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A Rose In The Wind: A Saga of the Halmae -- Updated June 19, 2014
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<blockquote data-quote="ellinor" data-source="post: 6310655" data-attributes="member: 14561"><p><strong>39x02</strong></p><p></p><p>Ice exploded from the cave, straight at Mena. </p><p></p><p>She ducked, but a sliver grazed her cheek. It stung, a sharp cold knife just below her eye. She blinked it back, and suddenly the dragon was right there, coming at her. As it emerged from the cave, it spread its wings. They were enormous. Mena had never seen an animal so big. </p><p></p><p>With a giant <em>swoosh</em> of its wings, the dragon flew upward, barely missing Mena as it went. She jabbed her sword up, a wild attempt to stab it in the underbelly. <em>Dragons have soft underbellies, right?</em> It worked—she felt the sword break through the dragon’s leathery flesh, but the dragon jerked upward, sliding itself off the blade. Then it dipped down, raking its talons at Mena. They tore into her shoulder. For a moment, everything was pain. Hot pain, this time.</p><p></p><p>“You. Don’t hurt her.” Kormick was right behind Mena. He reached up and grabbed one of the dragon’s scaly legs, and held on. </p><p></p><p><em>Like in the Sovereign wrestling match,</em> Mena thought, <em>but with warhammers—</em> and as the dragon flew higher, Kormick climbed, like climbing a tree, and reached the base of its wing. He pounded at one of the joints where its wing connected with its massive, blue-green, lizard-like body. </p><p></p><p>“Just like a kneecap!” Kormick bellowed down. He swung himself underneath the wing, closer to its joint. </p><p></p><p>“Hit it again!” Mena replied. Kormick did.</p><p></p><p>The dragon folded its wing and swiped at Kormick, dipping toward the ground in the process. Mena could see talons on the back of its wing, scratching Kormick, tearing at his cloak. Kormick dropped to the ground, safe for a moment. </p><p></p><p>The dragon roared. ROARED. It might have been the loudest sound Mena had ever heard. Mena reached up to cover her ears, reflexively. Her ears rang. She couldn’t concentrate on anything. </p><p></p><p>She shook her head, trying to clear the ringing sound, and took stock of what was happening around her. Everyone, it seemed, was stunned just as she was, shaking their heads and rubbing their ears. </p><p></p><p>Everyone except for Aeton, that is. Aeton was flying. No, not flying, jumping—leaping, from the top of the cave onto the dragon’s back. It was a mighty leap, and he landed on the dragon’s neck and grabbed its wing, pulling back. But the dragon jerked its wing back and Aeton fell to the ground with a thump. He looked up at Mena, shrugged painfully, and groaned “Nice try?” Mena nodded in support, but she could tell it had been a tough fall.</p><p></p><p>She stepped forward to help him up, but had to step back as the dragon reared back again and let loose a blast of icy breath. More ice knives. Freezing air and ice crystals ripped the skin of her neck and arms. It was so cold it almost felt hot, so cold she could barely think. It had hit Aeton and Twiggy, too.</p><p></p><p>Mena tried to run to them, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t even move her legs. They were cold, she realized. Even colder than the rest of her. She looked down, and saw ice, wrapped around her feet and legs, holding her to the spot. Where was Tavi? Where was <em>everyone?</em></p><p></p><p>Mena chipped at the ice with her sword, and it loosened. She pulled one foot free, and flexed it. It was stiff from the cold, and even just flexing it was painful. But she felt the warmth of Savina’s healing—Savina must have been behind her—and flexing became easier. Her other leg was still caught, but now there was hope. She set to work at the ice.</p><p></p><p>Mena twisted around in time to see Tavi, stabbing upward between the dragon’s wing and scales. The dragon flapped its wings, but Tavi ducked. “That’s it, Tavi!” Mena yelled, and continued chipping away. Tavi stabbed upward again, and connected again. From behind him, Twiggy cast, and the dragon reeled for a moment, pawing at some imaginary enemy. A flurry of arrows came from behind a scrubby bush—Nyoko’s, although Mena couldn’t see her. Some of them glanced off, but a few connected, lodging in the dragon’s scales. The dragon was having trouble staying up, and although it flapped its wings, it dipped low enough for Arden to swing underneath the beast and wedge her dagger between two scales. Perhaps it was Mena’s imagination, but the dragon almost flinched. It listed to one side, and touched down to the ground, favoring its injured wing. It had taken everything they had, but they had forced the dragon to the ground. Maybe they were finally doing some damage. Mena wanted—needed—to be back in the action. <em>Chip. Chip. Chip.</em></p><p></p><p>Arden’s distraction gave Kormick the chance to clamber forward under the dragon’s wing, straight toward that same wing joint—</p><p></p><p>Mena tugged against the ice and with a <em>crack</em> her foot came free at last. She ran forward, every other step a stabbing pain—and ducked beneath the wing—and there was Kormick. She stabbed upward and pierced the dragon’s hide where its leg met its body. Kormick swung his hammer at the joint, and it buckled. “Again!” Mena said, and twisted her sword deeper. Kormick complied, and Mena heard a solid crack. <em>That wing won’t work the same anymore</em> she thought. </p><p></p><p>“We should do this more often,” Kormick grinned.</p><p></p><p>“Maybe not this, exactly,” Mena replied, as she retrieved her sword from the dragon’s hindquarter. She braced herself against Kormick for another upward stab. It connected. <em>But we do make a good team.</em></p><p></p><p>Above her head, the dragon’s muscles tensed. It was trying to take off again. Its bad wing folded under, and Mena slashed at its membrane. She cut clear through, separating wing from bone. It bled, black ichorous blood. Tavi extended his flaming sword like a torch, and the membrane began to burn. <em>Now it <strong>really</strong> won’t work the same.</em></p><p></p><p>The dragon used its other wing to rise from the ground. It was off-kilter, erratic, and no less frightening for that. As it rose higher and higher, it spewed icy breath down toward the ground. Shards tore at Mena again, but Twiggy, Aeton, and Kormick got the worst of it. Kormick fell forward and ice piled atop him, holding him to the ground as it had done to Mena. Mena immediately began chipping at the ice, and freed one of Kormick’s hands. He immediately set about at the rest of the ice with the sharp end of a warhammer. “Go get ‘im,” he said, as he picked away.</p><p></p><p>“Over here!” Mena heard Savina yell. The dragon heard it too, and whipped around to face Savina. It was high above their heads now, and poised to dive for another attack of talons and ice.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="ellinor, post: 6310655, member: 14561"] [b]39x02[/b] Ice exploded from the cave, straight at Mena. She ducked, but a sliver grazed her cheek. It stung, a sharp cold knife just below her eye. She blinked it back, and suddenly the dragon was right there, coming at her. As it emerged from the cave, it spread its wings. They were enormous. Mena had never seen an animal so big. With a giant [i]swoosh[/i] of its wings, the dragon flew upward, barely missing Mena as it went. She jabbed her sword up, a wild attempt to stab it in the underbelly. [i]Dragons have soft underbellies, right?[/i] It worked—she felt the sword break through the dragon’s leathery flesh, but the dragon jerked upward, sliding itself off the blade. Then it dipped down, raking its talons at Mena. They tore into her shoulder. For a moment, everything was pain. Hot pain, this time. “You. Don’t hurt her.” Kormick was right behind Mena. He reached up and grabbed one of the dragon’s scaly legs, and held on. [i]Like in the Sovereign wrestling match,[/i] Mena thought, [i]but with warhammers—[/i] and as the dragon flew higher, Kormick climbed, like climbing a tree, and reached the base of its wing. He pounded at one of the joints where its wing connected with its massive, blue-green, lizard-like body. “Just like a kneecap!” Kormick bellowed down. He swung himself underneath the wing, closer to its joint. “Hit it again!” Mena replied. Kormick did. The dragon folded its wing and swiped at Kormick, dipping toward the ground in the process. Mena could see talons on the back of its wing, scratching Kormick, tearing at his cloak. Kormick dropped to the ground, safe for a moment. The dragon roared. ROARED. It might have been the loudest sound Mena had ever heard. Mena reached up to cover her ears, reflexively. Her ears rang. She couldn’t concentrate on anything. She shook her head, trying to clear the ringing sound, and took stock of what was happening around her. Everyone, it seemed, was stunned just as she was, shaking their heads and rubbing their ears. Everyone except for Aeton, that is. Aeton was flying. No, not flying, jumping—leaping, from the top of the cave onto the dragon’s back. It was a mighty leap, and he landed on the dragon’s neck and grabbed its wing, pulling back. But the dragon jerked its wing back and Aeton fell to the ground with a thump. He looked up at Mena, shrugged painfully, and groaned “Nice try?” Mena nodded in support, but she could tell it had been a tough fall. She stepped forward to help him up, but had to step back as the dragon reared back again and let loose a blast of icy breath. More ice knives. Freezing air and ice crystals ripped the skin of her neck and arms. It was so cold it almost felt hot, so cold she could barely think. It had hit Aeton and Twiggy, too. Mena tried to run to them, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t even move her legs. They were cold, she realized. Even colder than the rest of her. She looked down, and saw ice, wrapped around her feet and legs, holding her to the spot. Where was Tavi? Where was [i]everyone?[/i] Mena chipped at the ice with her sword, and it loosened. She pulled one foot free, and flexed it. It was stiff from the cold, and even just flexing it was painful. But she felt the warmth of Savina’s healing—Savina must have been behind her—and flexing became easier. Her other leg was still caught, but now there was hope. She set to work at the ice. Mena twisted around in time to see Tavi, stabbing upward between the dragon’s wing and scales. The dragon flapped its wings, but Tavi ducked. “That’s it, Tavi!” Mena yelled, and continued chipping away. Tavi stabbed upward again, and connected again. From behind him, Twiggy cast, and the dragon reeled for a moment, pawing at some imaginary enemy. A flurry of arrows came from behind a scrubby bush—Nyoko’s, although Mena couldn’t see her. Some of them glanced off, but a few connected, lodging in the dragon’s scales. The dragon was having trouble staying up, and although it flapped its wings, it dipped low enough for Arden to swing underneath the beast and wedge her dagger between two scales. Perhaps it was Mena’s imagination, but the dragon almost flinched. It listed to one side, and touched down to the ground, favoring its injured wing. It had taken everything they had, but they had forced the dragon to the ground. Maybe they were finally doing some damage. Mena wanted—needed—to be back in the action. [i]Chip. Chip. Chip.[/i] Arden’s distraction gave Kormick the chance to clamber forward under the dragon’s wing, straight toward that same wing joint— Mena tugged against the ice and with a [i]crack[/i] her foot came free at last. She ran forward, every other step a stabbing pain—and ducked beneath the wing—and there was Kormick. She stabbed upward and pierced the dragon’s hide where its leg met its body. Kormick swung his hammer at the joint, and it buckled. “Again!” Mena said, and twisted her sword deeper. Kormick complied, and Mena heard a solid crack. [i]That wing won’t work the same anymore[/i] she thought. “We should do this more often,” Kormick grinned. “Maybe not this, exactly,” Mena replied, as she retrieved her sword from the dragon’s hindquarter. She braced herself against Kormick for another upward stab. It connected. [i]But we do make a good team.[/i] Above her head, the dragon’s muscles tensed. It was trying to take off again. Its bad wing folded under, and Mena slashed at its membrane. She cut clear through, separating wing from bone. It bled, black ichorous blood. Tavi extended his flaming sword like a torch, and the membrane began to burn. [i]Now it [b]really[/b] won’t work the same.[/i] The dragon used its other wing to rise from the ground. It was off-kilter, erratic, and no less frightening for that. As it rose higher and higher, it spewed icy breath down toward the ground. Shards tore at Mena again, but Twiggy, Aeton, and Kormick got the worst of it. Kormick fell forward and ice piled atop him, holding him to the ground as it had done to Mena. Mena immediately began chipping at the ice, and freed one of Kormick’s hands. He immediately set about at the rest of the ice with the sharp end of a warhammer. “Go get ‘im,” he said, as he picked away. “Over here!” Mena heard Savina yell. The dragon heard it too, and whipped around to face Savina. It was high above their heads now, and poised to dive for another attack of talons and ice. [/QUOTE]
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