Dragon Sword (The Dragon Lord’s Bride #2)

Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The sound made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Will tightened his grip on my hand. “Stay close!”

He pulled me along through the barrier and the woods, and in a minute we stumbled out into a road that had seen better days. One of the two lanes was choked by weeds and small trees, and the other half was a mess of ruts.

The road wasn’t what caught our attention, however, but the man lying in the shadowed ditch close to where we stood. He was on his back with a shadowy creature looming over him. His face was bloodied and a backpack lay nearby, discarded and somewhat mauled. Another terrified cry came from him as he pushed his hands against the beast’s hairless and blackened chest. The creature pushed against him and tried to snap its jaws around his head.

“Hey!” Will shouted and the beast lifted its head to glare at us with those familiar lifeless eyes.

The creature bared its blood-stained fangs and marched over the top of the terrified man. Will let go of my hand and flung his out on either side, causing two fireballs to burst out of his palms. I held out my hand and my sword shot out in all its fiery glory. The creature slowed to a stop and its dark eyes flickered over both of us. A shift in the wind caused the branches above us to stir and the sunlight shone more strongly through the leaves. The light fell on the monster and, like those on the training field, it immediately began to burn. The monster turned and scurried into the shadows of the woods to our right.

Will half-turned to me and pointed at the man. “Stay with him!”

“But-”

He didn’t give me a chance to object further before he raced after the beast, leaving me alone with the groaning man. I hurried over to him and dropped to my knees at his side. Blood dribbled out of wounds on his neck and covered the front of his shirt. Soft groans came from him as he turned his head from side to side.

“Easy there,” I soothed as I drew off my coat and lay it over his shivering body. “We’ll get you help soon, okay?”

“Please,” he whispered as he scrunched his face up. “The pain. It’s burning me up.”

I pursed my lips and squeezed his shoulder. “It’s alright. Let me see if I can stop that bleeding.”

I grabbed my coat sleeve and gave a hard yank. The sleeve was wrenched off and then I tore that into thin strips. I pulled my coat lower on his body and began gently wrapping the cloth around his neck. The man gasped and winced, and small pitiful groans came from him.

“It burns,” he moaned as his hands twitched at his sides. “It burns so bad.”

“We’ll get you to a doctor really soon,” I assured him as I tied the end of the cloth. The job wasn’t perfect but the blood clotted into the strips rather than bleeding out onto him.

The man stiffened and clenched his teeth before a few hoarse words escaped him. “Can’t. . .can’t take it! The pain!” He arched his back and his mouth opened in a silent scream.

I leapt onto his chest and pinned him to the ground as he thrashed about. “Sir!” I shouted as I bounced up and down. “You have to stop! You’re going to hurt yourself even-”

One of his hands wrapped around my arm and yanked me upward so I hovered above the man. I froze as he turned his eyes on me.

They were completely black.

My horror grew as I watched black patches pop up out of his flesh. The spots quickly festered into oozing masses of pus and rotten skin. The smell was almost overwhelming and made me gag. I thrashed in his impossible hold as his other hand clamped around the same arm. He curled his lips back in a hideous, feral snarl before he lunged at me with teeth bared.

I screamed and threw myself backward, losing my balance but wrenching myself out of his grip. I landed hard on my back on the road with the sun shining brightly in my eyes. The man crawled onto his hands and knees, those hideous eyes of his staring straight at me as saliva dripped from his mouth. He snarled and lunged at me.

I scrambled backward on my butt but the man flew an unnatural distance and landed right on top of me. He grabbed my arms again but the sun shone brightly on his black patches. Smoke shot out of the terrible wounds and he jerked back with a howl of rage.

“Who goes there?” a voice shouted.

My heart skipped a beat as hope was kindled within me. I drew my legs up against my chest and shoved my feet against my attacker’s chest. The man was tossed off me far enough to land in the shadows. He scurried onto all fours like an animal and snapped at me, his festering wounds sizzling with the heat of the sun. The former human spun around to face me and snapped his now sharp teeth. He lunged at me again, the light be damned.

A blur came from my right down the road and hard steel clashed with hard teeth. I found myself staring at my reflection in the smooth metal of a sharp sword. The blade was held by a cloaked figure with long silver hair that flowed in the breeze. The person was tall with the build of a muscular elf with very pointed ears.

My savior flung the man back and stepped in front of me, blocking me from getting a clear view of him. He brandished his sword at his side and flicked off the drool from the man. “Back, foul creature! Back to the shadows!”

The sun glistened off the sword and shone brightly on the man’s face. The creature roared in pain and turned its tail. He loped into the forest, disappearing into the deep shadows.

The elf man sheathed his sword and turned to face me. He appeared to be thirty, though was undoubtedly much older, with handsome slim features and the alabaster skin of his kind. His sharp bright eyes studied me with a curious and slightly amorous expression.

He smiled and stretched out his hand to me. “Greetings, fair maiden. What has brought you so far out on your own?”

“She’s not on her own.”

The sharp voice came from behind me and a pair of strong and familiar hands clamped down on my shoulders. I tilted my head back and beheld Will hovering above me. His slightly glowing red eyes were zeroed in on my new acquaintance and the corners of his lips were tense, though he somehow managed a smile.

The elf studied him for a moment before his eyes widened and his smile stretched into a grin. “Lord Thorn! How many years has it been since we last met?”

Will looked like he wanted to mention too few but he nodded. “It has been some time.”

“Some time?” the man exclaimed as he clapped his hands on his hips. “It has been nearly a hundred years! And you have not changed in the slightest!”

“Nor have you,” Will returned with less compliment.

The elf threw back his head and laughed. “You can no longer fool me with your sharp tongue, Lord Thorn! I have traveled the world many of these years and have learned a thing or two in judging the mortal tongue you so appreciate.” He dropped his attention to me and cocked his head to one side. “But you have picked up a companion. Is she another waif you found in our woods or does she hail from the mortal lands beyond? Regardless of her origins, she is quite beautiful.”

I scowled at the title as Will tightened his grip on my shoulders. “She is my bride.”

The elf started back and his eyes widened. He gaped at me for a moment before bouncing his eyes between Will and me. “She. . .you. . .you have found a mate?”

“As you see,” Will replied.

Disappointment briefly shone across his features before he puffed out his chest and slapped that naive grin on his face. “Then I congratulate you with all my heart, Lord Thorn! You have made an excellent choice!” He leaned down and studied me with a curious expression. “Have I not heard that the brides of dragons acquire not only your long life but a unique ability? Pray tell, what have you acquired, Lady Thorn?” He leaned in close and winked at me. “The ability to draw men in with your beauty?”

My mouth dropped open and I didn’t get a chance to reply before Will swept me into his arms. I could smell a stench of blood off his person and for the first time, I beheld a splatter of blood on the front of his cloak.

“If you will excuse us, we have had a trying day,” Will told him. He didn’t wait for a reply but turned and strode in the direction of the elven city.