“Oh, yes,” Prince Midge nodded vigorously. “It is clutched in his claws. That might have been the only thing that saved you. Gorga could not use both hands to attack you, or he would have had to drop the gem.”
“At least he hasn’t destroyed it or given it to Sarac,” sighed Arik. “I guess he has to land sometime. I will just wait until he does.”
“Maybe I can get him to land,” brightened the fairy. “Let me try.”
Prince Midge released his hold on the tunic and leaped into the air. His little wings beat frantically as he slowly moved forward towards the dragon’s head. Gorga must have sensed something because dark curls of smoke began emanating from his nostrils. Prince Midge moved closer to the dragon’s head, but stayed well above his mouth. As the fairy moved past the side of Gorga’s head, he saw an arrow shaft protruding from the dragon’s face. With a burst of energy, Prince Midge darted towards it and grabbed onto it. The arrow was stuck in Gorga’s eye, and the dragon screamed when Prince Midge grabbed it.
Gorga faltered momentarily in flight and then immediately dived straight towards the ground. His speed was impressive as both King Arik and Prince Midge hung on for their lives. As the ground hurtled towards them, King Arik felt his stomach churning. Soon the trees of the forest were growing larger at an alarming rate. Prince Midge had his first inkling of trouble when Gorga’s eyelid snapped shut around the shaft of the arrow. The dragon swooped into a large clearing and leveled off just before hitting the ground. King Arik’s body smashed into the armored scales on Gorga’s back, and Prince Midge fought to keep his grip on the shaft of the arrow.
As Gorga flew across the clearing towards the forest, Prince Midge cringed and shut his own eyes. Soaring along a wide trail under the forest canopy, Gorga rose incrementally until tree branches started snapping from contact with his head. Understanding that the dragon intended to sweep King Arik off his back by colliding with trees, Prince Midge used all his might in an attempt to twist the shaft of the arrow. Gorga screamed and shot straight upward.
Tree branches snapped and scrapped all along the dragon’s body as he shot skyward. Gorga furiously snapped his head from side to side as he powered upward. A small branch slapped into Gorga’s face. As it swept across his face, it sheared the arrow shaft in two. Prince Midge and the shaft tumbled towards the ground as Gorga broke through the canopy and flew towards the rising moon.
King Arik winced from the multitude of small bruises. He reached between his body and Gorga’s and grabbed at a collection of leaves and twigs. He tossed them into the wind. Gorga rose high into the sky before leveling off. His body twisted and turned in an attempt to dislodge the human from his back, but he eventually gave up.
The king felt despair as he gazed down and watched the city of Tagaret pass by below. From the great height that Gorga was flying, Tagaret appeared very small. Arik tightened his grip on the dragon’s scales. Soon Tagaret passed out of sight, and the deep blue water of the Sordoa Sea appeared. Despite his fear, Arik marveled at the view. The Channel Islands passed underneath and the Pebble Islands grew larger as Gorga altered his course slightly. Far in the distance, King Arik could see the huge island of Grakus with its towering mountain cap. He could also see the Darkness spread out before him, hanging like a dark thundercloud that engulfed the horizon.
Suddenly, King Arik heard the dragon cackle. There was just time for Arik to wonder what thought had passed through Gorga’s mind, before the dragon banked into a steep dive. The cold wind tore at King Arik as the dragon hurtled downward. The surface of the sea came closer at a dizzying pace, and the king tried to find the island that the dragon was heading for. As frantically as he looked, Arik could not find the dragon’s destination, but Gorga did not appear to be thinking about leveling off.
With a shuddering impact, Gorga smashed into the surface of the sea. King Arik had only a second to gasp for breath before he was submerged under the swells. Gorga continued to dive downward. Arik felt as if a giant hand was squeezing him, and his head began to swim dizzyingly. Understanding what the dragon was attempting to do, King Arik blindly reached for his knife. He groped around until he found the rope securing him to the dragon. Lightheadedness slowed his movements as he tried to saw through the restraining rope. His lungs grew taught as the rope finally separated and his body floated away from the still descending dragon.
King Arik dropped the knife and clawed at the water as he tried to rise to the surface. His lungs felt like they were going to burst, and he began to worry if he would lose consciousness before he reached the surface. Finally, his head broke the surface of the sea. King Arik gasped for breath, and he opened his eyes. The swells around him appeared to move erratically, and the king shut his eyes again as he filled his lungs with fresh air. Slowly, Arik opened his eyes again and the swells came into focus properly.
The weight of Arik’s weapons and clothing wanted to drag the king back into the depths of the sea. He moved his hands and feet constantly to keep himself afloat while he wondered where Gorga had gone. Without warning, a giant claw wrapped around him and tore Arik from the sea. Fear ran through Arik’s wet body as he watched the swells grow distant below him. The king tried to wriggle out of the claw, but the dragon only tightened its grip. King Arik sighed with resignation that he might be the dragon’s next meal.
The air rushing past his wet body chilled King Arik to the bone. He shivered as he gazed down upon the swells. He was not sure how much time had passed, but Arik was brought back to his senses when he saw white sand below him. He tried to turn his head to see where he was, but the dragon had a solid grip on him. He could only see a small piece of the coast and an empty road running along it. Excitement rippled through his body as he realized that the dragon had brought him back to land. He smiled inwardly as he thought about how he was going to teach the dragon that it had just made a mistake. At least on land he had some chance of defending himself.
The dragon glided along the coast in what appeared to be a preparation for landing, and King Arik recognized the old shack that Captain Hill had deposited him at. He wondered if he could race to the forest before the dragon could eat him.
Moments later, the dragon touched down, its free claw snaring an old log and tossing it aside. King Arik’s first thought upon seeing the other claw was one of alarm; the Dragons’ Onyx was gone. The dragon raised Arik up to its head. The king’s body shook with fear as he gazed at the huge open mouth with mountains of jagged teeth. The air rushed past King Arik as the dragon laughed.
“You don’t look much like a king,” the dragon chuckled. “I wonder if you would taste like one?”
King Arik tore his eyes away from the huge mouth and stared at the dragon’s face. A puzzled frown fell over his face as he stared at the dragon.
“You are not Gorga,” Arik declared.
“Oh?” questioned the dragon. “You have seen one dragon, and now you are an expert on them? Tell me then, who am I?”
“I don’t know,” admitted Arik, “but why don’t you let me down, and we can discuss this. The dragons promised not to harm humans.”
“They did, did they?” glared the dragon. “I guess I missed that meeting. Besides, no other dragon tells me what to eat.”
“Do you know Gorga?” asked Arik as he tried another approach.
“All dragons know Gorga,” replied the dragon. “He is known as the Wrong One now. You should learn more about him before you decide that you are fierce enough to oppose him. If not for me, you would have been his meal for today. Of course, you don’t look like much of a meal.”
“I am not much of a meal,” King Arik readily agreed. “I should think a nice deer would be much more appetizing.”
“It probably would be at that,” replied the dragon. “I don’t suppose you happen to have one in your pack, do you?”
Arik frowned and shook his head. “A deer in my pack?” echoed the king. “You aren’t all that bright. How could I fit a deer in my pack?”
“I am not bright?” la
ughed the dragon. “Who is it that is just moments from my stomach? You should learn to be more courteous.”
“I am sorry,” apologized King Arik. “I guess that was not a proper thing to say. Why don’t we start all over again? I know where there are deer around here. I will go and get you one.”
“Your apology is accepted,” chuckled the dragon, “but I fear that you still think that I lack intelligence. I know exactly what you would do if I let you go. You would dash for the nearby woods as fast as your short puny legs would carry you. Am I right?”
King Arik sighed and nodded as he tried to figure out what the dragon was up to. It was obvious that the dragon wanted more than just a quick meal, or it would have eaten him already, but what else could it want?
“What if I gave you my word?” asked King Arik. “Would you believe me then?”
“Why should I?” asked the dragon.
“Because I really do know where the deer are around here,” replied the king. “I would much prefer to get a deer for you than to have you eat me. We would both get what we want. What do you have to lose?”
“You,” retorted the dragon. “I am quite capable of getting my own deer. In fact, all of this talk is making me hungry.”
“So you just plan to torture me a little more before you eat me?” scowled King Arik. “What have I ever done to you to deserve such a fate?”
“Oh, righteous indignation,” retorted the dragon. “Who says I have to have a reason to eat you? Were you not trying to kill a fellow dragon today in the mountains? Or was that some other puny king that I saw?”
“I had a reason for that,” King Arik tried to explain. “I am only doing what the other dragons told me to do. Why don’t you ask them?”
“Do you expect me to believe that the other dragons asked you to kill Gorga?” glared the dragon. “You really are getting tiring with all of these insults to my intelligence.”
“It is true,” sighed Arik. “Look, take me up in the mountains east of here, and I will prove it. They call me Dragon Heart. Does that mean anything to you?”
“Nope,” the dragon replied curtly.
“Well it is the truth,” King Arik shook his head. “There is a prophecy that says that I must kill the Wrong One to retrieve the Dragons’ Onyx. “
“And you planned to kill him by riding on his back?” laughed the dragon. “Now seriously, which one of us is not too bright? Any fool knows that you can’t kill a dragon through his back scales. It is impossible.”
“I wasn’t trying to kill through his back scales,” King Arik countered with exasperation. “I had already failed to kill him. He broke my sword in two. I was on his back because a friend told me that it was safe there.”
“He told you!” gasped the dragon. “How dare him tell others about that. I’ve a good mind to eat him the next time we meet.”
King Arik’s brow creased in surprise. “You know Alex Tork?” he asked the dragon. “What is your name anyway?”
The dragon stifled a pitiful whimper and then sighed.
“You are Wyka, aren’t you?” accused King Arik. “Alex said that you would help me, not eat me. Or torture me,” he added.
“I am helping you,” countered the dragon. “Didn’t I save you from drowning?”
“You did,” nodded the king, “but I am freezing cold and wet, and you are threatening to eat me. That does not sound much like help.”
“I didn’t really threaten to eat you,” defended the dragon as she turned her head and blew a stream of flame at the discarded log, igniting it. “I just said that you did not appear to be much of a meal. Your imagination supplied the rest.”
“All right,” sighed Arik. “I should have wondered how you knew I was a king. I guess my mind is not functioning too well. Please let me down.”
“You won’t run away?” asked the dragon.
“No,” replied Arik. “In fact, I need your help. I don’t know the first thing about killing dragons. I wished that I did not have to.”
“Well that is good,” replied Wyka as she set Arik on the ground. “I don’t particularly care to teach humans how to kill dragons either. There is just something about that that goes against my nature, especially when I now know that humans break confidences. Warm yourself by the fire.”
King Arik rushed to the burning log and luxuriated in its warmth. “How did you manage to find me in the middle of the sea?” he asked.
“I was following Gorga,” Wyka replied. “Alex and Jenneva explained what is going on. I verified it with the dragons here on Grakus before coming to find you. Your attack on Gorga was not well thought out.”
“I understand that now,” the king nodded. “I owe you a debt of gratitude, Wyka. I know that the rest of you dragons are afraid of him. It took a lot of courage to come help me.”
“Afraid of Gorga?” blustered Wyka. “Perhaps you mistake me for one of the children that reside on this island. I am afraid of nothing.”
King Arik smiled inwardly and nodded his head in mock understanding.
“You don’t believe me,” accused Wyka. “I will have you know that I have battled Gorga on many occasions. He has never beaten me.”
“Have you beaten him?” asked Arik.
“No,” sighed Wyka. “Gorga is very strong. In fact, he is much stronger than I am, but he is not as smart. It takes more than brawn to win a fight.”
“All of the other quests have required me to find something,” King Arik said after a long silent pause. “This one requires me to kill someone. I am not happy with that. Do you see any other way that I can get the Dragons’ Onyx?”
“You might be able to steal it from him,” mused Wyka, “but that will not fulfill the Dragon Prophecy. Show me the mark upon your breast.”
King Arik stripped off his weapons and his tunic. Wyka stared at the Breastplate of Alcea when it became visible. When Arik had stripped the breastplate off, Wyka bent her head low to stare at the mark on the king’s chest. She tilted her head every which way to get her eyes close to the mark.
“Your breath is getting me wet,” complained the king.
“Sorry,” apologized the dragon as she lifted her head away. “You should be relieved that it was just wet and not hot. That is a most interesting mark. How did you come by it?”
“It just appeared,” answered King Arik as he tried to dry his clothes over the fire. “Not all at once. It started out looking like a rash, but it quickly grew into what you see today.”
“It is a very handsome likeness,” Wyka nodded approvingly.
King Arik turned and stared at Wyka. Her body was a bright green, and her wings were black. Her eyes and tongue were a vivid red. He suddenly realized that she was the dragon that was emblazoned upon his chest.
“This is a likeness of you,” he said. “Isn’t it?”
“Not me specifically,” replied Wyka. “My colors are the colors of royalty, although those days are long gone to my people. We no longer have such a structured society. In fact, most of the dragons left alive do not even strike me as real dragons. If they were, we would not have need for a human to deal with the Wrong One.”
“And what does the color black mean?” asked the king. “Like Gorga?”
“Black was the color of the warrior class,” answered Gorga. “That is why they are all afraid to stand up to him. They are like a herd of deer, frozen at the first sign of danger. It saddens me. That is why I live in isolation. The dragons of old are no more.”
“That is sad,” nodded the king. “Can anything change it?”
“No,” Wyka answered sadly. “Dragons are strong and well protected, but we are not invincible. The peoples of the world reviled us, and they attacked us wherever we went. You must understand that it takes many years for a dragon to mature. When hunters killed our children, we did not reproduce fast enough to replace those lost in battle. Our race is dying.”
“It doesn’t have to be that way,” responded King Arik. “There must be some way to stop that fro
m happening.”
“If there is,” sighed Wyka, “we do not know of it. Put your clothes on. You cannot afford to sleep in the open tonight. Gorga will be looking for you.”
“Can’t you protect me?” asked Arik as he got dressed. “You said that you were not afraid of Gorga.”
“I can try to protect you,” answered the dragon, “but I will not kill Gorga for you. That is something that only Dragon Heart can do. It is a task that may very well end your quest to restore the Sword of Heavens. Are you sure that you wish to do this?”
“I have no choice,” replied King Arik. “The Sword of Heavens must be restored, and I am the one who must do it. How do I kill him?”
Wyka stared at the small human for a long time before answering. “Your kind are prone to telling tales to others,” she finally said. “I do not want this repeated to anyone. Can you live with those restrictions?”
“As I said,” nodded the king, “I have no choice. I swear that I will not reveal what you are about to tell me.”
“By the gods?” pushed Wyka.
King Arik’s brow wrinkled with thought. “I am not sure that I believe in the gods,” he answered. “I have not given a lot of thought to the subject, but you should be aware of my beliefs before you accept my swearing.”
“At least you are honest with me,” declared Wyka. “Many would have just agreed to my conditions and thought nothing about their deception. I will accept your honest word.”
“And I will keep it,” promised King Arik.
“Look closely,” instructed the dragon as she pointed to her breast. “This is where a dragon’s heart can be found. In almost all cases, you will notice a slight bulging of the scales. A dragon’s heart may increase in size two-fold at times. This usually results in a permanent bulge where it resides. The only way that you can pierce it is by shoving your sword up under the scales before plunging into the heart. Do not even think of piercing the scales or sliding your sword between scales. We have several layers of scales. You must slide your sword under them and then strike.”
“I understand,” nodded King Arik. “May I feel it?”
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