Excerpt: Sky Pirates of Andelosia

The great dragon roared in anger at the puny morsels of food that dared invade its lair to steal his property. Seamus stood in front of the great beast, his blunderbuss pointed right at its head. He steeled himself and starting pulling on the trigger just as Tit’chi’clk’nkth swung a massive clawed arm at him, batting the sailor out of the way like a someone flicking a fly off his table. Cossis screeched and ran back through the passageway they entered the chamber from. Sherry blanched as a large piece of Seamus landed at her feet, his blunderbuss clattering to the ground near Xanos.

Scooping up the weapon, Xanos grabbed Sherry’s arm and yelled, “Run!” The rest of the group took his lead and exited the main chamber right on Xanos’s heels. When they reached the slide, they were forced to slow down and help each other climb the slimy chute. Cossis was waiting for them at the top.

Catching their breath at the top of the slide, they could hear the dragon approaching. It would probably have no trouble coming up after them.

“We have to move faster,” Sherry said, panting.

“We can only go as fast as they slowest of us,” Bonestar pointed out.

Xanos spun around and pointed the blunderbuss at Cossis’s legs. The gun roared as a gout of flame shot forth. The shot shattered Cossis’s knees. Falling to the floor, he screamed in pain.

“Better run, then,” Xanos said.