Chapter Eight: The Coming Attack—
It was Elmer who gave the alarm.
It was the next night, and well into the dark hours past midnight. There were only a very few
clouds in the sky, and a bright waxing gibbous moon had risen and was a brilliant half oval far to the
east. All of the humans were sleeping in or near the tunnel, each touching a dragon so that they
could communicate in a hurry if need be.
Elmer was high on the mountain above them, doing guard duty. Thanks to the moonlight,
the little dragon was quick to spot the Tskkannee creeping quietly up the eastern side of the
volcano. They were mounted, and despite their need for silence, they were moving very quickly.
Amalasintha immediately took control of the situation. “Marion,” he sang. “You, Bellatrix,
Beatrix, and Kairi will stay in the caldera to defend the eggs if necessary. The remainder of us will
take the fight to the enemy on the mountain slope.”
“And what are we to do if the Tskkannee get to the tunnel entry?” Marion asked loudly.
“There is nothing we can do!”
“But die!” Arizair interjected. “If the Tskkannee get to the tunnel, then all you can do is run
for your lives. Do so!”
“Kairi will not leave the eggs,” Bellatrix shouted in reply. “She will be killed before she leaves
them. And we cannot leave her.”
“You will have to,” Arizair declared, but with softer words. “Your deaths will achieve
nothing.”
“And us?” Micah asked. “How are we… how am I to fight them?”
“You cannot. You too will be killed if you try.” Arizair’s hard words were back.
“What then?”
“Mount Solowar or Ryoko and fight them from the air. The three of you can throw fire. Do
so and disrupt their battle line. Do not get too low, because the Tskkannee have certainly come
with snares and ropes to catch the dragons.”
“And us?” Askook sang. “You and Zytae can mount me and fire arrows.”
“No. You and the other dragons, Amalasintha included, have only one objective, and that is
to attack their horses. Make loud noises, do whatever you have to do, but panic the horses and get
the Tskkannee off them.”
“We can do that,” Askook admitted, nodding his red head in agreement.
Arizair spoke again, “And Amalasintha…,” he added, “if things go bad, get Marion, Bellatrix,
and Beatrix out of there. And Kairi too, if you can.”
“And leave the eggs?” Marion asked, appalled.
“Yes. If we lose the eggs, then we lose the eggs. There is nothing to be gained by you dying
to defend them.”
“And you? What are you going to do?”
It was Akiko who answered, and the harsh determination in her voice made Arizair’s hard
words seem like a light, pleasant thing.
“We…,” she declared, “We are going to cause a little mischief.”