by Andy Holland
He forced the negative thoughts from his mind. Whatever his or their concerns, he knew how well trained and competent these troops were. They might be new to the methods of this group, but like all of the Golden Dragon volunteers they were veterans of their defence force and would have had at least three years of training. They would obey his commands effectively and without hesitation. With no more than a curt nod to convey his directions, his seven dragons fell in behind him, flying in a tight 'v' shaped formation that was identical to the other eleven teams. Mark looked to Gabriel, who was at the centre of the group and was flying directly towards their enemy.
Form a tight pack, Gabriel commanded, and each team immediately drew closer until they formed a dense flock, presenting an irresistible eager for the angry True Dragon. To an observer, it might seem like a crazy tactic, making themselves such an easy target, but they had to draw it towards themselves as they could never hope to keep up with it if it lost interest in them and flew away. They would only begin to spread out when the creature was close enough to engage, which hopefully wouldn’t be too late to avoid getting caught.
The tactic didn’t fail in drawing the creature’s attention, and it roared once more, now so close that it was loud enough to actually hurt Mark's ears. It was rushing eagerly towards them, its angry eyes staring at them with malicious intent. There was no chance it would lose interest in them now, not until either they or it had been killed.
Shall we ascend? Captain Miriam asked Gabriel. She tried to hide it, but Mark could hear the anxiety in her voice. However brave or foolish anyone might be, they couldn’t help but be intimidated by the size and speed of the True Dragon.
Hold a little longer, Gabriel replied. Jude, Magda, get ready.
Jude and Magda commanded two teams of scouts, the elite of the Golden Dragon forces and it would be them who would engage the creature first, an honour that Mark didn't begrudge them. The True Dragon was less than a kilometre away now and looked larger than ever. It flapped its wings even faster, desperate to get to them.
Now, sir? Captain Jory asked. It's getting pretty close.
Just a little further, Gabriel replied, his thoughts unnervingly calm. Now!
Upon his command, the teams fanned out, but still heading towards their target. Jude and Magda's units surged ahead of the group, the elite scouts demonstrating their superior speed as they raced towards the monstrosity, one approaching from the right and one from the left. Just before they were in range of the creature's fire they began to screech manically, not as effective as the Blue Dragons call but a disconcerting sound nonetheless. This was not a real attack, just an attempt to distract and confuse the beast. Jude and Magda's units turned and weaved through the air, making it hard for the True Dragon to pick out a single target. Both flew tantalisingly close to the creature, each presenting a tempting opportunity as they passed, but unable to choose between the two the True Dragon let them fly past unharmed. Magda actually sent a fireball at the creature's head as she passed, an act that had no hope of harming it but succeeding in infuriating it by her audacity. It slowed down and turned its head to send a fiery blast after her, but it was a pointless response, the flames failing to even come close to harming her.
As hopeless as their task had seemed, so far it was going according to plan. Now it was Mark's turn to engage the creature. His unit had also sped up and flown ahead of the group upon Gabriel's command, but they had ascended high above the True Dragon and remained silent while the scouts made their approach. As soon as Jude and Magda's scouts passed by, Mark and his unit began to screech at the huge dragon, drawing its attention to them. Still infuriated by Magda’s previous attack, it responded by spewing fire at them immediately, but just as was the case with Magda, they easily avoided its deadly flames. Miriam's unit repeated the tactic with the same outcome. Mark was finding it hard to believe, but their approach was going even better than they had thought it could. Slowing down in a hopeless attempt to single out a victim, the True Dragon became confused by the seemingly random movements of the teams, and when it did unleash a great cloud of flames, it was into empty air.
Keep it there! Gabriel ordered as the creature tried to single out Miriam’s team. Bellowing loudly in frustration, it only managed to travel a short distance before losing track of her team, distracted and confused by the dizzying swarm of Golden and Brown Dragons that were mobbing it.
The True Dragon had now lost all momentum now, and as it changed direction once again, looking for a better option, it was almost hovering above the ground, exactly as they had hoped.
Jude, Magda, blind it, Gabriel ordered. Xanik, Kevin, begin your approach, he instructed two of the Blue and Red commanders.
Jude’s team of scouts charged at the creature from the front, screaming and firing random fireballs at its eyes. It responded by unleashing a great torrent of fire in their general direction, but they were ready for the attack and dodged the flames with ease. Mark led his team after Jude’s, but this was just a distraction to allow Magda to approach from the side, hitting it with a series of fireballs and temporarily blinding it. Unable to see, it thrashed about with its claws, narrowly missing one of Mark's dragons, but had to slow quite drastically. Their strategy was working brilliantly, keeping the creature occupied while the Blues moved into position, carrying their heavy metal lances ready for the attack.
Then, as victory seemed so close, tragedy struck. Demonstrating a level of nimbleness that would be more usually associated with Brown Dragons, the creature unexpectedly lurched to the right, catching in its jaws two Golden Dragons who had been flying past in the opposite direction and getting just ever so slightly too close. The murderous snap of its teeth echoed through the air, silencing the shrieks of every dragon. For a second, the only sound was the flapping of wings and the unpleasant crunch of bones. The creature casually dropped one dragon and swallowed the other one whole. It was a sobering reminder not only of the danger that it represented but how quickly it could change direction if it wanted. Mark had never expected to get through the day without losses, but it was still shocking to watch two of his comrades killed so suddenly.
On top of the unexpected deaths, to Mark's horror, he realised that they were in danger of missing their opportunity to kill the creature. Eating the two dragons had given the True Dragon renewed drive, and it has sped up slightly, outpacing the Blues that were preparing to attack. Even worse, flying directly behind the True Dragon they were very exposed, previously having been hidden at the back of the group. If the creature turned, it would spot them straight away, and as they were large and slow, it would catch and kill them with ease, dooming their whole attack.
Just as it seemed that all hope was lost, one of the two teams of Brown Dragons attacked from out of nowhere, taking the almost suicidal approach of attacking from below. They flew tantalisingly close before twisting out of reach, the creature futilely snapping at them with its terrible jaws. The move slowed the creature, letting the Blues start to gain ground again, but it still wasn’t going to be enough, and they needed the creature to slow even more.
Captain Jory! Gabriel called, his thoughts broadcast to every dragon. Attack the creature! We must slow it!
Jory was already moving towards the True Dragon before Gabriel gave the command, ready to repeat the daring manoeuvre the Browns had just pulled off. His unit flew even closer than the Browns had, before swerving away from the inevitable swipe of the creature's huge claws. The True Dragon roared angrily, having missed the last one in Jory’s unit by no more than a metre, but it followed the attempt with an almighty blast of fire that engulfed the unfortunate dragon, killing it instantly. But its death was not a futile act as the True Dragon had yet again slowed down to the point where it was almost hovering, putting it just where they wanted it and at just the right moment. Not only were the Blue Dragons closing in to attack, but so were the Red Dragons, who had ascended high above the True Dragon and were now silently diving towards him, also carrying the heavy
metal lances. Although heavy and relatively slow in the air, the Reds had picked up speed by diving and were swiftly closing the gap between themselves and their target. Still watching the dragons that had attacked from below the creature had lowered its head and exposed the vulnerable spots behind the ears. As Mark observed from far behind, the only question he had was which group was going to deliver the fatal blow, and for a second, the skies fell silent as Gabriel’s dragons drew a collective breath in anticipation of their success.
But it was all an illusion. The creature was perfectly aware of the Red Dragons' approach and just before they reached it, spun around with the agility of a much smaller dragon, opening its jaws wide and snatching the foremost Red Dragon from the air. It swiped at the remaining Red Dragons with one of its massive, clawed feet, swatting away three of them. Mark watched in dismay as their broken bodies dropped lifelessly towards the ground. The remaining Reds and Blues scattered, abandoning any hope of attacking the creature and just focusing on escaping with their lives. In just a few brief seconds, all their hopes of success had been cruelly dashed.
His disappointment was shared by the rest of his group. The Browns, who were watching from below, let forth a loud scream of dismay, unwittingly drawing attention to themselves. The True Dragon had finished consuming the hapless Red Dragon and eagerly looked for its next meal, now flying with renewed vigour. It dived towards the Browns, who wisely scattered, but not before the creature managed to catch one with its claws, sending it spinning through the air. It followed after it and caught it in its mouth, devouring it in one gulp.
Mark, regroup above the creature, Gabriel ordered. He was carrying three metal lances. How he had got them so quickly Mark didn't know, but he evidently wanted to launch another attack.
Are you crazy? Mark replied. Didn't you see what just happened? We've lost eight dragons already.
We may not have a better chance, Gabriel replied firmly. I was never convinced that the Reds and Blues could pull this off. They are too slow. We still have most of our dragons and the Browns. We will be enough. Just follow your orders.
Sure enough, the remaining fifteen Browns had regrouped above the creature along with most of the Golds. The Reds and Blues were beneath them but were climbing. Mark found it hard to believe that no one else saw the futility in what they were doing.
I will take a lance, Jude volunteered, grabbing one of the long black weapons as he flew past Gabriel. Gabriel gave one of the other two to a dragon under Jude's command. Mark noticed that he only had five dragons in his unit, instead of seven. The two that had been killed first must have been two of his. They wouldn’t be the last if Jude truly meant to attack the creature.
As much as he disagreed with this course of action, Mark had no choice but to obey. Gabriel was in command. Any element of surprise had gone, and their number was depleted, so he could not see how this could work out well, but would obey nonetheless.
Browns! Gabriel called. You will need to distract it again. We will attack with the lances.
Just three lances? One of the Browns asked. What about the Blues and the Reds?
Far below us, Gabriel replied. We can't wait for them. But only one is needed for success! Mark, Jory, Miriam, join the Browns. Here it comes again, prepare to attack!
Mark's team dived after the Browns towards the approaching monster. How could something that heavy ascend so quickly? The creature snapped twice at the passing Browns, but its jaws closed on air, the nimble dragons dodging out of the way. Mark was close behind and fired off two bursts of flame at the creature's head. He felt the heat of the creature's fire as its own flames narrowly missed him. He rolled onto his back to see how his unit had done and was distressed to see the creature strike two of them with its outstretched claws as they passed. The True Dragon changed direction with astonishing control, diving after the stricken Golden Dragons and deftly catching both in its jaws. It flew on again quickly, as if conscious of Gabriel and Jude’s approach and put a considerable distance between them before circling to attack once more.
Gabriel, it is not working! Mark insisted. We have to call this off.
And do what? Gabriel asked. Their capital is not far from here. What will it do if it gets there? How many thousands will it kill? Everyone! Regroup!
The command was largely unnecessary as most of the remaining Golds and Browns had already gathered together, but now they were all underneath the creature and at an even bigger disadvantage. Mark couldn't see any of the Reds or Blues, who had presumably fled. That was a wise move, as the monster decided that it was now time to take the fight to them and loudly roared its murderous intent. There was an almost malicious look on its face as it gazed down on the group before rushing towards them. Without waiting for Gabriel's command the group split into two, flying in opposite directions and clearly having no interest in fighting any more and for once, Gabriel didn’t object. Mark found himself in a group of about fifty dragons, including the remainder of his unit who were just behind him. Unfortunately, being the larger of the two groups, the creature decided to follow them.
Spread out! Gabriel ordered. Jude, go left, Miriam, fly right. I’ll go straight ahead.
Mark and his unit were to the left of Jude so, in the absence of explicit orders from Gabriel, he opted to stick with Jude as did the Brown Dragon unit. With nineteen dragons, they were the larger of the three groups so when Mark glanced back to check on their pursuer, he wasn’t surprised to see that it stuck with them. What did surprise and horrify him was how much it had narrowed the gap, putting them in range of its fire. It let forth a deadly blast, incinerating the seven Browns and singeing the scales of the nearest Golden Dragons who screamed in pain.
Scatter! Mark ordered, although it was an unnecessary command as all remaining discipline had vanished and the twelve Golden Dragons were fleeing in every direction possible. The creature targeted two and bore down on them, giving Mark the opportunity to fly in the opposite direction to the creature and out of harm’s way.
They’re going to make it easy for it, Jude said, appearing by Mark’s side. Sure enough, the two unfortunate dragons that the creature had selected, both of who were from Mark’s unit, were still flying together and frantically beating their wings to try and outpace their pursuer. But that wasn't the way to escape. In a straight line, there was only going to be one winner. The True Dragon's jaws closed with an audible snap, catching both Golden Dragons at the same time and impaling them on its huge teeth, killing them immediately. They dangled from its mouth for a second before it tossed them forwards to get a better hold before swallowing them whole. The meal did nothing to slow it down, and it banked heavily to the left to look for the next victims. Mark, flying with Jude and two of his scouts, realised that it had selected them as its next target and the death of his troops hadn’t bought them anywhere near enough time to escape.
Split up! Jude commanded. No point making it easy for it to get all of us.
The two scouts veered to the left and Mark followed Jude to the right. He flew hard, trying to put some distance between them before he would have to start dodging.
Here it comes, Jude warned. Just keep dodging.
Mark glanced back and saw that the True Dragon was gaining on them rapidly, having ignored the two scouts. It was flying very fast, much faster than he could and his only chance was to outmanoeuvre it. He turned suddenly and dived, hoping that it couldn't do the same thing. He looked back and saw that it hadn't bothered, opting to go after Jude instead. With the possible exception of his brother, John, Jude was the most agile dragon that Mark knew and if anyone could escape this thing, he could. As the creature neared, Jude dodged to the left and simultaneously dropped down about twenty metres, resulting in his pursuer passing overhead, unable to slow down as quickly. The creature wasn't beaten though and turned to follow Jude once more, rapidly closing the gap yet again. As the True Dragon closed in for the second time, Jude dropped into an abrupt dive, before spinning and pulling up flying in
the opposite direction, letting the creature pass overhead yet again. Furious at missing a second time it emitted a great torrent of flames, trying to incinerate Jude, but it was a futile act, and Jude was nowhere near danger, the flames doing nothing more than igniting a small wood beneath them.
Yet the True Dragon was relentless, turning about once again and powering after Jude, flying as fast as it could without any evidence that it was tiring. Jude, however, was now starting to slow, having put too much into the last manoeuvre and probably still tired from their failed attempt to kill the beast. He dodged once more as the creature closed in, successfully evading its outstretched claws for the third time, but this time it was much closer, and Mark doubted he could dodge it again. The creature roared triumphantly as it turned to follow Jude a final time as if sensing that its quarry was beaten. Mark was too far away to help, even if there was something he could do, which he severely doubted. He was powerless to do anything other than watch his old friend and comrade get eaten by this monster, and then it would be after him.
Mark was so distracted by the drama that was playing out in front of him that he didn't even see the new arrival till it was almost upon him. Screams of warning alerted him just in time to turn and see the bronze True Dragon hurtling towards him, flying at an incredible pace. Had it any interest in him there would have been nothing that he could have done to evade it, but the creature completely ignored him, flying over the top of him as if he wasn't there. It flew silently, giving no warning of its intentions and the other True Dragon didn't see it till the last second, being so focussed on catching Jude. It screamed in anger as the two dragons collided, the mighty thud of the impact echoing all around them. They joined together for a second before separating, with the black True Dragon left spinning uncontrollably through the air. But, to Mark's surprise, the black True Dragon appeared to be unharmed and managed to right itself very quickly, screaming furiously as it flew after the smaller dragon, having lost any interest in Jude. But where it caught up with the Brown and Golden Dragons with ease, now it was outpaced, the smaller True Dragon showing that what it lacked in size it made up for in speed. Although already flying faster than the black True Dragon it abruptly accelerated, demonstrating a turn of pace that made Mark gasp with awe. The creature flew vertically for a few seconds before turning and diving back towards the larger dragon. The black True Dragon hesitated as if amazed that the creature was foolish enough to attack it a second time. The bronze True Dragon charged with unbelievable speed, firing huge fireballs just before they collided. Just as before, the sound of the collision was deafening, but Mark could see little of what was happening as the two dragons were cloaked in fire. They separated quickly, the bronze True Dragon flying hard to get away from the larger dragon. Despite the violence of the impact, the black True Dragon appeared unharmed, but the bronze True Dragon had a nasty wound on its shoulder.