Kael
The drake had learned where the open path was.
That was inconvenient.
It stopped striking the center of the defenders' line and pressed toward the store corner, forcing the nearest guard to turn with it.
Each turn took the guard closer to the people still withdrawing.
Veylan called for the physical screen.
Two crewmen dragged a heavy slatted panel across the approach. It had been used to keep loaded carts from rolling off the work terrace. I doubted its maker had considered this particular use.
It bought space.
Not much.
The drake drove one claw through a slat and tore it loose.
Behind it, a dark pulse moved beneath the ragged wing.
"Another burst," the local guard warned.
Veylan looked at the open ground around me.
"Treatment position?"
"Past the bend," a runner answered.
That was where it should have been.
I looked toward the turn I had watched the cart take. The store wall blocked the rest of the service route.
