Double Dragon

by Lilly Wilder

  “I can imagine this secret faction coming in the dead of night to stand at the entrance of the chamber while the others slept. They must not have suspected a thing, which means the conflict in the main chamber happened after the massacre. There may have been a conspiracy, and the killers struck out in surprise, taking out the majority of their enemy before they could strike back. They stood there and watched the helpless dragons sleeping, and then bathed them in fire, burning them to death without mercy. But the dragons wouldn’t have died silently. The heat would have woken them up and startled them. They’d have thrashed about in panic, unable to comprehend what was happening. How would they have been able to assume that such a horrific crime would have taken place? This accounts for the broken bones, sadly they probably wounded each other in their panic. None of them would have shifted back into human form because they knew they were stronger in battle as dragons, and they hoped to endure the flames and push back to fight the enemy, but of course the flames were relentless and poured in, charring the stone above.

  However, such an act couldn’t have been kept secret for long. The sounds of the dragons dying would have caused a great deal of commotion, which is when I think the battle in the chamber happened. The dragons must have fought for their lives, and perhaps some of them managed to escape and flee to the air, only to die outside, or their bones were flung into the chamber with the others, or something else happened to their bodies. And then, the victors left.

  Putting all that together, I’d conclude that the conflict was about whether to leave the island or not. Whenever there’s a chance in the status quo its usually led by a minority who are passionate, and I could imagine there would be some dragons who wanted to leave the world and explore, but most dragons would have been happy here, surely? After all they have a safe place where they can keep their secret, they have enough room to fly, and the jungle itself is practically a paradise. But perhaps some of the dragons were beginning to enjoy their time as humans and wanted to explore the rest of the world, maybe they were pushing to leave their home and expand into human civilization, but most dragons wanted to remain.” I spoke quickly and passionately, remembering why I had become an archaeologist in the first place. I loved the feeling of putting together a story about a lost civilization; bringing all the facts and observations we had into a narrative.

  “But why couldn’t they have just left? Why did they have to kill everyone?” William asked.

  “Because of the treasure,” Thomas said after a couple of beats. He turned to the two of us with a revelation in his eyes. “Don’t you see? We’ve always been told that our ancestors became powerful members of industry and that wealth has been passed down from generation to generation, increasing in value, but if you think about what would have happened back then that can’t have been right. If the people wanted to leave they must have known what they were leaving for, so they knew how the world worked. They would have known that they needed wealth to be a in good position and not live like peasants, so they would have needed this hoard, and of course the others weren’t going to give it to them. They probably thought that as long as they kept it safe nobody would even think of leaving, because why would anyone want to leave this place and live like a commoner? But they did it, they stole the treasure and killed the rest of the dragons in the process. Those are our ancestors Will, we’re not descended from a noble breed of dragons after all, we’re just as bad as regular humans.”

  I tried not to take offence at his words. The two brothers looked morose and I tried to imagine how they would feel after learning that everything they had been told all their life was a lie.

  “Father must have found out something about this and wanted to know for sure. That’s why he was so concerned with finding out the truth, because he wanted to know for himself,” Thomas added.

  “And it explains why Uncle was so determined to stop him, because if this secret got out it would change our entire way of thinking. We’ve always thought of ourselves as so good, so noble, but really we killed the good dragons,” William said bitterly.

  “Not you,” I said, wanting to prevent them from falling into melancholy. I took their hands and brought them together, moving close to them so that I could look both of them in the eyes.

  “This wasn’t your fault. Your ancestors may have done this crime, but you don’t have to be defined by them. You’re here because you and your father believed in something good, believed in the truth, and that’s what’s important. The only thing that matters in this life is what you do with it, and now you have a chance to go back to your people and tell them the truth,” I said passionately. Thomas and Will looked at each other and nodded. They were still tense, but they seemed a little less ready to attack each other.

  To confirm our theory, we went to the final chamber to see what it offered and it did indeed seem to be the place where treasure was stored. We found a single gold coin as evidence, a piece of old currency that dated hundreds of years ago. The story we had written wasn’t concrete evidence, but it fit with all the theories available. We trudged back to the main chamber and I tried to think of what I could do to make them feel better. I don’t think any of us wanted to stay there any longer, for the place was filled with death but as we prepared to leave, Thomas and William tilted their heads. They looked up, and I followed their gaze. I looked towards the pinprick of light at the top of the mountain. At first, I couldn’t see anything but then it came into view. It was another dragon, and it was heading straight for us.

  17

  Thomas and William tensed and stood in front of me, guarding me from the red dragon that hurtled down through the mountain. My throat ran dry and I thought back to the bodies in the chamber and wondered if this dragon had been the one responsible for so much brutality. The dragon landed before us, its scales were blood red and its eyes were as dark as death. It snarled and wisps of smoke wafted through the air out of its nostrils, and I thought it was going to breath fire and burn us immediately, but its body twisted and transformed, and turned into a man who was a couple of decades older than Thomas and William, but who bore a striking resemblance.

  “Hello Uncle,” Thomas said, clenching his fists. Their uncle smirked and clasped his hands in front of his body, looking at the three of us with much curiosity.

  “It seems you found this place after all. I didn’t think you had it in you,” their uncle said.

  “More like you were trying to sabotage us at every turn. But we found out what happened Uncle, we know the truth,” Thomas said.

  “Truth?” he barked a laugh. “You two are just as foolish as your father.”

  “Don’t speak about him like that. We’re going to go back to the world and tell everyone what happened here, tell everyone about the crime our ancestors committed,” William said.

  “Even if you could escape from here with your lives, are you really so naïve that people would believe you? That’s the problem with you and your father, you all thought that you could just come here and then change the course of our lives. But we have worked too hard for all of it to be ruined by people who don’t understand what really happened.”

  “And what do you understand? Were you here?” I asked, wanting to show my solidarity with Thomas and William. Their Uncle looked at me as though he had only just noticed I was present, as though I didn’t really matter.

  “No, I wasn’t as a matter of fact, but there have been certain truths passed down to people who have been worthy of knowing the truth. You see, some people have poor intentions and wouldn’t know what to do with this information. My brother was one of them, and sadly he had to get your parents involved my dear.” I bristled when he mentioned my parents, but Thomas and William held me back. This seemed to amuse him. “I see you have the spirit of a dragon, very impressive.” His words were laced with derision and I didn’t believe a word of what he was saying.

  “And what is this truth you speak of Uncle? How can you possibly justify what happened
here?” Thomas asked.

  “The ancient dragons were old and unambitious. They only wanted to stay on this island and hoard their treasure. They wanted to keep their power hidden from the world when they could have been so much more. Look at all we have accomplished in their stead, how much power and influence we’ve accumulated over the years.”

  “Like murder? Robbery? You betrayed your own people. You betrayed our birthright! This place was sacred, our home!” Thomas yelled, spittle flying from his mouth.

  “This place was a dead end. It offered us nothing but stagnation! There were only a few who wanted to actually move our race forward and they took action when they needed to. They culled the herd and made dragons mighty again!”

  “At what cost?” William said. This time I kept quiet, not wanting to interfere in the family argument, although it seemed deeper than a mere family dispute. This was an ancient conflict, one that had its roots in the very first dragons, and I wondered if history would repeat itself, albeit on a smaller scale. “You’ve achieved a lot, but all as humans. You’ve sacrificed the very nature of dragons to force us to live a life of isolation and secrecy. Look at all you’ve given up. This place, they lived as dragons…they soared through the sky and spread their wings whenever they wanted. They were free to be themselves, but you clipped their wings.”

  “All for the greater good,” their Uncle growled. “It’s just a shame that you discovered this place. I was hoping the barrier would stay strong. It certainly did your job and kept your parents out,” he looked at me when he said this. “I had to come and ensure that you never made it off this island alive.”

  “You can’t stop us, and neither will the barrier.”

  “The barrier was formed by ancient magic. It will stand fast, and I am far wiser than the two of you shall ever be. But let us not fight here. You claim that our ancestors forced us to lose some of our instinctive spirit? I will show you just how much of a dragon I can be.” He said this and transformed, leaping into the air and flying away. Thomas and William glared at each other.

  “I know he was behind all this,” Thomas said.

  “It is our chance now to get vengeance upon him,” William growled. I looked at them, unsure, but I knew there was no way I could talk them out of this. This was a conflict that had been brewing over generations, and I was no one to stop it.

  Thomas and William shifted before my eyes, becoming the majestic, awe-inspiring creatures of myth. The fear I had felt when they first appeared to me like this had completely vanished, but I feared for their Uncle, because I was sure that nothing would stop these two dragons from tearing him apart.

  I climbed on Thomas’ back once more as we rose through the mountains. I found it odd that their uncle would have left the confines of the chambers, for the close quarters would have given him an advantage against two foes. Perhaps he was so arrogant he didn’t think Thomas and William would pose a threat, but if he truly thought that then it would be his downfall.

  We raced through the air and I slipped off Thomas’ back when we reached the top. The torches remained lit, illuminated the great pit below me, and I was filled with vertigo when I looked down. I pressed my hand against Thomas’ flank and whispered good fortune to them, hating the fact that I was helpless in this conflict. I moved to the entrance of the cave and put my hand against the rocky surface as Thomas and William went out to meet their uncle in battle.

  He was waiting for them, a crimson force in the sky. Behind him in the distance I could see the roiling storm, and I was intrigued by his brief mention of the barrier, implying that it was something artificial. There must have been some ancient magic keeping it encircling the island, hiding it from the outside world.

  Thomas and William, the black and green dragons, moved in harmony, mirroring each others’ movements as they streaked towards their uncle, putting their wings flat against their bodies to make themselves more aerodynamic. My heart caught in my throat as I watched them fly into battle, not least because I knew that if they failed, I would be lost here with no way to get back down to the ground. I had to hope and pray that they emerged triumphant.

  I had seen men fight before, but this was something else entirely. The dragons met upon the battlefield of their own making and hovered in the air. From this vantage point I could see that their uncle was a far bigger dragon than either of them, and it made me worry that my earlier confidence in them had been misplaced. The red dragon had gnarled skin and his roar made the air tremble. He batted his wings and flew higher, and opened with a flow of furious breath. The air sparked with crimson flame and the other two dragons only just managed to evade it in time. They were split up either side of the flame, and this seemed to have been their uncle’s intention as he quickly banked to the left and chased after William, barreling into him. I gasped and held my hand to my mouth as I watched the great scarlet wings envelop William, the sharp claws raking William’s body as their uncle jabbed his head towards him, trying to clamp his mighty jaws around William’s neck. William managed to twist out of the way of his maw, but he was unable to avoid the claws. I saw scales fall from him like snowflakes, glittering in the air, followed by drops of blood. I winced for him, felt his pain, and I cheered when he used his legs to push his uncle away, kicking him back and getting ready for an attack of his own.

  The plume of fire had dissipated and left behind it fading mist. I dreaded to think of either of them being caught in its wake, having seen the damage the flame could do. While William had been attacked, Thomas had been obscured from my vision as the sky had been lit by fire, but now I saw him bursting through the smoke, hurtling towards their uncle. Thomas slammed into his back and made him howl. He twisted his body and used his wing to give his uncle a dragon’s slap across the face, which only seemed to make his uncle more enraged.

  His uncle turned around to face Thomas and let out a bloodcurdling roar, which made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. I watched, fraught with tension, as Thomas was attacked in much the same way as William had been, but this time their uncle was more successful as his jaw clamped around Thomas’ shoulder, the teeth sinking into the flesh. I saw Thomas’ body buckle and heard the echo of a whimper as a chunk of flesh was torn from him. More scales fell like rain, but now it was William’s turn to come to his brothers’ aid. I clenched my fist as he put his teeth against his uncle’s leg and dragged him down, using all his strength to pull him away from Thomas. Their uncle yelped in pain, letting go of Thomas in the process. He was taken down through the air, although he quickly twisted his body and used his superior strength to fling William up and smash him with his tail. William was buffeted by the impact, but as soon as one of them was turned away, the other attack.

  My heart lifted as the brothers worked in tandem to attack their uncle. I shouldn’t have been surprised at how efficient they were. They had lived together all their lives and worked in complete unison, having an almost telepathic understanding. It made what happened between their uncle and their father sadder, for I could not imagine two people who shared their connection turning on each other, betraying each others’ trust.

  The brothers were relentless. As soon as one of them was batted away the other attacked, and they struck at different parts of the red dragon’s body. William attacked his tail, and then Thomas smashed his head, William rose and butted into the red dragon’s flank, while now Thomas whipped his tail across the back. The red dragon was twisting and turning, but he was always a moment too late; even though he could anticipate the attack the younger dragons were too swift for him.

  Elation filled my heart. Their triumph seemed certain now, and I was glad that their uncle’s confidence had been misplaced. The brothers were too strong and agile for him, and it had been a mistake for him to bring them out into the open air. I was sure that it was only a matter of time as William and Thomas went in for another attack, this time at the same time. They had their legs spread out like an eagle, ready to slash at the red
dragon’s body and claw until they reached the innards. I smiled as I watched what I thought was going to be the finishing blow, only to be dismayed as the red dragon beat his mighty wings and caused enough gust to push Thomas and William back. This momentary delay was all the red dragon needed to rear his head back and let out another stream of ugly fire.

  I reeled back in shock, anxiety swimming in my stomach for I was sure that the brothers couldn’t have dodged the blast, but they had, and I clapped my hands together as I saw them either side of the fire. It had been one last gamble by the red dragon, and it had failed. It was only a matter of time now…but I was wrong. It wasn’t his last gamble at all. The red dragon flew like a spear through the fire. The flames licked his body, but he didn’t seem to be affected by it at all. He was focused on one thing and one thing only, his new target; me.

  His ugly, gnarled face scowled at me as he bat his wings and surged towards me, just like the snake had earlier. I stepped back, knowing that there was nowhere for me to run. Fear crawled down my spine and I can’t describe the horror I felt in that moment, seeing this impossible creature bearing down on me, the fire still hanging in the air behind him. He seemed to dwarf everything else with his size. He was so huge. He filled my vision and I cowered, turning my head away, knowing there was nothing I could do to stop the inevitable. He roared and I saw the abyss in his throat, and then a soft glow. I knew death was but moments away. My flesh would be seared from my bones, and I would be turned to ash, another soul claimed by this forsaken place.