War of Dragons

by Andy Holland

  Noah nodded politely, turning to face out of the window again.

  Still, looks like quite a lot of ours lying out there as well, Lord Robert pointed out, looking at the casualties lying in the streets.

  Many more of theirs, Prince Henry replied indignantly. You'd expect it to be the other way around with the size of their army.

  They can afford those losses, Lord Daniel pointed out. We can't and now they have control of the skies. If his lot, as you call them, if they fail, then we're completely helpless down here.

  ***

  They’ve taken the skies! Eric exclaimed excitedly to Perak. The way is clear for the bombing.

  I can hear as well, Perak snapped. It was unlike Eric to show any emotion and doing so irritated Perak. Have you sent out communications to watch for the Golden Dragons?

  Yes, General, Eric replied. I've had no sightings yet.

  Perak paused, a little surprised at this. Could he have been mistaken in what he thought he had seen? Surely his men should have seen another by now. He watched the action ahead, where the second wave were approaching the city just ahead of the final wave of ground fighters. The bombers were approaching the city from the south-west, flying over the lake to keep away from the volcanoes and the defences that were built into them. In addition to the massive metal slugs, many carried smaller, but still heavy, rocks and boulders. This was the moment he had been waiting for; just as with Obud, if Tarek's bombers were successful then the battle was as good as over.

  Suddenly Perak spotted movement high in the clouds above the bombers, far above the range that a Blue or Red Dragon would normally fly. Immediately, he screeched a frantic warning to the dragons approaching the city but he was far too far away to be heard. Tarek's troops were oblivious to the danger, and at least fifty gold specks began to rapidly descend towards them.

  Sound the alert! Perak screeched at Eric. They're under attack!

  Eric looked at him in confusion, not having spotted the Golden Dragons, but it was too late anyway. The specks had become streaks of gold, now moving impossibly fast as they approached their unsuspecting victims. When the Gold Dragons finally struck their targets, it was like watching falcons hitting pigeons, with the Blues slowed down by their heavy loads and unable to dodge even had they noticed the attackers. Each of the Golden Dragons targeted those Blue Dragons that were carrying the bombs, selecting just one of the eight carriers each time, but this was enough. The killed dragons dropped immediately, going from being a pair of wings to shoulder the burden to dead weight, which with the weight of the bomb was far more than the remaining seven could carry.

  The metal weights began to drop away from the rest of the group, slowly picking up speed as they fell far away from their intended targets. The Golden Dragons, however, pulled out of their dives astonishingly quickly and continued their rapid assault on the remaining bombers, who were still headed towards Furnace. The Blues were like sitting ducks, unable to dodge or defend against the furious attacks, and within ten seconds, each weight was dropping from the sky, the bombers sacrificing their mission to allow them to defend themselves.

  No! Perak screamed in fury. Kill them! Kill them all!

  None of the Blue Dragons could hear him from where he was watching, but they didn't need to be told. The air filled with the angry screams of the hundreds of thousands of Blue Dragons who were flying over Furnace and had just seen their plans ruined. Fast as they are, fifty Golden Dragons would be unable to evade or fight the half a million angry Blue Dragons that had surrounded them. As Kessick's dragons closed in on them, they disengaged from the bombers and dived away from the Blues, although their destination was far from obvious. They were far too far away from the city to be able to reach it without being caught and there were no obvious refuges that they could head for, having nothing but the lake beneath them. Being out of range of the city defences, all of Tarek's troops followed them without hesitation, screaming triumphantly as they prepared to exact revenge on their apparently cornered quarry.

  ***

  The same scene was being watched by the Red Dragon commanders and their Golden Dragon allies.

  They'll be caught! Daisy cried.

  Wait for it, Noah replied calmly.

  The Golden Dragons dived swiftly, the Blues a short way behind them. They plunged towards the far shore of the lake that lay between two of the volcanoes surrounding Furnace and just at the last moment pulled out of the dive before dropping into the water.

  Where did they go? Arthur asked in amazement. They're not resurfacing.

  They won't need to yet, Noah replied. They'll be swimming from that lake into the river, then upriver to the city border. The Blues won't catch them.

  Some sort of water dragon? Lord Robert asked. Noah nodded, still watching the Blues circling above the lake. They had realised that their prey had escaped them and their screams reached a deafening volume. Clever, Lord Robert remarked. Looks like they took out all of those bombs as well.

  The big ones only, Lord Jeremy cautioned, backing away from the window. Looks like we're in for some trouble.

  High above the city, the remainder of Tarek's forces were moving into position above their targets and without warning, began to release their deadly cargo. Thousands of rocks dropped towards the city, and Furnace's inhabitants braced themselves for the impact. The shower of rocks seemed to take an age to fall, but when they finally landed, the sound of smashing and crashing was terrible. Screams were heard throughout the city and the commanders rushed to the window to assess the damage.

  I can see two towers that have been damaged, Lord Robert observed. How about the Stone Houses?

  All intact, Prince Henry replied. Those little rocks were far too small to do any real damage.

  Not for many of your buildings, Noah replied. I think I can see three of your defensive towers that are destroyed and a lot of other buildings are even worse off.

  Bah, Prince Henry said dismissively. Nothing we can't rebuild. And there are hundreds of those towers. They'll struggle to attack the city now.

  We'll see, Lord Daniel replied. The third wave is almost here.

  ***

  Call off the attack, Perak said, flying quickly to approach General Farak. The plan has failed.

  Don't be ridiculous, Farak replied, not even turning to look at Perak, his bright blue eyes fixed on the city. This is our moment of glory.

  Had Tarek succeeded it would have been, Perak replied. Now, caution would be advised. Retreat and we can regroup for tomorrow or the next day.

  Retreat? Is that your advice? Really, I expected better from you. You don't command me, Perak. If you and your men wish to leave, fine, I'll take all of the glory. Commanders, begin the attack!

  His ten commanders peeled away to lead their units, which were to be the first to attack the city. Perak shook his head and ascended to join Eric, who was flying with Surek, one of Tarek's commanders.

  Commander, gather all of my men, Perak ordered. We shall watch this disaster unfold from some distance.

  Perak turned to head away from the battle.

  Your General is really going to leave now? Surek asked incredulously. When it's about to get interesting.

  It would appear to be so, Eric replied. But I tell you this, I can't remember him being wrong before. Ever.

  Eric flew to gather Perak's few men, as the first group of Blue Dragons approached the outskirts of the city.

  ***

  They're really going to attack? Prince Henry asked Noah. Do they not value their troops at all? This will be a massacre.

  Noah said nothing, watching as the Blues prepared to attack. The towers spread along the city wall began to fire heavy crossbow bolts at the approaching dragons and they fell in their droves. Yet they attacked in such numbers that some managed to reach the towers and landed where the bolts couldn't hit them. The commanders watched as smoke began to rise from two of the towers.

  Another two towers lost, Lord Daniel noted sourly. That's five no
w, Prince Henry. How many do you have?

  At least two hundred, Prince Henry replied dismissively. If they're willing to spend ten thousand dragons to destroy a couple of towers, then I can live with that.

  Second group approaching, Lord Jeremy announced. They watched as the Blues repeated their attempt with similar results. But this time, the Blues were able to take advantage of the defensive gaps created by the five towers that had been destroyed and five more towers went up in smoke before the last of the Blue Dragons were picked off by the crossbow bolts.

  I don't like where this is headed, Lord Blackash said uneasily. There's quite a dent in your defences now, Prince Henry. Once they get into the city, they can use our buildings to hide behind to attack the rest of the towers. They'll lose a lot of their dragons, but we'll be defenceless.

  Sure enough, the third group, which were rapidly approaching, took advantage of the gap to enter the city. Only five more towers were disabled, but hundreds of Blue Dragons had now landed in the city and the towers were distracted trying to target them instead of the next wave of dragons. The fourth group, another wave of ten thousand Blue Dragons, quickly approached the city and as the towers turned their attention to them, the Blues in the city were able to attack several more towers. At the end of the fourth attack, thirty towers in total were destroyed and the Blues now had real numbers in the city.

  Time to ready my men, Noah announced to the Prince. This has gone far enough.

  About time! Lord Redwood snapped angrily. They're about to take the city!

  Noah called out across the city, a plaintive and slightly feeble cry compared to the Blues' terrifying shrieks. But nothing seemed to happen and it appeared to be too late. High above the city, the Blues let out a loud battle cry and the remaining Blue Dragons assigned for the ground invasion dived towards the city. The towers couldn't fail to hit dragons now with so many in the air, but the towers themselves were falling at an alarming rate and smoke was beginning to rise from all over the city. Within a minute, hundreds of thousands of Blue Dragons had landed, ready to begin their assault on the city.

  You've failed us! Prince Henry shrieked. They'll take the city. Where are your dragons now?

  Noah called a second time and this time, there was a dramatic response. All over the city, sixty giant Teradons emerged from temporary constructions, popping up to tower over the surrounding buildings, their long necks rising up from the ground to dominate the skyline.

  Mercy! Lord Robert exclaimed. They look even bigger than I remembered.

  Each Teradon let out a loud roar before beginning their attack. The Blue Dragons shrieked in fury and attacked the Teradons en masse, charging at them and bombarding them with fireballs and clambering over them, slashing with their claws. A more disastrous approach would have been hard to devise. The Teradons swished their tails vigorously and turned to dowse their own bodies in their own, much hotter flames and the Blue Dragons war cries turned to cries of agony as they died in their thousands. Within a minute, the invading forces took to the air and retreated to the skies, leaving the streets littered with their burnt and smashed corpses. The Teradons thundered through the streets, finishing off any that were too injured to take off.

  Yes! Prince Henry cried triumphantly. They're fleeing now!

  Are they really defeated? Daisy asked. As easily as that?

  Noah shook his head. That was an expensive lesson for them, Daisy. Not a defeat. They've lost maybe one in five of their forces, but they still outnumber us two to one and have destroyed most of the city’s towers.

  But they can't attack on the ground again, Arthur pointed out. Your dragons will destroy them.

  Noah shook his head. The Teradons are extinct, remember? The Blue Dragons will know how to proceed.

  The Blue Dragons had formed one huge group above the city and were circling ominously, the troops waiting their command.

  What can they do? Lord Greytower asked. You're obviously expecting something, tell us what it is.

  Tell me, Lord Greytower, what would you do against the Teradons? You can't hurt them with fire or your claws, but they can't fly and are quite slow. How do you think they were wiped out?

  Bombardment, Lord Greytower replied grimly. They'll collect rocks and bombard the city again.

  Noah nodded. Exactly. The Teradons were wiped out a long time ago and that's exactly how it happened.

  But where will they gather the rocks? Lord Oscar asked. The volcanoes have defensive structures built into them as well, don't they? They can't land on them without being picked off by our crossbows.

  Just outside the city, in the fields, there are hundreds of rocks lying around, Noah replied. Nice large ones, just right for attacking us with. What used to look like grassy fields now looks more like a disused quarry.

  What? Lord Oscar exclaimed. Why on earth are they there?

  We moved them from the slopes of the volcanoes, Prince Henry replied, to discourage them from landing on them.

  Are you crazy? Lord Greytower asked. If they'd landed on the volcanoes we'd have been able to kill them. We can't reach them with our bolts in those fields. Now you've made it easy for them.

  Prince Henry turned and tried his best to smile smugly, which was rather difficult as a dragon. Just watch.

  ***

  What is happening, Commander? Perak asked Eric. Are they retreating yet?

  Not yet, General, Eric replied. They're still circling the city. I suspect General Farak is reluctant to call off the attack. He's destroyed most of their towers, after all.

  He's a fool, Perak replied bitterly. You never let the enemy dictate the battle and that's what's happening. They've shown us their tricks; now is the time to return home to devise a new plan.

  They're moving sir, but not back towards us. They're going to land in that rock strewn field at the base of that volcano.

  They're going to bombard the Teradons, Perak said slowly. The obvious thing to do, which means the Reds will be expecting it. Wait a minute, why are those fields covered in rocks? There's no reason why all of those rocks should be gathered there. Commander! It's a trap! Send a warning now.

  The Blue Dragon Army was beginning to land in the fields, hundreds of thousands spreading out on the rocky ground. As some began to take off again, a loud bell sounded from the city and Perak's fears were realised. The volcano above them burst into life, dirt bursting from cave entrances to reveal where the remainder of the city defences had been hiding, in hidden tunnels spread all over the volcano. Tens of thousands of Red Dragons poured out of the side of the volcano, diving towards the mainly stationary Blue Dragon Army below accompanied by twenty Golden Dragons. There were many of them, but spread over many separate locations so they were able to all take off within seconds of the bell sounding. They quickly broke into dives, streaking through the air towards their targets.

  A second bell sounded and all over the city, Red Dragons that had fled from the Blue Army took to the air as their comrades began the massacre. Massively outnumbered, but having the advantage of height and being already in the air, the Red Dragons' defence force swept through their foes wreaking devastation. The Blue Dragons had just one option, which was to flee in every direction to try and minimise their losses. By the time they were all in the air and fleeing the emboldened Red Dragon Army, half of their number were left dead or dying in the fields behind them.

  The fools! Perak said angrily, turning and flying back. Did no one question why those rocks were all just lying there? It was clearly suspicious and they should have assumed it was a trap. Never, never give up the skies.

  You were right, sir, Eric replied, flying alongside him. If General Farak makes it out of there, General Zygar will make him pay for that with his life.

  He should never have led in the first place, Perak replied. The man's a fool. This war is still ours to win, but putting men like him in charge is inviting failure. Come, it's time to leave.

  ***

  Daisy had watched the whole att
ack with her mind focussed on only thing: was her brother alright? The battle had gone well but many of their dragons had fallen. Was he among them?

  Prince Henry didn’t share her concern, stretching his scaly neck to peer far out of the palace window and barely concealing his excitement. We've won! Their army is retreating! Look how few of them are in the air! This war is over!

  Noah shook his head. The battle is over, not the war, your Majesty. But congratulations on your success.

  Ah, we can agree to disagree for now, Noah, as this is a moment for celebration! Come on, we should fly out to the troops. They will be honoured by our presence.

  Is that wise? Lord Oscar asked, still standing far away from the windows. Shouldn't we wait till they've finished dispatching the enemy?

  Oh, come now. Surely you can't be afraid now, Prince Henry responded. Stay and cower here if you must; I'm going out to congratulate the troops, and perhaps help finish off any Blue survivors. Guards, open the doors!

  Prince Henry flew out accompanied by his guards. Lord Oscar reluctantly followed.

  Can I go out as well? Daisy asked Noah. I want to see if Gerald is alright.

  No, Noah replied firmly. That's the last thing your brother would want. I'll find out for you and come straight back. It'll be faster this way.

  Noah sprung out of the palace window, easily catching and passing the Prince, who cried out in surprise as Noah passed him. Daisy, Arthur and the three remaining commanders were left in the command room.

  Is it really over, Arthur? Daisy asked. Is Prince Henry right?

  Maybe, Lord Daniel replied for him. For today anyway. Noah is right, you should stay here. But I am going out to see the battlefield. I've been cooped up for far too long.

  Lord Daniel, accompanied by two guards, flew after Noah and the Prince.

  I'll stay with these two, Lord Jeremy told Lord Robert. Go if you wish; the battle is over. I have very few troops here, but you have many.

  Thank you, Lord Robert replied. Prince Arthur, Princess Daisy, as always, it's a pleasure, but I take my leave of you now.