Free DragonLight by Donita K. Paul Page B

his eyes and paid closer attention.
    Lee Ark nodded. “Until I heard one statement that struck me as out of place. Something about earning Wulder’s favor. I kept attending their open-air meetings and made sure I prayed for discernment each time. In every message I found one speck of heresy almost hidden in the glowing rhetoric.”
    Over the clang of swords clashing in mock combat, a hum like the sound of swarming bees drifted across the lawn. The people on the exercise field ceased their forms and practice of various methods of defense. All eyes turned toward the western corner of the castle. The drone drew closer and, as it became more distinct, Bardon realized it could not be small insects.
    “What is this?” asked Lee Ark.
    A tumanhofer boy came running around the corner. As soon as he saw the people, he yelled, “Dragons. Little dragons. They’re attacking!” He ran on toward the stables, repeating his warning with increasing fervor.
    Lee Ark took command. “Those who will not fight, return to the castle. Warriors, to your weapons. A line for defense. A second line behind, the distance of three yards.”
    Most of the servants and ladies disappeared into the castle. The remaining fighters hastened to follow Lee Ark’s orders. Mikkai settled on Bardon’s shoulder and clung steadfastly as his knight responded to the battle cry. Tieto chose to fly above the field. Wizard Cam stood beside Bardon on one side and Lee Ark on the other. They positioned themselves in the center of the front line. The men and a few women had just formed ranks when a hundred or more black dragons the size of a small lad’s fist charged around the corner.
    The black beasts stormed the defenders en masse without an apparent leader or a particular plan of attack. As they approached, the dragons blasted tiny streams of fire at the obstacles in their way but did not tarry to fight. Mikkai hunkered down on Bardon’s shoulder and did not move. The swarm flew as if the people were merely an inconvenience in the way of their journey.
    The small, quick targets were difficult to hit, but a score of dragon bodies littered the ground, a solid testament to the warriors’ skills.
    One man yelped when he attempted to pick up one of the black dragons. He shook his hand. “It stung me.” He ran his sword point through the creature and lifted it. “In all of Amara, I’ve never seen the like of this.”
    Another defender crouched and examined a fallen dragon. “I mistook them for bats when they first rounded the corner, but the fire proved me wrong. These are dragons, peculiar, but dragons. The boy was right.” The man stood and spit on the ground. “Dragons. I don’t like any of them. Don’t trust them, myself. Here’s an example of how bad they can be.” He strode off the field, glowering at all he passed.
    Bardon lifted his eyebrows and glanced at Sir Dar. He shrugged, shook his head, and touched his singed hair. Bardon looked at Cam, but the old wizard was concentrating on something else.
    Wizard Cam sniffed the air above the dead specimen before him. “I believe the spines along the back may contain toxins. Even dead, this venom could be released and cause pain. Since our friend over there is still standing, I doubt the venom is fatal.”
    Mikkai came out of a stupor and began a high-pitched squawk next to Bardon’s ear. The knight cringed and forcefully removed the shrieker from his shoulder, peeling this little dragon’s claws out of his shirt. He held shivering Mikkai next to his chest, stroking his back, and uttering soothing phrases. “It’s all right. They’re gone now. You aren’t hurt.”
    When the little fellow quieted, Bardon asked, “Do you know anything about these dragons, Mikkai? Do you know where they came from?”
    Mikkai shuddered, and Bardon heard the suggestion in his mind that Filia would be more likely to know. Bardon asked Tieto, who had come to find out what was wrong with his friend, about the tiny dragons.