Aurora Read Free Page B

other men looked confident. Despite the long journey and the repeated failures to bring
this hunt to a close, they appeared eager to follow their leader into the fortress without any apparent concern for what fate awaited them. Tembo did not know how Husam had won this unswerving
loyalty from them, but it was another of those stones he felt were best left unturned.
    ‘Come on, men,’ Husam urged softly, his gaze never leaving Tembo. ‘Let’s go before the other dragons complicate matters.’
    Signalling the men on the other side of the castle entrance to follow, Husam slipped around the corner and began creeping through the gateway. Tembo rolled his shoulders a couple of times to
loosen them, hefted his spear in his right hand and joined the end of the line. If the others were mad enough to go in there, the least he could do was watch their backs for them.
    No sooner had Tembo rounded the corner into the tunnel-like entrance of the sea fortress than he could see the bright golden orange of the dawn dragon ahead. She was asleep, curled tight with
her eyes shut. Her scales gleamed with the promise of wealth. Tembo was not immune to their effect, but for every step he took looking forwards, he spent two checking behind him for any sign of the
trap he sensed closing in.
    The hunters passed under the portcullis and onwards until they reached the far end of the tunnel. Stopping short of the open courtyard inside the fortress walls, the men bunched together against
the walls on either side of the gateway.
    Tembo watched as Husam scanned the area ahead and around. Even from the back of the short line, Tembo had a fairly good view of the courtyard. The only movements he could see were several faint
swirls of dust devils where the strong wind was whipping over the battlements and twirling loose debris in tight little columns of air. Husam was right. There was no sign of the other dragons, or
their riders.
    Husam signalled again and the hunters began to spread swiftly in a wide arc, running lightly on silent feet. Those at the furthest ends of the lines were just reaching their positions when
disaster struck. Tembo saw movement out of the corner of his eye and he froze.
    One of the dust devils raced across the courtyard so fast that it was little more than a blur of swirling debris. To Tembo’s horror the twister moved with purpose – straight towards
the man at the end of the line. There was no time to call a warning, nor did the man cry out as the dust devil struck. The man vaporised as Tembo watched, disintegrating into a fine mist of red.
His weapon toppled to the ground with a clatter. There was nothing else left to show that he had ever existed. Terror locked Tembo’s muscles. He could not move.
    More dust devils began to move, gliding swiftly across the stone paving of the courtyard. Panic struck the hunters. They turned and ran back towards the castle gateway, but the twisters were too
fast. One after another, the men disintegrated as they were caught by the twirling nightmares.
    Husam was nearby. He was also standing motionless. The two of them were nearest to the exit and the only ones not attempting to escape. Tembo tried to open his mouth, but his jaw would not
respond. He wanted to cry out and urge Husam to run, but he found he could not do anything.
    Tembo’s eyes were drawn to another of the dust devils. It was coming straight towards him and approaching fast. Tembo closed his eyes and waited for it to strike. His body tensed tighter,
bracing for the impact. But it did not come.
    His breathing sounded loud in his ears and his body tingled all over. He could feel a presence in front of him. It began moving. Circling around him. Nothing physically touched him, but Tembo
felt that even with his eyes tight shut he could ‘see’ where the thing was at all times. Another joined it. Then another. He could feel them all around him. Why did they not kill him?
He did not dare open his eyes to find