Free Soul of Dragons by Jonathan Moeller Page A

the arrows that buzzed past them.
    Four Ogrags might be enough to take Mazael's horsemen. 
    “Should we withdraw to the town?” said Gerald.
    “No,” said Mazael. “Those Ogrags could smash through the gates, and then we'll have Malrags pouring into the town. And if we withdraw, they’ll kill our wounded before they deal with us.” Gerald's mouth tightened. His pregnant wife and son were with the wounded, after all. 
    “Then how do we fight them?” said Gerald.
    Mazael looked at Castle Cravenlock, saw horsemen racing through the gate. Reinforcements were coming. The only effective way to fight Ogrags from horseback was with javelins, or lances long enough to counter the creatures' greater reach. 
    “Draw them away from the town,” said Mazael. “Have the archers keep harassing the Malrags. Once we're away from the town and the castle, out in the open, we can ride down the Malrags and deal with the Ogrags.”
    Gerald nodded to one of his knights, who lifted his horn and blew a series of blasts. The horsemen formed up around him, and Mazael and his men rode away from both the town and the castle. The Ogrags pursued, while the Malrags remained in formation, trying to shield themselves from the hail of arrows. 
     
    ###
     
    Romaria's bow twanged, sending another shaft into the dark ranks. A Malrag fell, black blood spurting from the arrow in its throat.
    Horn blasts rang out, and Mazael's heavy horse turned and rode east, away from both the town and the enemy. The Ogrags howled and pursued, while the Malrags remained in place, trying to shelter behind their shields. Romaria scowled, her mind racing. Mazael's horsemen could defeat the Ogrags, if they were careful. But they could not fight both the Ogrags and the Malrags at the same time, and if the Malrags attacked while the horsemen engaged the Ogrags...
    A flash of movement in the distance caught her eye. Horsemen rode from the gates of Castle Cravenlock, at least a hundred of them, armor flashing in the afternoon sunlight. That made Romaria’s task easy enough. Her mounted archers would keep the Malrags pinned, while Mazael's men dealt with the Ogrags. And when Castle Cravenlock’s knights arrived, they would smash the Malrags’ lines. For all the Malrags' ferocious strength, they could not stand against armored horsemen in the open field. 
    She lifted another arrow.
    A heartbeat later a blast of green lightning ripped out of the sky, slamming into the earth a few yards away. Romaria's horse reared in panic, and she lost her saddle, falling hard to the ground.
     
    ###
     
    “Circan!” shouted Mazael.
    The wizard dropped his reins and began casting a spell. Another lightning bolt hammered down, the blast throwing a half-dozen mounted archers from their saddles. Mazael's fist tightened around Lion's hilt. Had Romaria been thrown from her horse? Had she been injured, even killed? No. He had to focus on the battle. If he made a mistake, more people than Romaria would die. 
    Circan flung out his hands, shouting the final words of his spell. An emerald lightning bolt howled out of the sky, reaching for the mounted archers. But this time it struck an invisible barrier and rebounded into the Malrag ranks. Mazael saw a dozen Malrags killed by the blast, and a dozen more flung to the ground. 
    “Keep that shaman tied down!” said Mazael. Circan managed a nod, face tight with strain as he cast another spell. “The rest of you, scatter and take those Ogrags!”
    His men shouted and galloped forward, spreading themselves into a loose formation, spears and javelins at the ready. Mazael raised Lion, the blade sheathed in a storm of blue flame.
    Behind the advancing Ogrags, he saw the Malrags break formation and charge the stunned horse archers.
     
    ###
     
    Romaria staggered back to her feet, her left leg and side aching from the fall. Some of the mounted archers lay around her, dead or dazed. She heard the Malrags’ bloodcurdling war cries, saw them break