Raiya’s voice successfully hid her quivering nerves. As the dragon regarded her, she began to question why she was even doing this. These are the people who called you ‘Monster.’ Why risk your life for them?
At that moment, the dragon was hit by three blasts from a bolt gun. The might beast roared and shoot its head back and forth as the static charges broke away from its body.
Raiya turned her head to see Jagger pointing his gun at the beast. It growled and attempted to charge at him, “Pathetic wretch!”
Raiya immediately jumped between them, “No!”
Now him, I have reason to defend.
Once again, the dragon looked at her, “Do you really wish to meet your end so quickly? Very well… though it seems such a shame to destroy such beautiful eyes. If you will deny me my prey, then you will take their place!”
The dragon thrust its head forward and opened its mouth. Its tongue curled back flame spewed from its lower jaw. It spread across the pavement like napalm and engulfed Raiya.
………………….
Raiya crouched down on the ground as the flame struck her. Jagger could only watch helplessly as she was consumed by fire. His eyes widened as she disappeared into the flame, “No!”
He raised the bolt gun and completely unloaded the cartridge into the dragon’s side. The bolts hit the thick scales on its skin and sparked for a few moments before disappearing. The beast flinched, but appeared otherwise unharmed.
He lowered his gun, suspecting that he’d be next, “God… I’m sorry.”
The flames eventually died down as the dragon recoiled its neck. Jagger expected to see a fried corpse where Raiya had once been. No human could have survived that blast. Dragon fire had been measured at almost four thousand Kelvins.
Unbelievably, as the flame disappeared he saw Raiya. She was still crouched in the same position she had been a few minutes ago. Steam poured off her body, which was trembling as though she were cold. Her clothing had been completely disintegrated by the flame, but her hair and skin appeared unharmed. She looked up at the dragon angrily. Her lips were curled back, revealing clenched teeth while her eyes burned with intense rage.
The dragon growled and took a step back, “It’s not possible!”
He brought his face in close to her and sniffed the air, “You… those eyes and your scent… it can’t be…”
The dragon raised its head and let out a deafening roar. The two wyverns in the distance responded with their own call. Surprisingly, they turned and flew off into the distance. Someone ignorant of the situation would have guessed that they had been scared off.
The remaining dragon flapped his wings and took off, “I’ll leave you to consider your fate… for now, but this is not over. We’ll see each other again.”
Jagger wanted to try again. If he could just get one clean shot, then just maybe he could bring the dragon out of the air. He struggled to reload as the dragon quickly faded into the night sky when a voice called to him, “Jagger… Jagger, please help me! I’m burning up! Please… I can’t stand the pain! Jagger, it burns!”
Jagger dropped the gun, grabbed the half-full water bottle and an old jacket out of the back of the jeep and ran out into the clearing. Raiya was still steaming and frozen in her crouched position. Poor girl, it must be painful to even move.
“Please… please help me…” She said as her voice began to die down to a whisper and her body trembled even harder.
The moment he reached her, he quickly emptied the bottle over her head, shoulders, and legs. The cool liquid steamed as it touched her, but she immediately stopped shaking and let out a deep sigh, “Thank you…”
Jagger only had half a bottle left. He poured the rest of it over her head, allowing it to drip down and cool her off, “Are you okay?”
“I think so? What happened.”
“I don’t know. You should be toast right now. Somehow the flames didn’t hurt you.”
“How… is that possible?”
Jagger shrugged, “The dragon seemed just as shocked as you were.”
Raiya’s eyes fluttered. Her breathing slowed, but she was still steaming. Jagger carefully touched her arm to see if she was still burning, but her skin was back to its normal temperature. Her eyes slowly closed as her held fell forward.
“Raiya, are you okay?”
No response.
Jagger quickly touched her neck to see if he could find a pulse. The skin on her neck was scaly and somewhat rough. It wasn’t quite as rough as sandpaper, but the toughness of it was likely why she survived the flames.
Jagger wasn’t sure what he was looking for. Did her heart beat like that of a normal human or a… whatever she was? He pushed his fingers into the side of her neck and closed his eyes.
A beating sensation pushed against his fingers as they found the artery in her neck. Phew… she’s still alive.
Jagger ran his hand under her back to pick her up, when he noticed something odd; her spine was covered in solid, boney, plating.
He turned her over to see squared plates running the length of her spine. They started at the base of her skull beneath her hairline and got bigger as they traveled to the middle of her back. The largest ones were about two square inches in size and continued to run to her tailbone.
At the bottom of her lumbar curve, the plates spread to her hips. Jagger thought it looked like she had a tattoo above butt, something his father used to refer to as a ‘tramp stamp.’
Her hands were now also bare as the gloves had been burnt away. For the most part, they looked like normal human hands. However, her fingernails were thick, dark brown in color, and extremely sharp-edged. They looked almost like claws.
He quickly covered her over in his jacket and carried her to the jeep. After placing her in the passenger seat, he pulled the lever on the side, allowing it to slide backwards.
Thankfully the jacket was long enough that it covered all the way down to her knees. He quickly strapped the seatbelt around her. It was damaged and burned from previous dragon attacks, but it would at least keep her from falling out.
Jagger quickly jumped behind the wheel and headed for the gates. A large crowd was waiting for him at the entrance. The trucks had lined up, ready to evacuate, but were sitting idle.
Jagger’s eyes narrowed and the hair stood up on the back of his neck. They stepped forward like and army ready to charge as they approached his jeep. He slowed to a stop and looked at them. He’d seen mobs before and knew what a group of panicky people could be capable of.
Without making any sudden moves, Jagger lowered his right hand to his belt. His index finger found the grip of his bolt pistol. He hoped he wouldn’t need it, “What is this?”
Jerry stepped forward with his shotgun in hand, “We’ve never been attacked by anything more than a couple wyvern. You bring that nomad freak into this town and that night an elder class dragon attacks? You can’t expect us to believe that’s a coincidence.”
Jagger put the car in park and stepped out, making sure the sidearms on his belt were visible, “What are you saying, Jerry? You accusing me of something?”
“Just stupidity for bringing her here.” Jerry replied.
“I don’t think I like your tone, Jerry.”
Jerry raised the gun so that it was pointing at Jagger’s jeep, “I don’t give a fuck whether you like it or not. No way is she not responsible for bringing those dragons down on us!”
“Jerry… Jerry, wait!” A voice called from the crowd.
Mr. Foster appeared with his family close behind him, “Jerry, that woman… –Raiya was her name?”
Jagger nodded as Mr. Foster continued, “Jerry, she saved my family. That dragon was going to kill us, but distracted it so we could escape! We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for her. She fought the damn thing!”
Jerry turned slightly so his shotgun was facing Jagger, “So maybe she didn’t know. Maybe she drew them here. Look at her, she’s clearly connected to them! Bet they picked up her scent and came
for her.”
“You don’t know that!”
“Don’t I? Elder dragons are a rare sight, especially around here. So, either she called them here or they were looking for her. Either way, she brought them down on us and that makes her a danger to the town!”
“Yeah that’s right!” Another member of the crowd called out.
Jagger clenched his jaw as more shouts exploded from the crowd. This was quickly turning from a fleeing group into a lynch mob. He placed his right hand on the old pistol on his belt. It was an old Springfield 1911 with a nickel finish, but it still packed a .45 caliber punch, “Put the rifle away, Jerry.”
At first, Jerry didn’t move. He kept his eyes trained on the unconscious woman in Jagger’s jeep. It wasn’t clear what was going through his head, but Jagger didn’t take any chances, “Jerry, put the fucking rifle down!”
Jagger wrapped his hand around the grips of the pistol, ready to draw it. This was going to get ugly real fast if Jerry didn’t back down. The two glared at them for a moment before a voice shattered the tense atmosphere, “Stop it!”
Jagger turned to see that Raiya was awake, “I swear I didn’t bring them here. I’ve never tried to hurt anyone. I don’t want to cause any more trouble… I’ll leave.”
“Jagger needs to go too!” Another member of the town shouted.
Now even Jerry looked worried, “Jagger’s just a fool who brought the wrong person into town. We don’t kick people out for that!”
“We do when they get people killed!”
Scattered anger turned into mass outrage. This was about to get violent. Jagger could feel his blood begin to boil. What could he do now? His choices were to stand and fight, at which point more people would be killed, or leave. He also had to consider Raiya’s well-being. If he put up a fight, she’d likely get hurt too.
His eyes fixed on Jerry, “See what you started? Hope you’re happy now.”
Jerry nodded as he lowered his gun, “This isn’t what I wanted… even so, they’re not wrong. Get her out of here, Jagger. Don’t make things get ugly.”
Jagger sighed as he jumped behind the wheel of the jeep, “You’d best report this to Central Command… otherwise you’ll be short a scout.”
“Isn’t that your job?”
“Go fuck yourself, Jerry.”
“So, this is the thanks we get?” Jerry asked. “We take you in, we treat you like our own, and for what? So, you can put us all at risk for some freaky lizard-girl tail?”
That was it. Jagger felt is face go red. He stepped out of the jeep, balled a fist and struck Jerry on the right side of his jaw. The older man staggered back a few steps before recovering and attempted to attack. Several people stepped in to try to defuse the situation.
Mr. Foster stepped out in front, “Hey, hey! Stop it you two!”
Jagger stepped back and slammed his fist into the side of his jeep, “Jerry, you pompous son of a bitch!”
“Get out or I’ll throw you out.”
“You don’t have the authority!” Jagger replied.
“If he doesn’t, we will!” Someone else in the crowd shouted.
Jagger let go of the pistol and pointed at Jerry with his left index finger, “I’m a nice guy… so I won’t say that I hope that you get what you deserve for your behavior… but… If that day comes, hopefully you treat the people who come to help better than you treated her.”
“Hey, what about his guns and jeep! Those are our…”
Jagger pulled his 1911 from its holster and pointed it at the crowd, “Property?”
The crowd fell silent. When it became obvious that no one was about to play the hero, Jagger nodded, “Yeah they were… but most of them would still be in pieces if I hadn’t taken the time and cost of repairing them. Everything I have with me is coming with me.”
At that moment, he drew the second pistol from his belt, “Or does anyone have a problem with that?”
“Keep them.” Jerry replied as he raised his own gun. “Keep the bolt gun too. Just get out of here and don’t come back.”
Jagger nodded as dropped the newer pistol back in its holster. He stepped back and got behind the wheel of his jeep, “Fine.”
He put the jeep in drive, but kept his foot on the breaks as he looked up, “One of these days Jerry… just you wait…”
“Last chance!” Jerry replied as he aimed the bolt gun.
“All right, all right. We’re going.”
The Mrs. Foster ran over to Raiya as Jagger started pull the jeep forward, “Thank you… thank you so much.”
Raiya looked at the woman with eyes full of surprise and sympathy, “You’re… welcome.”
“I’m really sorry for how we treated you.”
Raiya nodded as the jeep slowly pulled away from them. Jagger kept his hand on his gun as they slowly approached the gate. Any one of the angry faces they passed by could easily turn violent in an instant. He would have to move quickly if one of them tried to attack.
Most stood with their arms crossed while others held flashlights or other weapons. They all stood completely still as the jeep passed by.
They slowly approached the main entrance on the edge of town. The black bars slowly moved out of there way, allowing them out into the open darkness that was the outside world.
The moment the jeep cleared the crowd, he hit the gas. The wheels of the jeep screeched as it picked up speed and disappeared into the night.
Chapter 5
Raiya didn’t look at Jagger, how could she? The fool had just lost his home for defending her against an angry mob. He had basically just paid a huge price for being kind to her.
It technically wasn’t her fault, but that was of little comfort. Raiya could deal with being exiled from a town. That was a regular occurrence for most nomads, doubly so for her. The real sting came from knowing that such unreasonable anger and paranoia had now hurt someone else.
The headlights clicked on as the lights from the town faded behind them. A light that Jagger had attached to the roll bar also came on, partially illuminating the open cabin. The light was slightly yellowed, indicating that it may soon need to be replaced. The light wasn’t strong enough to illuminate the exterior of the jeep. It reached the floor, but only enough so that Raiya could see the outlines of her feet. The light gave the scene a rather sinister look.
Raiya shifted uncomfortably in the seat. The jeep wasn’t exactly the safest mode of transportation and its open cabin left them exposed to the elements. Dragons didn’t typically attack at night as their eyesight wasn’t very good in the dark, but that didn’t make her feel any better, “May I ask where we’re going?”
“Dunno.” Jager replied.
“You’re driving pretty fast. You must have some idea.”
“Yeah, away from the city.”
“I see… and when we’re far enough away?”
“Then I was going to ask you.”
“Me?”
“Yeah, you’ve been out here a while. Is there a nearby encampment or something?”
Raiya shrugged, “Like I said, I’ve been wandering ruins for years. I tried to avoid the cities and large settlements. As you can see… for obvious reasons.”
“How do you get by?”
“I hunt for food, salvage supplies, and try to maintain some level of hygiene.”
Raiya lowered her eyes as the jeep once again fell silent. An uncharacteristic feeling of remorse came over her, “Look… for what it’s worth, I’m sorry this happened. You can let me off up the road and probably go back and talk to them…”
“No, I can’t.” Jagger replied. “This was a solid break. I’m really fed up with dealing with their bullshit. Besides I’m not just going to dump you off on the side of the road to fend for yourself.”
“My life since I was a child. I’m used to it.”
“I’ll bet.”
“So, I take it then you want to tag along with me?”
“If you don’t mind.”
She did m
ind. She’d already cost this young soldier a lot. The idea of having to look out for a city boy while trying to fend for herself wasn’t a pleasant one.
Jagger let out a deep sigh before she could object, “The dragons destroyed everything I cared about. They turned my friends against me and killed my family. As long as they continue to fight, we’ll never be safe. You want to go after one of their elders. Just answer me one question.”
“Sure.”
“You’re serious about killing it?”
“Yes.”
“Then you’ve got yourself a partner.”
Raiya’s eyes narrowed, “What?”
“I’m going with you.”
“Oh really? Do I get a say in that?”
Jagger smirked, “No.”
“Jagger, the ruins and the frontier areas are much different from the town you lived in. It’s a rough life and frankly, I don’t think you know what you’re asking.”
“I do. Trust me, I’ve killed my share of dragons… and other threats to the town.”
Raiya’s lips twisted as she eyed Jagger. She had seen him fight dragons and knew he could reasonably handle himself, but he was still a city-dweller, “I… no, you know what? Absolutely not. Drop me off and get yourself to the nearest town. I’m not going to be responsible for getting you killed.”
“You won’t be.”
“So you say.”
Jagger frowned and glanced over at her, “How long did it take you to get this far north?”
“What difference does that make?” Raiya demanded.
“Must have taken months.”
“Yeah so?”
“How are you ever going to catch that dragon lord if you can’t keep up with him?”
Damn it… Raiya thought to herself. He was right. At the very least, she needed transportation. “What’s stopping me from stealing your jeep and leaving you stranded while you sleep?”
Jagger smiled, “The same thing that kept you from killing me in your sleep or stealing it earlier.”
Raiya crossed her arms and looked out into the night, “Fine…”
“Partners, then?”
“Until you piss me off.”
“All right.”
Drakin: The Story of Raiya Page 6