Erik’s mind was moving at the speed of a lighting strike, calculating and re-calculating as the two wyvern hissed and bobbed their heads at their prey. He could hear Karissa’s quick gulps of breath as she backed up to him, and his trusted stead’s labored breathing as his lifeblood drained away onto the ground. 

He had to act quickly.

With a sharp movement the Duke tore his cape from his back and tossed it at the wyvern that was already bleeding, covering its head, a second later turning to the other beast and blocking a strike of its claws. The blow made his left arm go numb for a few moments. His horse whinnied and stomped on the wyvern which had been covered by the cape, effectively crushing its head amidst spurts of blood from the gaping wound in his belly. 

One beast was down, there was just one more to contend with. Karissa had backed away, smartly giving the Duke room to maneuver, but the wyvern seemed to only have eyes for his new bride. Perhaps what the old tales said was true. Perhaps wyvern could smell fear, and preyed on those that exuded it. 

Suddenly the creature lunged forward, but the Duke had been ready. He slashed at the beast’s foreleg, tearing through the connective wing tissue and shoulder muscle. The creature screeched in pain, but then reared up and clamped its jaw shut over the Duke’s left forearm. Its razor sharp teeth were mostly rendered ineffective by the thick leather and iron greave, but a few of the longer ones were able to sink through to the skin. 

The wyvern shook him, the teeth ripping his skin further, causing his sword to fall out of his hand. The wyvern’s tail whipped across the dirt, sending the sword skittering further away. “Ahh!” Erik cried out, more out of frustration than pain. He looked behind him to where Karissa stood, frozen in place.

“Karissa, run!” he shouted, and her head snapped up to him, her terror-filled eyes meeting his for a brief moment. With the wyvern occupied with him, she could get away. “I said run!” 

The wyvern bore down on him, forcing him onto one knee. Erik tried to reach for his dagger that was still sheathed at his hip, but only the tips of his fingers could graze the hilt. In a flash the dagger was no longer sheathed, but held in the trembling hands of his new wife.

For a brief moment, the Duke thought that maybe his paranoid thoughts had been slightly wrong. She was not a spy… but an assassin. Sent to wait for just the right moment to slit his throat. 

“Wha-?” But before he could finish his half-concocted question, Karisaa darted forward and stabbed the beast in the underbelly, shoving the dagger in almost to the hilt before yanking it free. The beast screeched again and released Erik’s arm, slashing at Karrisa with its long claws. The former princess stumbled backwards, slashing at the beast with the dagger.

“Duke! Your sword!” she shouted, jolting him to action. Erik whipped his head around and spotted the sword lying a few meters away in the grass beside the road. He ran a few steps and then dived for the weapon, snatching it up and spinning around to face the beast. It was still trying to get at Karissa, but she was managing to dodge its attacks.

Erik let out a yell, drawing its attention back to him, then he took a few bounding steps and, blocking an attack from its sharp claws, dodged to the side and stabbed it through the neck, allowing his blade to sink halfway through its scaly flesh before yanking the weapon free and stabbing it again in the chest. The wyvern sank to the ground, then gave out a last gasping hiss directed at Karissa.

The Duke freed his sword from the corpse, then spun around to find that the rest of their party was also finishing off the last of the attacking creatures. Benedict was still atop his horse, leading the rest of the knights in dispatching the last orange-scaled wyvern. The Duke whipped his head in every direction, confirming that he and Karissa were not in immediate danger. 

Satisfied, he at last looked at Karissa. She stood with the dagger still grasped in both hands, breathing heavily. Dark green blood dripped from the point and from her smeared hands. The young woman stared glassily at the slain beast in front of her, then lifted her eyes to meet his gaze again. 

“Are you hurt?” Erik demanded, stepping around the scaled body between them. But she did not respond, just stared at him a moment longer, then her gaze slipped from his face to a point behind him. “Karissa? Are you hurt?” he asked again, reaching her and gently taking the dagger from her hands. After a moment she shook her head.

“No…” she answered softly. “No, I am not hurt. But he is.” Karissa continued to stare past him, and Erik finally turned to see what she meant. His trusted war horse still miraculously stood on all four hooves despite the wound he had sustained, taking labored breaths as he swayed back and forth.

“Victor, you old boy,” Erik said softly, approaching the dying animal slowly. The horse lowered his head and allowed Erik to stroke his nose, just like every time before. Erik looked at the body of the other wyvern which Victor had stomped to death beneath his now soiled cape. 

“You did well,” Erik crooned, reaching up to remove the bit and bridle. “You can rest now.” With a swift movement Erik slashed the dagger he still held in his hand across the horse’s jugular vein. His companion of the last five years didn’t make a sound. Just sank onto his knees, laid down, then rolled over onto his side as the last of his blood drained away.

Erik stayed by Victor’s side until his last shuddering breath was drawn. As the Duke stood he was surprised to find Karissa still there, standing resolutely behind him.

“We should tend to your wounds now, Your Grace,” his wife said softly, gesturing to his arm where he had been bitten. He’d almost forgotten about it.

“It’s nothing…” Erik replied, taking his blades and hastily wiping them somewhat clean on his pants. Then he returned them to their sheaths, and looked back at Karissa. “We should regroup with the others.”