It took the Gap Dragon a moment to catch on. Meanwhile, it chewed. It surely felt the bite, but did not yet realize that this was its own doing, or that its teeth had not contacted ogre flesh. It took a while for the difference in taste to register. The dragon wrenched its supposed prey upward, driving the teeth in deeper. The coil loosened, giving Smash half a gasp of breath.
Then at last the dragon realized what it was doing. Its jaws began to open, to free itself from its own bite and to emit a honk of sheer pain and frustration-but Smash's two gauntleted hamhands came down on
either side of it, clasping the snout, pressing it firmly closed on the meat. The jaw muscles were weaker this way; the dragon could not release its bite. Still, the ogre could not use his hands for further attack, for the moment he let go, the jaws would open. It was another position of stalemate.
Blood welled out around the dragon's lower fangs and dripped off its chin, coating Smash's gauntlet. The fluid was a deep purple hue, thick and gooey, smelling of ashes and carrion. It probably had caustic properties, but the gauntlet protected Smash's flesh, as it had when he held the basilisk. The centaur gifts were serving him well.
Now it was the dragon's turn to scheme. Dragons were not the brightest creatures of Xanth; but, as with ogres, their brains were largely in their muscles, and they were cunning fighters. The dragon knew it could get nowhere unless it freed itself from its own bite, and knew that its own coils anchored the ogre in place so that he could put his clamp on that bite. By and by, it realized that if it released the ogre, the ogre would lack anchorage and could then be thrown off. So the dragon began laboriously uncoiling.
Smash held on, gasping more deeply as the constriction abated. His strategy was getting him free-but it would free the dragon, too. This fight was a long way from over!
At last the coils were gone. The dragon wrenched its forward section away-and Smash's lower hand slipped on the blood coating it, and he lost his hold.
Now they faced each other again, the dragon with bloodied jaw and little jets of purple goo spurting from the deep fang-holes in its body, the ogre panting heavily from sore ribs. On the surface Smash had had the better of this round, but inside he doubted it. His rib cage was made of ogre's bones; nevertheless, it was hurting. Something had been bent if not broken. He was no longer in top fighting condition.
The dragon evidently had found the ogre to be stiffer competition than anticipated. It made a feint at Smash, and Smash raised a fist. Then the dragon dived abruptly back, as if fleeing. Suspicious, Smash paused-then saw that the dragon was going after Fireoak the Hamadryad, who was still lying helplessly on the ground.
This was very bad form. It suggested that Smash was no longer worth noticing as an opponent. His temper heated and bent toward the snapping point.
Chem Centaur leaped to Fireoak's defense, intercepting the dragon before Smash reoriented. She reared, her forehooves flashing in the air, striking at the dragon's snout. But she could not hope to balk such a monster for long. The Siren and John were running up to help, but Smash knew they could only get themselves in trouble.
He grabbed the dragon's tail again, this time bracing himself firmly against the rocky ground so as not to be flipped over. The moving body took up the slack again with a heavy shock that transmitted straight to the ogre's braced feet. The feet plowed into the ground, throwing up wakes of dirt and stones, then driving down deeper. When the dragon finally halted, Smash was braced knee-deep at an angle in the ground. He was strong, but the dragon had mass that mere strength couldn't halt instantly.
The dragon's nose had stopped a short distance from the hamadryad. Infuriated at this balk, the creature turned again, lunging at the ogre.
Smash exploded out of the ground, kicking dirt in the dragon's snoot. He reached for the jaws, but this time the dragon was wise enough to keep its mouth shut; it wanted no more prying open! It drove at the
ogre with sealed jaws, trying to knock him down before taking a bite.
Smash boxed at the head, denting the metal scales here and there and rebloodying the smashed ear-socket, but could do no real damage. The dragon weaved and bobbed, presenting a tricky target, while gathering itself for some devastating strike.
The ogre looked toward the assembled girls. "Get away from here!" he bellowed. He wanted no more distractions from the main event; one of them was sure to get incidentally gobbled by the dragon.
From the other side Tandy called, "I've found a ledge! It's out of reach of the dragon! We can use the rope to climb to it while Smash destroys the dragon!"
She had boundless confidence in his prowess! Smash knew he was in the toughest encounter of his life.
But he could proceed with greater confidence the moment he knew the girls were safe. He looked where Tandy pointed and saw the ledge, about halfway up the steep slope. There was a pining tree on it, its mournful branches drooping greenly, the sad needles hanging down. They would be able to loop the rope about the trunk of this tree and haul themselves up to it.
Then the dragon, taking advantage of Smash's distraction, leaped at him. The ogre ducked, throwing up a fist in his standard defensive ploy, but the dragon's mass bore him down. The huge metal claws of the foremost set of feet raked at his belly, attempting to dismember him. Smash had to fall on his back to avoid them-and the weight of the dragon landed on him. Now the stubby legs reached out on either side, the claws clutching the earth, anchoring the long body. Smash was pinned.
He tried to get up, but lacked leverage. He reached out to grab a leg, but the dragon cunningly moved it out of reach. Meanwhile, the sinuous body was moving elsewhere along its line, bringing another set of legs to bear. These would soon attack the pinned ogre. It would be easy for these free claws to spear through his flesh repeatedly, and sooner or later they would puncture a vital organ.
But Smash had resources of his own. He reached up to embrace the serpentine segment. He was just able to complete the circuit, his fingers linking above it. Now he had his leverage. He squeezed.
Ogres were notorious for several things: the manner in which their teeth crunched bones into toothpicks, the way their fists pulverized rocks, and the power of their battle embrace. A rock-maple tree would have gasped under the pressure Smash now applied. So did the Gap Dragon. It let out a steam-whistle of anguish.
But its body was flexible and compressible. When it had been squeezed down to half its original diameter, Smash could force it no farther without taking a new grip-and the moment he released his present one, the body would spring out again. His compression was not enough. The dragon was in pain, but still able to function; now it was again bringing its other claws into play. That would be trouble, for the outsides of Smash's arms were exposed. They could be clawed to pieces.
He drew on another weapon-his teeth. They did not compare with those of the dragon, but they were formidable enough in their own fashion. He pretended the underbelly before him was a huge, tasty bone and started in.
The first chomp netted him only a mouthful of scales. He spit them out and bit again. This time he reached the underlayer of reptilian skin, still pretty tough, but no match for an ogre's teeth. He ripped out a section, exposing the muscular layer beneath. He sank his teeth into that.
Again the monster whistled with pain. It struggled to draw back-but Smash's embrace held it firm. The compression made it worse; the ogre's teeth could take in twice as much actual flesh with each bite.
The dragon's claws ripped out of the ground. It humped its midsection, lifting Smash into the air. The huge head swung around, blasting forth steam. Now the ogre had to let go, for the back of his neck could not withstand much steam-cooking. He dropped off, spitting out a muscle. It would have been nice to chew the thing up and swallow it, but he needed his teeth clear for business, not pleasure.
The dragon was doubly bloodied now, yet still full of fight. It snorted a voluminous and slightly blood-flecked cloud of steam, charged Smash-and sheered off at the last moment, leaving the
ogre smiting air with his fists. The serpentine torso whizzed by faster and faster, until the tail struck with a hard crack against Smash's chest.
It was quite a smack. Smash was rocked back. But his orange centaur jacket was made to protect him from physical attack and it withstood the lash of the sharp tail. Otherwise Smash could have been badly gashed, or even cut in half. The tail, at its extremity. Was long and thin, like a whip, with edges like a feathered blade. Smash wanted no more of that. He spied a boulder half buried in the ground. He ripped it from its mooring and hurled it at the dragon. The dragon dodged, but Smash threw another, and a third. Eventually he was bound to score, and the dragon knew it.
The dragon ducked behind a small ridge of rock and disappeared. Smash lobbed a boulder at it without effect. Cautiously he moved up and peered behind the ridge-and found nothing. The dragon was gone.
He bent to study the ground. Ah-there was a hole slanting down-a tunnel the diameter of the dragon. The monster had fled underground!
He dislodged a larger boulder and rolled it to cover the hole. That would seal in the' dragon, at least until Tandy and the others could vacate the Gap Chasm. It was too bad he hadn't been able to finish the fight, but it had been an excellent one, and such ironies did occur in the wilds of Xanth.
Then two sets of claws came down from behind him. The dragon had emerged from another hole and ambushed him from the rear! That was what came of getting careless in the enemy's home territory.
Smash tried to turn, but the claws landed on his shoulder and hauled him backward to the opening jaws.
This time he could not attack those jaws with his hands; he could not reach them. He was abruptly doomed.
Tandy appeared beside the boulder. "Look out, Smash!" she cried unnecessarily.
"Get away from here!" Smash shouted as he felt the dragon's steam on the back of his neck.
But Tandy's face was all twisted up in terror or horror or anger; her eyes were squeezed almost shut, and her body was stiff. She paid no attention to him. Then her arm moved as she threw something invisible.
Smash, realizing her intent almost too late, dropped to his knees, though the talons dug cruelly into his shoulder.
The tantrum brushed over his head, making his fur stand on end. The dragon caught the full brunt of it in the snoot and froze in place, half a jet of steam stuck in one nostril.
Smash turned and stood. The Gap Dragon's eyes were glazed. The monster had been stunned by the tantrum. "Quick, run!" Tandy cried. "It won't hold that dragon long!"
Run? That was hardly the way of an ogre! "You run; I shall bind the dragon."
"You lunkhead!" she protested. "Nothing will hold it long!"
Smash picked up the dragon's whiplike tail. He threaded the tip of it into the smash-ruined ear, through the head, and out the other ear, drawing a length of it through. Then he used a finger to poke a hole in the boulder, and a second hole angling in to meet the first inside the stone. He passed the tail tip in one hole and out the other, exactly as if this were another dragon-head. Then he fashioned an ogre hangknot and tied the tail to itself. "Now I'll go," he said, satisfied.
They walked to the cliff face. Behind them the Gap Dragon revived. It shook its head to clear itself of confusion-and discovered it was tied. It tried to draw back - and the tail pulled taut against the boulder.
"A little puzzle for the dragon," Smash explained. Privately, he was nettled because he had had to have help to nullify the monster; that was not an ogre's way. But the infernal common sense foisted on him by the Eye Queue reminded him that without an ogre the girls would have very little chance to survive and the hamadryad's tree would be cut down. So he beat down his stupid pride and proceeded to the next challenge.
Chem, John, Fireoak, and the Siren rested on the ledge. The rope dangled down carelessly.
"All right, girls, it's over," Tandy called. "Ready for us to come up?"
No one answered. It was as if they were asleep.
"Hey, wake up!" Tandy cried, irritated. "We have to be on our way, and there's a long climb ahead!"
The Siren stirred. "What does it matter?" she asked dolefully.
Smash and Tandy exchanged glances, one cute girl glance for one brute ogre glance. What was this?
"Are you all right. Siren?" Smash called.
The Siren got to her feet, standing precariously near the edge of the ledge. "I'm so sad," she said, wiping a tear, "Life has no joy."
"No joy?" Tandy asked, bewildered. "Smash tied the dragon. We can go on now. That's wonderful!"
"That's nothing," the Siren said. "I will end it all." And she stepped off the ledge.
Tandy screamed. Smash leaped to catch the Siren. Fortunately, she was coming right toward him; all he had to do was intercept her fall and swing her about and set her safely on her feet.
"She tried to kill herself!" Tandy cried, appalled.
Something was definitely wrong. Smash looked up at the pining tree. The other three sat drooping, like the tree itself.
Then he caught on. "The pining tree! It makes people pine!"
"Oh, no!" Tandy lamented. "They've been there too long, getting sadder and sadder. Now they're suicidal!"
"We must get them down from there," Smash said.
The Siren stirred. "Oh, my-I was so sad!"
"You were near the pining tree," Tandy informed her. "We didn't realize what it did."
The Siren mopped up her tear-stained face. "So that was it! That's a crying shame."
"I'll climb up and carry them down," Smash said.
"Then you'll get sad," Tandy said. "We don't need a suicidal ogre failing on our heads."
"It does take a while for full effect," the Siren said. "The longer I sat, the sadder I got. It didn't strike all at once."
"That's our answer," Tandy said. "I'll go up and push people off the ledge, and Smash can catch them.
Quickly, before I get too sad myself."
"What about Chem?" the Siren asked. "She's too heavy for Smash to catch safely."
"We'll have to lower her on the rope."
They decided to try it. Tandy climbed the rope, picked up the weeping John, and threw her down. Smash caught the fairy with one hand, avoiding contact with her delicate wings. Then Tandy pushed Fireoak on the ledge. Finally she tied the end of the rope about the centaur's waist, passed the rope behind the tree, and forced her to back down while Smash played out the other end of the rope gradually. It was slow, but it worked.
Except for one thing. Tandy remained beside the tree, since the rope was now taken up by the centaur, and the tree was getting to her. She wandered precariously near the edge, her tears flowing. Then she stepped off.
If Smash moved to catch her, he would let Chem fall. If he did not -
He figured it out physically before solving it mentally. He held the rope in his right hand while jumping and reaching out with his left hand. He caught Tandy by her small waist and drew her in to his furry body without letting Chem slip.
Tandy buried her face in his pelt and cried with abandon. He knew it was only the effect of the pining tree, but he felt sorry for her misery. All he could do was hold her.
"That was a nice maneuver, Smash," the Siren said, coming up to take the girl from his arm.
"I couldn't let her fall," he said gruffly.
"Of course you couldn't." But the Siren seemed thoughtful. It was as if she understood something he didn't.
Now they were all down and safe-but unfortunately at the bottom of the Gap Chasm. The Gap Dragon was still twitching, trying to discover a way to free itself without pulling out either its brains or its tail.
Which was more important wasn't clear.
John revived. "Oh, my, that was awful!" she exclaimed. "Now I feel so much better, I could just fly!"
And she took off, flying in a loop.
"Well, she can get out of the chasm," the Siren said.
Smash looked at the fairy, and at the dragon, and at the pining tree. There was a small ironwoo
d tree splitting the difference between the pining tree and the top of the cliff wall. He had an idea. "John, can you fly to the top of the chasm carrying the rope?"
The fairy looked at the rope. "Way too heavy for me."
"Could you catch it and hold it if I hurl the end up to you?"
She inspected it again. "Maybe, if I had something to anchor me," she said doubtfully. "I'm not very strong."
"That ironwood tree."
"I could try."
Smash tied an end of the rope to a rock, then hurled the rock up past the ironwood tree. John flew up and held the rope at the tree. Now Smash walked over to the Gap Dragon, which was still trying to free itself from the boulder without hurting its head or its tail in the process. Smash knocked it on the head with a fist, and it quieted down; the dragon was no longer in fighting condition and couldn't roll with the punch.
Smash untied the tail, disconnected it from the boulder, unthreaded the head, and tied the tip of the tail to the nether end of the rope. Then he dragged the inert dragon to the base of the chasm wall and placed its tail so that it reached well up toward the top.
"Now drop that stone." he called.
The fairy did so. The rock pulled the slack rope up and around the ironwood trunk. When it began to draw on the dragon's tail, the weight of the rope wasn't enough. The fairy flew down and sat on the rock, adding weight, and it dropped down farther. Finally Smash was able to jump and catch hold of it.
John flew back to the ground while Smash hauled the dragon up by the tail. But soon the weight was too much; instead of hauling the dragon up. Smash found himself dangling. This was a matter of mass, not strength.
"We can solve that," Chem said, shaking off her remaining melancholy. She had received a worse dose of pining than the others, perhaps because of her size and because she had been closest to the tree. "Use the boulder for ballast."
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