Chapter 16: Chapter 16: Is That a Dragon?

Regina jerked upright, her heart hammering. Blinking, she looked around, trying to see what had woken her up. After a moment, she realized that Tim had been shaking her. He was withdrawing his hand now and taking a step back.

She stood up, rubbing her eyes and trying to brush the last dregs of sleep away. It was still dark out, at least mostly. The moon was nearly full, and the eastern horizon might have been just a touch brighter than the west. It still felt like the middle of the night. She’d been too restless after the encounter with the elf to go to bed early, and she couldn’t have been asleep very long.

“What’s up?” she asked, looking around.

“Sorry to wake you, my queen.” Tim sounded tense. He kept glancing to the side. “I think you need to see this.”

Regina frowned, following his gaze and looking south. Then she stiffened. There were a few dark blots in the sky, and she heard a howl echoing over a great distance. Then the wind turned, and she faintly caught a spicy scent.

“Wake the others,” she told Tim. “Then gather our weapons.”

“Yes, my queen.”

He moved off. Regina crawled out of her shelter and grabbed her spear, which she’d left leaning against its wall. She stepped away from the trees to get a better look, rolling her shoulders. The sense of an impending threat helped her disperse the last of her sleepiness.

The drones worked quickly. Max and Tim grabbed their weapons, while Tia and Mia took what tools they had lying around that could double as weapons in a pinch. They also took anything important and put them into the slings and belts they’d made out of the vines they’d gathered. Regina glanced at the shelter where the eggs were waiting. They should be ready to hatch soon, but in the meantime, they were far too large and heavy to easily carry.

A bellowing sound turned her attention back to the forest. Max stepped beside her, his ax and shield clutched tightly. Regina didn’t take her eyes off the shadows. After a moment, she could make out the shape of the monster approaching them. It looked like an oversized fox.

Before she even got a System notification, Tim jumped at it with a shrill warcry. Regina blinked. He’d moved far quicker than normal and his lunge even pushed the beast back a little.

Then she refocused and cast a Magic Missile. The magical projectile hit the fox in the face, causing it to jerk back. Tim took advantage, slashing with his left blade-arm at the same time as he swung his ax. The fox stumbled back, evading the swing, but the blade caught him in the throat. Its fur stood up, suddenly bristling with spikes. But then a thrown stone from Max caught the monster again in the eye and the ability seemed to melt off its fur.

Tim dodged an errant swipe of its paws, then stepped forward, driving his blade in deep. The fox twitched before it fell backward.

They didn’t get any time to celebrate the victory. Another roar resounded, still distant but noticeably louder. Regina inhaled sharply, and the scents she caught prickled in her nose, warning of danger.

“Tim, stay close,” she ordered him. “Defensive position.”

She didn’t really know what a good defensive position would be, but apparently Tim had a better idea than her. He and Max moved to flank her a few steps out, leaving all of them enough room to swing their weapons, with the Drone Workers behind them. That also put her in the middle of a rectangle with the warriors at the front and the workers at the back.

Another monster crested the top of the nearest hill, halting and hissing at them. It was some sort of big cat, looking like a cross between a lion and a jaguar.

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