword and drove the tip of his through the middle of the foul creature.
The next four were easier than the first. Anders stuck to what was working: dodge the first blow, and then move in quickly for the kill. Anders kept running farther away to spread out those chasing him. Taking them on one at a time, he worked his way through the mass of orcs following him. The last remaining orcs trailed him at a distance far enough away that he was able take out his bow. The bright moonlight broke through the canopy and made his targets easy enough to see. One at a time he shot the advancing orcs, finishing them off along with the last of his arrows.
Getting back to the battle was easy enough. All Anders had to do was follow the trail of bodies he’d created. He was proud of himself, using his speed to his advantage and taking only one orc at a time. He did wonder why Zahara hadn’t responded. He wasn’t with anyone else who would have lived to tell about her existence.
Once back at the edge of the forest, Anders could see that the battle had gone in favor of the Islanders. The warriors had managed to clear the west beach of orcs and were pushing the main orc force back into the forest on the eastern edge. He came out of the trees and onto the beach. He could see through the light of the flames that Max and Britt had rejoined the shield wall and were fighting alongside the main force.
Joining the shield wall, he helped his fellow warriors. From behind the shields, Anders helped the collective group push the remaining orcs off the beach. Soon the orcs began to retreat and the battle was over.
Anders panted heavily, placing his hands on his knees. He was exhausted from all of the running and fighting. He dripped with sweat and his clothes were wet with orc blood. He looked around among those he fought alongside, searching for Max, Ivan and Britt.
Max and Britt had been close by, so he located them quickly. A sense of relief came over him when he found his friends unharmed. Max told him Red and Ivan were in front of the group pointing in their direction. That was enough to ease his worried mind. He and Max joined Britt and the others who had began walking back across the beach.
“I thought you were a goner,” Max said. “When the attack began, you were nowhere to be found. I assumed orcs had grabbed you and drug you off into the woods. I stayed with Britt and the people who were near our campsite. We got pushed around and separated from the main group. Somehow, we caught a lucky break and pushed through to the others on the beach. From there the battle turned in our favor. What happened to you? How did you end up in the shield wall?” he asked.
Anders lied and told him he’d gone off to pee when the attack began, so he joined the fighting late. “When I was sneaking back through the woods, I saw that you and Britt had been separated from the others on the beach. From behind a couple of large rocks, I took out two-dozen of them with my bow before the orcs realized I was shooting at them. When they came after me, I led them into the woods, taking them out one at a time,” he said, shrugging nonchalantly. “No, big deal or anything,” he added with a hint of sarcasm.
“You saved us?” Max sounded surprised. “That was you who led the orcs away from us? Wow, you saved my life!” he exclaimed.
“You saved me back in Grandwood, so I guess we’re even.”
Max gave Anders a forceful hug, “Even,” he released his firm hug and gripped Anders’ shoulders at arm’s length. “Wait until I tell others about this.”
“Well, I don’t want any praise or anything. Just keep it between us, okay?” Anders didn’t want to draw attention to the fact that he was sneaking off during the night again.
“All right, but I think we should at least tell Britt,” Max said. “She should know who saved us.”
“Okay,” Anders agreed. “You can tell her, but I don’t want people thinking I did something more than anyone else in this battle. You all fought harder than I did anyway.”
After the battle was over Anders was physically and emotionally exhausted. He tried to get some sleep before dawn, but visions of orcs attacking those he’d grown closest to over the past several weeks kept him up. Although he was worried about Zahara’s whereabouts, he didn’t know if the orcs that retreated would come back to finish what they’d started. He knew he needed to rest in case the orcs launched a second attack, but despite how exhausted he was, he couldn’t sleep.
At dawn Britt came over to their group and gave them an update on the new plan. They were now going to track the orcs that had retreated and find out where they came from, thinking perhaps the orcs had been sent by Thargon.
“Their original location is likely where they’re holding our people. Gear up, we leave soon,” Britt ordered loudly. She walked over to where Anders and Max were standing. Reaching out and gipping Anders’ hand firmly, she whispered so only he could hear, “Max told me what you did. Leading the group of orcs away from us was very brave. We couldn’t have made it back to the shield wall without you.”
As she released his hand, Anders smiled and gave her a slight nod, then followed her orders and packed up his belongings.
His gear packed, he was ready to go within minutes. From what he could tell most of the camp was not yet ready and most likely would not be leaving for at least an hour or more. With the extra time, he decided to sneak off into the woods to see if Zahara was still watching him. He wanted to make sure she was okay after the battle and thank her for saving him from the orc in the forest.
Anders slowly stepped backward toward the edge of the tree line. When it appeared that no one was paying attention, he slipped behind a tree and out of sight. The morning sunlight glinted off the dew-filled leaves around him. It was strange to think that the battle took place just hours before in such a beautiful place. When he’d gone far enough away from camp that it wasn’t likely anyone would find him, he called out in his mind for Zahara.
She answered. The dragon was curled up, her head and tail wrapped tightly around her body like a sleeping dog. She was lying under a ray of sunshine splashing down through the canopy to the forest floor. The light highlighted the brightness of her scales. Anders rushed to her side and hugged her tightly around the neck. The electric burst of energy when he touched her coursed through his veins and gave his drowsy body a much-needed awakening. Pulling away, he noticed her scales were splotched with dried blood.
“Are you hurt?” he asked furrowing his brow.
She sat up on her hindquarters and shook her head and neck sending the twigs and duff that stuck to gooey patches of blood flying. No, I am fine, she said with a yawn while spreading her wings to their full span. She folded them neatly against her sides and looked down at him with her head cocked sideways, I was just enjoying the morning sun. It warms my scales and feels nice. Are you okay?” sensing his concern for her.
“Yeah, I’m fine. What happened to you after I left?” he asked. “Whose blood is all that?” pointing to the splotches around her neck and just now seeing that her head and paws were saturated with it.
I hate the way they taste, she said, gumming her tongue against the roof of her mouth. Their blood is as rotten as their souls. I would much rather eat almost anything else.
“Orcs? You ate one of them?”
That’s what you call those hateful creatures? No, I didn’t eat one, but when I was biting into them I got their nasty blood in my mouth, she shook her head and stuck her forked tongue out slightly.
“I thought you were just going to watch me from the treetops?” Anders asked, confused why she’d gone off on her own and killed orcs.
You called to me, she said as if he knew she’d responded to him.
“I did, but I didn’t hear you reply,” he thought maybe she had tried but didn’t make the connection with his mind.
I felt someone else watching over the battle with his mind. I didn’t want to make myself known to whoever it was, so I shielded my thoughts, she paused to sniff the air for a moment, then continued, So many orcs were chasing you. I saw a large group following the others you had taken on. I waited until they were far enough in the trees before I attacked them.
Shocked that she had stopped more orcs from attacking him, Anders said, “I don’t know what I would do without you. It’s kind of crazy, but I feel...” Anders trailed off not wanting to sound like he was growing too attached to Zahara.
You know I can feel your emotions too, Zahara said. You don’t need to say it Anders, I feel the same way about you.
Anders sat down on a log next to her, feeling a bit embarrassed at exposing his raw emotions.
You miss your family, Zahara said. I miss mine, too. Maybe that is why we have grown so attached to each other in such a short time?
Anders nodded, “You’re pretty smart for a two-year-old.” He heard her laugh for the first time. The noise came from deep within her throat. “We both have family, but we can’t be with them. I just hope they’re okay.”
Me, too, Zahara added. Suddenly her head shot up at attention with her ears pinned back. Anders knew she’d sensed someone or something approaching. He’d seen her do it once before, the first night they’d met, when Ivan and the others came searching for him.
“What is it? Who’s coming?”
It’s the man who hides something and sneaks off during the night to talk to a face in the mirror.
“That’s Ivan. What’s he doing?”
He’s trying to sense if anyone is near. I’m blocking us from him. Let’s see what he’s up to, Zahara said as she crouched and moved behind a tree.
Anders thought it couldn’t hurt to see what Ivan was doing, as long as he didn’t know Anders was once again spying on him.
Staying out of sight, the two followed Ivan deeper into the woods. Suddenly Ivan stopped and pulled something out of his pocket. It was the mirror Zahara mentioned. They watched as he placed it on the ground and said some words. A voice began to speak out from the small mirror. The forest was calm and silent, so they could hear clearly what was being said.
“You prevailed against the orc tribe,” a soothing and at the same time powerful voice said.
“We did,” Ivan replied. “I could feel the presence of his mind during the battle. He was searching for him.”
“I know it did not seem like the right thing to do but it needed to be done,” said the voice.
“I… understand,” Ivan said coldly.
“You should know the plan worked; however, it is not safe to talk about with magic. He could be listening in. You know what you must do,” the voice said ambiguously.
“Understood,” Ivan put the mirror back into his pocket and began to walk swiftly back to camp.
Anders looked at Zahara, “You stay here. I’m going to confront him about this.”
Are you sure that’s a good idea? Zahara asked.
“I need to know what he’s been hiding from us,” he said with determination.
Okay, but be careful. It sounded as though he might have known about the orc attack and did nothing to prevent it. I will keep my distance, but if he tries anything, I will jump in to protect you if need be.
“Thanks.” Anders hoped that it wouldn’t come to that. He had to get to the bottom of what Ivan was keeping from them. If Ivan had known in advance about the orcs’ attack and did nothing to prevent it, Anders felt he’d have to tell the others of this betrayal.
Anders ran toward him, calling after Ivan.
“Anders?” Ivan said sounding surprised to see him. “Where did you come from?”
Anders stopped just short of Ivan to confront him. “I saw you the other night, sneaking away from camp to have a chat in private with whoever is on the other side of that mirror,” he pointed angrily to where Ivan had pocketed the mirror. “That’s also what you were doing the night I was walking along the plains and that’s what I just saw you do now.”
“Anders, I can explain,” Ivan began, but Anders cut him off.
“I heard what they said. You knew about the orc attack and did nothing to stop it?” Ivan looked down trying to think of something to say. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out; he failed to say the words Anders wanted to hear.
“Why didn’t you warn us about the attack!” Anders shouted, more enraged now than he thought he would ever be.
“Anders, there are powers at work here that you do not yet understand. The orcs attacking the Rollo warriors was necessary for our mission,” Ivan said.
“How was having orcs kill the people who are trying to help me get my family back necessary for our mission? Our mission is to track down the enemy and save the people they took from us!” Anders said with conviction.
“I know it looks bad, but the elves and I have been working on a way to get Merglan to expose his location to us. We have been trying for years to find where he has been conducting his dark magic. We knew it was somewhere east and we know that the Rollo Islanders are involved. The high council of elves and I saw an opportunity. And it worked, Anders. The elves have spies who saw where they were marching. They tracked them to a fortress in Eastland. What you overheard back there was not bad news; it was great news. Now I must go to the Enlightened Forest and meet with the elf king to plan our next move. You must believe me that what happened here was a necessary evil for the greater good of Kartania.” Ivan paused, waiting for Anders’ response.
While trying to process the information, Anders heard Zahara say in his mind, He is telling the truth, Anders. I was able to sense him while he spoke to you. He was being honest with you.
Anders glared at Ivan and said, “Good people died because of this.”
“And many more will unless we stop Merglan,” Ivan said.
Anders nodded, “All right, I’ll keep this to myself, under one condition.”
“What’s that?” Ivan asked.
“That you take me and Max with you to the elves,” Anders demanded.
Ivan paused, scratching the beard that had grown on his chin over the last several weeks. Thinking it over he said, “Okay, fine. You two can come with me.”
“Great! When do we leave?”
“As soon as we get back to camp,” Ivan said.
Anders used his thoughts to reach Zahara, You can follow us to the elves, that’s where your family and the other dragons you were with were going when you got lost, right?
Yes. Do you think my family made it there?
It’s our best shot at finding them. If they aren’t there, maybe the elves will be able to help you find them. They would know more about it than anyone else I can think of.
Thank you, Anders.
Back at camp, he pulled Max aside and told him that the three of them would be going on a separate mission to see the elves, if Max wanted to join in.
“Are you serious?” Max asked, excitedly. “I’ve never met an elf before. Yes, I’m in! When do we leave?”
“Get your things. We’re to meet Ivan by the stream as soon as we’re ready,” Anders said pointing to the canyon at the mouth of the bay. Max grabbed his travel pack and the two of them said their goodbyes to Britt and her crewmates. Both of them had grown close to their new captain over the last several weeks, so it was a sorrowful goodbye.
Max and Anders met Ivan near the stream. Ivan had explained to Red and Jorgen that he was needed for a different mission and was taking Max and Anders. Their plan was to reunite with the warriors in a week’s time. The two Rollo leaders were not happy to see a valuable asset like Ivan leave them now, but none of the three were a part of the Rollo tribe, so they couldn’t stop them from leaving. Together Ivan, Anders, and Max set out; Zahara followed, unknown to Anders’ two companions.