The kid was clearly not just some random kid. The fireball he threw at the entrance of the cave had exploded in the chest of his other crossbowman and killed him on the spot. The force of the blast had knocked the rest of the men down. Clive looked at his son.

“Hide in the forest, boy. Don’t come out until I come find you,” Clive grunted. Darren ran off into the darkness, safe for the time being.

Now to deal with this mess. Clive looked around above them, but still saw no sign of the dragon. Protected for the moment around the corner of the cave entrance, he calculated their next attack.

The lack of fireballs after that first blast tells me he can’t do it too many more times. If he could, we’d all be dead already. He looked over his crew. All now had swords and spears drawn, though none had shields with them. Another oversight that might get us killed. He took the last remaining crossbow.

“Alright, the kid is scared. He’s clearly got some kind of power, but it's limited,” whispered Clive. “In the middle of that fire though, there’s a dragon egg. That thing is worth enough for all of us to disappear rich after this. Let’s try to talk to him, but stay on your guard.”

The men nodded and Clive took the lead. He leveled the crossbow, then slowly stepped into view of the cave. The kid held a glowing rock in his right hand and the sword in his left. He cocked back, ready to throw the moment he saw movement at the front of the cave.

“Wait!” called Clive, halting the kid mid-throw. “Let’s just talk a minute, yeah?” Clive moved slowly into the cave. He kept the crossbow loaded but dropped his aim from the kid’s chest. His men moved in behind him, slowly forming a half circle behind Clive.

“That dragon doesn’t have to know a thing, kid. Let us take that egg from you,” Clive began, trying to be as charming as he could.

“She’ll kill me if I let anything happen to that egg,” the kid responded. Clive looked around the room at his men.

“Well, we could rough you up a bit. That way you fought your best,” said Clive with a shrug.

“She’d eat me for failing, and then burn the world down looking for you,” the kid responded, the stone in his hand glowing brighter.

“Well that’s a shame. Look, fact of the matter is, we’ll kill you for that egg, or she’ll kill you for not defending it. You’re looking pretty dead either way,” Clive continued. “Your choice - we can kill you now, or you can let us take it and leave and try to work out a way to dodge the dragon on your own. Hell, maybe she’ll come straight after us instead and you get to live!”

Fire coursed around the stone in the kid’s palm. The bonfire surrounding the egg intensified, kicking out waves of heat. Sweat rolled down Clive’s neck. Come on kid, do the right thing. That dragon don’t give a shit about you, just make a run for it.

“Last chance kid, don’t make me do this,” Clive said one last time, leveling the crossbow at the boy’s chest.

===========================================

There’s no way Enzo could run away. Not when I’ve seen what Talwen can do. None of us will make it out alive. Even if she doesn’t kill me immediately, these fools will be roasted before they make it back to Starstone. I just need to buy time. The explosions he’d set off, first above the sea and then again at the mouth of the cave were sure to alert the dragon to the danger.

Just hold out until she gets here and this problem takes care of itself.

Enzo listened to the man, their leader he guessed, try to talk him into letting them just take the egg. His crew members slowly spread out through the cave, offering little opportunity for escape. Enzo counted the men, noticing that one hadn’t gotten up after the initial blast at the door.

Guess my fireballs are lethal without being perfect. If I ever get the chance, I’ll have to tell Talwen about the usefulness of shrapnel. He heated another stone in his hand, this time much hotter than the two before. Enzo felt the trapped moisture of the rock try to press out as steam, and readied to throw.

The man continued to talk. At the mention of just killing him and taking the egg anyway, Enzo felt his temper rise. The stone was quickly enveloped in fire and the bonfire grew in intensity. They underestimate me. I will burn them to ash myself and present their bones to Talwen. See if she ignores me then.

The leader leveled his crossbow at Enzo, but he was no longer listening. Enzo created a flare in the bonfire that flashed flames to the roof of the cave, distracting everyone within. The moment was just enough time to flick his arm forward at the leader, launching the stone in his direction.

The projectile exploded before making contact, but the wave of heat and pressure was enough to knock the man back several feet. Blood streamed from where the shards of rock had punctured his chest. The crossbow crashed to the floor of the cave and burned, useless.

Enzo glanced around the rest of the room. The men behind their leader all had begun to press in closer. Time for some trickery, I hope this works. Talwen, where are you!?

He willed the flames of the bonfire into thick bands, and lashed them out like the tentacles of a great sea beast. For a brief moment, Enzo flashed back to being bound to the mast of a ship, tentacles all around. He vigorously shook his head, and swung the sword around, trying to rid himself of the vision.

His assailants froze for the moment, unsure of what to do. Their leader had yet to recover, or give any orders and the burning limbs looked for all the world like a demon reborn.

Finally, one man was too slow to dodge and was struck by the flames. He came away with scorched skin, but little else in the way of damage. Seeing through the illusion, the crew charged Enzo. He switched the sword to his right hand and held a loose guard. If this is how I go, then so be it, but I will take them all out with me.

He inhaled and prepared to release all the mana he could muster. The men closed the gap - ten steps, then five, then none. As Enzo watched the first crewmember swing his sword, another figure appeared at the entrance of the cave. The blood red visage of a dragon enraged. Enzo blocked the first attack with his sword, and Talwen let loose a blood curdling roar that shook the walls of the cave.