Read Online The Fractured Sky by Thomas M. Reid - Free Book Online

Tekthyrios boomed. “Well done, indeed.”
    Myshik bowed in acknowledgment, and the act nearly made him faint. Woozy from injuries, he felt each gash and broken bone keenly as his rage faded. He sank down to his knees, panting.
    “I fear I have spent myself,” he said. “My strength is gone.”
    The great dragon stepped close to him and reached a clawed foot out. Placing that appendage gently against Myshik’s back, Tekthyrios muttered a prayer, not in Draconic but in a language the half-hobgoblin did not recognize.
    Myshik felt energy flow into him, restoring his vigor and easing his injuries. When the dragon completed the spell, Myshik stood straight and tall again, refreshed.
    “Now,” Tekthyrios said, “let’s see if we can retrieve my prize.”
     
    Aliisza struggled to shift the stone block that trapped the young girl’s foot, but she couldn’t do it. Despite her magically enhanced strength, the alu could get very little leverage. The weight of other debris atop the stone compounded the difficulty.
    “Hurry!” Kaanyr growled. “Quickly, Aliisza!”
    “I’m trying,” she answered, reaching for a thick length of wood to use to pry the stone upward. “She’s stuck under something.”
    The girl stared fearfully at Aliisza as the alu wedged her makeshift lever under the rock. Beside her, a small child, a little boy of only a couple of summers, cried, his tears making glistening tracks in the dust on his face. Aliisza shoved on the lever and saw the stone budge the slightest bit, but she was at the wrong angle to bring her full weight to bear.
    “Now, Aliisza! I’m losing it!” Kaanyr shouted, and she could see the crushing weight overhead beginning to sag.
    She shifted position to try again. “I can almost get her,” she said, but the shadow of the debris hanging over her head grew darker.
    It was collapsing.
    “Aliisza!” Kaanyr shouted, his voice muted. “Get out!” No time, the alu realized.
    Reacting on instinct, Aliisza uttered an arcane phrase. A red, shimmering doorway appeared horizontally beneath the half-fiend and her two charges. As one, they fell through the portal just as the pile of ruined dwelling slammed down.
    The other end of the magical doorway dumped the trio onto the grass a few paces behind Kaanyr. As she fell through, Aliisza flung herself to one side so as not to land atop the children. She hit the ground hard, knocking the wind from her lungs. She lay next to the girl and sobbing child for several moments, trying to suck in air.
    At last, Aliisza caught her breath enough to sit up. Kael had joined Kaanyr and the two were attempting to hoist the pile of wreckage aloft once more, but the tilting ground was making the task more difficult. The slope caused more and more, of the weight of the pile to lean forward, directly opposing their efforts.
    The alu was mildly surprised to see the two of them working together, almost frantic to rescue her. It was strangely comforting.
    “Kaanyr! Kael!” the alu called, rising to her feet. The duo stopped their efforts and turned toward her. Aliisza saw relief in both their faces.
    Concern? she wondered, unused to such on her behalf. Where did that come from?
    Beside her, the girl stood up and scooped up the younger boy. She appeared ready to bolt, but Aliisza took her hand. The squeezing grip that met hers was tight. She remembered another time and place, and a pair of children playing in a walled garden. She had helped, then.
    “Where’s your family?” the alu asked, looking down at the girl. “Where can we find them?”
    The girl didn’t say anything, but she pointed in the direction of the open field beyond the village.
    Kaanyr and Kael joined them, both panting heavily. “You’re quick,” Vhok said between gasps, a hint of admiration in his words. “I thought we’d lost you.”
    “It takes more than a falling building to stop me,” Aliisza answered.
    Kael said nothing, but he eyed the two children that Aliisza had in tow