Chapter 167
Dron took off into a sprint, keeping hold of Mikael so the small kid wouldn’t fall behind. Or worse, be trampled by the throng of people behind them.
Plumes of dust and dirt rose in the air as the group of them raced to get to where Dron was leading them. Before what sounded like happiness coming from the group of them had turned into fear and panic. Dron was right. They didn’t know how to conduct themselves in a battle. He felt more like a fool than ever before for allowing Tine to convince him that taking these people along with him was the best thing for him to do.
Right now they weren’t back up but a detriment. And he knew if he allowed even one of them to be killed, it wouldn’t be looked on favorably when he found his way back to the settlement.
If he ever did.
There had always been the thought that he could simply go find Tempest and make his way back to Thraqe with her. He might have given his word to Tine, but there was no real reason he had to go back there.
No, that wasn’t the kind of man Dron was. He told Tine he’d go back, and he would.
Finally, Dron and his people make it to the edge of the clearing where the cliffs jut out from the dirt. He was right in thinking that the space was small enough that they would no longer need to worry about the men chasing them surrounding them at every corner, but the downside of that was the other end of the opening was so narrow that only one person could get through at a time.
If they needed to run away, it would be at a slow pace.
Dron hoped that it wouldn’t get that far.
"Men, stand your ground." Dron shouted and watched as Kraznek and the rest of his crew instantly drew their weapons. Most of them snarling and looking at the people running in their direction.
Dron quickly looked off to the side and was glad to see that Mikael had done what was asked of him. He was off to the side. His small slingshot out and ready.
Dron nodded to the kid once before he focused all of his attention on the men coming in his direction.
His instincts were spiking inside of him. The alpha in him wanted to meet the threat head-on, but Dron knew that he had to keep his wits about him. There was more than just him here that he had to think about. If he were to fall, he was sure that someone else from his team would try to take the leadership role, but he wasn’t sure if the people from the settlement would follow them.
He needed to stay alive.
"Brace!" Dron called out, and everyone on the front lines lifted their arms, creating a small shield and ram with their forearms. It would do nothing if these men came in swinging weapons, but that wasn’t usually how alphas fought. Most of the time, an alpha would try to use brute strength first before they would depend on the help of an external weapon.
Ego ran wild with the Alphas, and Dron was going to have to use that knowledge to his benefit. It would only work if he didn’t allow his alpha instincts to take complete control. He’d been trained and had practice. Still, it was different when put into practice.
In a wave, the opposition crashed into the tight line of Dron and his men. They all stood strong while the people after them tried to grab and push their way through.
The intense sun beat down on them, and in the rays, Dron saw metal glint in the light. He turned his head just in time for him to see one of the other alphas had already raised his sword and was bringing it down in Dron’s direction.
His mind worked fast, and he readied himself to roll out of the way. The only problem with that is the fact that they were in such close quarters there was no space for him to do that. If he ducked, the man attacking him would have the chance to reset and bring the weapon straight down.
Dron broke his shield-like maneuver, ready to try and catch the handle of the blade before the man could make his full move.
He didn’t have to.
A sharp stone whizzed through the air and smacked the man right in the temple hard enough that he faltered and had to shake his head.
Dron looked to the side to see where the projectile had come from. Mikael was crouched on top of a rock with his slingshot in his hand. His arm pulled back as if he’d just released the string.
Dron didn’t have a moment to be impressed. Instead he went right back to work, trying to get rid of the threat in front of him.
Dron lifted his leg and kicked the man in front of him so hard that he flew across the tight space, crashing into the rocks.
Another attacker rushed Dron from the side. He wrapped his arms around Dron’s waist and squeezed with all his might.
Dron could feel his muscles straining, getting ready to pop and crack under the pressure. Dron pulled his hands together, linking his fingers and forming a club. He brought down his hands as hard as he could on the side of the man’s neck.
The first blow did nothing but get the enemy angrier. Dron raised his arms again and this time brought his hands down right at the very crown of the man’s head.
He let Dron go and growled in anger as he tried to steady himself and come back in for another attack.
Dron was ready, he dodged to one side as best as he could, catching his attacker off balance. Dron grabbed hold of the man’s shirt and swung in a tight circle before he tossed the other man into another rock head first.
Dron took a second to check on the rest of the men from his group. They were all having similar experiences. The people who attacked them were many, but they weren’t really trained. At least not on the level that Dron and his people were trained.
Soon the ground was littered with the enemy, and there were only a few left. They were slowly taking steps back as they realized they weren’t going to be able to get through Dron and his men.
Dron growled loudly, and the opposition literally jumped at the sound before they turned and ran like whipped animals.
The threat was nullified.
Behind him, Dron could hear the group, his men included, hooting and clapping at their victory. It was a small victory, one that he didn’t want to get too excited about.
Things could have ended much worse for everyone involved, and this was only the first of what Dron was sure to be many.
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⏸ PAUSE■ STOP