Dragon Hero

by C. L. Woodward

  Oh, crap! The way was blocked by a wooden fence. I stopped right at the fence and saw it was way too high for me to scale. There wasn’t anything else on my side to offer a way to climb above it. Before I could even think of anything, Torkuhl made his turn into the alley. A bead of cold sweat came down the side of my face. Torkuhl slowed his pace as he saw my cornered. He took several deep breaths and displayed a sadistic grin.

  “Looks like I have you where I want you, even secluded enough to have no one to meddle…” Torkuhl spoke. I pressed my back against the fence. This was not good! Torkuhl stood a fair distance; he lowered his head to point his horns straight at me. He made a few warm up drags with his right hoof and then charged at me!

  His head lowered to my height and he was coming at me way too fast. In a rush of fear and adrenaline I jumped to the side. The alley was so narrow and he was so huge, my body clipped his right shoulder really hard. I manage to avoid the horns, but it wouldn’t take a physics expert to know how much force something as massive as he was could do to me, even indirectly. A burst of pain shot toward my right shoulder and I soon found myself on the floor.

  A loud crashing sound filled the air as Torkuhl plowed right through the wooden fence and into other objects on the other side of it. I cringed at the pain and found my right arm limp and in pain. I laid there too stunned and too tired to move. When I regained my mind, I opened my eyes to see Torkuhl.

  Torkuhl stood up with a large piece of wood sticking out of one of his horns. Around him was a great deal of wood and glass debris. His head swayed a bit and he appeared to be out of it. The impact must have been hard on him as well. I quickly jumped to my feet and ran back through the alley. It might not take long for him to regain his conscious.

  I didn’t have much time. I glanced around the clearing and thought of the best thing to do…hide! I spotted a few empty barrels. There was no way I would be able to run through the maze of alleys as winded I was. My head was already buzzing from the pain in my right shoulder. I quickly knelt down and moved one of the empty barrels over me. It took a little work to fit the barrel all the way over me. A few seconds passed and I could hear the sound of hooves pounding the ground nearby.

  Two sounds stood out the loudest-Torkuhl’s hooves and my heart. I managed to hold my breath and tried my best to keep quiet and still. Please don’t find me… the sounds of his hooves were getting closer and the sound of my heart beating seemed to get louder. The pain in my shoulder was becoming too much to bear, but the fear of any further pain and the likelihood of death kept me going. I could hear Torkuhl grunting with frustration. The sound of his hooves sound became fainter and fainter and soon I heard nothing.

  I don’t know how long I waited inside that barrel. All I know is that I was in pain and losing feeling in my right arm. I hoped I hadn’t broken it or anything. After more than enough time, I slowly lifted the barrel and peeked out. No sign of Torkuhl. I sighed in relief. I had to find Jerak and get back…

  Walking back took a long time. For one thing, I got a little lost and felt a bit out of it. I kept looking out for Torkuhl or anyone that might be a Shaden. I eventually made it back to the tavern which was looking a bit more lively. I almost stepped on Jerak who was lying on the ground. I was seized with fear.

  “Jerak? Jerak!” I whispered loudly. Had Torkuhl come back seeking revenge on him when I eluded him? Jerak started to moan. I sighed in relief and helped him up. The effects of all the drinking had really taken its toll. He looked at me, “This sucks. Let us head back!” I chuckled and put my left arm around his shoulder.

  We made it back to the inn. I was a bit panicky at the idea that we might face Torkuhl at any moment and I really didn’t know my way back in the dark. Thankfully, we eventually made it back. Jerak only puked twice along the way. The inn was quiet and we walked in quietly. I plopped Jerak onto his cot and he happily fell asleep almost instantly. Teltar was still snoring without a care in the world. I slowly laid down on my cot and cringed a little from my wound. I thought about removing my shirt to take a look at it, but the thought of moving my arm seemed rather impossible.

  Even with the pain I was much too tired to stay awake anymore. I woke up early but was still too tired to move. My arm was feeling numb and as I sat up I could tell something was wrong. My arm dangled lifelessly. I lifted up my sleeve and saw that the shoulder was dislocated. I’d never had this happen to me but I’d heard about how painful it can be. Jerak was still passed out and Teltar was still sound asleep. I couldn’t leave my arm like this. I thought there might be a clinic or someone that could fix this.

  The sun wasn’t even up yet but I saw a few figures outside in the streets. Two dwarves were setting up the front of their shop. They gave me a polite wave and kept working. I took a deep breath and walked over. “Morning!” I greeted.

  They both nodded back, “Morning! You’re up early. Most humans normally get up in another hour or so.”

  I chuckled, “Ah, well… do you guys know of a clinic around these parts?”

  They glanced at each other. One of them tilted his head up, “You’re injured?” I slowly lifted up my sleeve.

  They both did a double take. One laughed a little, “Boy what happened to you?!”

  I laughed nervously, “Ah, I managed to dislocate it and need to see if I can get it popped back into place.”

  One shook his head but the other spoke, “I can pop it back in, had to do that for my friend once.” I didn’t know if I should be relieved or worried. He walked over to his shop and a few minutes later came back with a round piece of wood.

  “Here, bite onto this,” the dwarf ordered. This will hurt a bit!” I grabbed the piece of wood and turned my head so they couldn’t see my sharp teeth and clamped down. The dwarf carefully moved his hands around my arm and shoulder to get a feel of it. He whispered to himself, “One and a two…” My eyes went wide and I couldn’t describe the feeling. I clamped down on that piece of wood as hard as I could. I still think it wasn’t enough. My body almost gave out from the pain!

  “There you go! It might be a bit sore for a while, so take it easy!” the dwarf said cheerfully. I stood there in the shock of it all and, with my left hand, removed the piece of wood from my mouth. I had bitten almost all the way through it, and it was fairly thick.

  I held the piece of wood tightly and smiled, “Thank you so much. Is there anything I can do for you?” The dwarf smiled, “Naw! You just take it easy, alright?” I grinned but quickly made sure I was not displaying any of my teeth and walked back toward the inn. Man, did that hurt!

  Going to sleep was an easy task but sadly, it didn’t feel like I slept enough. Teltar woke us up and we reluctantly packed up and left. I was happy to leave Felmun and Torkuhl behind. I felt confident we wouldn’t see Torkuhl out on the open road. There was also the fact that I had Jerak sober and Teltar along to back me up. Jerak had no memory of the event and Teltar was asleep the whole time. I decided to not bother them about my arm.

  “I can’t wait to meet up with Bolam!” Jerak said cheerfully.

  Teltar let out a small yawn, “Who is Bolam?”

  Jerak smiled, “Oh, Bolam is this mage we know who might know where the other pieces of the dragon armor lie.”

  Teltar scratched his head, “I wish you luck with that. I have to meet with the dwarf guild in the city about the elves.” It seemed there was some drama between the elves and the dwarves.

  Jerak insisted of sparring but my left arm was still too messed up. Instead of explaining the encounter with Torkuhl, I just agree to spar with him but used just my right hand while he was game enough to do the same. I did better than I expected but still lost several matches. In a way, dueling and wielding weapons helped me feel better. Jerak still won, but it was actually fun despite him smacking my stick away with his buckler.

  The road towards Vunash always had some form of human civilization along the way. We camped at the outskirts of a farming community. There might have been an inn along the wa
y but our funds were tight and I was just happy to rest without worry of attack. There was another group of travelers that camped nearby but neither of us bothered to chat with the other. Sadly, we still had to keep watch, but I got the first watch which wasn’t so bad.

  It never felt like we got enough sleep, at least for me. I woke up tired and could easily have slept for a few more hours but we had to keep moving. Traveling on the road was pretty easy, just a bit boring. I whistled theme songs from my favorite video games and a movie or two. Eventually Jerak learned the tunes and joined in. Teltar hardly uttered a word. I often wondered if he managed to sleep as he walked.

  The sky was getting cloudy and the land was fairly flat with farmlands a short distance from the road. The river ran right by the main road, so it was no mystery why there were so many farmlands. My arm was feeling a bit better, still sore but at least when Jerak wanted to train me I could actually use both arms to spar. I figured he sparred with me so he could boost his own. Still, Jerak didn’t really rub in his victories and he tried to give me pointers. Tonight we didn’t take time to spar since Vunash was within reach.

  Vunash was lit up brightly against the night sky. The city walls were massive and gave the impression of a giant fortress more than a city. Inside, stood several buildings that towered over most of the houses and shops. I found it interesting that there still so many people outside at this hour. It made me curious as to what kind of night life this city had.

  “We should turn in the package so we can get some money in our pockets,” I insisted.

  Teltar nodded, “Sounds good. Do you know where it is?” I looked for the directions but Jerak must have carried them the whole time since he handed them to me.

  It took me awhile to understand what was written since I was not quite literate in their language. “I really don’t know where that place is,” I sighed.

  Jerak smiled, “Ah don’t worry, I know the way!”

  Jerak didn’t really know the way. After getting lost a few times, Teltar pointed out an inn to spend the night. “You two just meet me here. I am going to get some rest.” I laughed as I wished I could just ditch this errand and go get some sleep, too. After getting lost one more time I asked for directions to the place where we were supposed to make our delivery.

  We wound up at a large stone building with huge pillars draped with blue and white banners. I felt a bit ashamed of Jerak for not finding a place this big. I let out a big yawn and walked inside. The two guards who watched the door didn’t seem to care about who went in and out. It kind of made their job redundant.

  The main lobby of the building was spacious with a few scattered plants and a blue and white carpet lining the floor. There were several desks and there were people wandering around even at this time of night. I whispered to Jerak, “Um, do you know where we should go?”

  Jerak shrugged, “Nope.”

  I closed my eyes and sighed. Jerak tapped me on the shoulder, “Why don’t you ask someone?”

  I looked at him, “You can ask someone too.” Jerak laughed and took a step back. I just muttered to myself.

  I asked a man in upper class clothes and he shook his head. He pointed toward another random person, a dwarf with a monocle.He, too, shook his head and pointed to another. I had a feeling this might take longer than I hoped. I took a deep sigh and walked behind an old man in a fancy red robe. He turned around and we shared a lookof surprise. I spoke out, “Falstrid!”

  “Fancy seeing you here! So what brings you all this way? And at this hour?” Falstrid asked while giving a warm smile. I showed him the stuff that I needed to deliver. Falstrid looked down at the sealed letters and rubbed his beard, “Hmmm, I think I overheard the clerk at the far desk mentioning something like that.” He pointed toward a desk on the far wall. Jerak grabbed the sealed letters and took it over there. Falstrid turned his head toward me, “So how are things?”

  I let out a slight yawn as I was getting a bit tired. Before I could answer Falstrid’s question, a man in fancy clothing came walking toward us. He had blonde hair that was neat and trimmed and he held a smug look on his face. It took little time to see he was an elf. “Ah, Master Falstrid! I was looking for you,” the man spoke.

  Falstrid turned, “Oh yes, I assume that your meeting is over, Deshra?”

  The elf brushed off his shoulders as if he had dust on them, “Yes, the silly dwarves are still pointing their fingers.”

  Falstrid sighed, “I don’t know enough on the matter to take any sides.”

  Deshra shook his head, “I know you are friends with those brutes, but they are the ones accusing us of attacking their silly lumber camp.” Falstrid looked a bit offended by that but kept his mouth shut.

  I spoke, “Wait… I was there…”

  Deshra looked at me like I was some subhuman, “Oh? I heard they were bringing some riff raff with some evidence; don’t tell me you claim the elves were part of it.” I really didn’t like his tone.

  Falstrid looked toward me, “You were there?”

  I nodded, “My two friends and I fought the choguls and caught a glimpse of the leader involved. He shot an arrow at me.”

  Deshra chuckled, “If it that were true then that arrow would have stuck into you.” I sighed, “It hit my helmet but bounced off.”

  I continued, “My friend Teltar has the arrow with him, but he isn’t coming here until morning, I think.”

  Deshra shook his head and expelled a short “Ha!”

  Jerak walked back in, “Hey Blake, I got our payment…” Jerak looked at Deshra and Falstrid.

  Deshra raised an eye brow, “Is this one of your silly friends who claims to have seen something?”

  I looked at Jerak, “Yeah, he was there.” Jerak looked at us and appeared really lost.

  Jerak finally figured out what we were talking about, “Oh! You mean the lumber camp! Yeah the arrow bounced off of Blake’s head!”

  Falstrid looked at him then at me, “I am surprised that it didn’t pierce through.”

  Jerak smiled, “Oh Blake has that one helmet… oops.” I sighed and just stared at Jerak. Falstrid looked a bit curious, “What helmet, Blake?”

  I sighed, “Uh… the dragon helmet…” Falstrid’s eyes went wide.

  I carefully opened my pack and moved a few things around so he could see it without having to take it out. Even the smug Deshra looked surprised. Falstrid took a few deep breaths, “And you actually wore it…”

  I nodded at him, “Yeah…” Falstrid took out his glasses and wiped them on his robe, “In most cases I would think this was some form of joke but knowing what you are capable of…”

  Jerak grinned and spoke in an excited tone, “He and I are going to collect all of the armor!”

  Falstid sighed, “That is dangerous.”

  Jerak grinned again, “Not for heroes like us!” I just smiled and felt that Jerak’s confidence was rubbing off.

  Deshra started to chuckle to himself. We all turned toward him. He put his hand to his face and laughed in a mocking tone, “I doubt you would be able to get the boots from my people!”

  Jerak shrugged, “Why not?” Deshra looked at him and thought Jerak wasn’t worthy to be answered. I was seriously getting sick of this guy’s attitude. I thought about the dragon deity selecting me. Considering what he had done to me… I really had no choice.

  “I will find a way to get them” I said. Deshra stared at me and I stared right back at him. Normally, I wouldn’t be acting so defiantly but this guy was just some smug pansy.

  He finally spoke and shrugged with a smile, “If you really think you can…” He thought for a bit. Falstrid was staring into the back pack at the helmet. He was too fascinated with it to even join this conversation. Deshra shook his head, “If you two humans are so determined to on ask my people for the dragon boots, then come back here with your friend and I will personally give you passes to Celvanis.”

  Falstrid cleared his throat and stood back up, “Blake… this is quite interesti
ng… I don’t know what peril you will face, but this might be something Ayjestus would say is your destiny.”

  Jerak picked at his ear with his pinky, “Ayjestus? I think I’ve heard of her… isn’t she one of those people?”

  Falstrid looked at him and back at me, “She believes that you were put here for a purpose. Perhaps this is what you are supposed to do.” Deshra shook his head and walked off. He didn’t appear to believe any of this.

  Falstrid let out a yawn, “Oh, dear… it is getting too late for this old man.” He walked over to me and put a hand on my shoulder, “I wish you the best of luck and hope we will see each other again.”

  I smiled, “The same to you Falstrid.”

  Jerak nodded, “Yeah, nice seeing you.” Falstrid walked toward the main doors. Jerak and I stood there, watching him walk away. Jerak scratched his head, “Um, who is that old man, anyway?” I just laughed.

  That job didn’t pay very , but at least it would buy enough food for a good while. I was feeling really tired by the time we reached the inn. Teltar was, of course, sound asleep. I laid in my bed and began to wonder. How hard would it be to get the other piece of the armor from the elves? Would the Dragon Spirit help me in doing so? I wondered if we could find Bolam in this city. It would be nice to see him again. I hoped hewould offer to help or even join us. That would be great. My eye lids started to get really heavy so I set aside my thoughts for the night and went to sleep.

  Jerak woke me up in the morning. “Hey, let’s go find Bolam!” he said in a hyper tone. I just groaned and stared at him. My brain was still asleep and my body really didn’t want to get up. Jerak grabbed my arm and pulled me up, “Hey, come now! We’ve got an epic quest to go on!” I preferred to sleep in.

  Jerak dragged me out of bed and forced me to get ready to go wander the streets with him. Teltar was also getting ready, but he was heading to the counsel house or whatever it was called to present evidence on behalf of the dwarves. I thought we should go with him but Jerak was bent on finding Bolam now. Perhaps we would meet up with Teltar afterwards.