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

by Karine Green

  She sat down on her hind quarters huffing little sparks.

  Suki patted the bridle. "Méi, we have to keep the village young safe, or there is no reason for Mack to pursue this course of action."

  Mack smiled, brushing her cheek, ignoring the fact that she had just stiff-necked him. "Méi," he said, quietly. "Your military plan to secure the village young is brilliant. No one who can't fly can get in or out of the Fire Dragon’s lava circle. And-the Mad King can’t fly.”

  Silence, followed by her stiff-necked stare.

  “It is the area to keep those who cannot fight as safe as we can during an invasion. It was you who suggested that one of the Air Dragon mothers stand by to blow on the lava and cause it to flame up if the enemy should approach. This will engulf them in a hurricane of fire and brimstone while giving the young a chance to escape. It was Suki's idea to have their riders placed in sniper towers hidden in the woods. Half of the Mountain and Stone Dragon’s combat team will be placed to the south to keep the backside of what is now called the Youth's Sanctuary covered from both the ground and the air, and keep the escape path secured. You and Suki did a brilliant job. Now, I have to back up Arlen on this speech, so if you would get up off my back I would really appreciate it."

  She stared at the ground, then brushed her cheek on him. "I am sorry. I understand." She sighed. "I was so into seeking revenge on those who took so much from me defeated that I lost focus on justice; for a moment."

  He nestled his face into her neck. "Come sit with me while Arlen finishes up.” He led her out to the platform where Arlen was addressing the crowd. She smiled, nodded, and sat next to him with her hindquarters touching him. He leaned on her and then refocused on Arlen

  Arlen stood squarely with all four paws planted firmly on the stage. "There are two parts," he said raising his voice so everyone could hear him. "Offensive and invasive." He went over the initial part of the offensive plan. Operation Katrina was so impressive that the remaining Air and Water Dragons volunteered for it without being asked.

  The Fire and Earth Dragons also immediately volunteered for part two of his invasion plan called, "Operation Jericho" after the Bible Battle in the Book of Joshua. The Israelite soldiers were commanded to walk around the city walls for seven days and the walls would fall.

  Except, he was not going to give the Seculars of Yellow Hollow seven days. It would be closer to a few seconds, and they would only get that if the Seculars spotted them coming. Mack didn’t want to think too much about it right now.

  Arlen turned to Mack. “Does the King have any words?”

  Mack stood up. “This is a true invade and destroy mission. I don’t intend to sack the village and seek out Blue Valley's stolen treasures. I have discussed it with the Chancellor, and if individual villagers want items returned the Earth Dragons could help them retrieve them at a later, much safer date.”

  Mack couldn't risk looking for the items at the cost of the battle. “I understand this is a terrible and final plan in regard to our belief systems. That is why I, as king, take full responsibility for the actions of my army tonight. There will be no escape for the Mad King's army, or we will be ended as a people if this mission fails.”

  The crowd roared and cheered their support of him and the plan to save Blue Valley.

  The only comfort he had right now was that he was married to a Fire Dragon who would understand, and not an Air Dragon who would shun him for this.

  This must have been what Truman felt like as they planned to drop the Atom bomb on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. History will either record me alongside the Lilac Princess, or they'll call me Blood King II. Or if you mess this up, Mack, just like every other fight in your life, you'll go down in history as the Last Dragon King.

  An hour later, everyone had their assignment and were preparing to leave. Mack head-butted Méi good-bye, and they flew out to the camp. They landed to humans and dragons standing at attention.

  "It's the King!" someone shouted.

  "As you were," Mack said.

  Everyone gathered around Mack and Arlen for the briefing.

  Mack motioned to Arlen. "Go on, it's your idea. Present it."

  He smiled and pointed at a hauler. "Later on, this hauler is for Stone Dragons with no riders. We need you free to jump out, possibly into the fire without having to dismount your riders."

  The Stone Dragons nodded.

  Ridder nodded back. "Jericho will be going in fast and dirty, mostly dirty. There won't be time for a rider to get to safety before all Hell breaks loose. We will need you to verify Yellow Hollow casualties and rescue any survivors."

  Misty patted his neck and whispered, "You are pacing. I feel like I am on a kiddie carnival ride, riding in circles on a wooden dragon."

  He stopped pacing. "Thanks," he whispered back.

  Arlen addressed the Mountain Dragons, "You have the limestone walls beyond the last line of battle, here," he said, pointing on a map that someone had left out "As some of you know they have fire weapons, so if you aren't equipped for that then steer clear. I want you against the rocky East Ridge; corral any troops that may try to retreat from the Katrina attack.”

  Mack nodded. “Do not let them escape."

  They nodded, looking hungry. Mack thought about asking them not to eat the men, but decided that he would have to champion that cause after the battle. Things were too emotional right now for him to consider upheaving everything in the dragon's social norms. He had read some terrible stories about generals who denied their troops the spoils of war during the ancient days.

  It isn’t only humans that need re-educating. Dragons need to forge a new connection with humans, too.

  He thought about Gettysburg again. The South’s new, young general had foolishly gone on the offensive against the North. It was an enormous tactical error made in arrogance by a rookie general. He had assumed that since his troops outnumbered the Northerners he could easily take them. His plan not only violated the high ground principle but several other war strategies. If they had only lost their assets, they may have been able to come back, but with the circumstances, there could be no such luck, or mercy for the South that day. It was a decisive battle that turned the tide of the war for the North.

  I am a new, young general, leading an army into an offensive battle that will most likely be very decisive…please don’t let this go wrong, please don’t let us all die out.

  He managed a smile as a set of battle dressed Water Dragons walked by and nodded. Because his army has the high ground, the better weapons, are better trained, and are in the position that Sun Tzu's Art of War labeled as must-win, the odds were in their favor. He didn't want to do this, but he also wanted to live and raise his pups.

  I have no choice but to vanquish the enemy beyond the ability to ever threaten dragons again. I cannot allow dragons to become extinct.

  "Is everyone aware of their role, and how to command their team once we head out?" Arlen asked, looking around and trying to make eye contact with as many humans and dragons as he could.

  The humans couldn't be heard over the dragon's roars of approval and understanding.

  "Then what are we waiting for! Let's go take back what is ours," Mack said, thinking he should pause here for a second if someone was unsure and he missed it. They could ask him while everyone was taking their position. He would not be his passive mother, and he sure as Hell wasn't the Blood King.

  Be who the chant said you are, the Community's King – the Remembered King.

  Ten minutes later they were in the air. Mack smiled as Misty patted his neck. "The Mad King will have to get through four fronts if he wants the dragon pups.”

  "I know, not even the Blood King had destroyed on this scale. He went village to village, but they were smaller villages. Yellow Hollow is twice the size of South Dragons Ridge which is a small city on its own." Once word got out, no one would ever come after the dragons and their humans again. It would be usefully-terrifying to the rest of the Seculars, but i
f he were in the other realm, he was sure these orders would damn him to hell.

  Misty leaned forward in the saddle, "There is something to the idea that a terrifying military can easily keep the peace. Hopefully, this peace will last so long that your pups will never know war at all."

  "That, I can feel good about."

  ~~~~

  As Teams Katrina and Jericho approached the area it was pitch dark except for the fires of the Mad Dragon King's conscript warrior encampment about five miles outside Yellow Hollow. Mack wasn't surprised by the number of soldiers staged there, but it was still stunning to see the large scale for himself. Their tents covered what looked like two square miles. No wonder it took the Mad King so long to arrive, moving an army that large would take time. Blue Valley would have been crushed to powder if the dragons had not returned.

  He took in a breath and shouted, "Those in Operation Katrina get ready."

  There was a hushed, “Ready” that moved from dragon to dragon. The riders were silent.

  "Dunia, once you see us fly off after the fourth pass over of the encampment attack, commence Operation Jericho on the village," Mack said, falling in behind Arlen.

  Dunia nodded.

  Seven Air Dragons and seven Water Dragons descended toward the encampment.

  "Alright," Mack announced. "Let's go!"

  As Operation Katrina moved forward the dragons lined up Air/Water/Air/Water, and flew in a crescent formation that would forever become known as the Pontchartrain Maneuver.

  Only a few guards were out in the Mad King's camp, and by the time they realized the dragons were approaching it was far too late.

  "Katrina, now!" Mack yelled as he drew in his breath and let his most terrible roar out at the same time as the other Air and Water dragons.

  Trees blew over. Tents were instantly up-heaved like little pieces of paper, leaving the sleeping soldiers exposed to the blowing debris, and it rained so hard that it was painful as it hit them. He could hear the men screaming as the chaos of the category five hurricane made rubble of the entire encampment in less than two minutes. Catapults were destroyed. Cage wagons for hauling captive dragon pups were turned over and now useless. The sight of those prison wagons for pups only strengthened his resolve.

  He nodded, now knowing he’d done the only thing he could. Hell will literally freeze over, before Apis and Parana ever see the inside of one of those wagons.

  "From the East!" he ordered.

  They flew up, turned and made another pass from the other direction, making even smaller rubble of the rubble. Horses were blown off their feet, and trampled their knights trying to get up, the enemy's Stone Dragons screamed and ate their riders in a state of panic as a flash flood headed right for them. Chaos reigned on the Mad King's army from every direction.

  "Now West!" Mack ordered. "Operation Jack Frost meets Polar Vortex from the North."

  They swooped in with a storm worthy of a severe Artic Nor'easter, and that completed the destruction of the soldier's encampment. Soldiers were frozen in place as they tried to run. It was strange to see their terrified faces as the water in their blood froze solid.

  Arlen flew in next to him. "There will be no-boots-on-the-ground for the Mad King to deploy."

  ‘Good,” Mack nodded. "Now let's provide some back up to Operation Jericho, and leave the Mountain Dragon patrol to assess the damage and engage in clean up."

  Team Katrina flew up and out, clearing the way for Operation Jericho to commence on the village, where the rest of the Mad King's higher ranking army was staged.

  Arlen nodded to Mack. "I'd like to see that on that show ‘How the Weather Changed History’"

  Mack nodded in agreement, but the destruction seemed surreal and hard to absorb. The only thing he could allow himself to focus on was that the only intended prisoners were the pups. The adult dragons would not have been taken as prisoners. The Mad King had ordered his army to slaughter the mommy and daddy dragons. His and Arlen's pups would have been like the four Noble Dragons before them – war orphans, but they would have been prisoners of the Mad King.

  He looked back at the toppled prison wagons. “I did the right thing.”

  Misty patted his neck. “I would have said something if I thought there was another way.”

  He nodded, forming a wide circling pattern to be ready in case Operation Jericho needed them.

  Operation Jericho

  "Jericho, move in," Dunia ordered, leading the dragons in a Fire/Earth/Fire/Earth combination using the Pontchartrain formation. Mack had offered to give the orders for her, because this almost certainly would involve heavy civilian casualties. She had considered it but ultimately refused.

  Blue Valley was her true home. Her family had lived there, and her future pups would grow up there. Yellow Hollow had been the staging ground for invading armies for years, if not decades. It is over. Yellow Hollow has to go. It was saddening that she had to make Yellow Hollow the Hiroshima of this world, but they needed an attack so bad that everyone else will surrender out of fear that they too would suffer the same fate if they dare tried to harm Blue Valley again.

  “Together,” she ordered.

  The dragons roared. The houses collapsed, and sunk, burning, as the ground liquefied under them and turned to lava. It reminded her of photos she had seen of homes trapped in a lava flow. The only thing missing was the pyroclastic flow.

  In fact, the pyroclastic flow had been the main reason the Air Dragons were left off of Operation Jericho. One of the older Fire Dragons had warned them about that effect. Stating that Earth/Air/Fire combinations should be reserved for only the most severe attacks. The land from such an attack would be un-useable for decades, if not generations as it recovered.

  They came in again from the west. Soldiers were now aware they were under attack and running for their Stone Dragons were swallowed up by the earth and the flames. Everything was burned not just to the ground, but into the ground. They roared again from the East, and then West. The village of Yellow Hollow was gone. Not even the foundations of buildings could be detected.

  The enemy Stone Dragons, who had been tied up like horses outside some of the larger houses, escaped the horror by running toward the Mountain dragons yelling, “Political asylum!” at the top of their roars. As far as she could tell, they were the only survivors in the village. Everything else was dead and buried over five hundred feet into the ground.

  "It's gone," Dunia said, circling high to make sure another pass wasn't needed. "There isn't even enough for future archeologists to be able to find stuff in this area."

  "It was necessary, Dunia," Zeke said, putting his hand on her neck. "We couldn't make them stop killing us, so we had to force them to stop. They left us only two choices; their families or ours. We had to choose our families."

  "I know. I am not sure what I expected to happen, but it's gone," she said, staring back at the barren landscape.

  We obliterated it.

  “In less than two years this will be a new forest if no one pulls up the trees to start farming during the next growing season. Mack will help any survivors rebuild, and we, as part of the Earth Dragon community, can make sure their harvest will sustain any survivors through the dry season.” Almasi said, looking around at little white flakes. "It's snowing,"

  “If there are any survivors,” Zeke said. He put a hand on her horn, to let her know, he was with her and had not become frightened of her because of what had just happened.

  "No, it’s ash, and you’re right. Mack will send help for the survivors, and we as Earth Dragons can help them," Dunia said, sorry that things could not be different. She offered a nod to Zeke and recollected her emotions. "Staging! The King wants us to rest and be fresh just in case we need to be fresh," she ordered the dragons.

  They returned to the staging area on Gettysburg Point, where a small task force of the Mountain and Stone Dragons were waiting in ambush for any enemies that had escaped, but none had come.

  A small pat
rol of Mountain Dragons carrying the Stone Dragon team flew out toward Yellow Hollow for reconnaissance while the others ate and rested in case they were needed later.

  She heard one of the Fire Dragons ask for a small team to go out and meet the liberated Stone Dragons who ran to the North instead of fleeing to the southwest like the others.

  “Yes.” Mack nodded approval of the plan. He was met by another dragon as soon as the other team left. “Find out why they went that way, please.” He nodded toward some liberated Stone Dragons. “Maybe they will be willing to help us.”

  They nodded, bowed, and walked over to the Stone Dragons.

  “He sure is busy,” Zeke said, dismounting to stand next to her.

  “This is only the beginning for him,” she sighed, “Let’s get something to eat.” She walked slowly so Zeke could keep up. She spotted a small pile of rabbits and grabbed one off the top while Zeke took one over to the fire to stand with the other riders who were roasting their rabbits.

  She sat down, deliberately concentrating on the rabbit as she ate it. She didn’t want to think about the stretch of barren land that an hour ago had been a large, vibrant village of over fifty thousand people.

  My future pups will be able to play in their training yard without fear of invasion. My future mate and I will be able to concentrate on their education, with their mother, me, overseeing their puppyhood and not a foster parent. My future family will be free. Focus on that, Girl, focus on that.

  Which Witch

  Mack lay down in his Sphinx pose with Arlen on one side and Dunia on the other. All three had eaten their rabbits in silence.

  This night will haunt me for a long time, but not as long as it would if I had lost my family, again – and again.

  He didn't mean to fall asleep, but his eyes were heavy, and he closed them momentarily.

  After about an hour, Mack was awakened by the return of the Mountain Dragons and their riders carrying on about a small encampment to the North. It had not been part of the main army. He looked at Misty, standing guard over him.