The dragon reacted instinctively. He crouched down and tried to use the immobilised Aiden as a shield. A flash and a roar shook the world around them. Draco felt the incapacitated cadet slam into him and send him flying through the air. Flames danced all around them, causing even the tiniest sparks to spew embers.
The reptile plunged into the undergrowth along with Aiden, who glared at him reproachfully. The limp twigs cushioned their fall and concealed them somewhat from the gaze of the two fire mages.
'I'm sorry…' 'Draco muttered. 'It was a reflex…'
He didn't get a chance to say any more. Something wrapped itself around his shoulders and yanked him with great force, dragging him deeper into the undergrowth. Fire burst up around the spot where he'd just been standing. Someone didn't care whether they were spotted or not and was simply giving free rein to their abilities. Several fiery projectiles crashed into the bushes and the area burst into flames, spreading dark, acrid smoke all around. The display didn't end there, however, and two fiery spears shot out of the rapidly thickening clouds, tearing through everything in their path.
The explosion shook the forest in the immediate vicinity, and a crater gaped where it had fallen. Draco, still sliding along the ground on his back, hit something with his head; the next moment, he tumbled down into a stony ravine and plunged face-first into the water at the bottom. He wanted to curse, but the whistling of the burning projectiles effectively silenced him. He looked up at the weary parthir.
'We need to get closer to our people.'
'They'll be here any minute now,' the dragon hissed through clenched teeth.
'Perhaps so, but we still need to warn everyone.'
'Except those two aren't likely to let us slip away quietly.' He shuddered as the sound of another fiery spear exploding rippled through the air.
'I'm more worried about the ones we can't see.'
Draco looked at him, puzzled.
'The teams are made up of five people…'
'Right, we really do need to get out of here.' The dragon scanned the ravine in both directions. A little further to the left, the water began, whilst from the right came more and more sounds of destruction and conflagration. Up above, beyond the ravine, the undergrowth was sparser and offered no chance of concealment. 'Can you swim?'
'Not in this.' Noah patted his thick tunic. 'And I'm not about to drown. I hope you're not either.' He patted the dragon on his reinforced shoulder guard.
'If not a lake, then perhaps something involving magic?' the reptile suggested hopefully.
'Don't even think about it.' Parthir fixed his glowing eyes on Draco. 'That's the last thing we need.' He shook his head. 'And me… For me, they're the worst kind of enemies. They'll burn everything to the ground before I can do anything.'
'So it's the lake after all.' A few smaller sparks flashed over the ravine and fell into the undergrowth on the other side. The flames shot a metre into the air almost immediately and, dancing merrily, began to devour the vegetation. 'Unless you'd rather fry yourself.' He shrugged. As far as he was concerned, they could set the whole forest alight, and Draco could still wait it out without any trouble. All he needed was to find a spot where the smoke didn't gather too much and there was no direct exposure to magical or secondary flames. The sweltering heat seemed almost refreshing.
'I must be going mad…' Noah got up from his seat, grumbling under his breath.
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The water at the bottom of the ravine was gradually rising, so by the time they reached the bank they were already wading knee-deep in murky, muddy sludge. Draco had no idea how on earth they hadn't yet been attacked from behind, but it seemed the attackers had either gone in the opposite direction or turned their attention to something else. Without magic, and setting aside his dragon abilities, he had no desire whatsoever to find out what was actually going on. He'd been tasked with staying close to the parthir and protecting him as best he could, and that was exactly what he intended to do. Given that Noah seemed to be the only person in their group skilled in administering first aid, this was by no means a trivial task.
'Let's go along the shore.' The reluctant medic pointed to the reeds stretching along the edge of the lake. The tall cattails and calamus would hide them easily. 'At least I'll be able to make sure no one spots us.'
'We'll have to come out somewhere…' Draco was more focused on the tower looming on the other side than on what they'd just left behind. The plume of smoke rising above the forest was growing thicker all the time, but for a good while now it hadn't been spreading as quickly as it had at the start.
'We'll get halfway there and try to join up with our lot. Zane should spot us. He might not be quite as good as Adam, but he's still pretty decent.'
'Worst-case scenario, we'll run into our ever-so-charming pyromaniacs.' The dragon pointed behind him, wondering just how much destruction would be wrought during a single training session.
'Pyromancers,' Noah corrected him. Parthir placed his hands on the surface of the lake, and a narrow passage opened up in the reeds. 'They're sensitive about what they're called.'
'In the current situation, it amounts to the same thing.' He shrugged, though he understood the difference between the two terms perfectly well. His race obliged him to distinguish such details.
'You may well be right…' Parthir stepped into the reeds and fell silent.
Draco followed in Noah's footsteps, trying to keep up with him. He turned back a few more times to check that no one was following them, but the rushes completely obscured his view. Even the barrier raised high above them was barely visible amongst the reeds. The silence was broken only by their laborious footsteps in the water, which reached up to their waists.
'Why did they attack us in such a… style?' The dragon was getting a bit fed up with the silence. 'First Aiden tried to be quiet, and when that didn't work…' He glanced over his shoulder again.
'I think they've got some sort of plan for this, I just can't see what it is.' Parthir pressed on without turning to face the dragon. 'Once we find Cedric, you'll be able to ask him.'
Draco refrained from saying that the whole exercise would be over before Retfield told him anything. However, he sensed Noah's reluctance to continue the conversation and decided to respect that.
Wading through the water wasn't exactly pleasant, but at least it was safe. At least with parthir as their guide. They made their way along the bank for a while before Noah finally decided it was time to get out and try to rejoin the rest of their group. As soon as the reeds parted, they saw multicoloured flashes coming from deep within the forest.
'It seems everyone's realised we've got company on our heels,' Draco managed a sarcastic remark.
'Now that it's come to a full-blown battle, we'd better give it our all,' Noah smiled slightly. 'Let's try and do to them what they've done to us.'
The dragon nodded and followed the parthir. They quickly reached dry land and set off roughly in the direction of the skirmish. Judging by the range of the spells being cast, the attacking group must have found itself caught between two raiding parties of defenders. The fighting seemed truly fierce. Seeing that the combatants had begun to move deeper into the forest, they both picked up the pace.
Draco hadn't spotted anyone until, leaping out from behind a thick tree, he collided with one of the defenders. He crashed into the boy and they both flew to the ground. The cadet, just as shocked as the dragon, reacted instinctively and fired a golden projectile barely a few centimetres from the attacker's face. The dragon leaned back and, taking advantage of his position on top, struck his opponent with a fist near the nose. The barrier cushioned the blow, but it wasn't strong enough to knock the defender out. He swung again, but before he could strike the fallen boy, Noah thrust his sword into the defender from behind.
'Don't stop.' Parthir wasn't looking at the dragon. A fierce battle was raging before them. It seemed that the divided attacking teams were trying to stay focused whilst constantly fending off the defenders, who had switched to guerrilla tactics. Blows rained down from all sides, so their group was unable to capitalise on their temporary numerical advantage, which was gradually dwindling anyway. 'Let's try something a bit reckless.' Noah looked around the area they were running through and grabbed a few shoots of ivy. Interestingly, the plant immediately stiffened and curled into a shape resembling a short javelin. Parthir, still on the run, took a swing and, aiming only roughly, hurled the improvised weapon towards the defenders, who hadn't yet spotted them.
Draco watched as the javelin fell and plunged into the ground without harming anyone. He already had a slightly mischievous remark on the tip of his tongue, but just at that moment the weapon exploded into a tangle of writhing ivy shoots, which tried to seize the defender running past them. The cadet in the grey uniform didn't realise in time what was happening, and the magical snare managed to grab him by the legs. The boy fell over with a scream and began to be entangled on the ground by the still-raging mass.
However, the abrupt scream caught the attention of the other defenders, and several magical projectiles immediately whizzed towards Draco and the parthir. The dragon seized Noah and dragged him behind the nearest tree. Almost at the same moment, a dull thud of wood splitting could be heard.
'Do you think that'll help?' The reptile tried to decide where they should move to next.
'It certainly can't do any harm.' Noah smiled and wriggled free from the dragon's grip.
A series of loud cracks and flames spreading through the undergrowth a few metres away from them cut short their exchange. There was no time for that. The reptile chose a tree at random, which he deemed the best next shelter, and, trying not to look towards their opponents, lunged forward. He didn't turn round, but he felt something whizz past the nape of his neck. Leaping forward, he found himself behind cover. Parthir did exactly the same and landed next to the dragon. The boy smiled slightly.
From somewhere not too far away, they heard someone's shout. Amidst the commotion, it was hard to make out the words. Draco gripped his sword more tightly and was about to stand up, but Noah suddenly grabbed him by his surcoat and pulled him down. He did it at the very last moment. The tree beneath which they were lying shattered into tiny splinters. Another spell flashed past them before the entire branch had time to fall.
'That was a close call.' A look of relief spread across the parthir's face.
The reptile was about to reply when something fell on his head. The object bounced off him and landed on the ground right next to them. It was small, oval-shaped and covered in tiny markings that glowed ever more brightly in the twilight of the forest.
'Bloody hell…' the dragon blurted out.
The explosion was blinding, and its force hurled the reptile backwards. He felt neither pain nor the impact, however. It seemed to him that he was enveloped by something delicate and soft. The shock was strong enough, though, to make the dragon's head spin. He blinked a few more times and lost consciousness.
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Draco woke up with a headache and pain in his left hand. Before he opened his eyes, it took him a moment to realise what had happened. The grenade he'd spotted at the last moment had been an extremely unpleasant surprise. Thanks to the barrier surrounding him, he hadn't sustained any serious injuries.
The dragon stirred, and the bed on which he lay creaked. He opened his eyes. He was lying on his back. The room he was in was very large and semi-circular. The walls were covered in cream-coloured tiles, with other colours creeping in above halfway up. The dragon moved his head and tried to sit up.
'Lie down, lie down…' Parthir's voice was hoarse.
Draco opened his eyes and looked towards the speaker. Noah, sitting on the bed next to him, seemed to be safe and sound, apart from half his face being charred.
'So, how did we get on?'
'Not too badly, but we lost anyway.' The cadet shrugged indifferently. 'Neither we nor Team Ten completed our main objectives. Though they did manage to complete more of the secondary ones.'
'Ugh… Cedric's probably gutted.'
'It used to be worse; I'd even say he's outdone himself by not making a scene in front of everyone.'
'Motivating…'
'Don't complain; it really could have been worse.'
The dragon didn't reply; he simply sat down, holding onto the frame.
'You'll get over it in a bit. It might take a while, but there's no need to worry.'
'I've lost count of how many times you've told me that.'
'Exactly. We still need to sort out your hand.' Noah called out to someone. 'Luckily, it won't be me.'