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Authors: David Talon
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as the claws of the creature ripped into her, while the little manikin tried to blind it by clinging to its face. I lost sight of them as the horse swerved toward the lights of St. Augustine, now coming up ahead of us. But farther back I saw the light offshore a moment before I heard the cannons roar again, one exploding shell hitting the spot where I knew the mission church stood, while other explosions ripped up the forest nearby. The horse began to slow, and I let her drop to a canter as the fort guarding the city came up on my right.
Suddenly Tiger spoke excitedly in my ear. “Tomas, did you see that fight? Me and Smoke really took care of him, didn’t we sis?”
Smoke sounded amused. “I don’t think Kan Balam expected us to fight together. You know I hate admitting you’re ever right, Swamp-rat, but having the two of us work as partners really made a difference.”
“I never thought it would be so important,” I admitted. “Are you both unhurt? And how do you know his name, anyway,” I added.
“We can’t be hurt when we take physical form,” Smoke replied, “and his dragon-ghost’s locked into the human body with Kan Balam, so the only attacks they can make are physical. As for his name, your friend Dancing Bear told me, but,” and her voice became peevish, “I didn’t have a chance to tell you because of that Cholula woman. She made a dog’s dinner out of things tonight.”
That’s one way to describe it, I thought as I approached the fort. “Bide with your talk,” I said quietly as I approached the gate. They both went silent as the soldiers on the roughhewn log walls hailed the guards at the gate to let me in. The wooden gate rapidly opened wide, and I saw all the soldiers were in full armor, their steel breastplates gleaming in the light of the torches they carried. Several of them grabbed the horse’s reins as the guard captain, a big Spaniard with a bushy beard, strode over and stood on the beast’s flank. “Down off the horse, lad,” he said, catching me as I slid off and almost fell. “Master Gomez gave us what he knew before he fled, but he didn’t know what happened to Alfonzo.”
“Dead,” I gasped as I straightened up and he let me go. “As is Lord Marcus and maybe all of the Draco Dominus that were out there, for all I know.”
“Lord Marcus dead? Bloody bones,” the guard captain swore, “no wonder they’re shelling everything. The war for succession’s already begun.” Suddenly his face changed and I felt a stab of fear at his next words. “You need to go home, lad; there’s been trouble.” He motioned towards one of the younger guards. “Juan, mount up and take him to the apothecary shoppe, but come right back in case we’re attacked.”
Juan guided the horse over as the other guards led Alfonzo’s sweat soaked horse away, and the guard captain helped me scramble up behind him. Then we took off at a fair pace down the hard packed dirt streets of St. Augustine. Houses flashed past in the light of dragon-globes set on poles, and the lamps people held in their hands, watching the north coast in fear as more shells flashed red as they exploded, the trees on fire now as screams drifted over the water like the acrid smell of ash in the air, its taste bitter on my tongue. People in clothes all askew shouted questions at us as we passed by, but Juan never even slowed until we’d reached the other side of town.
The knot of fear riding my back threatened to choke me with cold hands as we reached the apothecary shoppe, the painted wooden sign of a mortar and pestle creaking in the wind. I slid down off the horse. Two soldiers with pikes as tall as I was were standing guard outside the door, while small groups of my neighbors stood close by, talking among themselves. One of the guards called up to the horseman, “Juan, what the devil’s going on?”
“World’s gone mad,” he replied as he got the horse turned around. “Don’t be surprised if we start getting
Suddenly Tiger spoke excitedly in my ear. “Tomas, did you see that fight? Me and Smoke really took care of him, didn’t we sis?”
Smoke sounded amused. “I don’t think Kan Balam expected us to fight together. You know I hate admitting you’re ever right, Swamp-rat, but having the two of us work as partners really made a difference.”
“I never thought it would be so important,” I admitted. “Are you both unhurt? And how do you know his name, anyway,” I added.
“We can’t be hurt when we take physical form,” Smoke replied, “and his dragon-ghost’s locked into the human body with Kan Balam, so the only attacks they can make are physical. As for his name, your friend Dancing Bear told me, but,” and her voice became peevish, “I didn’t have a chance to tell you because of that Cholula woman. She made a dog’s dinner out of things tonight.”
That’s one way to describe it, I thought as I approached the fort. “Bide with your talk,” I said quietly as I approached the gate. They both went silent as the soldiers on the roughhewn log walls hailed the guards at the gate to let me in. The wooden gate rapidly opened wide, and I saw all the soldiers were in full armor, their steel breastplates gleaming in the light of the torches they carried. Several of them grabbed the horse’s reins as the guard captain, a big Spaniard with a bushy beard, strode over and stood on the beast’s flank. “Down off the horse, lad,” he said, catching me as I slid off and almost fell. “Master Gomez gave us what he knew before he fled, but he didn’t know what happened to Alfonzo.”
“Dead,” I gasped as I straightened up and he let me go. “As is Lord Marcus and maybe all of the Draco Dominus that were out there, for all I know.”
“Lord Marcus dead? Bloody bones,” the guard captain swore, “no wonder they’re shelling everything. The war for succession’s already begun.” Suddenly his face changed and I felt a stab of fear at his next words. “You need to go home, lad; there’s been trouble.” He motioned towards one of the younger guards. “Juan, mount up and take him to the apothecary shoppe, but come right back in case we’re attacked.”
Juan guided the horse over as the other guards led Alfonzo’s sweat soaked horse away, and the guard captain helped me scramble up behind him. Then we took off at a fair pace down the hard packed dirt streets of St. Augustine. Houses flashed past in the light of dragon-globes set on poles, and the lamps people held in their hands, watching the north coast in fear as more shells flashed red as they exploded, the trees on fire now as screams drifted over the water like the acrid smell of ash in the air, its taste bitter on my tongue. People in clothes all askew shouted questions at us as we passed by, but Juan never even slowed until we’d reached the other side of town.
The knot of fear riding my back threatened to choke me with cold hands as we reached the apothecary shoppe, the painted wooden sign of a mortar and pestle creaking in the wind. I slid down off the horse. Two soldiers with pikes as tall as I was were standing guard outside the door, while small groups of my neighbors stood close by, talking among themselves. One of the guards called up to the horseman, “Juan, what the devil’s going on?”
“World’s gone mad,” he replied as he got the horse turned around. “Don’t be surprised if we start getting
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