Page 22 of Midlife Animal Rescuer Dragon

“No,” he heard Nora say.

When he looked up, her eyes were wide with horror, her fingers trembling at her sides. Henry didn’t bother asking why. Right at that moment, more shrieks filled the air. They turned in the direction of the sound, and he saw the source of the commotion.

Striding toward them, was the medieval-looking man from earlier. He still wore the hood over his head, and in his hand was a blade identical to the one stuck in the table. As Henry watched, the hunter stretched out his free hand, and a low hum carried into the air. Almost immediately, the blade extricated itself from the table, zipping back through the air into its owner’s waiting palm.

“He’s found me,” Nora gasped, a quaver in her tone.

The next thing Henry knew, he’d stepped in front of her, watching as the hunter approached. He’d seen them this time, alright. And Henry doubted he’d be leaving without a fight this time.

The hunter came to a halt a few feet away, his head lowered so Henry couldn’t see much of his face. In his hands, those blades thrummed slightly.

“My name is Ergog,” he declared. “And you are in my way. Move, or I will be forced to remove you.”

Chapter Nine

Death by a Thousand Cuts...From a Boomerang Blade

Ergog.

Of course an outlandish character like him would have a name like that.

“I will not ask you again,” the hunter said. His hood was still pulled low over his head, and from where he stood, Henry couldn’t see much of his eyes—or at least the part of his face where eyes should be. “I’ve come for the witch. Stand aside, or you will share her fate.”

Henry had been threatened more times than he could count, but something about the way the eyeless hunter said those words sent a light shudder down his spine. Between everything Nora had told him about the hunter and the fact that he’d almost gotten skewered by one of those blades, every cell in his body wanted him to turn and make a run for it.

“No,” he said.

If Ergog was taken aback by his response, he didn’t show it. It was hard to read expressions when the other person had no eyes, anyway. But Henry saw the hunter’s grip tighten on his blades. The nearby crowd had given them a wide berth, murmurs and gasps reaching Henry’s ears, but the rest of the people at the fair seemed completely unaware of what was going on. Music and excited whoops filled the air in the distance.

Behind him, Nora was silent. He could practically feel the terror radiating off her. Henry’s jaw clenched. He could easily step aside and let this hunter have her. She wasn’t his problem—at least, she didn’thaveto be. And considering he wasn’t even certain of her innocence, the smart thing to do would be to wash his hands of her at the first opportunity.

Instead, he attacked.

His arm moved even before he realized he’d moved it, arcing through the air and striking Ergog in the jaw. The hunter staggered backward with a grunt. Before he could recover, Henry struck again, this time hitting him in the chest and knocking him to the ground.

Cries and gasps erupted around them as the hunter picked himself up. Henry glanced for a second over his shoulder at Nora; her eyes were still wide, and she was frozen in place, staring between him and Ergog. Henry’s chest heaved. If there had been a chance of him walking away from all of this, it was gone. He was fully involved now.

“You should have taken my advice,” he heard the hunter say. Ergog took a step closer. “Instead, you have sealed your fate.”

Henry was no fool. From everything he knew about Ergog, it was clear he couldn’t fight the hunter on his own. Especially in human form. But he couldn’t afford to shift, not with a crowd present. The hunter alone was drawing enough human attention to the supernatural. Seeing Henry shift into a dragon or Nora use her magic would only compound their problems.

His only option was to strike hard and fast and hope to buy himself enough time to think of some other way to protect her.

Ergog lunged suddenly, and in the split second before he swung his blades, Henry realized that giving the hunter a chance to recover had been a dumb move. He was fast, impossibly fast, and if Henry hadn’t instinctively lurched backward, he would’ve been a goner. The blade sliced the air just centimeters before his eyes.

Quickly regaining his balance, Henry ducked again, dodging the hunter’s next attack, and aimed for his legs, knocking him to the ground a second time. His heart pounded in his chest, his mind racing, trying to come up with a plan, a new move. He needed to strike harder and faster, as much as he could without giving the hunter time to react.

But even that wouldn’t be enough. He couldn’t fight Ergog forever. Not like this.

Ergog rolled before he could launch another strike, and Henry’s foot struck the grass. There was a flash of silver, and a second later, pain flared in his thigh. With a cry, he staggered backward, clutching his leg where the hunter had cut him. Blood trickled between his fingers. The injury didn’t seem to be deep, but it stung. A lot.

The hunter got to his feet. Henry thought he saw his lips curve into a smile. How was the man even fighting? He didn’t have eyes, and without any magic to trace, he shouldn’t be able to detect anything, right? A blind man shouldn’t be able to move so quickly, so precisely.

“Get to my truck!” Henry bellowed over his shoulder. “I’ll meet you there.”

There was no reply from Nora, but he heard her pant as she took off, and knew she’d understood him. Putting as much distance between her and the hunter as he could was a great start. But now he needed to hold Ergog off long enough for them to get away.

“There’s no escaping me,” the hunter spat, leveling one of his blades at him. “I’ve been hunting for longer than you’ve breathed.”