The Dragon's Claws

Chapter Three- A "friendly" reunion

We were surprised when we got there and not a single person was in sight. Usually, Shika was bustling with noise and people, it being one of the biggest trading posts in Eldara. Nate was a trader, but he only shipped high-end or overly expensive products, so he wasn't gone very often. He didn't get very much business, but when he did it paid big time.

The absence of people wasn't even the strangest part, it was the absence of animals that really freaked me out. Big cities like Shika usually have their fair share of homeless dogs, not to mention the overabundance of birds. Neither one was present when we arrived.

"I don't like this, Fafnir." I said, crouching low to prepare for an ambush. Good thing, too, because as I crouched an arrow came whizzing out of a house to my right and passed through exactly where my head was just a second before.

It seemed that the ambush had been set up specifically for us. When Fafnir shot a flame at one of the men, the fire flew past harmlessly,  which told me at least the greater number of them had wards against fire. Even after the fireball, the men stood still, watching our every move.

"I don't like this, Fafnir," I said, as fear grew in my gut, "I feel like we've seen these men before." And if I was right, we were in major trouble.

"I remember their smell but I cannot..." Fafnir grew quiet as he realized who we were dealing with. The soldiers of the Priest were a nasty lot, capable of simple versions of shadow and stealth magic. The Priest is a tall, sleek man who some might even call handsome, partially due to his bright violet eyes. He got his name not by being part of the church, but by having a very devoted, almost cult-like following. The Priest himself was a very dangerous man, being able to cast spells equal in power with even my master. He was hunted by the Bonded of the last generation, but he always found a way to escape detection. He's in the top three most dangerous people in Eldara, but he should be number one. Fafnir and I have only met him personally once, and only by pure luck and my master's good timing did we escape with our lives. I was not keen to relive that experience, but it seemed The Priest wasn't done with us yet.

"Fafnir, we might be in trouble." I said sarcastically. He responded with a growl and a plume of smoke from his nostrils. Watching the men carefully, I attempted to jump up on the saddle on Fafnir's back.

"Stop now or die," one of The Priest's men said calmly, "We have orders to kill you immediately if you do not comply with us."

"What now?" Fafnir asked, and I noticed a hint of fear in his voice. Fafnir didn't fear very many things, so I thought this was strange that he should be afraid now.

"We've been through worse, buddy." I said, trying to convict a strong voice with no fear in it. He wasn't buying it. "They can't kill us, the order must be a bluff to make us come quietly."

"I can assure you it is not." A voice boomed out from all around us, a voice I had only heard once and hoped to never hear again...The Priest. Fafnir's scales around his neck stood up and he started growling as I spun around, looking for the source of the voice. It seemed to surround us, everywhere at the same time. 

"Show yourself, coward!" I screamed into the sky, though I was hoping he'd ignore me...nope. As soon as I finished yelling coward, he appeared behind me. I whirled to face him, only to discover that I saw two others in my turn. I whirled to see the other two, only to have four more appear in the turn.

"It must be a clone spell," Fafnir said, growling and sinking low. I nodded and tried to focus on one of the copies.

"Trickery won't help you, Fafnir can smell you out!" I yelled, hoping to sound braver than I actually was. 

"You know I can't." Fafnir growled in my ear, so The Priest couldn't hear. 

"Yeah, but they don't know what happened yet." I said reassuringly. He just sighed.

During the last trip, Fafnir had gotten into this brew set out for travelers passing by. We learned it was lethal for humans, but it took away most of Fafnir's sense of smell without any other obvious side-effects. We were hoping my master would know what to do, but we had yet to go home.

"You can try, but as you waste your time, my men will capture you." The Priest said without flinching.

"Waste my time?" I said slowly to myself as I started getting an idea. "Fafnir, he may not even really be here," I said excitedly "We might have a chance!"
As I tried to formulate a plan, Fafnir began trying to attack each of the clones in an attempt to find the real one, and the men began to close in.