I was being pressed from all sides as the Lindwyrm’s throat forced me down toward its vile belly inch by inch. My arms were pressed against my chest and face, so I was unable to do much but grunt and scream. The air was fetid, and each precious lungful made me gag. Was this how I was going to meet my end? Swallowed by a bloody Lindwyrm? I cursed my stupidity. I acted with a hot head, and it would now cost me my life. I could hear the staccato of Gertha’s attacks on the Lindwyrm, and the entire creature vibrated as it opened its mouth to roar. Hot air rushed passed me, and its throat relaxed from me for a moment, sliding me down another few inches. I moved my arms up in front of my face so that I could shield it better as the helmet had somehow retracted into itself, exposing my face and head. I could feel my blood running down my hands, which felt like they’d had hot coals dropped onto the palms and backs. I was able to flex my fingers, which meant my bones were intact, but the pain was nearly unbearable. I moaned and winced as I tried to grasp a handhold of the Lindwyrms' flesh. I was unable to gain purchase, so I slid down more. I kicked and hammered against the throat with my fists, but it did nothing. I was full of impotent rage and seething that this creature would get the better of me. Bloody thing killed my entire wall section, Ulther, and now it would get me, then most likely Gertha.

  Well, I wouldn’t go quietly; this bastard thing had eaten enough of my kind. Let’s see how it felt when that favour was returned. I opened my mouth wide and pushed my head forward, biting down hard on the flesh in front of me. There was a yelp which caused me to slip down, tearing the flesh out in the process. Hot, rank blood filled my mouth, and I spat it out, coughing as the gobbet of flesh fell from between my lips. I bit down in front of me again and was rewarded with another yelp, this time positioning my hand near my mouth so I could grab the wound I’d made.

  The Lindwyrm roared, and the throat relaxed just a little. I slipped down further, but my foot landed on something hard, metal. It was my sword! My bloody sword was still lodged in its neck. With my foot balanced on the blade and my screaming hand dug into the wound I’d bitten into its throat, I wouldn’t slip, at least for now. The Lindwyrm roared, this time in answer to what sounded like a roaring fire enveloping it. It lasted about ten seconds, and I was in awe. I knew Gertha had abilities, but the sheer ferocity of her power that I could hear and feel, even from inside the Lindwyrm’s throat, was breathtaking.

  Something slammed into the Lindwyrm’s neck, right next to me. I felt the entire world lurch as the beast fell to its side, and I no longer needed to hold on for the moment. That wouldn’t last, so I shimmied down to my sword, pushing past the throat's muscles, which actually helped me with my progress; no doubt it was a reflex of the beast. Another impact thudded into the Lindwyrm, and it screeched in pain, the throat contracting and relaxing as its breathing got harder. I timed my movement with the contractions, eventually facing the tip of my blade. It had lodged in by a good foot and a half, and I could make out a faint sliver of daylight through the wound. Gritting my teeth, I wrapped my hands around the blade and yanked it to my right as hard as I could. The Lindwyrm lurched and roared as I hung desperately to the blade, which began biting into the leather of my gauntlets, tasting my wounded hands. I roared through the pain and scrambled with my feet to gain purchase. Fresh blood fell over my face as my arms screamed, but the wound got wider with my efforts. Just large enough for me to get through, maybe. I kept seeing flashes of light as the Lindwyrm moved in a frenzy. I could hear fire and air blasts hitting the Lindwyrm in a barrage of threes. How was Gertha doing that? Magi could only double cast at best, unless she had a third arm I didn’t know about. The world lurched again as the Lindwyrm started to rise to its feet. It was now or never.

  I pulled myself up, my arms aflame from the exertion and my hands stinging from where the blade sliced into them. I pushed my head through the wound, and my face was smeared in blood, breaking small strings of sinew as I emerged from my hateful cocoon. Suddenly, I was free, and I took a great lungful of air. All around me was carnage. Trees had been smashed to pieces, there were flames clinging to the ground, to broken wood, and I could see the surface of the Lindwyrm was not only covered in scorch marks, but physical wounds too, as if a squad of spearman had struck true with repeated thrusts.

  I tried to push through, and my blade slid out of the wound, spinning once, then sticking into the ground as the Lindwyrm turned to try and swat me with its tail. I heard a hiss and the gnashing of teeth, and a sudden gout of flame blasted from behind me, scorching the incoming tail, and the Lindwyrm squealed as the fire took hold and started spreading up its appendage. There was a large impact behind me, and I struggled to wriggle free. Something sharp scraped my shoulder plate and then tore the Lindwyrm’s flesh. Suddenly, I was tumbling through the air before I thudded upside down into the ground. I landed hard, and the air was driven from my lungs. But I was free, I was actually bloody free from being eaten.

  “TULLEN!” Gertha shouted, her voice was behind me. How did she get there from on top of the Lindwyrm so fast?

  I grabbed my blade, wincing with the pain and stumbled over ruined logs and clusters of fire to reach her side.

  “Looks like it…bit more…than it could…” I descended into pants, unable to finish my quip. I was just relieved to be alive, for now.

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  “TULLEN LOOK!” She practically screamed as she pointed at the Lindwyrm.

  It was dragging itself along by ruined arms, fire crawling up its back as a large smear of blood trailed behind it from multiple wounds, not just the grievous one I’d inflicted.

  “It’s retreating from us,” I said, shocked that it would flee from two humans. I was even more shocked that we’d come out on top.

  “Not just from us, Tull…” Gertha said, pointing toward the sky.

  I looked up and I saw a dark, slender shape, moving as fast as a ballista bolt. It circled with mighty black wings, gaining height above the Lindwyrm, before spinning downward with its wings close to its body. At the last moment, it opened the wings wide, halting it in the air, and a large frill opened, framing big, golden eyes. It was as large as a horse, easily between fifteen and twenty hands.

  “EGGS!” I shrieked, heedless to the danger still present, and I immediately began sprinting toward the Lindwyrm, my sword raised, while my wounds lanced pain through my hands.

  Eggs hissed and then thrust their lower jaw out, catching their lower teeth behind the upper row, and I saw sparks which immediately ignited Eggs’ breath. An inferno sprouted from my Wyvern’s mouth and rapidly immolated the Lindwyrm’s back as the bastard creature wailed. I stopped in my tracks. Fire breathing? Eggs could breathe fire? Such a thing had never been heard of. I’d heard some breeds of Lizard could spit acid or venom, but fire?

  Eggs landed on the Lindwyrm’s back, their claws raking into the stricken beast's flesh, and I saw gouts of blood and ribbons of flesh fly into the air as Eggs’ frenzied attack tore it apart. The Lindwyrm roared in pain and managed to catch Eggs with its tail, knocking them into the air, but Eggs flapped their wings and soared into the sky once more. I ran toward the Lindwyrm, but this time I stopped near it, seeking refuge behind a rock as it desperately tried to follow Eggs’ movement with its one good eye. I couldn’t charge it head-on and win; I needed to outthink the bastard.

  I waited until Eggs descended again. They were directly behind the Lindwyrm about fifty metres away in the air, the Lindwyrm kept dragging itself away, checking behind it every few steps. It would look for a second, turn back and crawl around three to five paces before looking back again. I counted its rhythm as Eggs arced around. I needed them to be slower so that the Lindwyrm could get closer to me, but of course, I had no way of communicating.

  My arms ached, and my hands burned like I’d dipped them in acid. I counted my breaths and my heartbeat, trying to slow them down, as much to distract from the pain as to prepare for my dread work. Today, the Lindwyrm would die.

  Eggs opened their wings wide, slowing down as the Lindwyrm kept crawling, it looked back at Eggs, crawled forward, then checked again. It wasn’t far away from me now. I just had to pick my moment. Gertha raised her hands, coalescing what looked like a large shard of ice as long as she was; it floated in the air, its sharp point aimed toward the Lindwyrm’s back. She looked at me, and I held out a steadying hand. She nodded. Eggs screeched as they got closer, and the Lindwyrm looked back. I exploded into action just as Gertha let the ice shard fly.

  Eggs roared as the Lindwyrm screeched back in defiance, Gertha’s ice shard slammed into its back and was rewarded with a thick gout of blood arcing through the sky as the creature wailed. I’d sprinted to just in front of the Lindwyrm, directly by its head and inside the guard of its heavily wounded arms.

  “HEY! ASSHOLE!” I bellowed, the Lindwyrm snapped its attention to me, and had just enough of a moment for its good eye to widen in shock as I thrust my blade through it two-handed. My blade sank to the hilt before disappearing entirely within the eye. Eggs landed on its back and began biting and breathing fire into the wounds of its flesh as the Lindwyrm let out a long, droning moan. Its arms swung drunkenly toward me, and I was able to duck underneath them with ease. Its ruined eye was sloughing down the side of its face, and then with a single whimper. The Lindwyrm fell down dead.

  “That was for Ulther and the others, you bastard!” I said, before falling to my knees, exhausted.

  Eggs landed just in front of me, and chirruped, their frill opening and closing as they dropped a large hunk of meat just in front of me, before sitting on their hind quarters and looking at me, their head on the side.

  “Eggs…I thought I’d lost you…I’m sorry.” I said, and I held out an arm.

  Eggs nudged the hunk of meat toward me, their eyes widening.

  “I can’t eat that, I’m human, we don’t eat raw meat. Unless we’re trapped in a Wyrm’s throat.” I chuckled softly.

  Eggs hissed and clacked their sharp teeth, a small flame enveloping the hunk.

  For the first time since before the Tower, I laughed hard and rose to my feet, staggering toward Eggs. They rose to their full height and I half leaned, half stood next to them as I wrapped my arms around their long, slender neck.

  “You got so big, how?” I whispered.

  Eggs chirruped, and I heard a whoop behind me.

  “We just killed a bloody Lindwyrm!” Gertha said, laughing and clapping her hands.

  I opened one of my arms toward her.

  “Get in here, Fizzmouth.”

  Gertha embraced us both, and for a moment we all stood motionless.

  Two Black Wyverns, a Magi and the corpse of a Lindwyrm.

  Today was a good day.