motion into the centre of the space between the two cottages, stretching his right arm out in front of him. Before he could do anything else, the other members of the advance unit followed his example and, as if on command, they all cast spells at the backs of the unsuspecting defenders. Multicoloured projectiles whizzed across the square, striking the startled cadets. However, not all of them hit their mark, and one of the fireballs flew alarmingly close to the wooden crate that Liam was still clutching.
Draco, however, had no time to admire the skirmish. He pushed himself away from the oak tree and, tightening his grip on the hilt of Gler’thys, lunged forward. At the edge of his field of vision, he could see that Sheth had done the same and was charging forward with the second wave of the attack. The flashes coming from between the buildings had become more frequent and now seemed to be coming from all sides. The defenders had to react very quickly to the unexpected threat and respond in a rather aggressive manner.
The dragon reached the already destroyed palisade and burst into the square. In those few, incredibly precious moments, much had changed. Cedric, along with two other cadets, was taking cover behind a pile of shattered logs, casting spells at the defenders hiding in the hut opposite. Meanwhile, Zane and Erik were clashing with their opponents using weapons. For a fraction of a second, the dragon's gaze lingered on the elf, as his hands appeared to be covered in a semi-transparent, slightly iridescent matter that allowed him to easily deflect his opponents’ weapons.
Standing still was not a good idea. A golden arrow narrowly missed the reptile’s head before splitting one of the logs in the wall. Draco darted to the side, trying to see who had attacked him. Only then did he notice the figures lying motionless on the ground. By the cottage he’d just passed lay two lads who’d been following Cedric, whilst another cadet from their group lay almost at Zane’s feet. The other side, however, had
