The Preacher's Daughter

by Valerie Reyes

  Just as he was sure that the acts must soon be coming to a close, Barnabus once again took the stage with his loud and booming voice. “Now, ladies and gentlemen, you may feel as though you’ve had a good show. If you have, give me a shout to let me know!”

  The entire tent broke out in shouts and hoots and cheers at the prompting. Though Barnabus was small from Ralph’s vantage point, Ralph could still see a smile slither onto his face from beneath his pencil mustache. When the cheering died, he started again. “Yes, you may think that you’ve had a good show, but the best was saved for the last. Now, I will open the mystery door. You can all find out for yourself it the different things you’ve heard about what special treat I might be bringing you is indeed true.”

  The door, at Barnabus’ prompting, began to creak open. The whole room fell silent, their anticipation almost tangible as they waited with bated breath to see what would come out of the gaily painted mystery door. At first, all that could be seen was wave of smoke pouring from the door and two bright yellow eyes starring in from the darkness. The stands shuddered slightly as the massive creature’s clawed paws stomped as it made it’s way into the centre of the ring. As the smoke simmered down, the creature stood in full glory in front of the audience. It was indeed a dragon. A Wyvern from the mountains. His body was covered in glistening emerald scales, his limber legs showed the muscles and power of a proud beast, but it wasn’t all glitter and gold.

  “Dragon!” Barnabus called to the beast, a proud smile sneaking onto his lips “Give the audience you’re most gracious greeting.” The dragon’s yellow eyes turned down to the circus master, hesitating only for a moment, before lifting himself onto his hind legs, craning his neck as he opened his mouth a little to give a bellowing call.

  Ralph was amazed at what he heard, he didn’t even cover his ears like some of the other members of the audience. This creature was beautiful, but something seemed off. As he stared up at the majestic beast, he could see his wings were chained together, unable to open them up to give flight. His mouth was restricted as well, a chain running around it to stop it from opening up too much. Ralph as unsure of how to react to all this, so he merely continued to watch the ever questionable spectacle.

  With his order followed, the dragon came back down onto all fours and soon began starting his routine. It started with basic instructions like a dog being trained. Sit, lie down, roll over, play dead. It seemed to give the audience a bit of a giggle as the mighty beast rolled onto it’s back and stuck it’s tongue out. After that though, there were more serious stunts to perform.

  Even though his mouth was restricted, the dragon was still able to produce short bursts of fire. He put on quite the show, using his fire to display beautiful spiral effects, using smoke to make shapes and patterns in the air and on top of that, using the fire to light up rings for other animals to jump through and perform tricks in.

  The dragon performed for around forty five minutes, being ordered around, whipped occasionally, like most circus animals were, and maintaining complete obedience throughout the show until he was taken away by one of the female assistances and the trapeze act took their place.

  It certainly wasn’t an easy job, but the dragon had little choice as it was lead back to it’s cage where he would remain until the show tomorrow. His chains were tightened and he was left alone in the dark, along with the tigers and other predators who had paid their dues for the night.

  After the curtains closed on the show, Ralph began to make his way out, but as he was following the crowd, he couldn’t help but let curiosity get the better of him, and so he slipped away from the flow of the crowd and ducked off to where he saw some clowns shuffle off to. Of course, he had to be careful. By closely sticking to the walls, he was able to get past most of the performers--the human ones anyways--and work his way back to the predator’s din.

  Ralph wasn’t the only human around though. By the dragons den, two of the circus staff came up and left bits of raw meat on a plate just outside the dragon’s cage.

  “Go on! Eat up, dragon!” The taller man called, and the dragon lifted his head, trying to poke his muzzle out of the cage to try and get the food. The staff merely laughed at his attempts, and just left the food out of reach.

  “Stupid beast,” The smaller man chuckled, and walked out of the room with his friend. The dragon was left on his own, whimpering as he laid his head down and just stared at the food. He was starving. This was a horrible place, but he hoped he didn’t have to bare much more of it.

  Ralph couldn’t believe that the humans were treating a creature as majestic as the one he was looking at so poorly, but he was determined to help. Once the staff left, Ralph moved towards the dragon cautiously, so as to not startle him. “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you,” Ralph said softly, stating his intentions though he didn’t really believe the dragon could understand him. Then he carefully pushed the food inside the dragon’s cage so he could eat.

  The dragon certainly wasn’t expecting any company. His ears perked up as Ralph approached and he just stared at him with his big yellow eyes. This person didn’t seem like the others that had been “taking care of him”, he seemed much nicer. When Ralph pushed over the food, the dragon didn’t hesitate to eat. He lifted his mouth and finished off the slabs of meat, taking them in with just two bites, and swallowing down. At least that was something to keep his stomach happy.

  “Thank you,” The dragon spoke softly, then rested his head back down to the floor.

  Ralph jumped a bit when he heard the dragon speak, and even looked around to see if the voice was coming from somewhere else. The room was empty, though, besides the animals, the dragon, and himself. “I’m sorry . . . You can talk?” Ralph asked.

  “Yeah, of course I can talk. I’m a hundred and three years old. I learnt to talk like… a hundred years ago,” The dragon replied with a chuckle. The other humans seemed to react the same way. It must have been strange for them hearing creatures other than themselves speaking. They were quite a self-centered species.

  “Oh, wow. That’s so cool. I never thought I’d see anything besides a human talk,” Ralph said, still a bit blown away that he was talking to a living, breathing dragon! He couldn’t wait to tell his mom! “So, do you have a name?”

  “Kayzer, and yours?” The dragon asked, tilting his head a little at his new human friend. This guy was very nice! Kayzer wished it was this boy looking after him instead of the mean people.

  “My names Ralph,” Ralph replied enthusiastically. “How’d you get stuck in a place like this? And are folk around here always so terrible to ya?” Ralph asked. He saw the way the carnies were treating Kayzer, and he just felt like he had to ask.

  “I was taken. It was just after the hunt when we gathered up the food. I stayed behind for a minute or two to get a drink, but before I took off I felt something go through my wings. My panicked but there wasn’t much I could do. All I can remember was seeing a lot of ropes and metal. Something hit my head and I blacked out and ended up in here,” Kayzer explained, not really fond of his tale. He wasn’t much of a fighting dragon. He was a scout, small and nimble, but what good was he as a scout if he couldn’t even fly? “These guys have treated me this way since they took me in, though. I don’t understand why, but there isn’t much I can do. I’m just an injured dragon. What can I do? I can’t even fly.”

  “Do you think you could fly if someone took those chains off of you? Or is the pain just that bad?” Ralph asked. He didn’t see any injuries on Kayzer, but given how dark the room was, and the height difference between himself and Kayzer, it very well could be that Kayzer had some serious injuries. Especially due to the fact that no one here seemed to care about his physical well being.

  “My wings are torn. It’ll take a little while for them to heal, but if they get better then I’ll be able to.” Kayzer replied, as he knew they could get better. Some herbs might help as well, internally and externally.

  “Oh, wow, that must really h
urt,” Ralph asked, unconsciously running his hand over his shoulder and rubbing it, as if he felt the pain himself. He couldn’t believe that anyone would put another creature through this sort of torment, but he was determined to put an end to it. The problem was just how he might be able to put an end to it. If Kayzer couldn’t fly, it wouldn’t be the safest thing to try and break him out. After all, a dragon, however stealthy he was in the dragon world, would stick out like a sore thumb trying to weave its way out of a heavily populated area such as a carnival tent.

  “Yeah. It does,” Kayzer replied softly. It certainly didn’t help that his wings were tied together. He couldn’t even stretch them or spread them out. The holes were still there, but there wasn’t anything he could do to make them better. He just wanted to be free again, this was no life for any creature.

  Ralph really felt his heart go out to Kayzer, but he didn’t know what he could do to help him. The fact that something must be done was self evident, though, so Ralph pulled his pocket knife out. He could cut through the ropes binding Kayzer’s wings, at least. That wasn’t much, but it was a start to help the dragon out.

  “Turn around and get your wings as close to the bars as you can. I’m going to try and cut those ropes off, and then we can go from there,” Ralph said. That seemed almost impossible to Kayzer, or maybe it was just too good to be true. So, he managed to get himself turned around, then leaned back pressing his injured wings up against the bars, trying to angle himself so Ralph could get access to his ropes.

  “Can you reach it?” Kayzer asked, as he needed to know how far away Ralph was, and what he had to do to get freed.

  “Yeah, just hold still,” Ralph said as he set his knife to the task of carefully sawing through the thick ropes, being cautious not to cut Kayzer. The last thing he wanted was for Kayzer to think that this whole thing was just one elaborate put on. Eventually, he did get the ropes cut, and they fell to the bottom of the metal cage with a heavy thud.

  “There. Now I just need to think of a way to get you out of there, and safely,” Ralph mused softly. It wouldn’t be an easy task, but they had to do it.

  “They have keys near the tiger’s cage I think,” Kayzer said, spreading out his wings a little, then retracting them again so they wouldn’t make too much noise against the steel bars. The last thing they needed was for the staff to poke their heads in before they escaped.

  At that, Ralph turned towards the tigers cage. The animal growled as he approached, seeing as he was a stranger. As he reached for the keys, the tiger violently swatted at the cage, but despite being startled, Ralph was fine. He quickly grabbed the keys and made his way back to Kayzer’s cage. Just as he was ready to put the key through the lock, he heard someone behind him talking.

  “Damn tiger acting up again,” the voice grumbled. Ralph quickly ducked down, holding the key to his chest and concealing himself behind some bags of feed.

  He was not hidden a moment too soon before the light of a lantern pierced the gentle gloom of the predator's den. The circus worker moved forward towards the tiger. All the while, the best continued to growl and snarl and bat his huge, clawed paws towards Ralph. The carnival worker, however, turned only to see Kayzer.

  “You would think after all this time you would get used to that worthless reptile,” the man grunted, taking a spare stick and knocking the tiger on the head with it to get the animal to shut up, then he left the room grumbling.

  The whole while, Ralph hardly ventured to even breath. Kayzer kept himself low to the ground with his wings locked in, making sure to look as innocent as possible as the guard left. He didn’t want any suspicions to be raised now. He still had a restricted muzzle, so he couldn’t even use his fire to break free. They had to be careful.

  Ralph waited for about fifteen minutes after the the carnival worker left before he spoke up. “Okay. I just started to wonder if maybe we might need an escape plan for after I unlock your cage?” he asked softly.

  “Well, maybe fire might distract them while we make our escape?” Kayzer suggested, as it seemed like the most obvious plan to him. It was one of his basic defensive techniques after all, and he was pretty fireproof himself.

  “Like, just set the tent on fire? Is that what you’re suggesting?” Ralph asked, feeling a bit uneasy about that suggestion. He’d be roasted alive!

  “Sure. You can ride out on my back. If you shelter in my wings you won’t feel the fire.” Kayzer replied, as he was sure he could keep Ralph safe. They just had to blaze the place, and charge out. All Ralph had to do was take off his restrictive muzzle so he could torch the tent down.

  “Okay. Okay, we can do this,” Ralph said, trying to pump himself up, then he got out of his hiding place, unlocked Kayzer’s cage, and took his pocket knife to the muzzle that Kayzer was wearing. Once he dropped that to the ground, he waited for Kayzer to do his thing, albeit a bit nervously.

  “Get on my back, things are gonna get hot,” Kayzer said, spreading his torn wings so Ralph could hop on. Things were going to get hot very fast, and Kayzer would have to make sure the other animals would be safe too, so they needed to be careful and quick, free these caged beasts and set the place alight.

  Ralph did as he was instructed, surprised to see the tattered state of Kayzer’s wings. The poor thing must have been in utter agony, but there was no time for solemn reflection on that count. Not at the moment, anyways. He had to focus on the task before him and let Kayzer take care of their only chance at getting away.

  With Ralph on his back, Kayzer got to work. He charged to the door of the elephant’s pen, and with his powerful jaw, ripped it off his hinges. The large mammals ran free, bellowing loudly and raised their trunks as they made their escape. After that, Kayzer released the horses, then the seals and lastly, the tigers. The animals made quite a chaos of noise and damage, soon grabbing the attention of the circus staff, but they were a little too late. The animals were already running through the hole the elephants made at the side of the tent, and it would soon be Kayzer’s turn, but not just yet.

  As the staff tried to grab their weapons and ropes to recapture the dragon, Kayzer rose onto his hind legs and shot a whirlwind of fire towards the ceiling. It only took seconds for the materials to become engulfed in flames. Now it was time to move. Kayzer withdrew his wings, sheltering Ralph underneath them as he turned and leapt towards the edge of the tent. He ran as fast as his feeble legs could carry him before bursting through the tent wall and trying to flee to safety.

  “Where should we go?” Kayzer asked, just continuing to run as the flames began to eat away at the circus tent.

  “Head south. There’s some woods there that we could hide in. I don’t think Ma would much appreciate me bringing home a dragon,” Ralph replied, clinging to Kayzer for dear life.

  “To the south it is,” Kayzer repeated, then headed south for as long as his tired limbs would carry him. He galloped away from the town and into the woods until he found a little sanctuary in the woods. A nice, cozy clearing with plenty of shade from the trees and a little stream flowing through. Kayzer opened his wings here and let Ralph jump off his back, then headed to the stream, dipping his muzzle in for a well needed drink.

  Once they were in the little clearing, Ralph hopped off of Kayzer’s back and flopped the the ground. He didn’t know what to do at this point, but he couldn’t very well leave Kayzer to fend for himself when the poor thing was battered and bruised. Still, he didn’t know what to do, or where even to start. Kayzer certainly wouldn’t survive if he couldn’t fly. He’d easily become a victim of the predators that stalked the wild, including other dragons from other clans.

  For the moment, though, Kayzer seemed rather content. He was just glad to be free from the chains and the cages. It was nice to smell the woods again, feel the calm breeze brushing up against his scales. This was paradise compared to the circus, though, probably not much safer.

  “So, where are you going to go from here, Kayzer? Do you remember where your home is?
Or do you know somewhere safe you can go?” Ralph asked. They couldn’t very well stay in the woods indefinitely. Especially considering there would be search parties coming after them soon. So they would have to get going.

  “I suppose I need to head towards the mountains, see if I can find any of my kind. I don’t recognise these places though. I’ve been moved around quite a lot, but I’m sure it won’t be too hard to find,” Kayzer replied, trying to be hopeful. He really didn’t know what to do, but he knew he couldn’t strain himself too much until his wings had healed. He was useless until then, just another ground bound lizard.

  “Mountains, huh? Well, there are some mountains to the south, but it would be a couple day’s journey. I would have to get some supplies from home, because I couldn’t make it on my own. Then we should get moving so no one from town can catch up to up and try and take you back,” Ralph said.

  “You’re coming with me?” Kayzer asked, a little surprised at that. Did this human not have a home? A life here? That’s what Kayzer assumed. That, or maybe he was just an angel who had come to rescue him. Kayzer quite liked the latter option if he was honest with himself.

  “Well, yeah, I guess. I let you out of the cage, and I think I should see things through to the end. Especially since your wings are all tattered,” Ralph replied. “I mean, no offense but I kind of doubt you’d even be able to make it home by yourself.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right,” Kayzer sighed and just laid himself down by the stream, giving his tired limbs a good rest. The chances of him surviving on his own are pretty slim, he knew that, so it was best that he stayed with someone who knew what they were doing. He’d get himself cleaned up while Ralph was away, at least that would keep him occupied as he didn’t know how long Ralph would be, and a bath certainly sounded nice right now.