“The elves fled to the Great Forest, and there they met a God. An ancient Tree, already old when the world was young. Among its branches and leaves they built a city, Elvenhome.”

Chapter 41

True to Quentin’s word, the bridge was open for crossing an hour later. As the largest group to in the area, she had her guards placed along the now mostly clear bridge. Although a lot of the snow had been removed, a thick layer of ice still covered much of the surface. It created a very risky crossing for the horses and heavily burdened wagons.

Wil was standing in the center of the crossing, gripping a rope that have been stretched across the length of the bridge. Stakes had been driven into the ice at regular intervals, a needed handhold for the short trip across.

Wil and the other guards would be responsible for assisting those walking, keeping them upright and moving. Without the presence of the guards, he was convinced that the bridge would now be littered with fallen people and horses, holding broken legs or arms, and upturned wagons.

Even as he thought this, Wil was forced to step forward and stop a young man sliding down a short mound of hard packed snow. He nearly fell over the side of the bridge before Wil could catch him.

Gripping the white-faced young man tightly, Wil escorted him along his section of bridge before passing him off the Mara, who led him onward.

Time passed, and the large group of those waiting thinned considerably. Soon, only a handful were left to cross. Wil was nearly frozen solid from standing on the unsheltered bridge. He was impatient for the remaining groups to pass.

The constant howling of the wind had started to become even louder, with an almost screeching sound mixed into it.

Wil was assisting a horse and wagon cross his section of bridge when the wind, which had been blowing mercilessly for days, suddenly went completely still. The snow began to gently fall straight down, no longer stinging and biting his face.

Confused, Wil stopped momentarily. He was shocked by the sudden absence of wind. He glanced around and could see similar looks of confusion. After days of its constant presence, the lack of wind felt unnatural. The abrupt silence created an unexplainable sense of fear in his stomach.

A loud scream abruptly pierced the silence. It was so loud that Wil was forced to hold his hands over his ears to protect his hearing.

He looked upwards as a large, winged creature broke through the layer of clouds. Rushing downwards towards the bridge and the people hurrying across it.

The creature was the size of a wagon, and as white as snow. It had four legs, each ending in razor sharp claws. Wil could see its dagger sized teeth as it opened its mouth wide with a roar.

“Dragon!” Wil whispered to himself. “God’s Bones… it’s a dragon!” He yelled.

He stood frozen in both shock and terror at seeing a living dragon flying towards him. The creature inhaled deeply, before spewing out a cone of frozen air and shards of ice from its mouth.

The attack struck a wagon and horse behind Wil, freezing both almost instantly. He could hear screaming around him as people began to run across the bridge, slipping and falling on the ice in their hurry to flee the winged monster overhead.

While he watched the madness unfold as people scrambled to safety, he felt a hand grip him hard by the arm. Dazed, he turned to look at the small, pale faced woman who was grabbing hold of him.

“Mara…” He said, taking a moment before he recognized her. The sight of the Dragon’s arrival had left him stunned.

“Wil, we need to go. Now!” She screamed, hauling him by the arm to follow her across the icy bridge.

Staggering after her, he struggled to shake off the shock the dragon’s appearance gave him. He followed behind her slowly, slipping and sliding on the ice.

Mara refused to let go. She had one hand holding onto Wil, while she was using the rope to steady herself as she stumbled forward.

“Mara, it’s a Dragon! Gods damn us all, a real bloody dragon!” Wil shouted at her, bewildered at the sight of the mythical creature.

“It’s not a dragon, Wil! It’s just a snow drake! Come on, move it you fool!” Mara said.

“A drake?” Wil asked, turning slightly to look closer at the creature. He could see it better, now that it was much closer. The creature had landed next to the frozen wagon and was feasting on one of the dead horses. It seemed completely uncaring of the people running past it.

Mara was right, now that he had gotten a closer look. It was much smaller and lacked the scales of a dragon. The wings were made of webbed skin, stretch between the torso and the arms of the creature, unlike the separate wings that a dragon would have. It was more of a large flying lizard than a Dragon.

Overall, Wil got the impression it was a large, white cousin of the lizards he would see leaping from tree to tree in the south.

He was almost disappointed that it wasn’t a dragon, he had always dreamed of seeing one, despite the danger they posed.

Finally shaking off the shock at the Drake’s appearance, Wil turned and followed Mara. He gripped the rope tightly with both hands in order to keep his footing. Seeing that Wil was finally focused, Mara turned and sped down the bridge, the slippery ice barely slowing her down now that she was not encumbered by him.

Struggling forward, he hurried down the bridge, occasionally looking over his shoulder at the Drake as it finished its meal. The beast raised its head, looking around for more food. It finally noticed the other horses and wagons as they moved quickly down the bridge. Letting out a loud roar, the Drake leapt through the air, chasing down the wagons and horses as they fled into the distance.

Wil saw the creature spreading its wings as it jumped, the webbing allowing it to glide through the air in short bursts. It was swiftly catching up to the departing crowd. As it focused on a horse drawn wagon that was next to Wil, he saw it open its mouth wide, taking in another large breath in preparation to freeze its prey.

Just as it had inhaled fully, a volley of crossbow bolts slammed into the creature from the far bank of the bridge. Caught off-guard, the creature banked sharply from the attack and fell towards the ground. With a loud crash, the Drake smashed into the stone bridge heavily, rolling forward with its momentum.

Screeching, the creature frantically righted itself. It lashed out wildly at everything it could see. Crossbow bolts stood out from its leathery skin and blood dyed the snow around it red.

The Drake, now fully upright, charged across the bridge. The slick ice didn’t hamper it at all as it focused on the line of guards holding heavy crossbow bolts. It sought to remove the threat before they could attack the creature again.

As he ran towards the line of guards for protection, Wil spotted a mother and her child crouching down on the icy ground. They were directly in the path of the enraged Drake. As the beast charged forward, the mother saw that they could not escape. She turned her back to the Drake, shielding the little girl in her arms.

Without hesitating, and not fully realizing what he was doing, Wil dove in front of the pair. He stared the creature directly into its mad eyes. The Drake was so close, he could see its vertical pupils and smell its rank breath.

Bellowing defiantly, Wil channeled every ounce of Mana his second ranked core contained. He formed it into a shield around them.

The magical barrier, normally only a faint haze that would surround a few inches above his body, formed a large circle. The barrier expanded until it fully enclosed both him and the family behind him.

The barrier’s shimmering surface appeared almost solid, with small flares of magic sizzling as the snow fell on it. Wil felt the strain as it formed, his veins becoming visible through his pale skin as the Mana flowed through his blood. His body strained to control the massive flood of Mana, far beyond what he could safely channel.

What Wil was doing was dangerous. It was one of the first things they taught you to avoid when you studied at the academy. The body can only control a certain amount of Mana at a time. To overcharge your magic, by forcing all your available Mana into one spell, a person put too much strain on their body, regardless of your Rank.

As the maddened Drake rushed towards him, Wil didn’t worry about the consequences of what he was doing. His blood burned from the Mana flowing through him. His hands burned as he forced the barrier into existence.

The Drake crashed into the shield with a horrendously loud banging noise. It was like a boulder hurled from a cliff and crashing onto the rocks below it. The sharp noise sliced through all the screams and shouts around it, deafening everyone standing on the bridge.

Wil’s shield flared to life as the Mana sought to protect him. Cracks quickly formed throughout it as the Drake stopped completely in its tracks. The creature had run headfirst into the barrier and was knocked to the side. It lay dazed for a moment, confused as to what had happened.

The shield, with cracks continuing to spread, shattered like a broken mirror and Wil fell to the ground face first. His Core was completely drained from the exertion.

He lay on the stone bridge, completely still. Steam rose from his body as the Mana discharge melted the snow he was laying on.

The acrid smell of Ozone overpowered everything else in the area.

With a scream, Mara ran forward to drag Wil to safety as the Drake slowly climbed unsteadily back on its feet. The dazed beast slowly focused its attention on Wil’s comatose figure.