moment later fire blossomed in the air over the trees.
“A sentry,” Rakell hissed, realizing that Kayb must have been spotted as he approached.
“Go!” Blede snapped, already halfway over the trunk before Rakell reacted.
There was no time to waste now. The team was well drilled, and they knew that their only hope now was to reach the cabin before the Cado escaped into the night.
The sound of noise from the cabin itself reached Rakell’s ears, and a moment later shapes began winging their way out into the night sky from the front of the cabin.
They’re getting away!
Although dragons moved fast, it still took time for him and Blede to cover the four hundred yards to their target. By the time they arrived, half a dozen dragons were already beating a hasty retreat.
Rakell charged forward, leaping up onto the second-story roof and over it. Arms outstretched wide he landed on the back of a dragon just as it tried to take off. The sudden added weight broke the takeoff attempt and the dragon tumbled back into the ground, one wing crumpling as it rolled.
“Oh no you don’t,” he snarled, getting to his feet and taking hold of the top edge of the membrane. With a vicious yank he tried to pull it free of the owner. He wasn’t that strong, but the dragon let out a cry of pain and the wing went limp.
So at least he’d achieved something.
Then the tail came whipping around and slammed into his chest.
At least it was only clubbed, not spiked.
That was the only thought he had time for before the impact blasted him over the hard, rocky ground, through several small tree trunks until he came to an abrupt, jarring halt, courtesy of a thick mountain pine. Bark and woodchips flew everywhere, his body smashing partway into the trunk itself on impact.
“Ow,” Rakell muttered, looking at the branch protruding through his left oblique. “That hurt.”
With a grunt of pain, he snapped the branch off and dropped to the ground. The dragon he’d hurt, realizing it wasn’t going to be able to fly away, had shifted into a more suitable form, now resembling a bastard mixture of dragon and human.
The scale-covered monstrosity had its arms spread wide and was ready to take on any comers.
They’re ready to die.
Eager to oblige, Rakell stormed forward. He could see blasts of fire erupting in the forest around him, and somewhere overhead a dragon bellowed.
Had Lara taken to the skies after one of them?
It was just the sort of rash move she would make. Rakell grimaced, wishing he could go after her, but he couldn’t. Not now. He had his own fight to deal with, like much of his team. The Cado had been surprised, but they weren’t going to go down easy.
Clothing ripped and tore as Rakell took on a form mirroring his enemy. Bright red scales pushed up from under his skin, armoring him in their protective layer, whilst his vision changed as he grew several feet taller.
Adding to the effect, Rakell let the change take over his hands, turning his fingers into talons that would rip through scales with ease. He towered over his foe, easily having an extra foot of height and several hundred pounds. The Cado shifter didn’t stand a chance.
And they knew it.
Fire lashed out at Blede, a bright stream of it. Brighter than he’d expected. He countered with a spinning shield of flame that broke up the attack and scattered it, protecting him from the immense heat. His palms forward, keeping up the blaze, he advanced.
“Give up now,” he snarled over the roar of the flames. “Give up, and I will spare you.”
In response the Cado charged at him, dropping his continual stream of attack. Rakell frowned. What the heck were they teaching these idiots nowadays? The completely vulnerable shifter hadn’t conjured any sort of defense as he came at him.
With a shrug, Rakell stepped forward and flung the shield at the Cado. It was merely a spinning disk of fire, not a real shield, but it served the same purpose. Now, instead of a defensive mechanism, it shot across the distance like a vertical Frisbee.
The Cado went right through it, emerging from the other side smoking. Scales were blackened and peeled back, one eye was a red, burnt mess, and any last vestiges of clothing were incinerated.
“Oh crap,” Rakell muttered as the Cado hit him in the stomach, the pair going down.
He’d not expected the other shifter to have the resolution to continue