Strife In The Sky (Book 7) Read Online Free PDF

said, trotting away, “Idiot.”
    Watching her go, Finlin entertained two schools of thought. If the High Priestess discovered what they had hidden, they’d both be punished. He was certain it would be a fatal thing. Another thought occurred to him as well. If we are caught, no doubt my sister will turn on me. He noted the draykis heads towering among the ranks. The hulking dragon-like humanoids should have known, if they’d captured someone other than Nath Dragon. Wouldn’t they have said something? Maybe they had kept quiet about it, wanting Faylan to fail. No one really liked her that much, particularly the draykis. After all, she controlled them. A stubby goat-legged woman ordering such renowned monsters around couldn’t sit too well.
    Finlin caught up with the ranks and walked alongside. The faces of the races were far from pleasant. Hard, grim, mean and not a smile among them. Metal rattled on their shoulders and hips. A sizable force to take over a small town or city.
    When we take over, I wonder what happens after that? What kind of reward is in it for the likes of us?
    He thought of his home at The Crater. He longed to be back there.
    If only I could slip away without notice. The smell of this army is becoming alarming.
    He trotted toward the front and caught up with his sister.
    “Shall I scout ahead?” he asked.
    She frowned at him and said, “Be back by dusk and not a crack of light later.”
    ***
    “They move,” a dwarf said, reporting back to Pilpin. It was Horn Bucket. He had a rusty beard and half an arm left on one side. “Southeast and winding toward the villages. A strong force, and those oversized lizards are with them.” He adjusted his wooden helmet with the elk horns sticking from it. “Shall I head back out?”
    “Come with me,” Pilpin said.
    They’d been keeping a close eye on the satyrs and the small army, probing for opportunities and weaknesses. So far, nothing had presented itself, but it was only a matter of time. The dwarves had a saying, “If it’s not dwarven, then it has a weakness.” A motley army of the wicked races couldn’t be cohesive. Especially under the lead of a woman satyr. But they were strong. Merciless. They’d pummeled town after town with iron gauntlets.
    Back at their camp, Devliik accepted the news and gathered all his men.
    “Smaller bands of dwarves have taken greater numbers,” he said, thumbing the blade of his axe. “But it’s those draykis I’m concerned about. At the moment, we are outmatched by them. Their skin is thick as steel.” He huffed. “It’s the satyrs we want to extract, but once we do, we’ll have the entire army after us.”
    “Better they come after us than after the next village,” Pilpin said. “A good thing.”
    “Aye,” Horn Bucket added.
    “I agree,” Devliik said, “and, we ride, but they don’t.”
    “Perhaps they won’t miss the satyrs if we take them,” Pilpin suggested. “And the one seems to control those draykis. Perhaps if we finish her, we can finish them. Or scatter them maybe.”
    “How far to the next settlement?” Devliik asked.
    “At their rate,” Horn Bucket said, “I’d say four days. Six if they move toward a greater city, and they’re more than capable of taking one. They’re slow, but they’re in no hurry either.”
    “Death is never in a rush,” Devliik said.
    “And what of that dragon?” Pilpin said. They’d witnessed Gorlee being snatched away by a great dragon. It was part of the reason they needed to follow the satyrs: in order to find out what had become of him. “What if it comes back?”
    “We just better get this done before it does come back,” Devliik said, “or there might be a toasty grave for all of us.”

 
    CHAPTER 10
     
     
    The dragon tore through the brush and barreled toward Bayzog. It was a young grey scaler, but bigger than two men put together. Its claws tore through the dirt and brush, and its mouth opened to roar.
    Nath went for Fang.
    Twang!