Elf Princess Shuka
flees into the perilous Marshes of Mu to escape a dragon and drops into the
claws of vicious marsh wights. Her flight and fortunate rescue propel her into
a new life among the humans she despises.
When pirate chief, Captain
Rolf Fox, rescues a beautiful lady from the wights, he feels obliged to restore
her to her father. But, avaricious Emperor Raglan has deployed a fleet of
dragon ships to conquer the local town and subdue the marshmen.
In order to return to her homeland, Shuka must swallow her pride and work together with Rolf to destroy the enemy ships.
See the complete series
(to date) of the Oakenwald Chronicles at https://www.auroraspringer.org/p/oakenwald.html
CHAPTER 1
As blue and deadly as
an angry demon, the dreadful dragon swooped down.
Shuka ran.
Heart thudding in
terror, she raced toward the barrier of tall sedges edging the marshes. Higher
than a man, the bullrushes would conceal her.
A gust of wind from the
beating wings of the great beast opened a narrow gap in the wall of rushes.
She dashed into the
gap, and, brushing aside the tall reeds, she fled along the narrow track of a
mudbank. The back of her neck itched in anticipation of the hot breath of the
dragon.
Shouts and cries
sounded from behind. A battle?
A woman shrieked.
Was that Musa?
Shuka’s foot slipped in
the mud.
She clutched at a
swaying stalk and regained her balance with an effort. Consigning the fate of
her fusspot attendant to a distant part of her mind, she hastened deeper into
the perilous Marshes of Mu. She jumped over small streams of ugly brown water
and hopped onto the clumps of reeds.
The noises of combat
faded, although the susurration of wind in the dry sedges on all sides did not
reassure her. The forest of reeds might conceal her from an enemy on the
ground. But that devilish dragon could fly.
Cringing in fear of an
attack from above, she skidded to a halt and glanced up. The gloomy clouds held
no winged beast. Or not yet.
She looked down.
Half-sunk in the sticky sludge, her travel boots were soaked and filthy. She
plucked her feet out of the mud, one by one, and hurried onward.
The track veered around
a murky pool.
Weary from her
unaccustomed run, Shuka slowed and edged along the mud bank. She eyed the
sluggish stream warily. Did evil demons lurk in the depths?
Water gurgled.
A hideous creature
leaped out of the pool. Half toad and half scrawny-limbed man, the thing seemed
the embodiment of evil.
She screamed.
A second toad-man
hopped onto the muddy bank.
The ugly creature dove
at her and dug its clawed fingers into her leg.
She fell.
Pain flared in the side
of her head.
She sank into
oblivion.
