So there's that. My poor MC. I shall avoid saying any more, because my beta readers will slaughter me if they see this. My beta readers hate me. ;)
And for something else ... Um ... How about a snippet of a scene I rewrote today? That work for everyone? Okay? Okay.
She was snapped back
to reality by a crashing in the forest. She brought her dagger up,
even though it wouldn't be much help if a dragon took a fancy to her.
The dragon burst
through the treeline, roaring and thrashing its almost bird-shaped
head about. Its black scales, hinted with blue, glinted in the light.
Rael's attention was drawn to its wicked black claws, so similar to
the one her dagger was made from.
A chill ran through
her. She looked up from the dragon's claws – and straight into its
eyes. The beast looked directly at her, its eyes an icy shade of
blue, filled with intelligence and malevolence. The chill Rael had
felt intensified as the creature held her in its glare.
The thing's
concentration on Rael was shattered by a battle cry. The gathered
warriors attacked the dragon, swords and battle-axes mere blurs as
they swung toward the creature.
The dragon reacted
with amazing speed. It dodged blows as quickly as the warriors
delivered them. It darted away from ax blows and wove between swords,
using its spiked wings and tail as well as its claws and teeth to
deflect and strike.
A fighter darted
close the dragon. Rael held her breath, waiting for the beast to die
like it should.
It didn't. It reared
onto its hind legs, flapping its wings out behind it and using its
tail to steady itself. Its claws flashed as they came down.
The man let out a
pain-filled scream that made Rael's stomach turn. He crumpled.
Rael swore she saw
cruel pleasure flicker in the monster's freezing blue eyes as it
returned to striking blows.
The dragon came back
down onto all fours, lashing its tail and knocking a few warriors
away. With a sickening crunch, a battle-ax connected with the
dragon's wing. Black blood mixed with the red on its scales.
The dragon staggered
sideways and roared, its speed and rhythm interrupted. It swung its
tail in an attempt to make up for its blunder and now-useless wing.
A warrior that had
taken advantage of the dragon's wound to get close fell backward, his
sword knocked from his hand. He scrambled backward, defenseless
without a weapon. He somehow managed to reach the edge of the action
without injury.
Before she could
think her actions through, she had tossed her dagger in an easy
underhand toward him. It landed a few feet away from him and
skittered to his feet. He snatched it up and cast her a grateful
glance.
The dragon roared
again, beating with its tail and remaining functional wing. The
fighter let out a battle cry and darted back into the fray.
She watched the
fight more closely now, somehow she was invested in it.
The dragon roared
again, its voice laced with pain and rage. The warriors scattered.
Try as she might, Rael could find no reason for the sudden change.
The dragon lunged,
but the fighters easily moved away from it. Its jaws snapped open,
and it spat a mouthful of blue fire at them.
Cold fire?
The blueish –
silver fire spattered against the wall and slid harmlessly off the
stone.
The dragon roared
again, its voice weaker this time. It swayed on its feet. Only then
did Rael notice the black blood pouring freely from the creature's
neck. She thought she caught a glint of metal, but the dragon shifted
before she could tell.
The warriors held
back, waiting. The dragon continued to snarl and lunge for them, but
each movement was weaker and slower than the last. Eventually it
could barely maintain its footing.
It let out a final
angry roar as its legs gave out and its thrashing ended.
So, this has been my attempt at regularity. Tune in next time (hopefully tomorrow. ;) )
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