Tail of the Dragon

by Craig Halloran

  “Really?” Nath growled.

  “Really!” Selene said, bumping her horns against his.

  Clack!

  Nath’s temper boiled over.

  Somewhere deep inside him, his conscience said, Nath, what are you getting so mad for?

  He couldn’t control it, though. His inner volcano was erupting. The fires in his chest wanted to explode. “You better get out of here, Selene. I think I’ve had enough of you.”

  Taken aback, she scooted away. There was hurt in her eyes. She spread her wings. “Fine. Fine, then, Nath. Good-bye.” In one powerful flap, she took to the sky.

  Nath clutched the horns on his head. What am I doing? “No, wait! Selene, come back!”

  She was little more than a speck in the sky now. An ash drifting away.

  He spread his own wings and cried out in pain. “Ow! Blast my busted wing!”

  ***

  Hours later, Nath had made his way deep down inside a ravine. He’d pushed himself far into the brush overhanging the creek. His temper had long cooled, and now he hid from the world with a belly full of regret.

  What in the world got into me? That was no way for a king to behave. Selene was right about that.

  Sulking, he raced through the scenarios on how to make things right.

  How am I supposed to apologize to someone who will probably never want to see me again? I can’t fly. I’ve lost Brenwar. Now that’s two people I have to find. Him and my mother. Not to mention there is another threat to Nalzambor. What do I do?

  He closed his eyes and let it all soak in. Everything had happened at once. A sudden storm. A turn of the tide. At the moment, missing Brenwar hurt even more than losing Selene. Brenwar was his rock. The dwarf would have something to say that Nath needed to hear. But hadn’t Selene?

  Aw, I mess everything up.

  Things were different than before now that he was a dragon. He was still getting used to it. He needed to focus on the best way to find Brenwar first. Another part of him wanted to be with Selene.

  Think, Dragon, think!

  He recalled a conversation that he’d had a long time ago, before he and Bayzog had parted. The part-elven wizard had given him some advice. “When in doubt, ask yourself what your father would do.”

  Yes, what would my father do?

  He envisioned Balzurth’s mightier red dragon frame sitting on the throne within the great treasure chamber. His father’s eyes were often closed, but he was always aware of everything around him. Not even a mouse escaped his attention.

  Come on, Nath, you’re the greatest tracker in all the lands. At least you used to be. Think of your father. Think of something. How hard can it be to find Brenwar?

  He thought back to when he was much younger. Back when he spent more time with his father. It was just the two of them most of the time: hunting, fishing, and feasting together. Both of them would lie down with a bellyful and count the stars in the sky.

  But every once in a while, another dragon would come by and share news with Balzurth, speaking into his father’s ear. Balzurth would nod, grunt a little, and send the dragon messenger on its way. Those were good, good times.

  Nath’s eyes snapped open.

  I’ve got it!

  CHAPTER 16

  Nath returned to the spot where he’d lost the scent of Brenwar. There was nothing extraordinary about it. It was just another stretch of woodland and heavy brush.

  All right, someone around here must have seen something.

  He stretched out his senses. The pulse of life was all around. The birds perched high up in the trees. The vermin that scurried over the ground. The insects that crawled underneath the moss and through the branches within. All Nath had to do was ask them.

  Nath opened up his paw and sat it down on the ground. Creating a gentle hum in his voice, he beckoned to all the life that was around. His melody gently massaged the leaves in the trees. Everything that crept or crawled stopped in its path.

  Come now, come. Come and help me out. I seek. Help me find.

  He kept at it for minutes. There was hesitation. Fear. Curiosity. Not one creature came forward. Nath continued, however. Even though he was a friendly force, he still looked like a giant predator—for dragons fed on all kinds of things. The world was their buffet. Some ate bugs, others fish of the waters and the fowl of the air. Some dragons only ate the flowers and leaves.

  Come, Nath beckoned. Come.

  Nothing came.

  Blast!

  Nath sat down, shaking his head. He didn’t have anyone left to help him. No friends in sight, and he couldn’t blame them. He’d run Selene off. He’d acted like a lousy king, and even the creatures of the forest knew that. He’d lost all credibility.

  I’m a sad excuse for a Dragon King. And I thought things would be easy once I was a dragon. Out of the corner of his eye he caught some movement. What’s this?

  A raccoon approached, head low. It was a big one, bushy, with chestnut brown spots and rings instead of black. It stopped short of Nath’s paw.

  Nath hummed out a welcoming sound.

  The raccoon lifted its head.

  Now came the tricky part. Animals and insects couldn’t speak, but they had their ways of communicating. Nath summoned his magic and released a spell. He had several he could recall that he’d learned when he was younger and walked the lands more. Speaking with animals was one of them, and it had helped him rescue many dragons.

  “How are you?” he said in words the raccoon could understand.

  It spoke back. “I am well, Mighty Dragon. How may I assist?”

  “What is your name, little friend?”

  “I’m called the Ringed Goose by my family,” it said.

  “I lost a friend, a dwarf. Bones for a hand and black bearded. Have you seen him?”

  “Yes,” the raccoon said. “He was here yesterday. He marched through and then was taken.”

  “Taken by what or who?”

  Tiny clawed hands together, the raccoon looked back over his shoulders. “I’m scared to say for fear that me and my family might be eaten.”

  “I won’t let that happen,” Nath said. “Please, help me. He’s my dear friend, and he means as much to me as your family to you.”

  The raccoon nodded. “A black, black dragon dropped from the sky and took him.”

  No! Not Selene!

  “Can you describe this dragon in better detail? Did it have blood-red eyes and rough, dark scales, perhaps?”

  “The scales were such as yours,” the raccoon said.

  “Did it have horns on its head?”

  “The raccoon rubbed its chin. “Yes, I think so.”

  Nath’s heart dipped. “Now think hard on this. Did you see the dragon’s eyes?”

  “Oh, most definitely, they were the prettiest and deadliest violet I ever saw.”

  ***

  Head filled with troubles, Nath burrowed his way into a nearby mountainside and blended in with his surroundings. The raccoon’s news was deeply disturbing. Selene had betrayed him once again, it seemed.

  After all we have been through, she’s turned on me? Why?

  His heart ached.

  And why take Brenwar? She wouldn’t kill him, would she?

  Of course, if anyone wasn’t as blind as Nath, it was Brenwar. Nath cared deeply for Selene, Brenwar not so much. He wasn’t a very forgiving sort. And if the seasoned soldier suspected something, he wouldn’t hesitate to let Nath know about it.

  I can’t believe this is happening. And it couldn’t be more perfect. Here I am grounded with a busted wing.

  He curled deeper into his spot. Mind filled with doubt, he ran over countless scenarios. Did Selene want his throne? Did Gorn Grattack still live? Was she trying to prevent him from finding his mother?

  It seems my suspicions were right all along. That Selene. She’s such an actress. I should have known better. Fine, I’ll wait it out, Selene. My wing will heal soon enough, and then I’m going to hunt you down like a drayk
is.

  Burrowed deep in the earth, he settled in and used his energy to heal up. All around him the plant life perked up, starting with new growth. Hours went by that turned into days. Before long he was covered in the brush and flowers. The varmints of the forest didn’t notice him. The birds started to nest. The smaller creatures burrowed. Life traveled all around him and over the top of him. He was part of the mountain now. Many dragons did that.

  He opened his eye.

  His wing no longer hurt.

  That ought to do it.

  Red birds with long white tails were chirping in the thicket that covered his eyes. The sweet music turned to a squawk as Nath shifted his bulk, loosening the dirt. The wildlife that covered him scattered.

  Sorry.

  With a heave, he pushed his way out of his burrow and shook off the leaves and foliage. He pressed his way through the forest until he found a clearing. He stretched out his wings.

  Ah! That’s much better! Here I come, Selene.

  CHAPTER 17

  Flying high, Nath set off in the direction Selene had been flying. She’d be hard to find if she wanted to be. She could transform, become big or small like he could. But her scent would linger. He had that to go on.

  You won’t escape me, Selene. I won’t let you get away with this.

  Of course, for all he knew, he might be playing right into her hands. A trap might spring. After all, she’d had plenty of time to set it. He wouldn’t be one bit surprised if she’d left him a clue of some sort.

  He dashed in and out of clouds filled with lightning and rain. He swooped over the land and his belly grazed the ground. There was plenty of ground to cover, but he sensed she was near. And he figured chances were that if he could find some of those wurmers, then he’d be about to find her as well.

  Rising back into the air, he noticed a broken form unmoving down in the valley. There, a dragon lay still. He was citrine yellow with a red stripe across his back. Little bigger than a pony, the yellow streak dragon was dragging his belly through the sloppy rain with his head hung low.

  Nath dropped out of the sky and down in front of him. “What happened, brother?”

  “They’re dead,” the yellow streak said in a ragged form of Dragonese. His body had deep cuts in it, and some of his scales were missing. “All dead. I couldn’t save them. I’m sorry, Nathlalonggram …agh.” He collapsed on the ground.

  “No!” Nath cried out in alarm. The dragon’s heartbeat was quickly fading. Nath scooped him up in his arms. The yellow streak’s life was gone.

  Chest puffed out, Nath picked up the dragon’s trail. The rains were washing it away in the mud, but Nath’s keen eyes still picked it up. He followed the tall grasses that were matted down. The dragon’s path wound through a valley, and Nath found bits of blood along the way. His nostrils flared.

  That doesn’t smell good.

  He pressed on. Up ahead, a small plume of smoke twirled in the rain. Patches of fire were burning the trees.

  Oh no!

  Dragons were scattered all over the ground, yellow streaks, a large family. Their bodies lay still, their scale hides ripped and torn. Wings broken. Teeth and horns busted. The battle must have been fierce.

  Nath stopped short of the battleground and scooped up a small dragon that didn’t even fill his hand. She was so young and beautiful. Her neck was broken. Nath’s eyes watered.

  Lightning streaked across the sky and thunder cracked.

  He let out a roar.

  “Maaaaaarrrroooooooo!”

  Someone is going to pay for this!

  He stepped in a pile of ashes that had begun mixing in with the mud. It was familiar. Scraping some of the goo up onto his finger, he eyed it closely and gave it a sniff.

  It’s from a wurmer. Hah, seems the yellow streaks put up a fine fight and took some of these dark fiends with them.

  He picked his way through the carnage. There were scales and teeth he hadn’t noticed before. He sifted through them with his hand, feeling the texture and absorbing the scent into his scales. The wurmers couldn’t be far away. It wouldn’t be hard to find them now.

  And once he found them, he’d find Selene.

  Selene has a lot of explaining to do.

  One by one, he picked up the fallen dragons and laid them down side by side. He even returned and brought back the first one he’d encountered. There were seven in all. The father went first, being the biggest, and the mother, going down to the sons and daughters being the smallest. With a heart full of sadness, Nath dug into the soft dirt. His powerful hands scooped out the dirt and rock and pushed it aside, and the first grave was made.

  This hurts.

  He had thought these days were done. That there would be peace on Nalzambor for a long time. He slung a pile of mud aside.

  This shouldn’t be happening! Why can’t everyone and everything behave themselves?

  He kept digging, taking his time about it. And he started singing, a sad and ancient tune. It was one he had learned from his father when he was a boy. The other dragons used to sing it as well. It was about the first dragons who had fallen during the first dragon war.

  Their scales were cherry, the fairest of their kind.

  They drank deep of the waters and flew high in the air.

  Fire came. Lightning struck. They tumbled through the sky.

  It was the end of the crimson dynamos and the beginning of Nalzambor’s despair.

  There were hundreds of segments to the song, but Nath only made it as far as fifty. He’d finished his work, laid his kin in the graves one by one, and started covering them in dirt.

  When he lifted his sagging head, a change in his surroundings caught his eye. He was encircled by the creatures of the wild. Mighty elks with curled horns. Chipmunks and rabbits with tiny bright fairies riding on their backs. There were owls in the branches. An old and aging centaur woman too. The woodland creatures closed in and began pushing the dirt into the graves as well. Beavers and pixies. A pair of bears bigger than Brenwar. In moments, the dragon graves were covered and new grasses and flowers were planted.

  “Thank you,” Nath said to them all.

  Quickly they were all gone, leaving Nath alone in the rain.

  CHAPTER 18

  Nath scoured the area for leagues. He did it in the air and on the ground. The scent of the wurmers was strong. Flying through the sky, he caught a distant flicker of movement down below. There was a clearing on a hillside. Its peak was covered in rough stone and loose shale. A plume of smoke rose into the air and dissipated.

  I’d better check that out.

  Wary eyed, he glided down and landed soft as a dove on the ground. The shale squeezed up between his clawed toes. He spied a faint series of caves in the light of the dusk. They seemed to breathe with life of their own. Warm yellow smoke oozed out of them. There were no other signs of life nearby.

  Could be a lair.

  Head low, Nath crept in for a closer look. His nostrils widened as he took in a deep draw of air. The yellow smoke smelled like acid. It was like the Lakes of Sulfur farther south, which had been formed by the lava rivers. They made great places to hide for dragons, who could handle the heat, much more so than men.

  But this was different. This was in the forest.

  Strange.

  He inhaled again. There was more than sulfur or acid. The wurmers’ scent was there, mixed in with the pungent cover.

  Hah! I have them now!

  The tufts behind Nath’s earholes fluttered. He could smell them but not see them. The mouths of the caves were too small for his great girth. He climbed behind them, hung his head over the lip, and listened for any sound. There was a roar of wind that whistled through the jagged rocks. Deeper, he could hear something else. In a part of the world deep in its bowels, there was a groaning. Something flowed. Beat. Pulsed.

  Nath rubbed his razor-sharp claws under his lip.

  Hmmm … can’t help but be really curious. Perhaps I should change so I can go down t
here and check it out. No. Now is the time for patience. He envisioned the broken bodies of the yellow streak dragons. Soon I’ll have vengeance.

  Nath focused on blending in with his environment. His body became one with the natural surroundings. Part of the rock and soil. His thoughts wandered. What if Selene was down there? And Brenwar?

  What if it’s a trap? Another one of Selene’s clever setups?

  The hours went by, and darkness fell over the hill. Above, the moon’s light was dim in the drifting and dreary clouds.

  The caves gave off the faintest illumination. The smell of sulfur remained strong. Nath let his eyes close. He sank his talons deeper into the hard earth. He could feel all of the life of Nalzambor. The heartbeats of the sleeping creatures nearby. The feet of ants marching over the dirt. There was something else too that he felt. Distress. Nalzambor seemed worried.

  The hillside suddenly quavered.

  Thoom.

  It was faint. Undetectable by many creatures of nature. The shale shifted the slightest bit.

  Thoom.

  Nath’s eyelid slid back.

  Thoom. Thoom. Thoom.

  The bellies of the caves were coming to life. Angry sounds and shrieks erupted from within. Something was coming out.

  Thoom! Thoom!

  Shale and dirt poured out over the rims of the caves. Creatures who had been lying peacefully in the forest scattered. One of the caves glowed with bright orange light, and the roar of a dragon echoed.

  Something fights within!

  A slender black dragon snaked out of the hole.

  Selene!

  She was smaller. More svelte. The scales on her dragon chest were heaving as she backed away from the mouths of the caves.

  Nath’s claws pulled up out of the dirt.

  I’ve got her now!

  Selene snorted fire and smoke. Her long neck swayed from side to side. Her violet eyes were intent on the caves. She continued her retreat.

  What’s going on here?

  One by one, wurmers emerged from the shadows of the caves. Ten of them, claws sharper than swords that twinkled in the night, flanked Selene.