As Raz finally flew off through the extra wide gate, Roo cracked his knuckles one more time. Like he could break his enemies as easily as he was breaking his knuckles. The walls of the canyon echoed it sharp. The palisades echoed it thicker. Louder, for just that instant, than the minotaurs roaring and shaking everything, but then not, the roars stronger than the thunder nearby.
The sour taste of his morning tea now in his mouth …
The whiff of Fleur’s strawberry and cream not helping right now. She was still chained up by the gatehouse and he’d have to make sure she didn’t find a way to escape.
The smell of breaking rock hit him sooner than the actual sound of the chasm walls starting to crack.
Crap.
Roo ripped out another log from the palisade. He could only do so many bursts in so much time. His power bursts were running out. He still had plenty left, but not for long.
Enough to wipe these darkspawn out … but if there was another wave …
Worry about that when it happened. If it happened. Survive this first.
He flung the log like a spear.
Right at the dire ogre.
And ripped out another log from the palisade.
The dire ogre caught the first log.
Roo flung the other long even faster.
Harder.
BANG!
The other log ricocheted. Smashing minotaurs dead. Driving the dire ogre back stumbling.
Roo grabbed and flung a third log. His body ached. That familiar ache. Down to his bones.
Only a few more bursts left.
But the third log skewered the dire ogre. Killing it. Toppling it down onto the surviving minotaurs. Taking them all out into a self-contained inferno.
Roo forced a smile. “That’s it? Pathetic.”
“Of course not,” Fleur said, “Say ‘Ello to …”
BOOM!
Two dragon elves landed beside Fleur. Between Roo and Fleur was a green dragon elf massive in ball of brown hair. Literally. He was like a brown round hairball with some green scaly humanoid parts, but he smelled of the cedarwood hair oils that made his hairball hair sleek and ridged.
“Zat is Vormhart,” she said, “Love zee hair … or elssssse.”
Behind Fleur was a dragon elf as blue as the sky … wasn’t today. He was a guy massive in brawn and brutal spikes and wings. Two sets of wings. Two sets of arms. In crimson plate armor and wicked-looking crimson steel longswords in each hand.
Swords that sliced through Fleur’s shackles far too easily.
Fleur jumped to her feet. Laughed in such evil delight …
“And zees,” she said, “My rescuer is none other than zee Azure Doom.”
The Azure Doom tsked. “This is no game, girl.”
Yet Fleur was clearly ignoring Azure.
“Time for our rematch, no?” she said, and crouched martial artist ready for a real fight.
The blue dragon elf snorted, and grabbed Fleur, pulling her back.
“No,” Azure said, “We saw enough, and … the mission succeeded. No thanks to you, Fleur.”
“That was a mission?” Roo said, but they ignored him, as he expected.
Call it a hunch but he knew he mustn’t reveal the extent of his speed and sense bursts – yet.
“Did Camilla not say to keep zees boy here zee whole time,” she said, “But not to kill him, yet, so I did vat I needed, no?”
“No,” Azura said, “You were not to get captured. To waste the seal you were granted to protect against being familiared … fool.”
Wormhart chuckled. “It’s her hair. The poor thing just can’t get her hair as good as mine.”
Fleur sighed. “No one has hair as good as yours, Wormhart. Zat is why you have so much of it, no?”
“Of course!” Wormhart said, “Hair is everything and everything is hair!”
“No need to encourage him, Fleur,” Azure said, “Time to go. Now.”
Roo flung his cold silver blade full power at Fleur.
At her buxom bare chest.
“A parting gift,” he said, with a smirk.
Until she swept along it so gracefully. Rolling around so gracefully.
Swung it around too quick.
“And so fantastic,” she said, “I must return it, no?”
And she somehow launched it back at Roo.
His last burst – catching the handle.
And kinda missing. Only slowing it down. Enough to only scrap sparks against hi dragon scale.
Not shatter both the sword and the scale.
Fleur laughed out so delightfully evil.
Next moment she was beside Roo. Torn her outfit from his pouch. Dressed so quick … back in her rosy pink minidress of human leather with its snow vixen trim and heart-shaped gaps and she even got back her fingerless gloves.
Her strawberry and cream scent … his heart was racing for all the wrong reasons.
Her other two dragon elf companions almost left her behind, but no.
“Try to survive for our next date, no?” she said, and smooched his lips nice and strawberry sweet.
And she took to the skies.
Smacking him unconscious with her tail’s heart.