Page 91 of Oath of Rebellion

The apple fell from her limp fingers as everything went black around her.

Chapter 32

KNOX' HEART STUTTERED to a stop as he knelt beside Eirwyn. His hands flew over her body, finding the bump on her head and a bite taken out of the apple.

Twisted fingers of fear clawed at his stomach. She couldn't be dead, not when he'd just found her. He felt her pulse and breathed a sigh of relief.

It was short-lived.

The dragon screeched, and his terror returned. He picked Eirwyn up grabbed the apple, running to the glass doors that led outside.

Knox raced like the hounds of hell were on his heels. He made it to the gazebo as the dragon crashed through the glass doors sending shards flying.

He ducked inside and laid Eirwyn down on her side, tucking the apple between her stomach and what remained of the gazebo wall.

He brushed the hair away from her face with shaky hands. "It's alright. We're going to be alright."

But first, he had to kill a dragon. He peeked out of the gazebo and saw the dragon, the flaming energy core burning in its chest.

Ryder snorted and pawed the ground by the pond, and Knox took a deep breath. His axe was strapped to the horse, ready to leave after lunch. Knox raced to the pond.

The dragon screamed. A stream of fire licked his skin, and he rolled to the side as the magic fire flew, bursting as it impacted the ground just in front of where he'd been running. Pain twisted his back, and he gasped as his vision wavered. It had been just a graze of the fire, but it was enough to peel the skin off his back and bring tears to his eyes.

He pushed up onto his knees with a groan, glancing behind him as the dragon sucked in more breath. The glowing orb in its chest grew brighter. Knox turned and ran. He needed a weapon, something more than his venom barbed tail.

Venom would do nothing against a skeleton. He needed to destroy that glowing orb and stop the flame.

Ryder danced nervously along the helrose hedges, staying as far from the dragon and fire as possible. Knox raced over to Ryder and took his axe off the holster on the saddle. He slapped Ryder's flank, and the horse raced toward the decrepit buildings to hide.

Knox held his axe in one hand, his feet wide as he stood between the dragon skeleton and the gazebo. His one thought was to protect her. The dragon began to breathe in as it looked around the garden.

There had to be a way to defeat it. He only hoped his axe would be enough.

Knox ran toward it, and its head swung to him. Knox slid along the ground as fire spewed out, the heat of it burning his face and the dirt and rocks raking his charred and peeling back.

He gritted his teeth and went under the skeleton to hook the axe into the ribs. He pulled one rib out with a sickening crunch.