I parried Mavev’s attack with an arcing sweep; he’d aimed for my throat, but I’d anticipated him. I knew he wanted a quick kill because he was injured; it’s how I’d play it, too. I leapt past him on a diagonal line and brought my blade up toward his throat, feinting before drawing a large gash across his thigh. He yelped in pain, and I fought the urge to smile. No use celebrating until he was wyrmfood. An injured beast can still kill you, after all.

  I circled around, and he followed me by mirroring my movements, ignoring the bleeding wound as his eyes searched mine for any hint of weakness. He’d find none today. I wanted him dead. In the distance, the Fell Dragon roared, and I felt renewed. Eggs was still alive, evading that biggest of bastard Lizards.

  “Peevan taught you well. So you kill him in return. Why?” He asked.

  “You talk like you knew him. If you truly did. You wouldn’t have to ask.” I spat.

  “Betrayer. I will take your head.” Mavev hissed.

  My blade dropped an inch as I heaved an exasperated sigh.

  “Why the fuck do you care? Where were any of you when he fell? When we struggled for scraps in the streets?” I growled.

  Mavev said nothing, instead darting forward, seizing the momentary break in my concentration. The green gem in his sword’s pommel flashed as he attacked high, low, then low again, forcing me to step around and up onto a pile of rubble. While he had forced himself onto lower ground, my footing was unstable, and so I danced away, creating distance further toward the crater the Fell Dragon had made in the top of the building.

  A quick glance showed me several levels of floors that the beast had smashed through. It would be easy to drop to the next floor down without injury, but I didn’t dare leave the others. I spied the pale Wyvern huddled by a broken stone pillar; it lay flat on the ground, staring at me as it slowly blinked. Blood oozed out of the wound from its back. Mavev crested a pile of rubble and I stepped forward, feigning a stumble, my knee smacked into the stone and I yelped, not needing to fake that. However, as I flourished my sword and Mavev’s eyes flitted to it, I grabbed a stone in my off hand. Just the right size to be concealed in my fist.

  He jumped down, his sword pointed toward me like a metal, accusatory finger. I braced to parry before stepping to the side at the last second, thrusting my blade at his chest. He twisted his body out of the way as he landed, but one foot crossed over the other. I lashed out with a vicious kick at his knees, which drove him to the ground with a grunt. He rolled with his momentum along the drop that would have seen him fall onto the floor below, evading my piercing stab in the process. My blade sparked against the stone floor as Mavev jumped to his feet by the pillar the pale Wyvern was watching from, his blade at the ready.

  Wind around me howled. I ran forward, sweeping my blade at his as I launched the stone with my other hand. There was a blur of black to my right.

  He chose well, keeping his blade at the ready to parry mine, but the stone I’d thrown hit him square in the forehead with a thwack, and he shouted in pain as he jumped backwards, frantically warding me away with swipes of his sword while blood ran into his eyes. His back hit the wall, and I lunged.

  The flap of the Fell Dragon’s wings sent me off balance, and I slammed into a pile of rubble as the creature screamed past us, in hot pursuit of Eggs, who screeched and arced upwards like an arrow.

  It was my turn to roll away as Mavev’s blade slammed into the ground where my throat had been just moments before. He bounded after me, kicking me in my ribs and sending me sprawling. I rolled to my knees before my head exploded with white light as his knee found my mouth. My lips burst in hot blood, and I felt teeth loosen as I crumpled to the ground. I threw a handful of debris at his face and clamped my ruined lips shut, breathing through my nose, letting blood fill my mouth. I rose shakily to my feet just in time to fend off several vicious strikes. They were hard, as if he were swinging a club, and I could feel my muscles start to scream.

  He wasn’t trying to hit me; he wanted my blade gone. I ducked under his next swing, my blade close to my biceps as I launched at Mavev. I was rewarded with the feel of my blade biting into his flesh. He growled as I spat blood into his face, trying to blind him yet again as I tried to place my leg behind his, but I only managed to cover his left side. I wanted to trip him backwards and finish him off before he found his vision.

  Instead, thanks to my miscalculation, he twisted toward me, my blade going from cutting the front of his chest to slipping around and cutting him under his armpit. As he twisted his elbow, he smashed me in the back of my head, and I was rewarded with white light as pain exploded in my head once more. I was shoved roughly onto my back. The impact of the hard rubble made me cry out as my back was engulfed in fiery pain. I tried to raise my blade, but pain exploded in the meat of my shoulder as Mavev skewered my sword arm with his own blade. Blood spurted out of me as I screamed, my ears ringing, and my hand spasmed, dropping my weapon.

  “FUCK!” I screamed, as much in anger at having lost the upperhand as I was with the pain.

  Mavev left his blade sticking out of my arm, as he bent to retrieve mine. He wheezed a laugh as he flourished it once.

  “I want you to die knowing you bested. I want you to know that you were lacking. But most of all, I want you to feel what was done to Peevan. Killed by a weapon of your own.” Mavev sneered.

  “Why…do you care about that old bastard?” I gasped.

  “Because you had the opportunity to step into the light. To fight the greatest scourge to walk these lands.”

  “Li’ards? I’ve been fighting them this whole time. You want them to fight them? We could've been aligned.” I said, the pain lancing through me as I tried to move my arm. I felt metal grind on bone. The pain made me want to scream, vomit and piss myself all at once.

  “No, you fool. Li’ards are the weapon. The one humans lost. The ones people like you…like us could have reclaimed. You no longer have that chance. We'll fight them alone.” Using the tip of my blade, Mavev tilted my chin up so my eyes met his. I moved my head away, cutting my chin as I inched myself down away from the blade. The sword lodged in my arm bit into the flesh as I squirmed. My leg moved a little closer to Mavev, but he paid it no mind.

  “Your plan is stuffed, the Wyverns all flew away, and your Drake’s dead.” I laughed. It was hollow. I’d end up dead, and so would the others. But at least his plans were fucked up. Maybe Eggs would find and eat him; that’d be a good enough victory.

  Maven smiled. “The Pale one remains, injured. But it won’t be the first abandoned hatchling I break into obedience.”

  I smiled back with a good humour I did not feel. I sank to the ground as if I were exhausted, broken. My feet closer to his. “Fuck you. Do it.”

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Farewell, Tullen Fal Bar-”

  I arched my body up, feeling flesh and muscle in my blade arm tear as I contorted my body to my left. I drove my foot with all the power I could muster straight between Mavev’s legs, who cried out in pain. With my off hand, I gripped Mavev’s sword blade and yanked it free of my blade arm, releasing a spattering of blood as I growled through the pain. The blade was sharp, sharper than I expected, and it sliced my hand open. I let it fall and ran at Mavev. As he doubled over, he stood, swinging my blade, but I didn’t care. Instead, I lowered my head beneath the blade like a charging bull and smashed into his stomach. The impact jarred my neck, back and shoulders as I fell hard onto my arse.

  Mavev screamed, but it was cut short as he toppled over the edge out of my sight and slammed into the floor below. Taking my blade with him.

  The Dragon roared just above the streets below as I saw a black shape for a split second bolt down an alleyway. Eggs was still alive, at least but I didn’t know how much longer I’d be.

  I grasped my bleeding offhand around the handle of Mavev’s blade and staggered to the edge. I looked over and saw just a small pool of blood.

  “Mummer’s fuckery.” I swore.

  There was no sign of the Nargazian.

  There was no way he could have climbed back up. So I turned toward the pillar, where the wyvern had been cowering. At the very least, I could prevent him from getting to it.

  I swore again.

  The pale wyvern was gone, too.

  I sighed, too tired to even weep, and half-stumbled, half-fell over the piles of rubble toward Sayo, Sila, and Gertha.

  It gladdened my heart to see Gertha awake now, she was sat against the wall by the door, a long trail of her blood in front of her, while Sila and Sayo dragged each other toward her. As I got closer, Gertha pushed herself up, her ruined mouth spreading into a grin.

  “Not dead. Mavev?” She panted.

  “Dunno. Injured. Gone.” I said, the effort of talking was nearly too much for me. Everything hurt, my mouth rained blood and to be honest, I could have happily died in that moment. My blade arm hung by my side, but I could move my fingers. It would recover, eventually.

  “We have to go. Through the tower. If we’re careful. We can make it.” Sila said. His eyes were pained, and an unspoken understanding passed between us, or at least I thought so.

  Ruined like this, it was only a matter of time before someone with sharp spears or fast arrows found and ended us. What else could we do, though? Sit here and die of exposure eventually?

  Every muscle in me burned as I walked to the door and tucked Mavev’s sword into my belt. I grasped the handle with a bloody hand and turned it. My head felt like it was swimming, and my eyes fluttered.

  A chirrup from behind me set my heart pounding like the first birdsong of spring. Clarity bled back into my mind.

  “EGGS!” I cried out as I turned.

  I stopped as I remembered the Fell Dragon.

  “EGGS, THE DRAGON,” I shouted.

  Eggs’ frill flared, and they prostrated themselves on the ground, from head to tail, they flattened, and their wings spread out. Their legs lay splayed, feet and claws facing the sky.

  The roar of the Dragon shattered not far from us, but mercifully still below us. Eggs must have lost them as they used the streets for cover.

  Eggs’ eyes met mine, and they let out a long, gentle squeak. Understanding unfurled in my mind like the petals of a new flower.

  “Get on Eggs. All of you.” I said, as I hooked my good arm under Gertha, lifting her to her feet. The red patch on her side had spread.

  “You’re… insane, there’s no way.” Sila panted.

  “It’s our only option. We have no time for another.” I said, walking Gertha over to Eggs. I sat her on the back of Eggs’ neck, where it met the body, before sitting in front of her.

  “Hold onto me,” I said, and I felt Gertha’s arms wrap around my waist.

  “I have us,” Gertha whispered, the clack of metal rattling against her teeth as I felt coils of warm air wrap around me. Pressing me against Eggs’ neck.

  “What about us?” Sayo said.

  “Eggs will hold you. Lie on their feet,” I commanded.

  The roar of the Dragon bellowed closer as Sila and Sayo hobbled to Eggs’ feet, laying their bodies across them. I watched as Eggs firmly, but gently, wrapped their talons around their torsos, holding them secure.

  I rubbed the side of Eggs’ neck with my off hand, smearing blood across their smooth scales.

  Then, with a sudden speed and smoothness I hadn’t expected, Eggs reared up, and their wings flapped. We all cried out as we left the floor of the ruined fortress, gradually rising into the sky. Eggs grunted as we flew upward, the shattering bellows of the Dragon getting closer. I risked a look back and saw it approaching us. It had abandoned the city streets and was maybe half the span of Cemfyllen away.

  Not far enough by a long shot.

  “GO, GET US OUT OF HERE,” I shouted.

  Eggs roared, taking us forward faster and faster as their wings hammered into the air.

  My stomach groaned as I looked down at the tiny buildings and streets below. Ruined walls and broken ballista were strewn like discarded toys. Half the city looked like the twigs and detritus of the forest floor. The sheer destruction and cost of human life reduced to a view that felt impossible and unreal. Sayo screamed in fear while Sila was silent. I wondered if he’d passed out. Wind battered us at this height, and I found myself squinting and holding my ruined mouth shut as we soared.

  The Dragon pursued us still as it roared. But while it had size and age on its side. Eggs had speed, even with us all weighing them down.

  Eggs continued to rise, taking us higher and higher. I felt Gertha clinging tight to me as the coils of air pressed me close to my Wyvern. The Dragon’s roars went from deafening to merely loud as we punched through the cloud. As I started to gasp for breath, I was immediately soaked in water, the shock of its impact waking me, focusing my mind.

  “The Arcuzane… Eggs…take us to the tower on the island. We’ll be safe from the Fell Dragon there.” I gasped. Feeling the air snatch away my words

  Eggs turned back to me, their yellow eyes widening as they looked into mine. Their frill rippled as air pushed against their skin. I felt calm wash over me as they blinked slowly, not breaking the gaze.

  Then my entire world shifted as Eggs dived downward. We pushed through the cloud once more, water and air battering into my face and body. Air and wind whistled past me, and all I could hear was its howl as I clenched my painful jaw shut.

  We exited the cloud, my ears felt full, then popped as we descended while Eggs continued to beat their wings in their rapid cadence. Far above us, still in the clouds, were the distant echoes of the Fell Dragon’s roars and wails.

  It looked like we’d lost it. For now, at least.

  I dared to heave a sigh of relief as we started to fly over the Free Forests.

  “Eggs! You did it. You lost the bastard!” I whooped, patting them on the side of the neck.

  I heard cheers, then pained cries from the others as we flew onward.

  My head throbbed as I began to calm down, the pain from my injuries gnawed at me, and I found myself yawning.

  My eyelids felt heavy, and there wasn’t an inch of me that wasn’t hurting. I blinked away the tiredness, which worked for a few moments, before returning tenfold.

  It continued that way for either minutes or hours, I cannot say which.

  The coils of air holding me to Eggs dissipated when I finally laid my eyes on the Tower of the Arcuzane.

  Then my vision went as black as the Wyvern I was named after.

  Thank you so much for reading "The Black Wyvern" This chapter concludes Volume 1 of the story, but not the saga itself!

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