I had a pretty good view of the clearing, while still keeping out of sight in my hiding place, and there I got my first good glimpse of these new creatures as one landed in front of Duncan, hissing viciously, a forked tongue protruding from its mouth. I had to describe them as dragons, because I had no other word to use, but they were certainly nothing like Duncan or MacKenzie—or I assumed Callum and Alistair. They were smaller for starters, less powerful and more snake-like, their bodies were jet black, their faces narrow and sharp. A row of wicked-looking spines ran down their backs and their wings looked to be edged with razors. Their eyes were malevolent and hate-filled.

They began to land around Duncan, small jets of fire escaping their mouths each time they breathed, as if they could not wait to destroy something. They snapped at him, their serpentine necks darting their heads forward then pulling back quickly, afraid to get too close for too long, marshalling their courage as their numbers increased. Duncan turned about, trying to watch all of them at once. He might have been bigger than them and stronger, too, but he was surrounded and outnumbered. My heart was in my mouth as I watched.

What were these things? Why had they attacked us? Questions that ceased to have any real meaning when one of the creatures finally summoned up the courage to throw itself at Duncan when he had his back to it. Duncan heard it coming, grabbing it in mid-air, making it scream louder, writhing in his strong grip. The scream seemed to ignite the fuse that had been smoldering in the others and more of them dived towards Duncan, hissing, snapping and breathing fire. In an arcing movement, Duncan swung the creature he had caught around, knocking down those that approached and making the others retreat, squealing harsh warnings at each other. They seemed incapable of acting independently, but would only attack in threes or fours, scuttling forward then dashing back again when Duncan rounded on them. They were scared of him, there was no doubt about that, but their hate seemed to push them on. I could almost smell their hatred in the air, an acrid stink, sharp and pungent. Whatever they were, they loathed Duncan.

A small group of them rushed forward and spat fire in Duncan's direction, and he spun to face them, opening his mouth wide and letting loose a huge seething fireball into their midst, making them scream and skitter away. It seemed as if Duncan was keeping them at bay, but it was not a victory, only a stalemate—they were getting braver all the time, now nipping at his tail and hind-quarters when they dashed in, their sharp, needle-like teeth drawing blood, enraging Duncan, who swung at them. But while he was stronger, larger, and braver than them, they were quicker. They were drawing closer now, running circles about him so he could not follow them all; jumping over him with wings beating just enough to keep them out of his grasp. They were distracting him, disorienting him, forcing him to try to look everywhere at once. They cackled with strange animal laughter.

They had also begun to slink around the outskirts of the clearing, noses twitching. However stupid they seemed—and while they clearly had some low cunning, they did not strike me as thinkers—they had enough animal intelligence to realize that Duncan should not still be here on the ground. In the air he had more of an advantage—they could not surround him, he was obviously a stronger flier, he could make better use of his fiery breath. He could even make a run for it back to his castle. Why was he staying here on the ground where he was hampered? The answer was me. He could not leave me. If he took to the air, even temporarily, then there was a chance they would find me and he would not let that happen. By staying, he was putting himself in danger, and I felt appallingly guilty for that, but he was also drawing their attention to the fact that he had a reason to stay, and they were trying to sniff out that reason.

Perhaps it was a fear of them smelling me that drove Duncan to go on the offensive, something he was in no position to do. With a rumbling snarl and a sudden turn of speed, he leapt at one of the sniffers, his golden body twisting in the air, landing with a thump on the creature, making it whine, spit flame in his face, and dart snapping bites at his neck and fore-legs. Now that Duncan's attention was focused on one of the number—and they were more than happy to sacrifice him—the other creatures took their chance and threw themselves at him with murderous abandon.

I bit my lip hard, tasting blood in my mouth as I looked on. He batted the newcomers away as best he could, but that meant taking his claws off the one he had pinned down, which bit at him savagely every chance it got. Unable to keep the one creature pinned as the others attacked him, Duncan rolled away, crushing some beneath him. Using all four legs to claw at his attackers, he beat them back, snapping his jaws at them. One, he grabbed in his mouth and shook it fiercely; another was grabbed and hurled against a tree, which it hit with a sickening crack; a kick from his powerful hind legs sent two more flying. Back on his feet, he leapt into the air, wings beating furiously to let him hover for a moment before diving back down into the fray, clawing, biting, lashing out at anything that moved. The creatures rallied, moving as one like a flock of birds. They twisted their sinuous bodies, avoiding Duncan's muscular blows, seeking out his vulnerabilities and nipping at his body, making him roar with pain and frustration.

I could see the blood now, flowing between the scales from Duncan's many bites and scratches. They couldn't beat him as such, even all working together they would never inflict a single wound large enough to take out Duncan, but by inflicting lots of small wounds they could bring him down from exhaustion and blood loss. Not even a dragon as powerful as Duncan could keep going forever.

The thought seared through my mind like a hot needle; this was my fault. If he had been caught here alone he could have beaten them in the air or simply gone back to the castle—the four brothers together would easily have beaten these things. But Duncan had to protect me. That was what was going to kill him. And I was going to see it happen.

My heart rose as Duncan erupted from beneath the pile of smaller dragons that had begun to envelope him with their serpentine bodies, roaring like a volcano, hurling them off like a force of nature. With one mighty swat of his right fore-leg, he sent three of the creatures flying and they all scurried away, back into the circle surrounding him. They all knew that an injured animal could be more deadly than a healthy one, desperate, as it had nothing to lose. While Duncan was bleeding, he was a long way from fatally wounded, he was still stronger than any of them, still dangerous.

He paced in the center of the circle, a feral swagger in his movements; daring them to attack. Then he stumbled, as if one of his legs would not hold him. At this sign of weakness, all the creatures attacked at once, piling into him, flame flaring, teeth flashing, claws out. I couldn't bear to watch but found I could not look away as they descended on him.

But Duncan was gone.

For a moment, I thought he had actually vanished, then I saw the naked man forward roll out from the tangle of smaller dragons, bleeding from more wounds than I could count. He had waited till they jumped and then he had shifted, the sudden change in size confusing his attackers, who were now attacking each other. No sooner was he free than Duncan had shifted again, but now with the upper hand and with all his enemies in one place. A cascade of flame poured from his mouth, eye-scorchingly bright, like magnesium burning, making the smaller dragons howl. Before the flames were gone, Duncan launched himself at the burnt, confused and angry creatures, claws swinging, jaws closing on whatever was in front of them, tearing skin and flesh and bone alike, hurling his opponents this way and that.

I could have cheered. But even as Duncan won the upper hand, three more dragons had arrived, unnoticed by Duncan, whose attention was elsewhere. I wanted to scream but no words came, and I just watched as one of the new arrivals slashed a clawed foot across Duncan's back. Duncan howled in pain. He twisted around to meet the new danger, but the damage was done. This was no scratch, this was bone deep, blood oozing from the cuts. I could see the pain and weakness in Duncan's eyes as he tried to focus on the three. He roared at them, making them back away—cowards as ever. But it was a stop-gap, I wasn't sure that Duncan had the strength left to back it up with anything.

It sounds strange to say, but I genuinely wasn't sure when I started running. One minute, I was cowering in the alcove, watching as Duncan fought to stay on his feet, the next, I was out in the forest, running towards the clearing, carrying the heaviest rock I could run with.

As I entered the clearing, unnoticed, one of the threatening three started for Duncan, meaning to finish him off. With a strength I never knew I had, I hurled the rock at its head. On any other day, I couldn't hit a barn door with a beach ball at ten paces, but that rock arced through the air with unerring accuracy and clobbered the beast on the head, stunning it. All three creatures snatched their ugly heads around to look at me. I don't think I knew what fear was until that moment.

I didn't even know what good I thought the rock was going to do. Did I think I would scare them off? Did I imagine I might actually take out one of these creatures with a rock? I don't know, but as a diversion it worked brilliantly. The second their heads turned, Duncan was on them, all injury temporarily forgotten in one last-ditch effort. Two of them he had instantly. But the third had made for me. I turned to run but had not gone two paces before a searing pain flared jaggedly across my back, as the creature’s claws found their mark. I dropped to the ground, gasping, too shocked to scream, all sense robbed from me by the white-hot pain that had enveloped me. The creature's claw descended, pinning me to the ground.

But in the next instant it was gone, as Duncan grabbed the beast in his jaws, shaking wildly this way and that until all life was shaken from it. He tossed it to one side, turned his massive head to the sky, and bellowed a howling roar in which victory and pain were combined.

The sharp agony across my back had gone now, to be replaced by a slow but constant burn, only dulled as I drifted from consciousness, vaguely aware of the wetness beneath me where my blood was soaking into my clothes.

The last thing I was aware of was Duncan above me.