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Windblade has been wandering for nine years. Tamir Moonstar awakened his gift and
apparently Windblade must have killed Condor. He feels the code of honor of Greenhaven
doesn't work in the boonies. Some things weren't quite fair. But he, he's alive...he
is WINDBLADE. He finds a wagon train of dead elves, blaming the Reivers for killing
them, mostly half naked elves but with some sort of coverings and upper and lower
garb. Windblade finds a cat woman (or wolf woman?) burying a loin cloth wearing bodyññher
mate perhapsññwith a tomahawk in his arms. Windblade helps her. In the background
appear to be cities like modern buildings (?). The two leave together on Windblade's
horse. They were killed because they were different.
DRAGONSBREATH: A scorpion is spat on. Windblade and the girl cat ask two old elves
where they can find rooms in an inn. The old chubby man tells Windblade there are
no rooms for the likes of him, a cat lover. Windblade tells him he will just have
to kill him and take his beds. The man lets them stay, laughing. Windblade says,
"Neighborly of you." The two go to the bar and hotel. There men, soldiers
are bargaining for the pelts of the scalps of cat people. Windblade comes in and
is asked by an older elf if he will sell the cat girl. Windblade pulls a gun on the
elf when he calls him a son of a bitch and moves to grab him. The two take a bottle
and leave, not wanting trouble. Three others, younger it would seem, follow him out.
Windblade gives the girl his gun and tells her to get on her horse. He slices the
upper arm off a curly haired gun holder, puts his bloody sword in the ground and
tosses two stars into the foreheads of the other two elves. The one with his arm
cut off calls for his father, who is a warrior. They prepare to follow Windblade
and the girl who are on a horse, with a headstart. An arrow, the next day, scares
their horse and they fall off. Windblade shoots an arrow into the chest of one, never
has the girl seen such a shot. They ride on. Those chasing them are Reivers. Later,
Windblade hides in the Box Canyon. Soon they are in the Valley of Dragon's Breath.
They find bones of elves or men. As the others follow, one elf, Barak climbs the
rock slide Windblade created and jumps him from behind. Windblade punches his nose
into his face. The girl rides the horse up the sand slide, Windblade takes his bow
and arrows. The half armless boy cannot fire his gun: there is gas in the area and
one spark will set the whole canyon up. Windblade shoots an arrow into another elf
and out his back. A warrior rushes him and he shoots him in the forehead. Another,dressed
like Robin Hood, attacks with a sword, too. Windblade whaps him with his bow and
the arrow hits him in the upper stomach. The boy and father figure Windblade has
only one arrow. Windblade tells the girl to hide but she won't. She is Meeron Ap
Rhoyan, the niece of the war chief of the cat people. The war chief is her mother's
brother. She will not hide when Windblade tells her what is going to happen is not
going to be pretty. She asks what he is doing. He tells her to move back as he lights
a match and puts it to an arrow, "Better move back. Remember...curiosity killed
the cat..." Windblade fires it at the father and son, blowing the area up including
the dragon shaped mouth. Windblade says, "Uh oh," when he sees many warriors
on horseback over the ridge of an upper cliff. It is Rhoyan who calls Windblade Greensleeve
a great warrior. The cat people will destroy the elf town below for vengeanceññthey
did nothing to help the niece or Windblade. They burn it to the ground. Windblade
watches from under a tree. |