Sink: Once Upon A Time

by Perrin Briar

  The woodland would catch fast, and there would be nothing for it but to break cover. The moment Bryan did that, the dragon would be on him. The dragon held all the cards.

  Bryan saw Zoe the moment he ascended a steep hill. She was waiting for him on the other side.

  “It’s about time!” Zoe said.

  Her expression changed the moment she laid eyes on him.

  “What is it?” she said.

  The trees burned and crackled in Bryan’s wake, working its way up the incline.

  “You started a fire?” Zoe said. “What did you think that would achieve?”

  “It might keep us warm,” Bryan said. “I didn’t start it. Our reptile friend did.”

  “What are you even doing in the woods anyway?” Zoe said. “You should have steered clear of it, working your way around to the front, and then entering so I could come out.”

  There was a roar overhead, and a black shadow flitted behind the clouds.

  “Oh,” Zoe said.

  They turned their mounts and trotted through the forest, keeping a step ahead of the fire.

  “This is great,” Zoe said. “Since when could it fly?”

  “All along, apparently,” Bryan said. “That was what the metal armor on its back was for. To unfold once the right button was pressed.”

  “So the antennae is still working too,” Zoe said.

  “Apparently,” Bryan said. “Though the dinosaur never attacked the inventor’s tower. He came close though.”

  “At least we know the kids are okay,” Zoe said. “And they’re far from all this.”

  A bell rang, high pitched and clanging.

  “What’s that?” Bryan said.

  “It’s the church bell,” Zoe said. “It’s ringing.”

  “It’s a bit late,” Bryan said. “The town has been half destroyed by hordes of skeletons and a fire breathing T-Rex with wings.”

  “Maybe it’s not a warning bell,” Zoe said.

  “What do you mean?” Bryan said. “What else could it be?”

  Zoe rode forward, in the direction of the town.

  “You’re going the wrong way!” Bryan said.

  Zoe didn’t stop. Bryan trotted after her. Zoe pulled up on the fringes of the woodland. She squinted at the church bell tower in an effort to see clearer.

  “Someone’s up there,” Zoe said.

  “Of course someone’s up there,” Bryan said. “The bell is ringing.”

  “No one needs to be on the roof to ring the bell,” Zoe said. “That’s what the bell ropes are for. They’re setting something up.”

  “What do you think it could be?” Bryan said.

  “I’m sure I don’t know,” Zoe said. “But we’d best hope it’s something that’ll work. Our plan is a failure.”

  The fire woofed. It was really tearing through the forest now. They didn’t have long to make a decision.

  “The dragon is expecting us to race across the plain toward the caves,” Zoe said. “It’s the only place where he can’t reach or hurt us. The monster might not know much, but it knows that.”

  “Yes,” Bryan said, though he didn’t look much enthused by the idea. “I suppose we’d better head back into town. I just hope we can make it back.”

  “By ringing the bell, they’re hoping to get the dragon’s attention,” Zoe said. “But it won’t leave here till it has us. It knows it has us on the ropes.”

  “I sure hope whoever is on the roof of the church knows what they’re doing,” Bryan said.

  58.

  “WHAT ARE we doing?” Cassie said. “We must be crazy to attempt something like this.”

  “It’s the only shot we’ve got,” Aaron said.

  “Speaking of shots, one is about all we’ll have,” Cassie said. “As soon as that thing is above us, it’ll blast us with its breath and there will be no chance we’ll escape. We’ll have to be up here to fire the net too. We’ll need a way to get down quickly.”

  “Don’t worry,” Aaron said. “I’ve got us covered.”

  “So let me get this right,” Rosetta said. “You’re ringing this bell to get the dragon’s attention. When it comes in close to investigate, you’re going to fire your giant crossbow and try to knock it out of the sky. And we will probably only have one shot because the dragon will hit us with its fire breath as soon as it knows we’re here.”

  “That’s about it, yeah,” Aaron said.

  “And this is the best idea we have?” Rosetta said.

  “Pretty much, yes,” Aaron said.

  Rosetta thought for a moment.

  “Okay,” she said. “At least it’ll make one hell of a eulogy.”

  “If we fail, there won’t be any eulogies for anybody,” Aaron said.

  “Way to increase the pressure,” Rosetta said, rolling her eyes. “If we fail, everyone in this world is dead. Have I got that about right?”

  “Spot on,” Cassie said.

  “And to think last week I was worried about my quarterly review,” Rosetta said.

  She bent down to pick up the giant crossbow.

  “Where do you want this?” she said.

  “Right here is fine,” Aaron said.

  Rosetta braced herself against the wall and used her robot arm to move the giant crossbow frame. It was pointed in the direction of the forest, now a burning blaze, at the dragon that continued to rain fire down on the woodland.

  Rosetta hoped Bryan and Zoe were okay. If they were in the caves, they were safe.

  “Will this kill it?” Rosetta said.

  “We don’t need to kill it,” Aaron said. “We just need to knock it out of the sky.”

  59.

  THE MOMENT their horses shot from the safety of the smoldering forest, a roar erupted from the dragon as it circled around and took off into the clouds for cover. There was perhaps a minute of uninterrupted silence before the rattling of metal wings above, and the scream of a haggard shard of metal that caught the wind and made it howl.

  The town entrance was getting larger in their vision, the drawbridge drawing up close. The horses seemed to understand the situation and were giving it everything they had, a thick white liquid foaming up on their bodies.

  “We’re not going to make it!” Bryan said.

  “Yes we will!” Zoe said. “Keep going!”

  The dinosaur roared, deafening. It must have been right on top of them. Any moment those roars would turn into the roars of fire, blasting them to charred smithereens.

  The horses’ hooves thudded on the drawbridge. The riders pulled on their reins, turning the horses hard left. The wood splintered as the fire blasted through it, cutting a sharp line in the dirt road, narrowly missing the riders by inches.

  The dragon had to pull up and make a U-turn to head back toward the riders, who were already hustling through the streets toward the church.

  High above them, getting into position, was Rosetta, Aaron and Cassie, preparing to take a single shot that would either save them, or destroy them.

  60.

  “HE’S COMING,” Aaron said, spying the large black shape coming toward them.

  “What makes you think it’s a him?” Rosetta said. “It could just as easily be female.”

  “Sexist pig,” Cassie said with a wink at Rosetta.

  Aaron blushed red. Rosetta’s plan was to get their minds off the task in hand as much as possible. People always performed better when they weren’t focused entirely on the task in hand.

  It was one of the most valuable lessons Rosetta had learned in the military, to absorb and soak in as much information as possible, and then to let go, for the unconscious mind to take over. It was a supercomputer, and one of the ways to engage it was to let all tension and stress go, for the mind to take possession of the body. It was as much for herself as it was for the kids. She needed to relax.

  What I wouldn’t give for a nice hot bath and some delicious red wine right about now, Rosetta thought.

  That thought alone helped her to r
elax. She felt the muscles around her shoulders unwind. There had been no time to fashion a trigger. Instead, she wielded a hatchet. She would sever the rope and send the net they had locked and loaded spiraling out into the sky toward the large flapping monster.

  It was going to be a tough shot. Fire too early and the monster would see it coming and avoid it. Worse, it would be a smaller target and harder to hit. Fire too late, and the net would have less effect, not having the time to unfurl and trap the monster.

  She needed to be patient. She would prefer for the monster to be too close than too far away. At least then she might hit it and have some effect, rather than none at all.

  Rosetta got to her feet and squinted at a pair of dust clouds rising, tearing up a trail leading toward the church.

  “It’s them,” Rosetta said.

  “Who?” Aaron said.

  “Your parents,” Rosetta said.

  They were coming right for the church, bringing the dragon toward them. The dragon had eyes only for them, and swooped in above the houses, barely pulling its legs up out of the way as it passed over the roofs. It was coming in low and fast, its chest already puffing up to expel fire.

  The two horses were in the firing line, the dragon coming up behind them. No way they were going to escape. Bryan and Zoe were putting all their eggs in one basket with this maneuver, putting their lives in their hands. In Rosetta, Cassie and Aaron’s hands.

  That really lessens the tension, Rosetta thought. If I shoot and miss, I’ve just made Aaron and Cassie orphans.

  Rosetta’s hand felt sweaty on the hatchet handle. She gripped it tighter. The dragon’s head pulled back.

  The horses were giving it all they had, fighting a losing battle, Zoe and Bryan’s arms working the horses’ heads hard.

  Rosetta raised her axe high and…

  Swung it down.

  She couldn’t say she was ‘at one’ with the axe, but they had aimed the crossbow as best they could. The axe’s sharpened edge sliced through the rope in one smooth motion. The rope shot forward, sending the net package out, spiraling through the air.

  The fire rumbled in the dragon’s mouth. It must have heard or seen the net because at the last moment it looked up. It grunted as the net, having unwound to its full width and height, snapped around the dinosaur.

  “Yes!” Rosetta said.

  The net couldn’t snap the wings together like it did the monster’s legs, but it did hold them in place, freezing them. Aaron and Cassie cheered, arms held up in celebration.

  And then Aaron lowered his arms, his smile fading.

  Rosetta turned to look at what had dampened his spirit.

  Before losing its ability to fly, the dragon had been accelerating fast. Its hefty weight was still carrying it forward, its wings, unable to move, worked as a glider.

  It was going to strike the ground, but not before it hit the church tower.

  61.

  ZOE AND BRYAN pulled hard on their reins, each taking a different direction. They’d been aware the dragon was close, but they were also aware that whatever weapon was atop the church tower, it had to be something Cassie and Aaron were confident would take the dragon down.

  Their horses were shot and couldn’t run much farther. The foam on their bodies was thick like frothing shampoo gel. They brought their loyal steeds to a slow stop, and didn’t turn back to look at what the dragon’s fate had been until they heard the cacophonous smash of the dragon as it sailed into the ground.

  What gripped both the parents’ hearts was the gentle tinkle of the church bell as it was knocked off its stand and fell to earth.

  They rounded the corner, appearing back on the main street. They climbed from their horses and let them go. The horses took off at a canter, not wanting to be part of the adventure any longer.

  Bryan and Zoe ran along the street. The dust was still settling and hung thickly over the scene like a shroud. As it began to clear, they made out a long indentation in the road where the dinosaur had fallen, its body tearing up a deep trench.

  And then they came to the prostrate dinosaur body, the net tight and making deep furrows in its thick flesh.

  There was a large empty space where the church should have been. Where the kids should have been.

  The dragon was not dead, and grunted under its heavy restraints, the netting keeping its mouth shut. Its eyes found Bryan and Zoe and focused on them.

  There was a real intense hatred in those eyes. It wanted them, wanted them with every fiber of its being. It tried to spit fire, but its lips couldn’t open wide enough. Smoke whispered from its nostrils.

  The parents moved around the monster, carefully placing their feet. They didn’t want to come within range of the great reptile. It was still dangerous. A single thrash of its tail could spell the end of them. Just as it had been the end of the kids.

  There was nothing but rubble left of the church. The bell had a crack in it, and the ancient stonework had been destroyed.

  “We failed,” Zoe said. “We saved the town, but failed to save our kids. We failed them.”

  Bryan hugged Zoe close. It was so painful a loss he couldn’t bear to even look at Zoe right then. They hugged one another, tears streaming down their faces. They had lost them. After all this time, there was nothing they could do to keep hold of them, to keep them from death’s jaws.

  There was a fluttering sound. It could have been an angel’s wings. Zoe and Bryan spun around to look at the T-Rex. Had it gotten itself free, and was now working on getting itself airborne again? But no. It was still in the sorry state it had been when it had crash landed.

  Their attention moved to the sound above their heads. And there it was. The cause. Three of them. They were descending on clouds of white, all three of the surfacers: Aaron, Cassie and Rosetta. They touched down heavily to the rubble. Zoe and Bryan were on hand to help them to their feet.

  “I thought I’d lost you… again!” Zoe said.

  “I guess that one never wears off, does it?” Aaron said with a smirk.

  “One of these days you’ll be gone and I won’t even blink!” Zoe said.

  “Till you realize we really are gone that time,” Aaron said.

  Zoe laughed, but it turned to tears.

  “Mom, I was only joking,” Aaron said.

  “I know,” Zoe said. “I just never want to lose you.”

  She hugged him to her, running her hands through his hair and clutching him tight. Bryan hugged Cassie. He caught Rosetta’s eye and smiled.

  “Thank you,” he said.

  “It should be me thanking them,” Rosetta said. “If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be here.”

  62.

  LADY MALTESE watched from the safety of the balcony of her cave apartment, high in the mountain’s wall. She couldn’t believe what she had just seen. Her pet, her beloved monstrosity, the one she had kitted out and turned into an even more dangerous beast, had been swatted from the sky. She had heard it land, thudding heavily into the earth like a fallen comet.

  She’d immediately moved for her amulet and began pressing buttons, but there was no response, no reply. Nothing. She no longer had control.

  She let out a scream that echoed through the catacombs. She took off her amulet and smashed it on the floor. She leapt upon it, crushing it beneath her boots, screaming and crying in the same breath.

  Everything she had worked for, everything she had done, had all been destroyed. But she wasn’t finished yet. She was in her cave. She would use the resources she had to create more weapons. There was more than one way to destroy a town. She would revert to ancient methods, like poisoning the wells, if she had to.

  She turned back to the cavern and began sorting through the piles of metal toys she’d fashioned. They had razor-sharp blades around the bottom and helicopter propellers on the top.

  Let’s see how they deal with my little hellion copters, Lady Maltese thought with a smile.

  Something moved behind her. She spun around, withd
rawing the knife she kept up her sleeve.

  “I know you’re there,” Lady Maltese said. “You don’t spend a lifetime in the shadows without knowing when someone is in them.”

  There was a pause, and then something began to move. A figure emerged into the light, on the edge of darkness. It was a cowled figure. The one who referred to himself as the Cursed One.

  Lady Maltese lowered her knife, her eyes wide and fearful.

  “I… I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t know it was you.”

  “Clearly,” the Cursed One said. “Judging by the events taking place outside, you have a great deal on your plate.”

  “I do,” Lady Maltese said. “But nothing I can’t handle.”

  “No?” the Cursed One said. “It looks like you’ve lost control of the situation to us.”

  “No,” Lady Maltese said. “I can get it back. I can always get it back.”

  The Cursed One extended his gloved hands in an apologetic gesture.

  “But what business is it of ours?” he said. “You may conduct your business any which way you like. What may be seen as a failure to us may be seen as a supreme success to others.”

  “It’s not failure,” Lady Maltese said vehemently. “It’s a setback.”

  “Of course,” the Cursed One said.

  Lady Maltese could practically taste the bitterness in his voice.

  “But your… setback has put a wrinkle in our plans,” the Cursed One said. “You were meant to join us. We have been recruiting from all known worlds. You alone were entrusted with our pods, but one was stolen and destroyed. And so your spot is gone.”

  “I don’t want a spot,” Lady Maltese said. “I want to stay here and rule.”

  The Cursed One paced up and down the modest cave apartment, furnished with some of the finest items from the castle.

  “Some time ago we came to you with a proposition,” he said. “You required a problem, and we provided you with one. It was up to you to make the most of it. You were told that later, one day, you would pay us back. And we returned.”