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10
An unnatural darknessfell over the forest, as if a solar eclipse had blotted out the noon sun. The werewolves broke off their attack, snapping jaws and snarls halting all atonce.
A roar blasted through the trees, hammering my eardrums with more than noise. Some power rode on that roar, and even with Chopper’s protection against mental attacks, it ached in my mind and almost dropped me to myknees.
The remaining wolves shook their heads and pawed at their sensitiveears.
I took the brief respite to look around and count our enemies. I’d killed two, and Sindari had killed three. They had been doing their best to avoid him and circle around to get at me and Mom, but he wasn’t easy to avoid. The werewolf in human form remained, crouching on the trail and watchingme.
Four other wolves turned to watch the trees and a jumble of boulders to one side of the path. I sensed the dragon there. He’dlanded.
I backed up, finding a tree and using it for partial cover as a single figure strode into view. If he’d been a dragon when he roared, he had shifted into human form quickly. He wore that same black robe, had the same trimmed dark beard and mustache, and not a single curly black hair on his head was out of place. His violet eyes glowed, marking him as inhuman, even to someone who couldn’t sense his aura. But I thought even the most mundane and non-magical human would have felt the power emanating from him, known that he was a deadlythreat.
Gunshots fired, and Ijumped.
“Mom, no,” Ibarked.
But it wasn’t she who’d fired. One of the werewolves had shifted into human form and gotten her gun from her. She was leaning against a tree, bleeding from her temple, with a dazed expression on herface.
The bullets never struck the shape-shifted dragon. Zav, I remembered. That was his name. They burst into flames in the air before they hit him, and tiny thimblefuls of ash fell to the ground. Only after he’d incinerated the bullets did his gaze turn to thewerewolf.
Without making a gesture, he hurled a surge of raw power. It knocked the werewolf a hundred yards through the air, until he slammed into a tree and dropped to the pine-needle-strewn ground. He didn’t getup.
When Mom scurried forward to grab her gun—he’d dropped it as soon as he was struck—Rocket tugged away from her. Mom swore and lunged too late. He raced back toward the lake, his leash flapping along the ground behind him. She hesitated, glancing between me andRocket.
“Go get him,” I said, wishing I could have convinced the dog to run away earlier so she would have gotten out of here before the troublestarted.
She backed slowly away, and I wasn’t sure if she would obey, though she had to be worried about herbuddy.
Zav strode toward me and the remaining werewolves, glancing at the two I’d killed. I kept Chopper up, ready to defend myself if I had to—was he about to object to me killing them too? This time, I’d only been defending myself, but didheknowthat?
He ignored me and faced the human-formed werewolf on the trail ahead. I tapped my translation charm to life in time to hear himspeak.
“You are Thymust Fast Claw,” he stated to thewerewolf.
“I am. What are you doing here, Dragon? This is not your world, and this forest is ours. We have claimedit.”
“I am Lord Zavryd’nokquetal. I go where I wish, and I enforce the laws of the Dragon Justice Court.” He lifted ahand.
The werewolf must have sensed what was coming, for he tried to spring away. But yellow bands of power formed around him, restraining him and halting his escape. They lifted him into the air, his feet dangling a foot above thetrail.
“You have violated the laws of Serinmoor by slaying the lover of the princess of Darkenthrall. For this, I will take you to the Court for punishment andrehabilitation.”
The wolf-man threw back his head and howled. I couldn’t tell if it was an objection or if he was already in pain, already beingrehabilitated.
Several of the other wolves, all of them ignoring Sindari and me now, slunk forward, sniffing their leader and eyeing Zav. Two of them shape-shifted into humans, almost as large as the dangling werewolf. Zav wasn’t small in his human form—he was several inches taller than me—but he wasn’t as large or as brawny as they were. They puffed out their naked chests and flexed those bigmuscles.
“Let him go, Dragon. The laws of Serinmoor mean nothinghere.”
Not worried about their posturing, Zav didn’t back down. “The law established by the Dragon Justice Court is applicable inallworlds, and it will be upheld everywhere. Leave now, or you will regret testing my mettle. And my patience. If I have to spend another moon on this benighted world, it will be a moon toomany.”
“Release him, Dragon. Or you’ll know the ferocity of the pack—and your ownmortality.”
This would be an opportune moment for us to leave,Sindari noted.To either go back for your mother and her pet or to continue on while they aredistracted.
Goodpoint.
I backed slowly away, though I was curious if the combined ferocity of the pack could actually hurt someone who could incinerate bullets faster than they could travel from the gun to hisbody.
