Temple of the Dragonslayer by Tim Waggoner Page B

frustration, but he wasn’t about to give up. He drew back his axe, aimed, then hurled the weapon skyward. The battle-axe tumbled end over end through the air, flying faster and farther than any human could have thrown it.
    Slean was still flying straight up. She didn’t see the axe coming. But she sure felt it when the sharp edge nicked her right wing. The tear was slight, but it was enough to make Slean let out of grunt of pain and dip to the side, her balance thrown. In seconds the dragon managed to right herself. She curved around and glared at the minotaur.
    The battle-axe fell to the ground, slicing into the earth with a soft
chuk!
at least a dozen yards from where the minotaur stood. The man-bull began running toward his axe. He moved far more swiftly than Nearra expected for a creature of his size. But no matter how fast he ran, Nearra doubted the minotaur could retrieve his weapon before Slean reached him.
    Nearra felt the first hints of tingling in her hands, but the sensation was muted, distant. Whatever strange power she possessed, she knew she would not be able to summon it before Slean killed the minotaur.
    “Someone do something!” she shouted in frustration.
    Catriona looked to Davyn. Davyn looked back, both unsure exactly what they could do to help.
    “I know!” Sindri said. “I’ll levitate the axe into the minotaur’s hands!” The kender frowned in concentration and pointed toward the axe and began wiggling his fingers. At first nothinghappened, and Nearra feared that Sindri’s magic was going to fail him. But then the battle-axe pulled itself out of the ground and shot toward the minotaur. Jax caught it deftly in his outstretched hand.
    Nearra clapped Sindri on the back. “You did it!”
    The kender grinned so wide it seemed his face might split in two. “Nothing to it.”
    Axe in hand once more, the minotaur was ready to meet Slean’s attack.
    “We can’t let him face the dragon alone,” Catriona said, and sprinted through the grass toward the man-bull and Slean.
    “Wait for me!” Sindri shouted, and took off running after Catriona.
    “Idiots,” Davyn muttered as he wiped the sweat off his brow. He lifted his bow once more, drew an arrow from his quiver, and nocked it. He pulled back the string and squinted one eye shut as he aimed. He waited for a shot and released the string with a
twang!
The arrow flew straight and true. It struck Slean on her right hindquarter, lodging between two scales.
    Slean roared, more in anger than pain. The dragon spun around. She attempted to reach the arrow with her front claws. But as she twisted, she lost her momentum and dropped out of the air like a very large, very green rock. When she hit the ground, the earth shuddered from the impact. Nearra felt the vibrations even through the thick soles of her new boots.
    Catriona cheered. “Well shot, Davyn!” she called back over her shoulder as she ran toward Slean. Sindri just laughed, as if he’d found himself in the middle of the greatest game he could ever imagine: Battle the Dragon. Hands tingling almost to the point of pain, Nearra feared for both of them. She knew Davyn’s arrow, while proving an effective distraction, had done no serious harm to Slean. And Slean hadn’t fallen all that far. In a moment the dragon would forget all about the irritating pain in her rump and return to seeking their destruction.
    No, Nearra thought.
My
destruction.

 
    D avyn’s skull throbbed as if an ogre were pounding on his head with a heavy rock. Davyn hoped Sindri wouldn’t attempt to cast any more “spells.” He didn’t know if he could take using his ring again so soon. If he used it more than three times in a single day, he got a skullsplitting headache. Sometimes he even passed out.
    The ring allowed its wearer to move objects solely with the power of thought. Davyn had used it to fend off the minotaur yesterday, as well as the drunk in the tavern last night, allowing the others to believe that Sindri