Free Avondale by Toby Neighbors Page A

waist-high crenellation and hefted the spear. Two of the soldiers held Rafe by the legs. Tiberius was just starting to lean out over the crenelation when a gray, scaly body darted up over the edge. Both of the soldiers holding Rafe’s legs jumped back in fright. Rafe, who had been holding the spear pointed down, swung the heavy weapon at the Graypee who was climbing over the edge of the wall. The lizard creature was knocked back, it’s long bony claws scrabbling against the stone in an effort not to lose its grip.
    Rafe went to strike the beast again, but this time it caught the spear in its massive jaws, the triangular head was little more than a small skull, huge jaw muscles, and a long snout full of pointed teeth. The creature instinctively jerked the spear, losing its battle to hold onto the wall and falling. Tiberius looked up triumphantly at his friend who had so valiantly fought the beast, only to see the look of fear pinching Rafe’s features as he lost his balance and fell.
    The rope spun out of Tiberius’ hands as he reach out to catch his friend, but he wasn’t fast enough. He hit the stone edge of the wall hard, bruising his ribs, but he hardly noticed. He watched in horror as Rafe fell, flipping onto his back in midair, before crashing against the rocky soil below.
    “No!” shouted Tiberius.
    He watched as the dust that had flown upward in a cloud, settled back down. He couldn’t look away. The Graypee landed several feet farther from the wall that Rafe, its mouth dripping blood, but it was able to get to its feet and limp away. The other Graypees had bolted away when Rafe hit the ground near them, but to Tiberius’ horror, they didn’t go far. He heard them growling and hissing.
    He turned back to the soldiers who were frozen in terror. He wanted to throw them over the wall. They were supposed to hold onto Rafe, but they had let him fall. Tears flooded his eyes.
    “Get help!” he shouted at them.
    The small squad of men ran down the wall, toward the barracks. Tiberius looked back down at his friend. He couldn’t tell if Rafe was breathing or not. He refused to even consider the possibility that his friend might be dead. He wouldn’t let the thought enter his consciousness, even though he felt it stalking around the edges of his mind.
    The spear lay on the ground not far from Rafe, the rope still connected to it and to the wall where the soldier’s had tied it. If Rafe could just get the rope and loop it under his arms, they could haul him back up to safety. Tiberius was just about to shout for some of the soldiers to come back, knowing he couldn’t pull his friend up the wall without help. But before he did, he noticed the Graypee’s moving slowly back toward Rafe, their tails held out rigid behind them, their bellies low to the ground. He knew they were ready to pounce. Even if Rafe got up immediately, he might not have time to get up the wall before they jumped on him.
    His mind flickered to the book of magic. The Second Order dealt with levitation, and for one instant he wished that he knew the spell. But that part of the book was missing, and he knew that skipping ahead was dangerous. He wouldn’t have been ready to lift his friend up the wall with magic even if he knew the spell. Then an idea struck. He didn’t take time to really consider it. He just acted before his nerves got the best of him.
    Picking up the rope, he hopped onto the edge of the wall’s crenelation, then slid off.

Chapter 10
Tiberius

    His hands burned as he slid down the rope. The side of the wall was too far for his feet to reach and slow his descent. He didn’t have time to slow down anyway. He slipped down the rope and hit the ground hard, pain shooting up through his feet as he collapsed onto his backside. His tailbone sent a wave of pain crashing up his back and he shouted as he rolled instinctively onto his stomach.
    The Graypee’s roared in response. They saw Tiberius as competition for the food that had