courtyard where it looked like other refugees were already being sheltered. Thunder and I made to follow them, but Liam shook his head. “Come with me.” He said. “I think Lord Eldred will want to talk to you.” As I entered the training yard where I knew Liam would be, me eyes darted upward, looking for more assailants on the walls. Sure enough, another shadowy figure was lifting a crossbow to shoot. With a guttural yell I put on a burst of speed. He looked at me just before I collided with him. He slammed into the ground as pain sliced across my right arm. “What the hell?!” Liam shouted, then stopped, seeing the blood pouring down my arm. We both looked up to see the assassin dash away along the wall. But he didn’t get far. As he was about to disappear through a door, Thunder appeared from the other side of the wall, grabbing the man around the middle with his jaws. My dragon shook the man like a dog shakes a rat, before flinging him several feet away. A flash of blue zipped past us as Scoots ran to the wall, scaled it, and skittered to the fallen assassin, tearing into his throat. I looked back at Liam. “Assassins!” His eyes went wide. “We have to find my father!” I hauled Liam up with my left arm and we took off. We heard the shouts before we reached Lord Eldred’s chambers. Inside, the Lord of the keep was fighting another assassin sword to sword. Liam tried to tackle the assassin but they turned at the last moment and slashed at Liam’s back as he passed, sending him crashing to the floor. I moved forward to grapple the assassin, who ducked down to avoid me. This one was far more skilled at his craft. While crouched he stabbed at Lord Eldred’s leg and landed a hit. I reached down to grab him again but he rolled away. Jumping back to his feet, the assassin charged, yelling at the top of his lungs. I was not going to miss a third time. I reached out to grab his throat with my right hand, my left already balled into a fist that would follow the assassin no matter which way he decided to dodge. To my surprise, he didn’t change course. His yell cut off as my hand clenched on his neck. Lord Eldred’s sword was also plunged into the assassin’s chest, his attack landing just as mine had. Why had that been so easy? I squeezed my hand, crushing the assassin’s windpipe and ensuring his death before letting him fall to the floor. But his sword was no longer in his hand. Instead, it was buried deep in Lord Eldred’s stomach. His gaze met mine for a moment. We both knew a wound like that was a death sentence. “NO!” Liam was back on his feet, staring at his father in horror. In the moment of silence that followed, bells and horns sounded outside. A general alarm was going up in the rest of the keep. I walked to window and looked out. Many of the guards were rushing to the main wall gate, while those already there were firing arrows into what looked like small army. On the horizon, the light of the setting sun revealed another, bigger problem: roughly twenty dragons were flying toward the keep.
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