Free Extraordinary Zoology by Howard Tayler Page A

side. It was easily three times the size of Horgash’s bison, thirty feet long, and all thirty of those feet were airborne.
    Horgash was already running toward Kinik, shouting. It was a horrific sound, like he was screaming through a slit throat, the Molgur-Trul words from his tongue distorted.
    The drake turned its head to Horgash and twisted in the air, presenting its throat and flank to Kinik, who took a half step back and planted the butt of her war cleaver in the mud.
    The blade, however, pointed at empty air. Even at this range, Kinik couldn’t see what was coming. She probably couldn’t see the end of her weapon.
    Ogrun, fog drake, and trollkin all collided in the same screeching, screaming instant.
    “Fish anatomy, not lizard!” shouted Lynus, starting forward with his sword in front of him. “No jugular in front!”
    “Take my left, lad!” Pendrake shouted and charged toward the din.
    Lynus ran behind and to the left of Pendrake, both hands gripping the haft of his sword over his head, the trailing blade readied for a wicked chop.
    “Biggest vessels run along the spine! Hard to get to!” Lynus yelled.
    Kinik was pinned in the mud beneath one of the drake’s three-clawed feet, the center claw resting in a dent in her breastplate. She had one hand just above the butt of her polearm, but even with one hand and no leverage she was able to swing the massive blade around and swat the drake’s hind flank in a failed attempt to get it to lift its foreleg.
    Edrea looked for a good target, and found none.
    Horgash struck thrice at the drake’s head, leaving only shallow wounds against the heavy scales. The creature snapped at him, clearly hoping to brush him off so it could focus on turning Kinik into a proper meal.
    Pendrake ran to Horgash’s right and lunged at the snapping drake. It saw him coming before he had a target and drew its head back.
    Pendrake’s sword flashed through empty air.
    Horgash lunged as the creature began another strike, his counter perfectly timed and aimed straight for sensitive sinus cavities until Lynus’ blade arrived. His overhead swing came down hard on Horgash’s sword, deflecting it, and both blades went point-first into the mud. The drake’s enormous head slammed into Horgash and Lynus simultaneously, knocking them apart and five paces back.

Edrea had a clear shot.
    She squeezed the trigger, her rifle thundered, and the drake’s left eye exploded. The monster bellowed in rage and swung its head, fixing its remaining eye on Edrea.
    Then it charged.
    Fog drakes, Edrea recalled, were swift aquatic predators but seemed lazy on land. The advantage their fog glands provided them meant they could usually waddle up to their next meal while it grazed stupidly on swamp heather.
    But this charge was no waddle. The fog drake was wounded and angry.
    No time to reload, no time to draw her sword. There were spells, but . . . Edrea reversed her grip on the stock and swung the rifle like a club.
    The drake was leading with an open maw, a behavior ingrained, perhaps, by eating prey that couldn’t see. Edrea’s swing connected with a tooth and broke it.
    She used the momentum of her swing to throw herself out of the way. The drake barreled past her, a clawed foot just missing as it ran. It redoubled its howling. It was certainly disoriented, running away from the safety of the lake.
    Terrified whinnying pierced the air, closely followed by a horrific crunch.
    Not running away. Running toward the easiest meal.
    Edrea rolled to look. The drake had taken Codex to the ground and was now curled atop and around him, tearing off chunks as the poor animal shuddered. The horse’s amber outline vanished, like an extinguished candle.
    Aeshnyrr and Oathammer had broken their leads and were galloping pell-mell up the rise and out of the hollow. Greta was snorting and stamping, as if preparing to charge.
    “The horses!” shouted Pendrake.
    “Over here!” Edrea called back. She pulled a round from