Free Strife In The Sky (Book 7) by Craig Halloran

exhausted. Drained.
    Need rest. Need much rest .
    Escaping from The Deep had taken it all out of him. And then the long trek here. He could barely move.
    Dragon roars echoed down the street, causing him to jump.
    Sultans of Sulfur! There are dragons and soldiers everywhere. Working together! This is madness!
    He swore he could feel the great presence of Selene above.
    She certainly must be the most powerful person in the world.
    A person who controlled both men and dragons. And her tail. Blacker than coal and full of scales. The scales looked just like Nath Dragon’s. He and Bayzog had talked much about the return of the black dragons. Now, he had no doubt he knew of two of them. They were the most formidable people he’d ever met in the world.
    “YOU!” a hard voice said. “Get over here!”
    A pair of soldiers approached. Both had swords out and nervous looks in their eyes.
    Gorlee struggled to rise and sat back down.
    “I said get over here,” the soldier said.
    “I can barely move my withered legs,” Gorlee said, holding out a trembling hand, “can you help me up? That mob ran over me.”
    The soldiers marched over. One grabbed him by the wrist and jerked him up.
    “Oh!” Gorlee exclaimed. “My bones are brittle. You’ll break me in two.”
    The soldier grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up to his toes.
    “I don’t care if I break all your bones. What I want to know is if you’ve seen anything strange.”
    The soldier held his sword to Gorlee’s throat. Desperation was in the man’s eyes. Gorlee’s head beaded with sweat.
    The soldier said, “Someone like you would notice when strange things happen. Did you or did you not see something odd coming out of the Great Tower of Narnum?” He pressed the sword into Gorlee’s wrinkled neck. “I’m a good judge of character. I’ll know if you’re truthful or if you’re lying.”
    “I’ve no desire to lie,” Gorlee said, pushing himself into a sitting position. “I’ve always wanted the best for this city. I saw a monster—Great, huge and scary—running through the streets. It fled toward the stables.” He pointed. “The roadway out perhaps. Even with my old eyes I could see him, but when the ground shook under his great feet, I trembled and hid my eyes.”
    The soldiers looked at one another and one said, “How could something that big disappear so fast?” He looked up. “And with all these dragons around too. Lousy overlooking lizards! No, we have to find him.”
    Gorlee withheld his smile. He had pulled off quite a feat.
    A dragon roared from above. The soldiers’ heads snapped up. The dragon had a soldier in its claws, and it circled the great tower. Gorlee could hear the soldier scream when the dragon dropped him and he was falling. The soldiers glanced at him and each other with terror in their eyes.
    The soldier here stuffed his sword in his scabbard and grabbed Gorlee by the hair. “If you see anything, you’d better tell us!” He let go gruffly, and they both took off running toward the stables.
    Gorlee shook his head.
    I almost feel sorry for them. Should I?
    Once he was sure they were gone, he got on his feet with a groan. At the moment, he really did feel old. Every bit of his energy was sapped. At least I made it this far . He shuffled down the street, heading away from the sounds of commotion and dragons. I just need a nap. There must be somewhere safe a man can curl up around here.
    All around, soldiers pounded on doors and kicked them in. Dragon claws, blue, grey and yellow, clicked on the cobblestones as the dragons slunk through the streets. From the tops of buildings they watched, making piercing cries like hawks. There wasn’t sanctuary anywhere in the city.
    He slogged through the town, peering into storefronts, down alleys. His entire body was shaking. His stomach groaned and he rubbed his belly . How long did Bletver the triant say I slept? A week? No wonder I’m so weak and starving. If he could, he would