Hatch (The Dragons Of Laton) (57 page)

As the smoke billowed over the wall, Ammon raised his sword. “To the gate!”

A moment later Theo unlatched the massive doors from within and waved them inside. The hatchlings raced ahead of their knights and disappeared into the streets and alleys. Soon puffs of smoke and flames began to appear as the hatchlings found more of the hidden crossbows.

Theo smiled and placed a hand on Ammon’s shoulder. “Now that you’re inside I will join the battle at the west gate. Good luck!”

With practiced grace, he swung into Ebony’s saddle and nodded to Ammon as the big dragon spread it’s wings. With a powerful leap they left the ground leaving swirls of dust to mingle with the smoke.

Just as Ammon was about to join the others, he heard the whistle of a bolt pass overhead and the sickening thud as it struck its target. He turned in horror as he watched Theo’s dragon plunge out of sight beyond the city walls.

“No!” He raced past the gate to see the large black form lying in the field motionless.

Obviously dazed, Theo was just climbing out of the saddle and when he saw Ammon approaching he waved him away. “Go back! There is nothing you can do here! Just…keep…going.”

As Theo’s words trailed off Ammon swallowed hard and turned back towards the city.

***

A long string of curses spilled from Devan’s mouth that surprised even the coarse men around him. The last thing he’d expected to see when he rose this morning was a massive swirling cloud dragons over his head! He spat on the floor in disgust. Tirate had assured him there were no more than two hundred, an estimate easily off by over a thousand.

Just as disturbing was the sight of Boris and his dragon swooping over the courtyard to drop the letter demanding their surrender. He had personally witnessed Boris’ dragon drop from the sky and fall into the rapids, then disappear into the Hole. Already rumors were spreading among the men that it was the ghost of the captain coming back to seek revenge. He was a bit more practical than that however. Obviously the man had somehow survived and it was his job to deal with it.

He watched as the cloud of dragons overhead suddenly shifted towards the western gates and the men around him scrambled to meet the inevitable attack. He frowned and grabbed at the men in vain as they rushed by. “Stop you fools! Can’t you see it’s a diversion? Use your heads! Gather some men and get to the east gate!”

Frustrated, he shook his head and stepped into the guardhouse where a stout man snapped to attention. With a casual salute, he eyed the leader of his elite soldiers. “Get your men together and assign them to places along the palace walls. Today they’ll earn the extra gold we’ve been paying them.”

***

El tested the weight of the sword in her hand and studied the blade doubtfully. The small polished blade had been designed for a child to carry during formal ceremonies and never intended for combat. Meader had carefully sharpened the blunted blade to a razor sharp edge.

“Use it only if you have to.” He cautioned. “It’s made of soft metal and won’t fair well against a real sword, but it’s better than nothing.”

She nodded in agreement and cast another curious glance Meader’s corroded armor. He noticed her stare and chuckled.

“This armor wasn’t always rusty, and I wasn’t always this old.”

The old woman behind him cackled. “You ain’t getting any younger either!”

Meader’s leathery face split into a toothless grin. “Nope, but I still can show them guards a thing or two ‘bout fightin! Now listen, I got a man watchin your dragon friends. Looks to me like they plan on drawing attention to the west side and Tirate’s men are all runnin that way to fight. We might be able to take out a few by the east gate while they’re busy over there. We gotta go now though, while they’re confused!”

El followed as the group spilled out the door and quickly dispersed into the shadowed alleys. Fulgid loped protectively beside her, his ears swiveling warily in all directions. As they neared the gate she could hear the shouts of the guards and the frequent twang of crossbows. Cautiously, she peered around the corner of a building and felt her heart leap for joy. She had a clear view of the gates at the end of the street. They were open wide and Theo and his dragon were just flying over them. Ammon was standing in the entrance, plainly visible in his gleaming gold armor.

She was about to run out and greet them when the whistle of a bolt pierced the air over her head. Her knees weakened as she watched the thick black shaft sink deep into the back of Theo’s dragon. The enormous creature dropped like a stone beyond the wall and out of sight.

The clicking sound of a crossbow crank echoed down the dark alley and El pressed herself tightly against the wall. A low growl at her feet drew her attention to the glowing white eyes of the golden dragon. With ears flat and fangs exposed, Fulgid stalked down the alley.

“Fulgid! No!”

The furious little dragon ignored her and disappeared down the alley. She hesitated for only a moment then gripped the handle of her sword tightly and followed after him.

The narrow alley turned sharply to the left and ended at a stairway that led up to a platform where two men hurried to reload a crossbow. Fulgid’s claws cleaved deep gashes in the wood as he raced up the stairs with incredible speed. The guards didn’t even have time to draw their swords before the dragon fell upon them. As razor sharp fangs sliced through their armor, El turned away.

It was over in moments and Fulgid walked back down the alley leaving little behind but the broken and splintered remains of the crossbow and two dark forms that lay motionless atop the debris. El felt her stomach reel as she followed Fulgid back to the street. She had always known about the fierceness of dragons, but to actually witness that fury was sobering.

Before they reached the end of the alley they heard the rhythmic thrum of boots striking the cobblestone. She reached down and scooped Fulgid up in her arms and slipped into a darkened doorway as an army of men marched past, heading towards the east gate.

***

Inside the city Ammon could smell the stench of burning crossbows and hear the sounds of sword against sword in the distance. The knights had taken their hatchlings and fanned out the moment they’d entered the gates, searching out and destroying the guard posts atop the walls. Already thin wisps of smoke began to rise into the morning sky as they ripped their way through Tirate’s forces. He should have been with them, but he couldn’t leave Theo behind. He looked back at the man kneeling beside his dragon Ebony and knew Theo would not leave until the beast had drawn its last breath.

The sound of voices shouting pulled his attention back into the city. At the end of the long street, a group of heavily-armed men were gathering. His stomach knotted, and with a sudden grim determination, he sheathed his sword and ran to the gate. He threw his shoulder against the massive doors and pushed them shut before sliding the bolt into place. That should slow them down at least. He ducked into the guard tower, climbed to the top of the stairs, and peered through the window.

The company of men filled the street as they approached the gate with swords drawn and shields up. Behind the front row, a handful of men carried small crossbows notched and ready. As they got closer, he could hear a gruff voice bellowing orders.

“Get that gate open and finish off that dragon! The rest of you see what can be salvaged from the crossbows and find that man with the shiny armor! Send someone back and inform Devan the east gate is secured! Now go!”

Ammon pressed his back against the wall and scanned his surroundings. The guard towers were the first places the hatchlings had entered, and now little remained but shattered bows and broken arrows that littered the floor. He drew his sword and forced himself to breathe evenly as the sound of heavy boots trudged up the stairs. He struck the moment the man came into view, his golden sword sliced easily through the metal shield and into the armored body behind it.
He withdrew the blade and used his foot to push the wounded man back down the stairs and prepared for the next one.

***

Meader hissed to El from across the alley. “Is that fella in the tower someone ya know?”

She nodded, not daring to take her eyes from the scene unfolding before her. “That is Ammon, King of DoTaria…and my husband!”

Meader’s eyes widened. “The king is your husband?”

She nodded again. “Yes. My husband.”

He rubbed thoughtfully at the scruff on his chin. “Well I’ll be a dragon’s fang! Guess there is only one thing to do then!”

El reluctantly tore her eyes away for a moment to watch the old man signal to the others with his hands. “One thing?”

“Ah-yup.” A sly smile split across his wrinkled face. “Just one thing. Fight.”

***

The head guard grumbled angrily as his men dragged another body out of the guard tower. He didn’t have time for this. He’d already sent word to Devan that the gate was secured, but he couldn’t get any men into the towers to check the crossbows because of this one man. The problem was that the tower had been designed to be defended from within. The narrow stairway made it impossible for more than one man to enter at a time and a single, well-armed man could hold off a siege for a considerable amount of time.

He grabbed the nearest man by his shirt. “Grab some wood and smoke him out or burn him alive, I don’t care how you do it, but get me control of that tower!” The man’s knees suddenly buckled, and he released his grip just as he fell face first on the ground with an arrow jutting from his back. Another arrow whizzed past to strike a man standing beside him. With a shout, he dove into the shallow recess of the gate and screamed. “Return fire, you fools!”

He grabbed a small crossbow from one of the fallen men and shot at a figure half hidden behind a building. The figure disappeared from view and the bolt harmlessly struck the cobblestones and rattled down the street. From rooftops and darkened windows, a steady hail of arrows pummeled them, and they fired back with the lethal crossbows until the street was littered with arrows. He cursed every citizen in the city as he wiped the sweat from his brow and gazed up at the buildings. Was this a pause in the fighting, or had they realized they were too outnumbered to succeed? After all, he had over six hundred men here, did they honestly think they could fight and win?

“They’ve given up for now, so get that gate open and make sure that dragon is dead! Then get that man out of the tower!”

Still holding up their shields protectively, a handful of men warily moved to the gates.

***

Ammon watched from the narrow tower window as Tirate’s men struggled with the gate. Whoever had launched that brief attack had done little damage to the large detachment of guards. He shifted his position until he could see the street below. If only he had some of those arrows and a bow, he could stop them from opening the gate and at least protect Theo until help arrived. He gripped his sword in frustration. There had to be a way, but how?