“Yes, father.”
“The carcasses here are fresh and the scorch marks on the rocks are old. That means there hasn’t been any other slayer up here for a while. They only breathe fire if they feel threatened. Now go on in there and do your best!”
I managed a half-hearted smile and set off up the rocks alone. Harsh breathing came from behind me although there was no sound of footsteps. Either they were being incredibly quiet or they were giving me a head start. I didn’t turn to see which.
Pulling myself up the last ten feet or so, I peeked my head around the corner, wondering what exactly I’d come face to face with. It could be anything from a small immature Triad dragon to a fully grown Royal Scarlet Flame, the biggest and deadliest breed of dragon in our kingdom.
At first, I thought the crevasse was empty. An old roost built from reeds and stones was perched under a rocky outcrop which had been blackened by years of dragonfire, but there was none in sight. I breathed a sigh of relief until I realized it meant more climbing until we found one. I was just about to turn and let the hunting party know when I spotted something in the middle of the roost. I moved forward cautiously to get a closer look. At first, I thought it might be a huge pearl from the giant oysters that lived off the coast of our land, but when I peered over the edge of the roost I saw it for what it was. A dragon’s egg. Its opalescent shell glimmered in the noonday sun.
I was confused for a second. Why would there be a dragon’s egg without a mother dragon? But then a huge screech from above me told me there wasn’t. I looked up to see the whole sky above me had turned scarlet.
Chapter Four
I stood rooted to the spot. Now was my time to shine but I had absolutely no clue what to do. My training went right out the window. The dark red dragon circled above, dropping lower and lower in the sky but it was nowhere near close enough to impale with my sword. How did the others do this? More importantly, why didn’t I know how to do this? I’d been waiting my whole life for this and now I couldn’t even move, let alone slay a dragon. I felt like a kid on the first day of school.
My mother’s story came back to me and I remembered the thing she’d slipped into my pocket. I already knew what it was but I still felt relief when I pulled out the slingshot. I scoured the ground quickly for a loose stone of the correct size, grabbing the first one I found and fitting it into the pouch.
The dragon had seen me, I was sure of it, but it hadn’t attacked yet. I pulled back hard on the leather string of the slingshot, ready to fire, when a hand grabbed hold of my belt from behind and pulled me backward so fast I ended up stumbling and then falling, sending both me and the person behind me flying back down the rocks.
“What are you doing?” I hissed angrily, turning to find Jasper rubbing his head after banging it in the fall.
“Are you a complete moron?” he asked, pulling himself up and dusting himself off.
I gave him a look of disgust before doing the same myself. “What are you talking about?”
“What do you think is going to happen if you use that children’s toy?” he spat. “Do you seriously think a small stone will fall a dragon? Because if you do, you are out of your mind.”
Anger coursed through me. “Okay, hotshot. What else was I supposed to do? Wait for it to land and bring out a white flag? If you hadn’t noticed, it was up in the air!”
It was then I noted that we were alone. “Where is everyone else?”
“They’ve gone around the other way.” He pointed to a rough trail at the side of the rocky outcrop. “You can climb up onto the higher rocks up there which will put us about even with the dragon. Father told me to come get you. I guess he knew you’d make a mess of it.”
That really stung. I needed to make my father proud.
“Right then,” I said, setting off briskly up the path he’d pointed out. “Are you coming or not?”
The dragon was now completely out of sight but I could hear it. With each step I took, the noise of the flapping wings grew louder. The path was steep and shaded by the cliff to my right that turned into the cleft that the dragon was flying over. I could see Jasper’s point. If I kept climbing up, I would be much closer to where the dragon was, making it a much easier target. I pulled myself up the last bit and found myself on the very top of the rocky outcrop that formed the cliff. The others all stood there, swords raised ready to fight. To my surprise, the dragon was still circling around, seemingly oblivious to the men poised to kill it.
My father saw me and beckoned me over. “We waited for you. You have to be the one to kill it. I must warn you, a Royal Scarlet Flame is not the easiest kill. Usually, they attack without warning and shoot fire without being provoked. This one is acting very strangely. You might be in luck, it could be sick. I’ve never known one not to attack before.”
“Maybe it hasn’t seen us yet?” I guessed.
“It’s seen us all right. It’s even flown past a couple of times close enough for us to kill it but you have to be the one to do that. If it’s sick, you’re going to have an easy job. Just go to the edge of the cliff and wait for it to circle back around. When it gets near, you’ll need to stab it. Go for the brain or the heart. If you get it anywhere else, you’ve effectively given yourself a death sentence.”
I’d felt better for a minute but it’s funny how phrases such as ”death sentence” can instill fear into someone.
The others moved back when I approached, giving me room to run if I needed to. Walking slowly towards the edge of the cliff, I kept my eyes on the dragon, making sure I had room to move if he breathed fire. To my immediate front and about five meters to my right were sheer cliffs. I peeked behind me to see that the slayers had formed a line, keeping their distance while ready to spring into action. I inched closer to the edge, my gaze returning to the dragon. He was still lazily flying around, sometimes ducking into the crevasse below. I wondered if its behavior had something to do with the egg. Perhaps it didn’t want to fight us on the cliff for fear that someone else would harm its precious egg? Were dragons really that clever?
My feet came to the very edge of the cliff. One misstep and it wouldn’t be the dragon I had to worry about. I hazarded a peek downward and immediately felt dizzy. The valley below was nothing more than a green blur. I’d been gearing up my whole life to be a slayer, but no one had thought to give me lessons on heights. I could see the egg about thirty meters below me. A fall from this height would undoubtedly kill me. Instinctively I took a step backward and a few deep breaths to clear my head. The dragon flew right past me. A rush of air pulled some of my fiery hair from its bun, obscuring my view for a couple of seconds. Pushing my hair back out of my face, my eyes followed as it once again circled around.
“For goodness’ sake, kill it!” Jasper shouted from behind me. “Even a toddler could have gotten it that time.”
He was right. I’d missed my chance. I’d not even unsheathed my sword, but the dragon circled around again. There would be another chance and this time I’d not fail to take it. My heart rate increased as I put one foot in front of the other to steady myself and drew my sword. This was it. It was now or never. The dark ruby-colored dragon turned back around, flying towards me in the same trajectory as before. For whatever reason, it was planning another swoop past rather than an attack. Maybe I was lucky and it really was sick. It certainly wasn’t acting as I’d expected it to. As it flew in my direction, I looked into its eyes and poised myself to fight.
I thrust my sword forward but at the very last second, I hesitated, missing the dragon’s chest by millimeters. For the briefest of moments, time stood still. It was just me and the dragon. The dragon I was there to kill and yet there was a voice deep within me screaming not to harm her. She was just protecting her egg, just as any other mother would.
“What are you doing?” Jasper screamed behind me. I turned to see a grim expression on my father’s face and my brother hopping up and down in ill-hidden anger.
I turned back to the retre
ating dragon. What had I done? Or should I say why hadn’t I done it? Jasper had been right again. Anyone could have killed that dragon, but I’d hesitated. It just didn’t feel right killing it when it wasn’t able to defend itself. If it was sick, it had no way to fight against me. That should have made me feel happy but it didn’t. This should have been easy but it wasn’t. My thoughts returned to the egg and I found myself feeling sorry for the dragon.
“Stop it!” I hissed to myself under my breath. “It’s a dragon. You’re a slayer.”
I blew out a harsh breath and focused my mind, mentally psyching myself up to really kill it this time. Sunlight bounced off the dragon’s red scales as it began its trip back my way. I pulled myself as tall as I could and readied my sword again. As the dragon came closer I primed myself for the kill. This time I wouldn’t hesitate. I pulled back my sword ready to strike when I felt someone running up to me.
“If you can’t kill it, I can!” It was Jasper shouting behind me.
Everything happened in a split second that seemed to go on for a thousand years. As the dragon flew past, Jasper’s sword glinted in the corner of my eye. I didn’t know what inspired me to do it—whether some misguided empathy for the mother dragon or the fact I didn’t want him to take my kill, I’ll never know—but I ran to the side, blocking him. We crashed into each other and the blow knocked me right over the edge and into the valley below. As I felt myself falling to my death, my father’s voice called my name, dying in strength the further I fell.
“Julianna!”
I landed much earlier and on much softer ground than I expected and it took me a couple of seconds to comprehend I was still alive. In my disoriented state, it was a couple more before I realized I’d landed on the dragon’s back. It was no accident. It must have seen what happened and flown to catch me. It went against everything I knew about dragons. They were monstrous killing machines. I flipped over so I was the right way up and grabbed hold of the dragon’s spines that ran the length of her back. It would be so easy to kill it now but that would send both of us tumbling to our deaths.
We soared into the air and then back towards the men we left behind. Fear etched on their faces as a huge blast of flame erupted from the dragon’s mouth, scattering them as we flew past. It took a swoop into the gorge and then out into the open air, leaving my family and the troop behind.
Well, as far as messing up a dragon slaying goes, I think I could definitely claim to be the best. Not only had I failed to kill it, I was now riding on its back to goodness knows where with no way to get down without plummeting to my death. I decided the only thing I could do was hold on for dear life and pray that it landed soon.
The scenery was stunning although I was too scared to really appreciate it as I forced my eyes to stay open and not squeeze closed in fright. Red light bathed the flatlands to the right as we soared over the gray rise of the mountains in front of us. It was heading up to the highest peak of the Triad Mountains. None of my people had ever ventured this far before. There were enough dragons to kill on the lower mountains that we didn’t bother coming this high.
We were now flying lower in the sky as if coming into land. The snowy peak of the mountain was still some ways ahead of us but we were miles above where we had left the others behind. The dragon pulled back slightly to slow down as we landed gracefully on a ledge near a cave entrance. At the last possible second, I jumped down and waved my sword around in a very unpracticed manner, all thoughts of my training completely forgotten.
The dragon was about fifteen feet in front of me. I glanced around. The ledge was only about fifty feet long with sheer cliffs dropping away to the right and the same rising above me to the left. If I did nothing, it would kill me. If I killed it, I’d be trapped on the ledge and die anyway.
What a stupid position to find myself in.
I was just weighing my limited options when the dragon made the most sickening sound. Its bones crunched and its skin seemed to fall inwards. Well, Father was right, it really was sick. It looked like it was dying on the spot with no help from me. I wanted to watch to make sure I was ready if it attacked, but it quickly became apparent it was in no position to do so. I closed my eyes, unable to look at it as it let out the most agonizing scream of pain. The grinding of bones turned into a sickening squelching sound that made me feel sick to my stomach and deathly afraid. When it was finally silent, I opened one eye to take a peek.
What I saw before me was not the dead dragon but a man lying face down on the ground.
Chapter Five
Where had he come from? And where was the dragon?
I scoured the skies, both confused and worried. Whatever had just happened had happened so quickly, my brain hadn’t had a chance to process it. The dragon was nowhere to be seen. The man stirred slightly, bringing my attention back to him and making my heart thump so loudly, I was sure he’d hear it.
“Hello,” I called out hesitantly.
He lifted his head and ran his eyes from the tips of my toes all the way to my now disheveled hair. He looked tired, exhausted even, but it was his eyes that threw me, piercing green and staring right at me. It was unnerving.
I unhooked my armor with blundering fingers and pulled my tunic over my head, leaving me in just my vest and leggings. It wasn’t ideal but it was better than the alternative. I took a few tentative steps towards the strange man, holding my tunic in front of me.
“Did the dragon bring you up here too?” I asked nervously. Those eyes!
He took my tunic but his eyes narrowed as an expression of intense confusion crossed his face. A wrinkle appeared on his forehead as he studied me. I had an overwhelming feeling that I’d done something wrong. It didn’t help that he still hadn’t covered himself.
“The tunic is for you,” I said, gesturing at the garment. “It’s cold up here.” He still appeared confused as he pulled my tunic over his head. It was entirely too small for him, the green material stretching over every muscle on his torso. At least it covered him although it would do little against the cold. I shivered slightly, feeling it myself.
“You didn’t see me?” he asked. His voice was deep and warm like molasses.
“Not at first. The dragon must have been blocking you. I don’t know how we’re going to get out of this.”
He smiled then, dimples appearing on his cheek. His stunning green eyes, framed by the longest black eyelashes I’d ever seen, crinkled at the edges. If he wasn’t so utterly beautiful, I’d have felt affronted by his lack of fear and obvious humor at our situation.
“Come with me,” he said.
He walked past me, affording me a generous look at his tunic-covered behind and disappeared into the cave directly behind us.
I stood still, rooted to the spot. Did he really want me to follow him? What exactly did he expect to find in the cave? I suspected there to be nothing more than the bones of animals and quite possibly those of the occasional human. This dragon obviously liked to play with its food before eating it.
He stuck his head out of the mouth of the cave.
“Are you coming or not? I can assure you there is no other way out of here.”
I threw my armor back on haphazardly, picked up my sword and followed him. What other choice did I have?
The cave was a lot deeper than I had expected and surprisingly devoid of bones. A pile of clothes lay by the mouth of the cave and it was these that the man went to. Without any embarrassment, he pulled my tunic off, throwing it to me before pulling on the pants and top that had been left there. What the hell was going on? There was no way it was a coincidence that those clothes were there.
“Who are you? What’s happening?” I probably should have felt more scared than I did. Maybe I was in shock?
He came toward me with something in his hands. It was only when he wrapped it around me that I realized it was a coat. Thick fur-lined the inside, warming me instantly and almost pulling me down with its weight.
“The coat if for you. It�
��s cold up here.” He smiled at me again and pulled the coat tighter around me, my heart flipping at his closeness. If I stood on the very tip of my toes, I’d be eye to eye with him, but as it was I had to look up to meet his gaze. A thick mop of messy black hair that was way overdue for a haircut sat atop his head, giving him a raw, feral look. His clothes, although perfectly suited to the altitude, were messily sewn together and had almost certainly never seen a sewing pattern. Unlike my own; our seamstresses were very dedicated to their skill.
For the briefest of seconds, I wondered if I’d inadvertently been dropped into his home and he actually lived in the cave before brushing the ridiculous idea aside. He was thoughtful in a way no cave dweller would be and he had manners.
Although a little voice inside reminded me that he’d shown no discomfort in being completely naked around a stranger.
“Follow me,” he said, beckoning me towards the back of the cave which was completely black.
“What if the dragon is back there?” I asked, wondering if I hadn’t just jumped from the frying pan into the fat.
“The dragon will not harm you.” He laughed and headed towards the dark. I waited until it had swallowed him whole before making a decision. On one hand, I could walk into what was almost certainly a dragon’s lair with a complete stranger who I’d already seen naked; or on the other, I could go sit on the ledge outside and wait to die of frostbite or starvation. What a choice.
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