Fifty Four: The Firebrand
Boots pounded against the cobblestone and echoed off the surrounding houses and into the night.
My heart was hammering. I felt the burn of each breath in my lungs. We were out of time.
We sprinted towards the end of the street and I wondered if we’d make it. Would we die this way with our backs to the enemy as we fled?
Draxus turned his head towards me, and I could see the haunted look in his eye.
“Keep moving!” I shouted over the noise.
Jorgen stumbled and I caught him under the arm. A shadow flitted across the ground before us. That was all the warning I had. I shouted to Draxus, voice an incoherent shout of alarm before the Sand Drake rounded the corner before us.
Draxus skidded to a halt, boots spraying stone dust as he tried to arrest his momentum. High above him, the Sand Drake craned it’s head back. It’s a golden snake-like eye glimmering with triumph.
A black tongue lulled over sharp bloody teeth.
“Scatter!” I shouted to my men. They were scrambling now, struggling to regroup as I whipped past. The Sand Drakes head descended like a striking serpent.