“Clear?”
Levent’s upper lip pulled back enough to show teeth, but he did not protest. Taking this as consent, Rio sliced the ropes from his wrists and handed him his blades.
“I don’t want to see these out of their sheaths until they’re twenty yards away, down in that valley,” the half-blood threatened finally. “Now go.”
The dragon-kin tied the swords to his belt, surveying the crowd casually as he did so. He nodded slightly as his eyes met mine before he stepped over the side of the ledge and slid to the bottom of the basin. Everyone rushed to the edge, watching him warily as he unsheathed both his swords. The man with the crossbow aimed carefully at his back.
My heart thumped loudly as I watched Levent inspect the entrance of the cave and finally enter. I could only imagine the fear I would have felt in his place, but he continued into the darkness without hesitation.
I looked around as more of the group pulled out crossbows and other weapons that could be used from a distance. It pained me to realize that they truly did not expect Levent to defeat the beast. He was, to them, just bait.
I clung to a tree, its roots sticking out the side of the slope. We waited in silence for some sort of sound from the cave. The air was thick with anticipation, and several of the archers had to lower their arms to rest. The noises of the forest around us were making me nervous, my ears picking up each horrid cry.
After what seemed like an eternity, Levent finally ran back out into the open. For a moment I thought he had just given up and run away – I would not have blamed him if he had. The bowmen obviously thought so, too, as they readied to shoot him. However, as the leaves on the tree to which I clung began to shiver and a deep thumping sound drowned out the other noises, I knew that the dragon-kin had performed his duty.
Levent ran to the opposite side of the pit before turning and holding his swords at the ready. The bowmen, too, took aim at the cavern. When the thumping suddenly stopped, it was replaced by a low growl and the huge creature ripped itself from the cave.
Countless arrows and bolts flew, many falling short of their target. Those that hit the dragon either bounced off its thick forehead or sunk shallowly into its scaled shoulders.