Dragon Slayer

by Michael-Scott Earle

  But as we burst from the mountain and into bright daylight, all thoughts of the woman faded. The landscape of Iriador spread out below me in a breathtaking panorama. From way up high, even the charred black expanse of Riamod’s land had a sort of stark beauty, contrasted sharply by the jagged mountains and the burnt gray trees at the edge of the forest. Within minutes, Arieste had crossed the miles of empty land and soared over the towering pines, oaks, willows, and birch trees.

  The speed was breathtaking, and I couldn’t help laughing in glee as the wind ruffled my hair and clothing. I closed my eyes and drank in the sensations of being so high. It was like riding in the back of a helicopter, and I felt like I was on top of the world.

  The forest soon ended, and we reached the rolling hills beyond. As we flew, I was hit with a sudden idea. It was a crazy one, but I went with it anyway. The king and the people of Whitespire had to know the truth. It would make things a lot easier if they knew how much of a badass I was.

  “Arieste, can you get me into the palace courtyard?” I shouted over the whistling wind.

  I felt the dragon’s muscles tense beneath me. Arieste had seen the castle’s defenses. Even though most of the ballista had burned with the castle roof, she was hesitant to risk it.

  “Trust me!” I shouted.

  After a moment, the dragon gave a huffing sound and nodded her great white head.

  The city of Whitespire soon appeared over the horizon. Below us, people on the roads and in the villages we passed stared and pointed, and I knew there was fear in their hearts. But my plan would change the way people looked at Arieste. We needed a dragon on our side if we were going to free Iriador.

  Arieste tensed as the sound of the clanging alarm bell reached us. I tapped into the fire magic and prepared to defend us as we soared over Whitespire, but no ballista bolts sped toward us. Riamod had done terrible damage to the city’s defenses, and they weren’t prepared for another dragon attack.

  The ice dragon beat her wings to slow our speed, and we descended toward the palace courtyard. As soon as we landed, White Guards poured out of the building and raced towards us. The warriors formed a bristling wall of steel spears, shields, and white-enameled breastplates. Their eyes went wide as they saw me sitting on the massive dragon’s back with my arms wrapped around Irenya.

  “Hey, guys!” I said as I gave them a cheerful wave and dropped off the dragon’s back. “Thanks for rolling out the red carpet. You really know how to make a man feel welcome.”

  My light-hearted tone did little to dispel the fear in their eyes.

  “What is the meaning of this?” spat the goateed White Guard that had arrested me weeks ago.

  “It’s my ride, of course!” I grinned and reached up to help Irenya down from the dragon. I could see by the glint in her eyes that she was enjoying this as much as I was. “Now, which of you is going to go tell the king I’ve returned?”

  Ten minutes later, a very angry King Obragar appeared in the double doors leading into the palace. He didn’t descend the marble steps toward us but remained within the palace. Sir Galfred stood before him, unsteady from his injuries and his face as hard as stone.

  “What the hell are you doing, Ethan?” Sir Galfred growled. “I thought you killed Frosdar.”

  “Nope, I said the dragon was gone.” I grinned at him. “Which it was until I brought it back.”

  “Explain yourself,” snapped the king.

  “Better I show you.” With a smile, I walked toward Arieste’s head. The guards tensed all around me and pointed spears and swords at us.

  Arieste’s pale blue eyes were fixed on the White Guards surrounding her, and I saw the instinctive desire to pounce, to strike out, to bring down these threatening men. I had made a huge gamble trusting Arieste with the power, and now I’d find out if my bet would pay off.

  The dragon’s eyes flashed toward me as I came to stand in front of her, less than two feet from those rows of long white teeth. I swallowed the surge of fear and held out a hand.

  “It’s time to return what I gave you,” I told her.

  The two huge eyes narrowed, and for a long moment, Arieste didn’t move. I knew exactly what was going through her head, but I kept my eyes locked on her and my hand outstretched.

  Finally, Arieste lowered her eyes and dipped her huge head toward the ground. The moment I touched the gemstone set in her skull, I felt the power coursing through the stone and the dragon’s body. It took an immense amount of effort to pull the ice magic from the dragon and back into myself, and I gasped as the cold blaze seeped into every muscle and fiber of my being.

  The tattoo on my left bicep flared to life, and the thousand icy needles stabbed into my flesh. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to take deep breaths while the ice magic blended with the fire magic within me.

  Then I felt myself return to normal.

  The dragon’s transformation was now complete, and the beautiful platinum-blonde woman stepped into my arms. She wore the same dress I had originally found her in, and I realized that the material might have been made out of the remnants of her scales.

  The White Guards gaped in shock, and their eyes darted to Arieste as the beautiful woman lay her head on my shoulder and sighed. Even the king and Sir Galfred’s mouths hung open, and their faces were almost a yellow shade of pale.

  “So,” I said to break the silence. “I guess you’re going to want an explanation for all this, huh? Should we go inside and talk?”

  “Yes,” the king choked out after a few moments of hesitation. Then he pointed to us, and a nervous cluster of White Guards surrounded me, Irenya, and Arieste, and grabbed the other bundles of weapons. Then we followed the king into the throne room. King Obragar slumped into his throne, and his eyes were wide and filled with fear as he stared at Arieste.

  “So…she’s…?” he started.

  “Pretty much,” I said with a nod.

  “And she…” His eyes went to Irenya.

  “Her, too.” I gave a little shrug. “Trust me, I understand what you’re feeling.”

  Arieste and Irenya stood a few feet behind me, surrounded by twenty spear-wielding guards. Despite my assurances that they were no threat, the White Guards seemed disinclined to take chances.

  “But…how?” the king stammered after a long minute.

  “This,” I said and held up the white gemstone I’d taken from Arieste’s forehead. “Channeling my power through this stone makes it possible for me to turn her into a dragon when I need to.” I figured he didn’t need the whole explanation right now. This was already hard enough for him and everyone else to swallow.

  “Frosdar and Riamod—” the king began.

  “Are gone,” I told him as I put the stone away in my pocket. “These two women were turned into dragons by the power that now flows through me, but they are just as human as you or me.” I winked at Arieste, but her cold, hard expression revealed nothing. Irenya, however, stared at the guards with a mixture of anger and haughty disdain. Even though she was shorter than them, she had a large presence and carried herself upright, and her fiery intensity matched Arieste’s cool strength.

  “Sweet Goddesses,” Sir Galfred breathed. “This is…” He trailed off, at a loss for words.

  “Yeah, that about sums it up,” I said with a grin. My eyes went to the king. “But this is a good thing. We’ve got them on our side, and they’ll be useful allies to protect us from the other dragons on Iriador. When the time comes to go on the offensive, we’ll be in a position to not just survive, but to win.”

  The king’s eyes narrowed, and I could see a healthy amount of skepticism there. I knew he’d come to realize the truth, but it would probably take time.

  “We also have these.” I motioned to the bundle of weapons the guards had brought into the throne room with us. “There are lots more back in Riamod’s hoard, more than enough to put together a real fighting force capable of bringing down the other dragons.”

  The king’s gaze rested on
the pile of swords, spears, flails, maces, and shields at his feet.

  “And you think this will excuse your deception?” he asked after a long moment. It seemed he’d finally found his voice, and it wasn’t a happy one. “You lied to Sir Galfred and me when you—”

  “Actually, I never lied,” I said. “I told you Frosdar was gone, and the dragon is. You saw what happened back in the courtyard. Arieste is on our side.”

  “And Ria--and her?” King Obragar said and thrust his narrow chin toward Irenya. “Is she on our side?”

  I turned to look at Irenya, and found that light amber eyes were fixed on me with a burning intensity. She had sworn to serve me, but we both knew it had been out of expedience. The dragon-woman had said whatever she had to in order to stay alive. One word from me and the king would kill her. I had no reason to trust her, but once again I would take a gamble.

  “She is my servant,” I told the king. “I accepted her oaths, and I trust that she will uphold them.” I fixed her with a hard glare as I said those last words, and she gave a nod of agreement.

  “Very well,” King Obragar said after a long silence. “I can understand the reason for your deceit, and I must admit that there is wisdom in your plan.” He let out a long, slow breath and passed a hand over his face. He shot a look at Sir Galfred, and the knight nodded. Despite his initial hesitancy, a smile toyed on Sir Galfred’s lips as he met my eyes.

  “Ethan DePaolo of Grayslake,” the King said as he stood, “you have endured much, yet served the city of Whitespire with honor and courage. You have upheld your oath and proven yourself worthy of the highest honor I can bestow upon you.”

  He held out a hand, and Sir Galfred placed a decorative sword in the king’s fingers. The blade was long and thin, and the hilt was made of gold set with a single bright green gemstone. The king descended the stairs toward me.

  “Kneel, Ethan DePaolo,” he said in a solemn voice.

  I did as instructed, and my mouth went dry as the king approached with the sword held level with my head. Either he was going to execute me right here, or he was about to—

  “I, King Obragar of Whitespire, hereby dub thee Knight of Iriador.”

  My heart stopped at the words, and I found myself unable to move as the king continued speaking.

  “With this knighthood, you pledge your service to all humans, wherever they may be found. With valor, honor, and generosity, you will fight against evil and injustice in all its forms, until death bears you away beyond the horizon.” King Obragar’s eyes met mine. “Do you swear on the Three Goddesses, Ethan DePaolo of Grayslake?”

  “I do,” I managed to rasp out. “I swear.”

  “Then rise, Ethan Dragonrider, defender of the weak, champion of mankind.” The king tapped my shoulders with the sword, then grounded the point on the marble floor. “All hail the Dragonrider!”

  The throne room echoed with cheers as the stunned White Guards took up the call.

  “Dragonrider, eh?” Nyvea purred. “That has a sexy ring to it. Maybe one day you’ll give me a ride, handsome.”

  Everything happened so fast after the king’s words. Somehow, the palace staff transformed the unburnt grand ballroom into a feasting hall in a matter of half an hour, and the banquet they laid out in my honor was no less extravagant than Sir Galfred’s celebration. Wine and food flowed, the throne room echoed with laughter and music, and I spent the night having my back slapped and kissing the hands of beautiful maidens suddenly interested in Whitespire’s newest knight. It turned out my recent promotion came with a nobleman’s title as well as land that I was somehow supposed to manage while I was traveling around the world killing dragons.

  Sir Galfred hobbled across the ballroom to congratulate me. “We go fight dragons together, but it’s you who comes home with two beautiful women. What’s your secret?” he asked with a huge grin.

  “Just lucky, I guess,” I said, and I did feel like the luckiest man on Agreon. So many awesome things had happened in the last two weeks, and it made it easy to forget my rocky start on this new world.

  I tried hard not to be embarrassed by all the well-wishing, but I felt out of place. Being raised in Chicago hadn’t prepared me to be the center of attention as the savior of a kingdom.

  Princess Selene ignored me most of the night, but more than once I found her eyes on me. She never left the king’s side, and I had enough decent manners to know not to talk across King Obragar, so when I finally decided to leave the party, it was without exchanging more than a few words with her.

  Now, I sat alone in my chambers. A fire roared in the hearth, and I had my feet up on a plush cushion with my head supported by a soft pillow. This was the sort of comfort I could get used to.

  I found myself wishing Arieste was here to share this pleasant moment. Unfortunately, the two women were quartered in a suite next to mine. Though the White Guards treated them with respect, the dozen armed men around their doors looked nervous.

  Arieste had accepted the confinement to her room calmly. She clearly understood the people needed time to get used to the idea of her as both woman and dragon, but there had been a dangerous spark in Irenya’s eyes. Something told me the redhead possessed a fiery temper that would flare up sooner rather than later.

  I leapt to my feet as the door opened, but relaxed as I saw it was a woman entering my room. Princess Selene had let her long golden hair down, and it flowed around her shoulders as she closed the door quietly behind her and turned to me. She had slipped out of her fancy evening gown and wore only a thin shift. The fabric was incredibly sheer, and I saw the swell of her breasts, her erect nipples, and the curve of her hips with vivid detail as she padded barefoot across the carpet toward where I stood.

  “Your Highness, what are you doing here?” I asked. I was keenly aware of the fact that I wore no shirt or vest, just a pair of pants with the drawstring hanging loose.

  “Not so loud,” she said and placed a finger to my lips. Her hands were soft and warm, and I caught a faint smell that reminded me of shea butter. She pressed a hand against my tattooed chest and pushed me gently back onto the couch. “We don’t want the whole castle to know I’m here.”

  My heart did a little somersault as she climbed onto my lap, and I felt a very un-knightly stirring in my crotch.

  “Do you know what you have done?” she whispered into my ear. Her breath sent a shiver down my spine.

  “I…uh…”

  She pulled back until her nose was an inch away from mine, and she stared into my eyes. Her breath was warm on my face, and I smelled the pleasing aroma of fruity wine in her mouth. A mouth that was suddenly very close to mine and very tempting to kiss.

  “Your actions saved all of Whitespire,” she said, her voice husky. “You proved there was something we could do to defeat the dragons. Your power and courage gives all of us hope that we can do more than just survive, that we can have a real life.” She brushed her lips across my cheek, and the touch set my skin tingling.

  “My father gave you the knighthood to keep you in Whitespire,” she continued. “We need your power to give us a fighting chance, and so he rewards you with one hand while binding you to us with the other. What sort of gratitude is that?”

  At the moment, I didn’t have strong feelings on the matter. My feelings were going in an entirely different direction. My hands went to her slim waist and felt the soft curves of her hips. She hummed in delight, then bent close to whisper into my ear again.

  “But I want you to know how thankful I am,” she breathed. Her fingers slipped up the back of my neck and into my hair, and my eyes closed of their own accord. I drew in a full breath of her flowery perfume and the fresh scent of her skin. I felt myself getting rock hard as she pressed her hips down on top of mine.

  “You saved the city,” she whispered, “but more than that, you saved me from being sacrificed to the dragon. That is something I can never repay, but all I can do is try to show you proper gratitude.”

  Her lips
met mine, soft at first, but getting firmer as our passion increased. I nearly burst free of my pants as she ground against me, and my hands slid up her back and around her sides. She arched her back and let out a quiet moan as I clasped her breasts. Her skin was so soft and warm against my hands, her flesh so soft and yielding. When her fingers reached inside my pants to grasp me, I gave in to the pounding desire and laid her down on the couch. She let out an excited gasp when I took off my pants, and then her gentle moans soon gave way to cries of pleasure that lasted through most of the night.

  Much later, after I had enjoyed the princess in a half-dozen different sexual positions and we had both drifted off into a satisfied sleep, the sound of what I thought was knocking snapped me from my dreams. Princess Selene’s long blonde hair spilled over the tattoos covering my skin, and her naked body was warm and soft against mine. I felt the stirrings as I stared down at her pale skin and the gorgeous curves of her breasts, waist, and hips. Her breaths came in gentle movements, and a happy smile played across her dreaming face.

  For a moment, I thought I had imagined the knock, but then it came again. “Sir Ethan?” came the muffled voice of a manservant through the door. “Sir Ethan? The king commands your presence.”

  I was fully awake in an instant as I heard the doorknob begin to turn.

  “One moment!” I called and leapt from the couch. The princess let out a little cry of protest at my sudden moves, but I pressed a finger to her lips.

  Her eyes went wide, and she also leapt from the couch, gathered up her clothing, and raced toward my bedroom as I fumbled with my pants. A moment later, I had slung a shirt over my head and opened the door to reveal the king’s messenger.

  “What is it?” I asked as I rubbed my eyes and gave a theatrical yawn. “What does he want?”

  “I can’t right say.” The messenger’s eyes darted past me to take in my chambers. “I am simply communicating His Majesty’s commands.”