The True Dragon

by Andy Holland

  "Nicely done," Pan murmured as he held the door for Perak. Perak glared at him, raising a finger to his mouth. He may have shared Pan’s sentiments but was no room for complacency on an operation like this. Pan grimaced apologetically and carefully closed the door behind him. But Perak couldn't stay annoyed for long. They were in the town!

  Perak stopped inside the gate, surveying the buildings in front of him. Every building he could see was only partially built. Like many of the Red Dragon towns and villages, they had been badly damaged in the war and like many of the others, Castlebridge was progressing quickly with reconstruction. Jerome’s outdated map of the town would be almost useless, but the construction also presented an opportunity. They needed somewhere to interrogate a prisoner and where better than this collection of half-built and deserted houses? One of Perak’s men beckoned then towards the nearest building and Eric greeted them as they came in.

  "Wait here a moment, sir," he told him in a low voice. "The men are scouting ahead."

  Two other men remained with Eric, one by each of the external doors to the half-built house, or whatever this building was going to be. After a couple of minutes, three of his men entered through one of the doors and spoke quietly to Eric, who relayed the information to Perak.

  "Sir, we should move ahead. All of these buildings are empty but there are some that are occupied up ahead. We will take a prisoner from one of them."

  Perak nodded and followed after him. Outside more of his men waited; their black clothing allowing them to melt into the shadows. Eric silently ordered them to move forwards and they fanned out, noiselessly rushing through the buildings. Eric waited for a minute before signalling to Perak and Pan to follow him. All of the buildings were unoccupied and unlit. All but one. A two-storey building with a lamp illuminating a room on the ground floor. Two of Perak's men, barely visible pressed against the wall of the building, guarded the entrance and opened the door for Eric as he approached. Perak and Pan entered behind him.

  Inside the building, two captives were on their knees, bound, gagged and flanked by eight of Perak’s men. One had red hair, the other blonde. Both were sweating heavily, their eyes fixed on the drawn swords of their captors. Perak was impressed how quickly his men had secured them and nodded his approval to Eric. That was as much thanks as they had time for. Perak pointed to the Red Dragon and addressed his men.

  "Question that one. Kill the other if he does anything other than answer our questions." The order was entirely for the benefit of the prisoners. Perak had already told Eric exactly how he wanted him to interrogate the prisoner.

  Eric knelt down and loosened the gag before holding a knife to the man's throat. "I am taking your gag off," he told him. "If you shout or scream, I will have to slit your throat. I will do it very quickly and no one will hear you. Do you understand me?"

  The Red Dragon was a young man, probably not much older than twenty, and his eyes were wide and darted from side to side, betraying his terror. He nodded his head rapidly.

  "Good," Eric replied, speaking loudly and clearly. "Tell me your name and your rank." He removed the man's gag but kept the knife pressed firmly against his throat.

  "Who are you? What do you want? You're violating the peace treaty," the young man blurted out.

  Eric nodded to one of his men, who plunged his sword into the shoulder of the other prisoner. The man collapsed to the ground, his screams muffled by the gag.

  "That was not the answer to my question," Eric stated without a trace of emotion. "Next time the sword will go into his chest. The third time and it will be your chest and we will find someone else to answer our questions. Is that clear?"

  "Yes, yes, that's clear," the Red Dragon replied, his words rushing out. "My name is Donald. I'm a new recruit."

  Eric nodded, satisfied with the response. "What are you doing here, Donald? Why are you approaching our border in such numbers? Are you planning to attack us?"

  The man looked at Eric in confusion, as was to be expected as the convoy wasn't that large. "No, no, we're not planning to attack anyone, we're just travelling to the new cities. We're accompanying the representatives back from the summit. They were there to discuss funding for the new cities."

  Eric looked at Perak and then back to the prisoner, a look of disbelief on his face. "We have heard of no such summit. Is this some trick? You are gathering in numbers with Rhinos, Browns and these Golden Dragons. It looks like the build-up to an attack. And you dare to accuse us of breaking the treaty?"

  The young man shook his head vigorously. "No, I promise that isn't true. I'm just here to escort the representatives. They're diplomats, politicians, not military."

  Eric frowned. "Really? We have been informed of no summit. It seems unlikely that one would be held without inviting Blue Dragon representatives. Who are you escorting? Tell us who is in this convoy. If they really are just diplomats and politicians."

  "Well, I don't know all of their names…"

  "Tell me what you do know," Eric demanded. "If you want to convince us that your intentions really are peaceful, you need to be a little more forthcoming. Start with your own people."

  "Well, there's about ten from the summit, the ambassador, Lord Robert, Prince Gerald from the Western Principality, Lord James, who is the King’s nephew, Lord Harold, the —“

  “Just the names,” Perak snapped impatiently, forgetting his resolution to remain silent.

  “Yes, yes, of course,” the young man said apologetically. “Lord Philip, then there are five unimportant bureaucrats that I don’t know the names of and then there are those of that form the escort. There's about thirty of us in total."

  "Any children with you? What about the siblings of Prince Gerald?"

  The man looked at him in surprise. "No, they are not travelling with us. Why would…"

  "What about their friend, the Golden Dragon called John?"

  "I don't know anything about the Golden Dragons…"

  "Think," Eric barked. "You would know this one. He is the one that drew the monsters from the Circle."

  "Oh, him," the young man said. "No, I wouldn't have thought so. Someone would have said. What has this got to do with anything?"

  Eric ignored him, turning back to Perak. "We've been misled. The boy and his friends aren't here. What do you want us to do?"

  Perak scowled, furious at Jerome's failure to give them reliable information. He had been so convinced that they would be here. "Kill them both. They have no information that we can use. We will leave immediately."

  "No!" the young man begged, his eyes wide with fear, but it was to no avail as Eric sliced through his throat without even turning back to look at him.

  "Kill the other one…" he began but was cut off by the sound of alarm bells being rung.

  "Perak, we've been discovered!" Pan said in alarm. "We need to leave."

  Taking advantage of the distraction the other prisoner, the Golden Dragon, leapt to his feet and ran towards the window, diving head first through the glass, his arms still tied behind his back.

  "Stop him!" Perak shouted. Two of his men rushed to the window and fired two arrows into the darkness. One of them turned back to Perak and shook his head. The prisoner had escaped!

  "Move!" he commanded his men. "We will fight our way out if necessary. The Reds will not be able to stop us."

  Eric, as always, obeyed without delay, running out of the building followed by four of his men, and Perak and Pan followed closely behind. Torches were being lit all along the wall and Perak could hear activity all around them. The Reds must have discovered the dead guards from the wall. This was unfortunate but not unexpected, and of course, Perak had planned for this eventuality. They would leave the town from another door, rather than from where they came in. His men moved stealthily, running along the agreed route along the narrow back streets.

  "There they are!" someone up ahead shouted. "Blue Dragons! Sound the…"

  An arrow through the throat silenced him, but it
was too late, he had alerted everyone to their location. But they still might make it out, as the wall wasn't far away, just a little further…

  Suddenly a group of about twenty armed men rounded the corner ahead of them, barring their way. Almost all of them were clearly Red Dragons, their light armour not extending to anything that might protect or cover their head. Perak's dragons outnumbered them but reinforcements would undoubtedly join them soon. They had no time to lose.

  "Attack!" Perak shouted, drawing his sword.

  Arrows flew in both directions and three of his men fell away, as did two of the defenders. But they would have no time to fire again as the two groups crashed together, the defenders armed with spears against Perak's men's swords. In his hands, a spear would be an effective weapon, but the defenders were not well trained and were no match for his troops. This would not take long.

  "They're here!" a voice shouted to their left. Another group of defenders had arrived, two Reds and two Golds. One of the Reds was actually carrying a sword. "Quickly, we must help."

  "Gerald," one of the Golds said. "There's too many. We should retreat and wait until reinforcements arrive."

  The name was familiar to Perak. Prince Gerald! The brother of the twins that were friends with John and a high-ranking noble as well. This was too good an opportunity to miss. He might not be able to kill his friends, but he could kill their brother instead.

  "Kill the Prince!" Perak shrieked. "Don't let him get away!"

  Half of his men disengaged from the other group of defenders, who, as expected were not putting up much of a fight. Eric led the breakaway group and approached the Prince and his companions, who still held their ground. The Prince actually drew his sword, clearly determined to fight. This would be entertaining. Perak doubted the young prince had ever even used a sword in anger, let alone gained mastery of it.

  But before Eric could reach him, events took a dramatic turn. The original group of defenders had almost all fallen, leaving just two standing, one Red and one Golden. The Red was still clutching his spear but had taken a terrible wound to his left leg and was as good as dead. The Golden Dragon only had a wooden staff and was backing away from Perak's troops when he made his move. Perak had only just turned to look at them when the defender began his transformation. Even at night, he transformed surprisingly quickly, reappearing as a Golden Dragon. How was this possible? Surely even Golden Dragons couldn't survive this. It lowered its head and fired a series of fireballs into the troops that were approaching him and all ten of them dropped to the floor screaming and trying to extinguish their burning clothes and hair. Then it was the Golden Dragon's turn to collapse screaming as the effect of the nighttime transformation finally took its toll. He writhed in agony for a few seconds before beginning to silently spasm, eventually falling still. He was dead, but he had already done what he had intended to do.

  Perak looked back at the Prince and the other three defenders, a look of horror and disbelief on all of their faces. Their comrade may have died trying to buy them some time to escape but they had missed their opportunity to flee. Now they would pay for it.

  "Kill them!" Perak screamed furiously. "Then we leave!"

  Eric rushed forwards, leaving his men behind. He could probably kill all four on his own if necessary. But as he charged forwards, a newcomer strolled nonchalantly into the space between them, surprising him and bringing him to an abrupt halt. He was clothed in light armour and casually swirled a white, wooden staff. His golden hair was cropped short, almost to his scalp. He regarded Eric with disdain.

  "Ah, you must be Perak's men," he commented in a bored tone. "I was wondering when we would meet you. I didn't think there would be so few of you."

  "And you are?" Eric asked with a scowl.

  "Jonah," the Golden Dragon replied, still casually spinning his staff as if it were a toy. "So, do you know how to use that thing?"

  Something about the man's attitude unnerved Perak and he wished his men hadn't used all of their arrows. Before he could caution Eric, his protégé rushed to attack the Golden Dragon, swinging his sword wildly. But the Golden Dragon was uncannily fast, sidestepping the attack and moving his staff so quickly that it blurred. It connected with the side of Eric's head with an audible whack and he collapsed in a heap. Jonah didn't even give him a second look, advancing on the next of Eric's men and sweeping his legs away with the staff and striking him again before his body even touched the ground.

  "Kill him!" Perak shrieked. "Use spears!"

  Three spears flew towards the Golden Dragon but he dodged out of their way, taking cover behind a wooden post. He reappeared immediately, whirling his staff through the air again, shaking his head mockingly. "Too afraid to face me up close, are you? And I thought you were the elite of the Blue Dragon army. The great Perak, who hides behind his men and is afraid to fight."

  Perak was livid and for one moment, allowed his emotions to get the better of him. He unsheathed his sword and approached the Golden Dragon, determined to punish this arrogant fool, regardless of the consequences. Jonah was clearly skilled, but Perak didn't doubt for a second that he would kill him.

  "Perak!" Pan shouted from behind him. "Look!"

  Perak turned to see that a new group of about thirty Red Dragons had appeared and were about fifty metres behind them.

  "We must run!" Pan shouted. "The exit is still clear, but that could change."

  Perak scowled at the Golden Dragon, still holding his sword. Pan was right, but he hated letting this arrogant fellow think that he had the better of him. But it was a vain thought and he quickly dismissed it, sheathing his sword and sprinting for the open gate. He passed Pan who began to run after him. He heard a howl of anger from the Reds behind them, who must have realised that their enemies were escaping. His men squeezed through the gate, trying not to get in each other's way.

  "Quickly!" Perak ordered. "Who has the oil?"

  "We do, sir," a young man replied, stepping forward. He was holding a barrel of oil, helped by another young man. Although Perak didn't have many troops, he still didn't know many of their names.

  "Close the gate!" he ordered. "Now, torch it!"

  The two men threw the oil all over the gate and left the half-emptied barrel leaning against it, before another of his men threw an oil lamp at the barrel, which smashed and ignited the oil, setting the gate and the surrounding wall ablaze.

  "That'll slow them down," Pan chuckled, standing next to Perak. Perak glared at his chubby comrade. Their mission had been a failure and he had lost several good men, including Eric. This was no time to be laughing.

  "Move!" Perak shouted. "We've earnt a head start, nothing more. Pan, do not fall behind. We will not wait for you."

  The men had already begun running, beginning the escape that had always been the plan. Except for Pan, his troops were all in peak physical shape and could run all night if necessary. They would run for about five hours, till they reached a river, and then they would float downstream till dawn. The Golds and Reds would be in the air at first light, but they would not find them. Perak had already chosen a place to hide during the day, then they would continue to travel at night before flying on the day after.

  The risk of getting caught didn't bother Perak, as it just wasn't conceivable that it would happen. What bothered him was the fact that his one opportunity for revenge might have evaporated. The Reds would now know what he was up to and would be far more suspicious. Jerome's incompetence may have cost him all chance of killing John before he died of his illness, and that was just not acceptable.

  Chapter 9: Safehaven

  The blaze had been extinguished many hours ago, but the smell of burning lingered over the town of Castlebridge and the town wall was badly damaged. But the wall would soon be repaired, probably even improved by using stone instead of wood. The real cost was the loss of life with many of the town's residents lying dead. Yet again, Perak had taken the coward's approach, attacking at night and killing indiscriminately and ye
t again, he had escaped capture. Like many others, Mark had just spent the last hour searching the skies for the fleeing Blues without any success. Others would continue to search but they would not be successful, he was sure of that. Perak would be far away by now.

  Mark circled the town once before landing, watching the Red Dragons with interest. They were already dismantling the damaged section of the wall, beginning their repairs immediately. The whole town was up, and frenetic activities were going on everywhere. He had to admire their spirit and resolve. Perak was not likely to attack here again any time soon, but if he did, they would be ready.

  Everyone who had travelled to the summit was staying in accommodation on the opposite side of town to the damaged wall, ironically, far from the danger, considering they were the target of the attack. If Mark and Gerald hadn’t been still up at the time, they might not have learned about it till the morning. Mark landed outside the inn he was staying in and was greeted by a friendly voice.

  "Ah, Mark, you're back," Prince Gerald called. "Did they escape?"

  "Oh, hello, Gerald, I didn't see you there." Gerald was still dressed in the clothes he had worn last night and presumably had been up all night. "I don't know. I couldn't see them. I was hoping you could tell me. It's your people who went after them on foot last night."

  Gerald shrugged and leaned against a wall, looking thoroughly exhausted. "They're not really my people. This is the East. Western Princes don't command that much respect here. But no, we didn't find them either."