The Great Losing: The Mad Dragon King (The World of Shestafa )

by Karine Green

  "I have a son and daughter?" he asked. He didn't take his eyes off of Wren and Shway. "They are beautiful."

  "Would you mind coming out into the circle of fire? Our riders are shivering," Mack asked, glancing over at Misty, Suki, and Zeke.

  "Of course," Arlen said, leading the way out with Wren bouncing happily on his father's neck. "What happened to Rini?" He paused when he saw the look on Mack's face. "Never mind, don't tell me in front of the pups."

  They settled into the warmth of the fire circle and took the saddles off for the evening.

  "How does it stay burning like this?" Arlen asked, returning Wren and Shway's numerous head-butts.

  "It burns for a very long time and is very difficult for anyone other than a Fire Dragon to put out. We like it warm. This is freezing for me," Méi said, sitting close enough to Mack for their hindquarters to touch. She shivered. He moved to sit behind her, covering her up with his body and enclosing his wings around her. She smiled and leaned back into him.

  They talked and played with the pups until they finally fell asleep at Arlen's feet. Méi heated their blankets and covered them up. At first, Arlen objected, but Méi pointed out that his pups were also of Earth and Fire, so their tolerance to the ice wouldn't be as high as Arlen's would be.

  Dunia smiled. "So, how did it happen for you? I was leaving the gym, opened the door, and was in this world. That was last year."

  Mack smirked, "I got left in the forest."

  Arlen frowned. "I think I was dying? These three guys were beating me up. I woke up when the Mad Dragon King's guards found me. They belted my snout shut. That was when I realized I wasn't me anymore. They kept bringing me females to breed with, but I refused them. Then they brought Rini. Both the Mad King and Red Wizard said if I didn't want to mate with her he would have her killed and force fed to the other dragons. So...I..."

  "Did what you had to save her life," Dunia said. “Arlen, no one blames you for that.”

  Arlen nodded, then shook his head. "I helped both Rini and Sarnia escape," Arlen said, looking lost. "Rini was so incredible. I bit the other guards to death and ran away. I flew Rini to safety, and she nipped my paw, but I didn't know what that meant. I went back to Sarnia, who offered the most intense freebie I ever had, and things went downhill from there. Anyway, we made it to safety, but Sarnia left the next morning. Rini and I lived happily. When the main attack happened. I flew Rini to safety, and went back to help the villagers, but when I returned for her she was gone. I couldn't find her anywhere..." His voice became strained as he looked down at a sleeping Wren.

  "You didn't like her. You loved her. Rini was your mate, not just a romp in the woods," Méi said giving him a sympathetic look.

  Mack was feeling better about the whole situation. He wasn't as big a player as Sarnia made him out to be. He loved them, and he loved the pups. He had a light in his eyes that had not been there when he’d first picked up his head to look at them.

  "I fell for her instantly. She made it bearable to be a dragon. Both she and Sarnia seemed as interested in me as I was in them. Rini had these very dark gray stripes that ran down her back. Man, they were as attractive as Lynn Wendell's curly blond hair back in seventh grade. Sarnia has these super dark brown stripes, and a fiery independent personality. I had the same problem with human girls. I couldn't seem to resist them; they are all so attractive. Does that make me a bad person...a bad dragon?"

  Mack shrugged. "The human girls I knew weren't interested in me. But, here I seem to get more interest than I want." Secretly, he hoped that Arlen would take some of the interest off of him. Because he didn't have the problem of ‘oh-they-are-all-so-attractive’. He just wanted Méi.

  "You’re the only one I am interested in," Méi said, rubbing his cheek on Mack’s.

  Arlen smiled, as he noticed Dunia's stripes. He looked over at Méi's stripes.

  Mack growled, then stifled himself. "Méi is my mate. She is the mother of my eggs. She is not available for stripe ogling."

  "Sorry," Arlen said, looking at the ground.

  "I don't have a mate." Dunia walked in front of him. "The dragon runway is open, ogle away."

  They all laughed, but Mack noticed Arlen's eyes tracing Dunia's stripes with more than a little bit of interest. He was a player, and that alone would get Terra and LeVa's attention off of him for good.

  Mack showed Arlen the historical scrolls and updated him on the happenings in Blue Valley and the Dragon's Ridge region. He glanced down at Wren and Shway. They were curled up sleeping at Arlen's front paws. He smiled, thankful that Arlen seemed just as enthralled with them. He was also grateful that he would have his own pups sleeping at his paws soon enough. He could hardly wait to meet them. If there was one thing he loved about this world, it was dragon pups.

  Suki leaned on Méi as she asked Arlen a question: "I am surprised they didn't try to saddle you, both the Mad King and the South Dragons Ridge Villagers."

  "The villagers tried, but that is when I bit one of them who tried to approach me with a whip. I think that one lost his arm. That's when I realized I like raw meat better than cooked meat." He frowned deeply. "It was really quite horrifying. He tried to whip her into taking a rider, and I lost it. I can barely even remember the incident except to say that Hell would have frozen over before I let him beat her. The Mad King never even mentioned riders. He is super nuts. He just wanted to play with the pups. That Brown Bitch and Red Bastard ran everything."

  Mack made a face, as did Dunia. Méi seemed untroubled by the revelation of not being too upset about eating humans. Mack said, "How do the humans stand us, no wonder the Mad King took over. From now on, no more eating humans. If you have a beef with them, we'll establish a court system to deal with it."

  "That's why Luca was so upset at the way that knight approached Dunia. He was afraid she would eat him," Suki said.

  "Arlen," Mack said, "We must maintain peace with the humans, in particular, the ones who are our allies. We cannot eat humans, not under any circumstances. Bite them in self-defense, if you have to, but never eat them."

  "They were trying to put something on my back, I wasn't going to be chained again. It was a knee-jerk reaction. The second one tried to whip me with a horse whip." Arlen snorted ice shards. "I wasn't going to have that. I bit his leg, but the whole thing came off. He tried to use a bow on me, but one of the other knights stopped him."

  "So, we aren't talking about just one or two people here," Mack said, frowning. “We are talking about a trend…”

  Méi smiled. "I almost charred a human boy who tried to saddle me, but Suki saved him. I was like you, I thought it was degrading, but it isn't. You can watch us; over time you will see."

  "It's true," Mack said. "But then I was fortunate enough to find a competent rider almost immediately, so I don't really know what it’s like not to have one."

  "No one is saddling me, or my children," Arlen said calmly. He looked down at Wren and Shway sleeping. "Do you have any idea how much pressure a dragon bite has? No one will do to them what was done to me and their mothers. They are amazing and they deserve to be free." He smiled, followed by a look of horror. "I have a daughter. Oh, my, I will have to fight off other dragons who come sniffing around her aren't I? What if she meets some strange dragon who acts like me?"

  Dunia, Suki, and Misty all smirked.

  Mack drew in a breath. "Me too, I could have a daughter. Or even two daughters. Maybe we can train our son to be a proper mate to your daughter so we won't have to fight off strange dragons?"

  "Good Idea," Arlen said, now pawing at his face. "I am smiling. I have a family, and I am happy about it."

  Méi lifted her head from the bed Makani had trampled for her, "Your daughters are also going to be my daughters, do you think for one-minute I am going to raise them to choose saps as mates? And, Arlen, once you meet your sisters-in-law you will stop worrying about your daughter's future mates, and worry more for them. Trust me, they have no issues expressing who they w
ant for a mate."

  Mack offered a weak smile and a half shrug.

  Méi snorted. "Go to sleep, both of you. We have a long flight in the morning, and battle plans to make."

  "I miss you, Rini. I will miss you forever," Arlen whispered as he lay down.

  Mack heard Arlen but did an extra two rounds as he trampled his bed to pretend he hadn’t heard Arlen's whisper. He laid down next to Méi. He would be beyond devastated if anything ever happened to her. He needed to formulate a plan to keep her out of the impending battle.

  The Alignment of Four

  Three days later, Arlen figured they were less than a half a day's flight from South Dragons Ridge. They stopped by a secluded lake where he and Mack showed Wren and Shway how to fish. Their flying was getting stronger. He had fun teaching them how to dive bomb guppies.

  “Ha.” Arlen smiled. “Mountain Dragons have nothing on me when it comes to fishing.”

  “Water Dragons Rule, Pa,” Shway said, wagging her tail as she tossed a small fish into the air and gulped it. She ate four or five more, then walked over to lay next to Dunia.

  Wren would pop high out of the water with a little fish in his mouth time after time. Arlen smiled at his son, he was more comfortable with water than his mother was. He would see to it that Rini’s vision for Wren would be realized; he would have a good home, a great education, and be a great citizen.

  "If he overeats, he's riding with one of you two," Méi said, pointing at Mack and Arlen with her tail.

  “He is just playing,” Arlen said, watching Wren.

  Mack nodded.

  Dunia smiled, also watching Wren. “She is just concerned you are overfeeding him. You know, he seems to be bigger than he was yesterday.”

  Zeke nodded. “Dragon hatchlings grow really fast,” he said, smiling at Misty, instead of watching the pups play. “He’ll slow down after the first six months.”

  Dunia smiled, at Misty and Zeke, as she got up and walked over to Méi “How are you doing, how are your eggs?”

  “I am good. The shells have already hardened.” She smiled with a joy on her face that reminded Arlen of Rini. It would only be a week max before the Queen had two of her own fast-growing, dragons in her pouch. He couldn’t wait for Wren and Shway to meet and play with them.

  Dunia smiled. “I can’t wait for things to settle down so we can begin living our lives.”

  “Yes,” Méi said, nodding. “I have missed out on everything. I can’t wait for my pups to be bored in their own backyard, without having to constantly watch for hunters.”

  Arlen nodded. “I have forgotten what it’s like to be bored. I can’t wait to revisit it.”

  Dunia smiled. “I can’t wait to be remembered. What a nightmare that was…being constantly forgotten…”

  “I know that’s true,” Mack said, pointing with his front paw.

  “If something happens to Mack and me, you can’t let the White Witch take our pups to the other realm. Take them to Blue’s cabin and train them to be dragons,” Méi said to Dunia.

  “Of course,” Dunia nodded. “I will hide them, and keep them safe. But, we will win because the four elements are all aligned. You’ll be around long enough to enjoy your great-grandpups.”

  Wren swam to the shore, looking very tired. He ran up to Méi, and tried for the third time this morning, to get in her pouch. "Won't hurt. Please, Auntie."

  Méi smiled at him, licking his forehead. "Alright, you have been very gentle with them, so keep them warm by curling up and taking a nap around them."

  He nodded with eyes half-closed as he climbed in.

  Mack raised his brow ridge in curiosity.

  "What...you two just encouraged him to gorge on fish. Pouch travel will keep his stomach calm during the flight. Besides, the eggshells have hardened. He couldn't scratch them open right now if he wanted to."

  Mack nodded. "Do you think we should have a plan for arrival?"

  "Yes," Misty said, "The Mad King could be up to anything."

  "I think Méi should hold back with the pups," Arlen said. “I am now glad Wren pouched himself. I wish Shway could hide too.”

  "I am capable..." Méi objected.

  "Yes, we know you are capable of keeping the eggs and pups safe. We absolutely cannot risk them, not for any reason." Mack said, "And, you have the best archer. She can snipe anyone coming from far away. I am so glad you agree that someone fierce needs to guard the pups."

  "Whew, I too, am relieved you agree with us. We were worried," Arlen said trying to sound relieved and not condescending. After all, it was his pup's safety too not just Mack's eggs.

  Mei offered a low growl, “You both are lucky Wren is sleeping,” then she took a bite out of the deer Mack had brought her earlier.

  ~~~

  Three hours later they dropped Méi, Suki, and Shway off at a high cave. They prepared to head on to South Dragons Ridge.

  Mack sighed. "Méi, if all is well, I will immediately return for you. If I do not return before morning, head back to Blue Valley and help the White Witch come up with a plan to save the pups -- one that doesn't involve sending them to another realm. They are to be raised in their own land as dragons, not human beings on foreign soil."

  "I won't let her send them away," Méi said, with a tone that left no doubt the White Witch would have a matching bite scar if she tried to move the pups.

  Mack head-butted her. "I love you. I'll be back. It's probably okay."

  Dunia nodded. “I am sure too, we just need to take extra precautions with the pups being so little."

  Arlen said good-bye to Wren and Shway. "Pa, no!" They both clung to his forelegs yelping and whining.

  It broke Mack’s heart to hear them cry for him. What would he do if his pups did that? He would cave, and stay with them. He was going to be a push over; he could feel it already.

  Arlen licked Shway's head. "I have to make sure your future home is safe for you, Wren and your mother."

  "We better get in the air; the sooner we leave the sooner we'll get Arlen back to Wren and Shway." Dunia walked toward the cave entrance, with Zeke already in place to fly.

  “Yes,” Mack said, feeling Misty shift in the saddle. “Let’s go.”

  They headed toward South Dragons Ridge.

  Less than an hour later Mack knew he had made the right decision as smoke rose in the distance.

  “Is that dark rain clouds, or smoke over the village,” Misty asked.

  "They're under attack," Arlen said, as his eyes widened. "I have to get to them! They saved me and I ran away. Now they are under attack. They have Sarnia." He flew faster.

  Mack easily matched Arlen’s pace, and even surpassed him a little bit. "Dunia, you head in low through the wooded area. Get behind an enemy without them seeing you. Then liquefy the ground beneath them," he said. "Zeke, you keep the arrows off her, be the eyes in the back of her head."

  Zeke nodded as Dunia broke off, and dove into the trees. As an Earth Dragon, flying in the trees was no problem. It was just a matter of Zeke staying low enough to avoid being knocked out by branches. This was where his upper body strength came in; holding tight and close to the reins which should keep him safely up under her horns.

  "Can you make ice?" Mack asked, remembering Arlen’s little ice shards from the other night.

  "Yes. Nice little crossbow-arrow-like shards of it."

  "We're going to fly in over the enemy. You make ice, and I'll blow your shards of ice into them with my winds.

  "Awesome!" Arlen said, with more than a little bit of enthusiasm. “Snack time.”

  "Ready, Misty," Mack asked, still worried about Arlen’s hatred of humans. Hopefully, it would not become an issue.

  "Drawn and ready, Mack," Misty said; he could feel her mount the crossbow.

  "Do we have a Molotov left,” he asked.

  "Two," she said, patting his neck twice in case he couldn't hear her.

  "Keep them handy."

  "You know it," she said.


  Arlen stayed focused on the village. “I need to make South Dragons Ridge a safe place for my family. I need to take my place here as the Water Minister and stop fooling around.”

  “We all do, Arlen, we all do,” Misty said.

  "I'll come straight over the group right there," Mack pointed to a group of enemy troops advancing from the North, there were only about fifty of them. "You fly in crosswise, and use your dragon's breath."

  Arlen nodded and pulled off to the right to swoop back around. “This is going to be awesome.”

  Mack looked down at the troops. Not one of them had noticed the danger from above. He lined up and came in straight as Arlen came in fast from the right. Shards of long arrow-like icicles spewed forward. He blew his dragon's breath and the shards spread out then curved back in line with his approach. The shards spread out and would hit the troops evenly front to back, instead of just the front rows of troops. He blew them again, this time with all his might. The roar caught everyone's attention, but it was too late. The shards impaled and wiped out the branch attacking from the North. The Village was no longer surrounded. They had an escape route, but Mack doubted they would need it.

  “Misty, this attack looked sloppy. Something isn't right about it,” Mack said feeling anxious. Something in the air smelled wrong.

  "We shouldn't tell the villagers about them. I could use a snack later," Arlen said pointing with his tail.

  "Arlen! No eating humans, not even the dead of the enemy."

  Arlen frowned. “That’s good meat going to waste."

  "Arlen, really dude? You grew up in a society that would seriously frown on that."

  "They don't seem to mind here.?" Arlen said, swooping in to fly next to Mack who was still frowning. "All right, all right, I won't eat them. What’s next?"

  Mack scoffed before saying, "We'll talk about their perceived acceptance of that later. What's next...," he said, using his snout to point toward a group of enemy Stone Dragons and knights. "...is a demonstration of the necessity of having a rider. Misty, get a Molotov ready, see that group?" He pointed with his snout toward the ground. Several South Dragons Ridge knights on Stone Dragons were losing to enemy knights also on Stone Dragons. He veered off toward them. "Light one, and throw it down when I say when, keep your bow handy."