AMBUSHED

 "Do you know where we are even going?'' Minre asked pulling Sven out of a reverie he couldn't even remember.

 "We are going to Gesa''

 "Why Gesa"

 "Because'' Sven said simply and Minre waited for an answer but after a few minutes he resigned himself to the fact that none was coming.

''You don't talk much'' he said and Sven shrugged looking straight ahead.

 Minre tried to alter his step but try as he night he always fell  back in step with his brother, brother the word still sounded strange.

 He watched him closely from the side of his eyes, the were not as identical as he had first feared, Sven had a sharper jaw and cheekbones while his jaw was more square and the lines of his cheek much softer, his brows arched, Sven's were bushy and his lips fuller too from not smiling enough Minre suspected.

 Sven held up his fingers signalling that they stop, he brought his finger to his lips dropping to a squat he pointed over the horizon and at first all Minre could see was dust billowing then he saw it big and blue hovering over a trio of horses surrounded by about fifteen men wearing Maldorr's colours.

 Minre tried to charge forward but Sven grabbed him by his collar, the look in his eyes saying "Are you crazy''

 "What?, we are not gonna stay here and watch them be taken, if that's a real true life dragon then they may even be ours, what am I saying? last I heard there has only been one life dragon in Hanorak in the last twenty years'' Minre pointed at his tattoo ''Ours''.

 Zutara huffed out a breath, the sword in her hands felt clumsy and unyielding, to her left Sikorra gritted his teeth sword clashing with that of a soldier with such force it made her teeth ring.

  Riz was on the ground beside her horse the canteen of water that she carried  around was uncorked and still strapped to her waist and the water within she bound into a whip wound around her hand, she lashed out  pulling a man down from his horse and slamming him hard on the ground she stabbed her dagger into his thigh and he screamed.

  Zutara wanted to cover her ears and hide.

 "Be brave'' she thought to herself swinging off her horse  to dodge a mounted soldier barrelling towards her, she wrapped her right elbow around the neck of the man charging towards her, worrying for a second that her strength would not be enough to take him down from his perch..

 "Watch out!!" Sikorra opened his mouth to scream at Riz, when something hard and heavy crashed into the back of his skull. 

 "Riz swung her left foot down into a guard's jaw and reached out to call forth water when from behind her strong war toughened hands snatched her off the ground and threw her roughly across a horse.

 "Zutara!" Riz stretched out her hands towards Zutara who was trying to control the strange horse that was bucking wildly beneath her.

 "Riz!" She reached out her hand to grab Riz when the horse she was steering suddenly veered off sharply away twisting her foot and tumbling her over the saddle so that her wrist dragged on the ground, she wasn't sure who was screaming louder - herself or Riz  as she struggled to right herself.

 Sven grabbed the reins of he horse the red haired girl had leaped from to tackle the soldier rushing towards her off his horse and swung onto the saddle.

 The other girl had water wrapped around her arm like a lash, there was a man sneaking up on her, he grabbed her so fast the air whooshed out of her chest.

 Minre had gone after the old man whose right hand was hanging limp beside him.

"Fly away!, fly away!!" he was shouting at the blue dragon with smoke billowing from it's nostrils but it continued to hover stubbornly.

 Then the red haired girl howled in pain, the new horse had thrown her off the saddle but her foot was trapped in the stirrup, she struggled to regain her seat but he knew she would not make it in time before it slammed her against something.

 Sven dragged his horse sidelong to crash into hers and scooped her up from her waist, kicking at the offending stirrup at the last minute to release her trapped foot and she came at him nails first.

 Zutara charged at her attacker scratching his face viciously, he hissed in pain, her eyes were still swimming from being upside down and she was feeling nauseous but damn if she was going to let herself be captured without putting up a fight.

 She threw her head back and  bashed him smack on his left eye and he swore long and dirty jerking her around roughly to face forward away from him.

 "Calm down !'' he ordered grabbing both her hands in his. Zutara leaned forward and bit into his thigh until she tasted blood.

  Minre nuked an arrow in his bow and released it with a blast of air for accuracy.

  Riz screamed when a heavy weight fell across her back, the horse beneath her began to run wildly,  she turned to the side and was faced with the open mouthed slack faced stare of her captor who now had an arrow through his ear. She nudged the corpse off the horse with her shoulder and reaching for her water she tried to pull the horse to a stop but there was not enough.

 ''You look like you need help'' a voice said to her left and she turned to see a boy about their age smiling and running along side the horse.

 "Hi" he saluted and grabbed the horse by its mane. ''Darling you may not know me, of course you don't know me'' he pulled her up to sit straight. '' I'm Minre'' he pointed at her exposed tattoo and the rolled up his sleeve to show her his ''Nice to meet you...''

 ''Riz'' she replied out of breath and he shook her hand vigorously, covering it with his and affording her another bright smile then someone howled  loudly in pain.

 Sven  tumbled the girl off the horse so she dangled above the ground, the only thing keeping her from being trampled under foot was her grip on the reins of the protesting horse.  

 They both glared at each other murderously.

 ''If you are going to capture me prepare to have your ears bitten off '' she threatened through her teeth and Sven resisted the urge to yank her towards himself and spit in her red face, instead he pushed up his arm guard flashing his tattoo quickly, Zutara gasped in surprise making her lose her grip and fall to the ground.