Read Online The Hungering Flame by Andrew Hunter - Free Book Online
Authors: Andrew Hunter
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glimmering white bones.
Inglefras thundered to a stop behind them.
“ What are we doing? ” Cabre shouted, his face contorted in fear, “ He’s right behind us! ”
“ Follow me close! ” Warren hissed, “ If you slip here, you die! ”
Ghausse whined, sniffing loudly at a blue cloud of wood smoke that belched out of the woods and rolled over them. The big wolf paced anxiously, his ears pricking up at the sound of splintering timbers growing louder by the moment.
Hauskr gingerly stepped to the edge of the pit at Warren’s urging and then pounced down to a small ledge below on the rim of the cavern wall. Ghausse followed his pack mate without hesitation. They looked up at the prince astride the mighty warhorse above them.
“ Can you make it down? ” Warren asked.
Cabre nodded and pressed his heels into Inglefras’s flanks. The horse leapt, shattering chunks of lime stone beneath his hooves when he landed beside them.
From there, it seemed that a narrow path curved downward along the rim of the great crater. They made what haste they could. Garrett’s eyes again and again lifted to the ridge above. Fervent, whispered prayers slipped from his lips that he would see nothing there each time he looked.
They were almost to the floor of the cavern when the dragon found them. Garrett looked up and froze. The great, black-scaled beast stretched its neck over the rock ledge and stared down at them. Heat shimmered from its half-opened jaws, its reptilian eyes narrowed.
“ No, ” Cabre said, but his voice was no more than a squeaking whisper.
With a lurch, the dragon heaved the bulk of its body to the edge of the pit, and Garrett saw the armored Chadiri rider astride the dragon’s saddle. Silhouetted against the sky, the man’s horned helmet lent him a demonic appearance. In that moment, Garrett had no doubt that this was the same man who had destroyed his home and burned Brenhaven to the ground.
The dire wolves growled and Inglefras neighed his defiance. There was no place left to run. The dragon’s jaws opened wider, the cherry-red glow of its inner throat visible now within.
Then the dragon stopped. Its jaws closed. Its burning, golden eyes widened and rolled, studying the cavern floor. Garrett looked down as well. Great piles of bleached bones lay heaped upon the mossy rocks and gleamed like pale stones beneath the dark, still waters. Garrett realized with horror that these were not animal bones.
A croaking groan came from the dragon’s throat. Its head thrashed, side-to-side . Its eyes grew wild, rolling frantically, as the creature drew its head back out of the pit. The rider astride its back grunted as the dragon reared, pulling away from the mouth of the bone-strewn cavern.
“ Kadreaan! ” the rider shouted, his voice hoarse and angry.
The dragon disappeared from sight, its roar a mournful cry. It reappeared a moment later, soaring above the pit as it beat its mighty wings, dragging itself into the sky.
They watched it fly away, too stunned to speak. When it was gone at last, Garrett and the prince looked to Warren for an explanation.
Warren shrugged his furry shoulders. “ How do I know? ” he said, “ Let’s just get down from here before he decides to come back. ”
They descended the rest of the way, anxiously looking up time and again, fully expecting the dragon to return at any moment and burn them all to ashes. Too grateful to dare question their luck, they pushed on as fast as they were able.
The last ten feet of descent to the floor of the cavern cost Garrett a number of scrapes and bruises. Unable to ride their mounts beneath a rocky overhang, the three of them dismounted and led the wolves and horse to the edge of a final drop to the rubble-strewn floor. Warren and the wolves went first. Garrett braced himself and jumped down, crumpling and rolling, shoulder-first, into a largish rock. He groaned and rubbed his freshest bruise as he watched Warren shoo the wolves clear of a
Inglefras thundered to a stop behind them.
“ What are we doing? ” Cabre shouted, his face contorted in fear, “ He’s right behind us! ”
“ Follow me close! ” Warren hissed, “ If you slip here, you die! ”
Ghausse whined, sniffing loudly at a blue cloud of wood smoke that belched out of the woods and rolled over them. The big wolf paced anxiously, his ears pricking up at the sound of splintering timbers growing louder by the moment.
Hauskr gingerly stepped to the edge of the pit at Warren’s urging and then pounced down to a small ledge below on the rim of the cavern wall. Ghausse followed his pack mate without hesitation. They looked up at the prince astride the mighty warhorse above them.
“ Can you make it down? ” Warren asked.
Cabre nodded and pressed his heels into Inglefras’s flanks. The horse leapt, shattering chunks of lime stone beneath his hooves when he landed beside them.
From there, it seemed that a narrow path curved downward along the rim of the great crater. They made what haste they could. Garrett’s eyes again and again lifted to the ridge above. Fervent, whispered prayers slipped from his lips that he would see nothing there each time he looked.
They were almost to the floor of the cavern when the dragon found them. Garrett looked up and froze. The great, black-scaled beast stretched its neck over the rock ledge and stared down at them. Heat shimmered from its half-opened jaws, its reptilian eyes narrowed.
“ No, ” Cabre said, but his voice was no more than a squeaking whisper.
With a lurch, the dragon heaved the bulk of its body to the edge of the pit, and Garrett saw the armored Chadiri rider astride the dragon’s saddle. Silhouetted against the sky, the man’s horned helmet lent him a demonic appearance. In that moment, Garrett had no doubt that this was the same man who had destroyed his home and burned Brenhaven to the ground.
The dire wolves growled and Inglefras neighed his defiance. There was no place left to run. The dragon’s jaws opened wider, the cherry-red glow of its inner throat visible now within.
Then the dragon stopped. Its jaws closed. Its burning, golden eyes widened and rolled, studying the cavern floor. Garrett looked down as well. Great piles of bleached bones lay heaped upon the mossy rocks and gleamed like pale stones beneath the dark, still waters. Garrett realized with horror that these were not animal bones.
A croaking groan came from the dragon’s throat. Its head thrashed, side-to-side . Its eyes grew wild, rolling frantically, as the creature drew its head back out of the pit. The rider astride its back grunted as the dragon reared, pulling away from the mouth of the bone-strewn cavern.
“ Kadreaan! ” the rider shouted, his voice hoarse and angry.
The dragon disappeared from sight, its roar a mournful cry. It reappeared a moment later, soaring above the pit as it beat its mighty wings, dragging itself into the sky.
They watched it fly away, too stunned to speak. When it was gone at last, Garrett and the prince looked to Warren for an explanation.
Warren shrugged his furry shoulders. “ How do I know? ” he said, “ Let’s just get down from here before he decides to come back. ”
They descended the rest of the way, anxiously looking up time and again, fully expecting the dragon to return at any moment and burn them all to ashes. Too grateful to dare question their luck, they pushed on as fast as they were able.
The last ten feet of descent to the floor of the cavern cost Garrett a number of scrapes and bruises. Unable to ride their mounts beneath a rocky overhang, the three of them dismounted and led the wolves and horse to the edge of a final drop to the rubble-strewn floor. Warren and the wolves went first. Garrett braced himself and jumped down, crumpling and rolling, shoulder-first, into a largish rock. He groaned and rubbed his freshest bruise as he watched Warren shoo the wolves clear of a
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