Hooked on First Change, The Attack, #MFRWHooks

 

It's been a while as I've been focusing on finishing up my current work in progress. As a return to the hop, an excerpt from Magic and Steel - Mt'wan Comraich, one of the novellas in First Change: Legends From The Eyrie, the latest of the Dragshi Chronicles.

The Lady Mairin Alidryer of the Dragshi searched for the one man in the world intended to be her mate. However, the man she left behind when she gained the freedom of flight refused to accept the truth that she did not love him. Now the head of a band of raiders, her former suitor turned stalker swore to have Mairin on her knees in front of him.

All that stands between his plans is the true human, Kedar, wielder of the enspelled sword called Mt’wan Comraich. But will the steel of the Protector of Mt’wan be enough.

Bodyguard to the Lady Mairin, Kedar dared not fail in his duty—or more dangerous—love her. For like the true dragons, the shifters mated for life in this world and the one beyond.

This excerpt picks up where Duty left off as a pride of large cats attack a dragon. One of the duties of the dragshi and the true humans who live at Cloud Eyrie is to protect the dragons irregardless if the human is a dragon lord or a shepherd such as Kedar.

“Rioghnach, wake up,” Kedar screamed. “Gryphlor.”

Whether his cry triggered the attack or the cats just took advantage of the dragon turning towards the sound, a pair of gryphlor broke cover—and leaped.

Confusion answered Kedar’s warning, but it didn’t slow the dragon’s reflexes. Her tail whipped out, catching a striped feline in mid-air. The crack as the creature hit the ground wagon lengths away rolled across the meadow.

Yelling and waving his staff to distract the attacking pride, Kedar ran from the protection of the woods. A pair of brown- and tan-shaded gryphlor peeled off and loped through the grass. Their target was obvious—him.

The element of surprise now gone, the full pride, from the gray-muzzled to the youngest kit, rose from concealment in the grass until the dragon faced more than a dozen cats. A shifting circle of brown and tan, they padded around Rioghnach, keeping just beyond the reach of her claws. Kedar suppressed a moan at the realization of the dragon’s plight. Teeth and talons weren’t enough. She needed dragon fire. But every time she sucked down air, a cat leaped so that she could not catch more than a quick draft, never enough to fuel her flame. No matter how hard she tried, the dragon didn’t catch more than an odd piece of fur with her fiery breath.

And I can’t help, Kedar cursed. He needed all his focus to battle the gryphlor stalking him.

A giant paw raked toward his face. The staff blocked the blow, but the force of the collision rocked him from hand to shoulder. Gathering his mental strength, he cast a frantic call into the ether to the dragshi for assistance he knew could never get there in time. <Lilese! Anyone! Gryphlor attack.>

What might have been a faint response tickled at his mind. However, continued probes of his defenses by the stalking cats prevented any more mindspeech. A prayer to his ancestors that his message had gone through was followed by reality. Quick calculations told the truth. Even if they were near and already on the wing, it would take the dragshi too long to provide any real assistance, and even longer if they had to shift from human to dragon form. Blood already streaked the blue hide and Rioghnach’s reactions were slowing. With each attack, the big cats got closer to inflicting a fatal wound.

~ * ~

The rest of MAGIC AND STEEL as well as the other tales in First Change, is available at these ebook sellers.

Be sure to check out the other excerpts by the authors of MFRW.