John Davis
Stories
4
Chapters
1,426
Words
411.5 K
Comments
0
Reading
1 d, 10 h
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As Laird climbed into the air, he opened his mouth and roared. Arthur half expected a whirlwind of candle-top flames to come out and wreak destruction. But this wasn't a spell. It was a command. Three dozen dragons all scattered around the top of the mesa suddenly came out of camouflage. There had been zero indication there had been there at all. Arthur had been proud of his stealth skills, but those paled when magic spells were involved. With roars of their own, the dragons took to the air and headed…-
71 •
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Arthur’s emotions were in a whirlwind. Confusion over how the Mind Singer could possibly think that she had killed Brixaby mixed with worry he’d gotten himself in too far over his head. Deep in his mind, Arthur still saw himself as a kid from the border-village. Less than nobody. Now he was involved in high politics and had sentient scourgelings threatening entire hives because of him. But the most prominent emotion was seething anger. The Mind Singer had known Brixaby’s abilities well enough to…
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71 •
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Arthur experienced a second shock when he realized his body lay on a bare sliver edge of the cot’s mattress. A hard bulk pressed into his back. Joy climbed into my cot again, he thought irritably. Arthur shoved his arm back. His elbow hit hard, unyielding scales. “What’s that noise?” came Cressida’s thick voice from somewhere on the other side of the room, from her bed. She sounded about as bad as Arthur felt. He could have sworn he had just closed his eyes to sleep a moment ago, but when he…
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71 •
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Brixaby waited for a beat. "Just kidding, of course. I'm going to consume the card!" "Hold on there," Arthur said, slightly alarmed. "Let's wait until we get back to our room. We don't know what will be waiting for us." Or how Brixaby would react after consuming a Legendary, especially since his Personal Space was practically popping at the seams. He looked around at the dark, still landscape. It was so quiet and peaceful that it was easy to let himself believe they had gotten away with their theft. But…
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71 •
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Laird looked around at the bodies of three enemy dragons and one ally. He heaved a sigh. “I will take care of this.” The last of the adrenaline that had carried Arthur this far was fading, and he wanted nothing more than to find a bed and sleep. Pure will and a healthy dose of his Exhaustion Resistance helped him continue to stand. Cressida, meanwhile, was visibly wilting with one hand on Joy to keep standing up. Brixaby still perched proudly, on Arthur's shoulder, but his head was drooping. “Are…
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71 •
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The yellow dragon died moments later, burned alive by Laird’s candle-topped flames. The only one of their enemies left alive was the brown dragon. "Give me the card," he sang, pushing through a new storm of purple-topped candle flames to lunge at the dead blue dragon. The flames sizzled on his scales, but he didn’t react at all. Looking closer, Arthur saw his scales were reinforced with either hard-packed dirt or stone. The brown’s focus was absolute, his yellow eyes open and manic as he ran…
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71 •
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The scarlet dragon opened her mouth and unleashed a Legendary power. What blasted from between her jaws was more of a force than a sound. It seemed to vibrate the seawater, the earth, and the very air around them. Yet notes hung in the air like snippets of a forgotten song. It was beautiful. But mostly, it was terrible. Cressida’s bubble shield snapped up. Rocks the size of Arthur’s head were thrown in all directions by the force of the blast. Most bounced off the shield. Those that hit the shield…
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71 •
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.r53b154027d7945c88bd60987d98bd60d{ display: none; } Arthur’s first worry was that these were dragons from the Free Hive’s council. Maybe they had some sort of enforcement group that didn’t include Laird. Except… there weren’t any insignia visible. Some of the crafter dragons wore elaborate collars to show off their skills with their craft. Woodworkers had intricate pieces made of wood, for example. Metalsmiths and jewelry makers had much the same. These dragons didn’t have a thing that set…
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71 •
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Several things occurred to Arthur at the same time. The first was that he was now convinced he had seen Laird pluck the card out of his own Personal Space. This was not a combat card, and there was no way Brixaby would have missed it while perusing the shelves. This also meant that while Arthur had been discussing cards with Cressida and Joy, Laird could have easily been plucking ideal cards for his own dragons from the shelf and shoving them into his Personal Space. Arthur and Brixaby hadn't exactly…
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71 •
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Arthur let himself feel a little gratification when Laird popped out of his Personal Space with teeth bared and a lick of purple flame dancing at the end of each of his claws. Despite his reassurances to Arthur that the library was safe, he too, had been ready for a fight. The dragon whipped around so quickly that Arthur had to duck to keep his head from getting knocked off by his large tail. It only took a moment for Laird to see that there was no threat – the final room was indeed empty except for…
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71 •
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