Storm before Chaos

With the crew found it's all about to go down to get them back safe. Daily Flash Fiction.

Previous addition: "Questions and Truth" 

The canopy above rustled with the whispers of wind and wings, but the clearing below was tense and still. From their vantage point behind a cluster of moss covered stones, Darius, Elara, Kale, and Rockford surveyed the grim scene unfolding beneath them.

There, under the blazing midday sun, the captured crew of the Eagle Parrot dug feverishly into the dirt, their hands blistered and chained, encircled by a ring of Drakon soldiers armed with pikes and crossbows.

And watching them all, standing beside a stern looking commander with a smug curl on his lips, was Lyle.

Darius clenched his jaw. “I don’t believe it.”

Elara, eyes locked on the traitor, growled under her breath. “Lyle. He sold us out.”

“Look at him,” Kale whispered. “Standing there like he owns the place.”

Rockford let out a soft, angry rumble.

“We have to get them out,” Darius said, already calculating routes and weaknesses in the Drakon line. “But if Lyle told them everything, they’ll be ready for us.”

Elara scanned the perimeter. “If we create a distraction on the north end of the camp, draw some of the guards that way, Kale can sneak in and cut the crew loose.”

“And Lyle?” Kale asked.

“I’ll handle him,” Darius said grimly.

Before they could move, a Drakon soldier dragged one of the crew; the ship's cook named Henry by the collar, shoving him forward roughly. He stumbled, catching himself just short of the commander’s boots.

“What is the problem here?” the commander barked, annoyed.

“He said he was too tired to keep digging,” the soldier grunted.

“Then he can die tired,” the commander sneered, raising his hand.

Darius moved before Elara could stop him, stepping from the trees like a storm made flesh.

“Not today,” he said coldly.

Chaos was about to begin.