-
It was late afternoon when they were finally ready to leave. They climbed aboard the wagon and were soon heading down the dusty road to meet up with the others. The small calf and milk cow following closely behind on lead ropes.
When they reached the main road, they could see dust in the air from other wagons coming from the village and surrounding farms. A few minutes later, the wagons came into sight.
“Not as many as I had hoped,” Anson spoke with a heavy sigh. From what he could see, there were only about twenty wagons with Andrew.
“Maybe more will come tomorrow,” Carolyn said as she tried to count the wagons. “At least some have come.”
Collin rode up, leading two saddled horses. “Jennifer, Marten; do you want to ride the horses?”
“Yes!” Marten spoke in a loud, pleased voice, his eyes lighting up.
He quickly jumped off the wagon and climbed up on the horse that Collin indicated. This was one of the horses that Collin had allowed him to ride in the past.
“Be careful, Marten,” Carolyn spoke, watching her son. He wasn’t that experienced on a horse. It made her nervous watching him sitting on such a large animal.
“He’ll be fine,” Collin said with a reassuring smile. “He’s ridden this horse before, and it’s easy to handle.”
“Collin’s right,” Anson said, reaching out and patting his wife on her leg. “Marten will be close to us the whole time. There’s nothing to worry about.”
Jennifer climbed down from the wagon and took the reins for the other horse from Collin. She placed her left foot in the stirrup and pulled herself up. She settled down in the saddle and glanced over at Collin, who was smiling. At least this way they could talk as they rode.
Anson pulled out on the main road in front of the first wagon, with Jennifer and Collin taking the lead. Marten decided to ride behind the wagon where he could keep a careful watch on the small calf.
“We’re on our way,” said Collin, reaching over and taking Jennifer’s hand. They were riding very close together.
Jennifer gave Collin’s hand a reassuring squeeze and then put her hand back on the reins. “I just hope more people come tomorrow.”
“A number indicated they would,” replied Collin, recalling what some of the village people had told his father. “Some of them, particularly the farmers, have a lot they need to load.”
“I can understand that,” Jennifer replied, she was just glad that Collin’s family would be staying in the cavern tonight. “We have to return home tomorrow to load up a lot of the food that’s in the root cellar.”
“Yes,” replied Collin, looking ahead to the two large hills. “Several of the others have indicated that they need to do the same. We will also need to bring some feed for the animals we’re taking with us.”
“We have a lot of work to do,” Jennifer spoke.
“Maybe it’s best this way,” continued Collin, looking over at Jennifer. He noticed she had a bright blue ribbon holding her hair in place. Collin knew that blue was Jennifer’s favorite color.
“How’s that?” asked Jennifer, not quite sure what Collin was talking about.
“This group will help us to figure out what we need to do to make room for everyone else.”
-
It took nearly four hours to reach the cavern. They had to travel slowly because a number of the wagons had a few sheep and several cattle trailing behind on lead ropes.
They finally made it to the mine entrance, and after a little organizing, moved the wagons into the cavern to be unloaded. At least for tonight, the people would sleep on the cavern floor or in their wagons. Later they would look at rebuilding the small cabins on the near wall to see if they could be made livable again.
Andrew, Anson, Collin, and Jennifer spent much of their time going from wagon to wagon, helping the village people and the few farmers get down everything they would need for the night. It was tiresome work, but necessary. When they were finally finished, they returned to where their own wagons were waiting.
“Well, this is our first night in the cavern,” Andrew spoke from where the two families were sitting around a small campfire.
The smoke from the fire was floating upward and disappearing into several small openings in the ceiling. Andrew suspected these were ventilation shafts left over from when their ancestors had lived in the cavern.
“We have seventy-two people in here,” commented Anson, wishing it were more. He looked around the cavern and could see other families sitting around small campfires, talking quietly.
“There will be more tomorrow,” responded Andrew, seeing Anson looking around at the other families.
“You can only do so much,” Carolyn said, taking Anson’s hand and squeezing gently. “You and Andrew have done everything you can to try to talk the village people into coming to this cavern. It’s a decision they will have to make on their own.”
“Yes, both of you as well as Collin and Jennifer have tried very hard to make them realize the danger they’re in,” Clara added. “There’s nothing more that you could have done.”
“I think Jennifer and I should take Marten and Jason to the water source we found,” said Collin, standing up and stretching. “We will need to bring water for the animals shortly anyway.”
“That’s a good idea, Collin,” responded Andrew, nodding his head. “Just be careful and don’t go any farther than that water source. We know the tunnel is braced solidly all the way to there, past that is still unknown. It could be quite dangerous.”
“We won’t go any farther than the water source,” Collin assured his father.
“We’ll keep a good eye on the boys,” Jennifer added with a warning glance at Marten. She didn’t intend to let him go off exploring with Jason.
They walked slowly through the cavern and around the other campsites. The cavern was well lit from all the lanterns and small fires that were burning.
Reaching the small mineshaft that led deeper into the hill, Collin came to a stop and looked at the two boys.
“Stay close to Jennifer and me,” he cautioned the two. “I don’t want either of you wandering off.”
Jason and Marten both nodded their heads, their eyes locked on the beckoning mineshaft in front of them.
“We’ll stay close,” promised Jason, looking over at Marten.
Collin led the way into the mineshaft and, after a short walk, the tunnel slowly opened up into a small cavern.
Jennifer gasped in wonder at what was in front of her. They were all holding lanterns and the light lit up the cavern very well. A small pool on one side of the cavern drew her attention. She could hear running water.
“This is awesome!” spoke Jason, rushing over to the beckoning pool.
“Don’t fall in!” warned Jennifer, walking forward quickly. “We don’t know how deep that water is.”
Walking over to the pool, she saw a small stream of water coming out of the wall. It cascaded down several small rock overhangs like a miniature waterfall and then fell a short distance to strike the surface of the pool, sending out constant ripples. She couldn’t tell how deep the water was; her lantern wasn’t bright enough to penetrate to the bottom.
“I can’t see how deep it is,” said Marten, looking closely at the water. “Better stay back a little bit Jason.”
“I think the excess water is being drained off on the far side,” said Collin, pointing to one end of the pool, which touched one of the walls. “The overflow is going down a small hole set in the wall.”
“The ancients must have built this,” commented Jennifer, bending down and touching the water with her left hand. It felt cool.
Collin walked around the outskirts of the pool while the others filled up the buckets they had brought. He came to a stop at a large tunnel that led deeper into the hill. This tunnel was larger than the mine entrance. It was over twenty feet high and at least that wide. He wondered why it was so much larger; there had to be a reason. When they had time, thi
s tunnel might be worth exploring.
Just as he was about to go back, he happened to glance down at the floor next to the pool. He was startled to see what looked like fresh scrape marks in the stone and dirt. The scrapes looked as if they had only recently been made by something extremely heavy. It looked as if some large animal had come to drink.
Collin hesitated for a moment then, turning, he held his lantern up looking down the large tunnel but could see nothing except blackness where his light faded out. There weren’t a lot of large animals about. Matter of fact, he couldn’t recall any sightings in recent years. All the other large predators had become extinct. He didn’t know what could have made the marks.
“Is there something wrong?” asked Jennifer, walking over to him. She had set her bucket of water down next to where the boys were standing. The two boys were talking in excited voices as they looked around the small cavern.
“No,” Collin replied not wanting to worry Jennifer. “Let’s get this water back to the animals.”
Maybe one of the other village people had come down to the cavern earlier for water and made the scrape marks. Yes, Collin thought; that was what the scrape marks had to be. It was nothing to worry about. Turning back around, he went with Jennifer to the boys and they were soon on their way back to the main cavern with full buckets of water for the animals.
-
Deep in the sheltered darkness of the large tunnel, something moved. It had watched the humans enter the water cave and then leave. Sensing no danger, it went back to its lair.
-
The next day, Andrew and Anson made two more trips, bringing in more people and a few more animals. They had also stopped by their own homes and brought back more supplies on each trip. Collin and Jennifer had returned with their fathers and spent the better part of the day loading up their wagons with everything else that might be needed. No one had any idea how long they might have to stay in the cavern.
When they finally returned just before nightfall, there were two hundred and twenty-eight people in the cavern. Andrew and Anson had hoped for more, but everyone else was hesitant. They didn’t believe they would be any safer in the cavern than they were in their own homes or in their root cellars. A number of the older villagers didn’t want to leave the comfort of their homes for a dark, cold cave.
“After the next dragon attack, more will come,” said Collin as they all sat down to eat supper.
“More people are going to die,” Jennifer spoke with sadness in her voice. “It’s hard telling how many the dragon will kill in his next attack. Why can’t the people in the village understand that?”
“People just don’t want to leave,” her father replied. “They simply don’t believe they are in danger if they stay in their homes.”
“The dragon is only a few miles from here, isn’t it?” asked Jason, his eyes looking over at Collin.
Collin hesitated for a moment before replying. “Yes, Jason.”
“We’re safe here in the cavern,” added Jennifer, trying to sound reassuring. “The entrance is far too small for the dragon to be able to enter; that’s why we came here.”
“Do you think the dragon will know we’re in this cavern?” asked Marten, looking over at Collin. He was sitting next to Jason, and both boys were avidly curious about the dragon.
“I don’t know,” replied Collin, carefully choosing his words. “We don’t know what the dragon can sense.”
“When the dragon does come out in the next day or two, we will remain here in the cavern,” Anson said, his eyes focusing on the two boys. “We will not give the dragon any hint that we’re here.”
Carolyn reached over and took Anson’s hand. Their eyes met and neither had to speak. They both knew that things in their valley would never be the same again. The new dragon would make sure of that.
-
Two nights later, Gilmreth rose from his sleep. The driving hunger was once more burning inside the dragon. Taking to the air, Gilmreth circled the hill that contained his lair. His sensitive sense of smell caught the scent of humans in close proximity as well as smoke. Gilmreth followed the scent and was soon circling the other large hill. He could see several caves. From one of these came the smell of a number of humans. Peering closely at the small cave entrance, Gilmreth knew these humans were beyond his reach. This angered the dragon.
Gilmreth turned on his wings and flew toward the human village. Tonight the humans would feel his wrath for trying to escape. The full moon was higher up and, with Gilmreth’s keen eyesight, everything was plainly visible.
Reaching the village, Gilmreth descended into its heart with his dragon fire scorching several of the structures below, causing an inferno to break out. Startled screams and frightened voices could be heard as Gilmreth landed in the village. Using more of his dragon fire, Gilmreth caused even more buildings to burst into flame. Then he let loose a deafening roar of anger.
In their homes, the villagers knew the dragon was back. Many families huddled together in fear. Through their windows, they could see the red, threatening glow of fire. More homes were burning! A number wished they had heeded Anson and Andrew’s pleas to go to the safety of the cavern. Now it was too late!
Men and women ran in panic from the burning structures, only to be quickly caught and killed by the dragon as his fiery hunger consumed victim after victim. Carefully searching for more humans, Gilmreth found more hiding in an underground structure, which he quickly tore open with his powerful talons. Reaching inside, he pulled the screaming humans out one by one and consumed them.
Ashes and smoke spread throughout the village. It became hard to see as people tried to escape their burning homes. Their eyes burned, and the heat from the raging fires was nearly unbearable. The acrid stench of dragon fire pervaded the air. Screams filled the night as frightened villagers tried in vain to flee the hunting dragon.
After each kill, Gilmreth would spread his wings around his victims and slowly drain the blood from their dying bodies, then consume their flesh. After each feeding, Gilmreth felt his hunger lessen. This drove Gilmreth to kill and kill again.
The fires grew and ashes floated in the air. The wind was calm, and the smoke hovered over the village like a blanket. Through the smoke and ashes, the fearsome roar of the dragon could be heard. Gilmreth was on a rampage as he tried to satisfy his hunger.
For over two hours, Gilmreth gorged himself. He knew he was feeding on more humans than he should, but he couldn’t help it. His anger and burning hunger dictated his feeding. Finally, feeling satiated, Gilmreth rose and flew back toward the north. He had fed on over twenty humans and left a large portion of the village aflame. However, for the first time in years the burning hunger was completely gone.
-
The next day, a steady stream of people arrived at the cavern. Many were in shock and others in tears at losing family members. Before the day was done, nearly six hundred additional people had decided to make the cavern their new home.
“We will need to send some people back to the village and outlying farms tomorrow to bring in more food and hay for the animals,” spoke Andrew, gazing across the cavern at all the people who were now packed inside. A few had already started to work on the small cabins along the wall.
Most of the wagons had been unloaded and then taken back outside. Many of the wagons had arrived crammed full of frightened people and very little else. The horses and other animals were in rope corrals until something more permanent could be built. Already groups of young boys were making constant trips to fetch water for the animals under the careful supervision of Collin.
“Has anyone seen Marten and Jason recently?” asked Jennifer, noticing that the two boys were conspicuously absent. She hoped they hadn’t gone off exploring. The two had already searched nearly every inch of the main cavern seeing what they could find.
“I think they’re helping Collin,” her father answered, peering toward the mine entrance that led to the water source. “They should be
back shortly.”
“I hope so,” replied Jennifer, feeling uneasy. Somehow, she sensed that the two boys were not carrying water. After a moment, she decided to go to the cavern with the water source to check.
-
Marten and Jason had managed to sneak off from the rest of the boys that were carrying water back to the animals. Each had a small lantern, and they were far down the large tunnel that led deeper into the hill from the water source.
“Do you think this is safe?” Jason asked Marten as they went around another corner in the large tunnel.
“It seems to be well braced,” replied Marten, glancing over at the large, sturdy timbers that supported the ceiling above them. He walked over and rapped his knuckles against the timber. “See; it didn’t fall over.”
“I should hope not,” Jason said with relief in his voice. “I don’t think we should be touching the timbers.”
The boys continued down the tunnel, not noticing a small cavern off to the side. The creature inside had been watching the two boys and had decided it was time to make its presence known. Rising, it moved carefully to the cavern’s exit and moved into the large tunnel beyond.
Jason heard a noise behind them and whirled around. His eyes grew wide with fright at what stood in the center of the tunnel less than fifty feet away in the dim light of his lantern. It was a dragon! A large white dragon, with its eyes focused on them.
“Marten, look behind us!” Jason screamed in fright, holding his lantern up high.
Marten turned and froze at the sight. For a moment, he felt paralyzed, like prey frozen by the eyes of a deadly viper. “Don’t move, Jason,” Marten ordered not sure what to do.
“What are we going to do, Marten? It’s going to eat us!”
“I’m going to move over to one side of the tunnel and try to draw its attention. When I do, run past it and go tell Collin what we found. Don’t stop and don’t look back.”
Dragon Wars Page 8