Hooked on First Change, Rescue, #MFRWHooks

 

To celebrate reaching 50K on my current work in progress, 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.

This excerpt picks up where Attack 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.

Although I normally leave on a cliff hanger, due to requests here is a teaser to how the gryphlor attack ends. (At least as far as the great cat attack.) A hint of foreshadowing of Kedar's future is in the excerpt. To see the full how and why, pick up First Change: Legends From The Eyrie.

Blood loss threatened to overwhelm the energy of battle. Leaning heavily on the slicked wood, he wove back and forth as he fought to stay on his feet, for to fall meant death. His gaze never left the unblinking eyes of the snarling cats.

Faoth’s excited yelps crackled into the air. Kedar held his breath. Before he could turn and see the dog's condition, a sense of relief washed through him and realized Faoth’s cries were not a warning, nor did they reflect pain.

 

Tawny blurs accompanied by whimpers and snarls dashed towards the woods. Before they reached the safety of the trees, streams of fire flowed across the meadow, brightening the burgeoning dusk. One by one, orange fire surrounded the cats.

Now the whistle of air over pinions reached Kedar’s straining ears. “Lilese and the dragshi did come,” he whispered. Rioghnach is safe. No sooner had the words passed his lips than the battle energy that had sustained him retreated in a single blink. Nerveless fingers lost their hold on the staff and blood-covered knife. No longer able to stand, he measured his length in the wet grass.

. . .

Warmth surrounded Kedar. Flickering blue light cast an eerie glow on the back of his eyelids. However, it was the music, an ethereal chorus of silver tones that called him. He couldn’t make out any words, separate any individual voice, yet he listened with a rapt attention. His entire being yearned to soar.

The world brightened as if someone woke from a deep sleep, giving the impression of a great sigh, then of slipping down into the cottony darkness of slumber. As the specter vanished, so did the song.

<Come back!> Kedar cast into the cosmos. He fought back tears at the waves of sadness, of unbearable loss, that overwhelmed him. “Don’t leave,” he whispered.

The pain lessened. Eventually, he became aware of the gentle caress of fingers on his forehead.

<You have slept and rested,> a comforting voice said in his mind.<Return, Kedar. Return to the world of the living.>

Pinpricks of light appeared, a jagged line in the blackness. Heartbeat after heartbeat, the split widened into a glowing chasm. Lethargy retreated under the repeated mental commands to awaken. Finally, they could no longer be denied and he opened his eyes to stare into the leader of the dragshi’s worried green orbs. Lilese’s strong arms helped him sit up, while another of the dragshi pressed a cup of restorative into Kedar’s trembling fingers. He noticed that the rest of the rescue party had traded their dragon wings for human arms and legs and were sitting in groups of two or three, talking in quiet tones over cups of steaming ubhai tea.

 

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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.