Page 56 of Dragon Sword

Akka narrowed her eyes at me and held up a hand. “Stay your sword, you fool. She has dragon magic at her call.”

He shot her a sharp glare. “You told me nothing could harm Varjo so what should that matter against your master’s magic?”

She snapped her head around to scowl at the soldier. “Our master will be weak after his long slumber! Her foul magic will irritate him!”

Luja scoffed and strolled past her toward us. “Then I will handle the irritation now.”

A shadow warned him of danger and he leapt back in time to avoid the king of the eagles landing where he had stood. Will hopped down and rushed over to me while Alisa was unceremoniously dropped close beside us. She landed hard on her butt and shook a fist at the eagle as it flew back into the sky.

“You did that on purpose!” she snapped.

Will reached us and grasped my arms before he looked me over. “Are you alright?”

I looked past him at our foes partially hidden behind the eagle king. “I don’t think any of us are right now.”

Mother Dunn rubbed her wizened old hands together and cackled softly. “No need to fret, my dear, no need to fret. We’ll soon take care of you and your ilk.”

“You plan to release the monster bound to the stones,” Will guessed.

Akka sneered at him. “Monster? You judge others and fraternize with thosemonsterswho inhabit the city? Decadent filth who wronged our family all those centuries ago. Who sent my only sister away from me to live among the mortals.”

“She earned her punishment,” he countered as his eyes fell on Luja. “But what’s your part in this?”

Luja folded his arms over his chest and grinned. “Power, of course. I was promised the right of the kingship if I helped these lovely old crones free their master.”

“Stop this worthless chatter,” Akka snapped as she reached into her robes and drew out a sharp knife. “We shall begin the ceremony forthwith.”

Luja puffed out his chest and turned where he sauntered to the altar. He spun on his heels and bowed low to all little group. “I am glad to give some of my noble blood for this cause.”

Akka held out her hand to him. “Your hand.”

“You must stop this!” Will shouted as he raced forward.

Mother Dunn let loose a scream like a banshee. The sound vibrated the air and created a vortex that sent us all, even the great eagle, tumbling away from them. Will allowed himself to be pulled up to me where he wrapped his arms around me. Sylvia snatched Alisa’s hand and tucked them both against the ground. The eagle king dug his talons into the ground and uprooted the stone path as he came to a stop, his wings stretched out on either side to protect us from the torrent.

While all that was going on, Luja set his hand in Akka’s outstretched one and steadied himself, but he still winced when she dragged the sharp blade across his palm. Akka lifted his bleeding wound over the altar and his life liquid dripped onto the stone. A faint black glow emanated from the shrine and I felt a tremor of something cold and heavy fall on me.

Luja’s greedy eyes were so focused on the light that he didn’t notice when Mother Dunn slipped up beside him. She drew another dagger and grabbed the side of his head. He didn’t have a chance to do more than jerk back, but that gave her the opening she needed.

She dragged the blade deep across his throat.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-THREE

I clappeda hand over my mouth as blood poured from the wound. Luja’s wide eyes revealed his confusion and terror as Mother Dunn shoved his head down near the top of the altar. His mouth moved in a silent question:why?

Mother Dunn sneered at him. “Only our master will be seated on a throne, but we will keep our word. You will become a part of him and so enjoy his victories.”

Akka grabbed Luja’s legs and together the pair hefted him onto the stone. Luja’s lifeless eyes stared upward as the sky began to darken. A bone-chilling wind appeared and swept around us. The shadows from the altar rose and swirled about the stone, forcing the sisters back.

“I don’t like this!” Sylvia shouted.

The eagle stepped back and looked over his shoulder at us. “We must flee!”

Will shook his head. “If we run then whatever is coming will only give chase! We have to stay and fight it!”

I grabbed his sleeve. “But how can we defeat it when even an elf king couldn’t?”

He set a hand over mine and smiled. “The elf king was alone. We’re not.”

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