Bentwhistle the Dragon Box

by Paul Cude

  For the next five hours they travelled, before finding a suitable place to stop for the night, just before sunset. Having not journeyed quickly enough to reach the spot they'd hoped to, they had to make do with a clearing near a small brook, off the main route, if you could call it that. As the horses were loosed from the burden of the sleighs and led to the brook to drink their fill, George told everyone what they needed to do.

  "We need torches and lots of them. Plant them in the ground to form concentric circles all the way to the edge of the road with Troydenn at the centre. I don't want anyone sneaking up on us. If they're going to come for him, I want to see what we're facing. We will fight them here, and we WILL win. It's too important not to. Get used to this, because at our current speed, we're going to have at least two more nights in the countryside before we reach the cave's entrance."

  It didn't take long for George's orders to be carried out. With guards posted all around the clearing, the horses fed and watered and a small fire set up in the middle of the ramshackle camp for cooking, some of the contingent settled down for rest, others to eat, while one or two sat together shooting the breeze. It was eerily quiet with everyone being so on edge.

  As George sat off to one side, chomping on the best cooked sausage he’d ever tasted, Axus trudged past the fire to sit down beside him, sausage and bread in one hand, mug of water in the other.

  "No bloody wine again," he moaned. "I know, I know. Need to be sharp and on the lookout. What's an old man supposed to do?"

  George grinned at those words. He knew more than most just how ridiculous it was for the engineer to refer to himself as an old man. On two occasions he'd had the pleasure of meeting Axus in his natural form, and he was as colossal a dragon as he was an engineer. Just the thought of him being old and toothless made no sense whatsoever.

  As they sat eating, Axus gave a nod towards the dragon at the centre of the camp.

  "Slightly ironic that you were sent to bring him back I suppose, what with the two of you growing up in the same nursery ring and then being in the King's Guard together."

  A very awkward silence fell over the two human shaped dragons against the reassuring sound of the fire crackling, roasted meat sizzling and the odd whispered conversation. Not normally one to worry about holding back for fear of offending someone, Axus started to have serious misgivings about the situation because of the silence that had now stretched into minutes. For his part, George just sat there with a faraway look on his face. After only a few more moments, the city's hero let out a deep breath, the look on his face having turned to relief.

  "It was no coincidence that I was sent to confront him and bring him back. The Council knew after what happened in Panama that it had to be me. Not only that, but apparently there are prophecy mantras that predicted that all of this would one day happen, depending on who you believe."

  Axus, visibly stunned, sat on the ground shaking his head as George continued.

  "What I don't understand Axus, is how anyone is capable of what he's done. As you said, we practically grew up together. I've fought alongside him for decades on the battlefield, letting him watch my back, while I covered his. I would have laid down my life for him in the blink of an eye. Not anymore. Believing he was capable of that level of deception and those atrocities was never really an option for me, until I witnessed firsthand what happened at Panama. It had to be me that confronted him and returned him to the others. I never really believed it before, but I know it now."

  The noise in the camp had died down, with only the sound of the surrounding torches and the dying embers from the fire for company. After finishing their meagre meal quietly, George piped up with a question, moving all thoughts of the past, very much onto the future.

  "Can I ask about the area in Antarctica?"

  Axus, clearly happier talking about something engineering related replied,

  "What would you like to know?"

  "I know it's a containment area only to be used as a last resort, but that's all I really do know. If there's a chance we might have to go down that road, I'd really like to learn all about it."

  Axus stroked his dishevelled beard as he composed his response.

  "About fifty years ago, some of our top geologists were in southern Chile, scouting out new laminium deposits. They were looking at two volcanoes in particular, Monte Burney and the more southerly Fueguino. Although successful in finding the new deposits they were looking for, the state of the art equipment that they carried with them kept on giving off very strange readings. Instead of putting it down as a fault with the instruments as most would have done, the expedition decided to investigate and made a startling discovery. Running from southern Chile out towards the Falkland Islands, was a large underground channel. About half a mile wide, running approximately two miles under the ocean's surface, just before it reached the Falkland Islands, the channel divided, with one branch leading to a secluded surface entrance on the Islands themselves, while the other twisted sharply heading directly towards Antarctica. Staggered at the sheer size of the thing, the geologists had never seen anything remotely like it. Most bewildering of all to these highly skilled individuals was the fact that they couldn't tell whether or not the phenomenon was naturally occurring. Intrigued, the group followed the channel south and eventually came up against a problem they were not equipped, or prepared, to deal with."

  "Of course," said George quick-wittedly, "the temperature."

  Axus grinned wildly.

  "That's right. And with low temperatures having such a detrimental effect on us dragons, sapping our strength, energy and stamina, as well as clouding our judgement and minds, wisely the group stopped before the temperature plummeted too low. At that point, they decided to set up camp, while two of them returned to collect specialist protective mantras. After discussions with all the leading experts (and more than one visit to Gee Tee's Mantra Emporium) appropriate mantras were found and were deemed most effective in human (mutatio) form. Once everything they needed was procured and the Council informed, the geologists set off into the channel in the direction of Antarctica, continuing for many days and nights, only able to survive because they were in human form, protected from the cold that would almost certainly have cost their lives, solely by the magical aura of the specialist mantras they had returned to get.

  As the collective trudged on, temperatures plummeted even further and the channel became more precarious. Two of the team succumbed to frostbite in their feet and had to turn back, escorted by one of their healthy colleagues to make sure they returned safely. By now, things were looking really bleak, but their curiosity pushed them ever forward, determined to find out as much as they could about the phenomenon. Sitting around a makeshift fire, wolfing down the last of their provisions, they concluded that they could only travel for another day or so before having to turn back. Setting off early in what their body clocks told them was morning, quite quickly, the floor of the channel started to descend steeply into the darkness. Weaving their way around giant stalagmites growing up out of the floor and ducking down at times to avoid even bigger stalactites hanging from the ceiling, to the few remaining dragons left the entire route looked like gigantic jaws about to swallow them whole. At the point of no return, with defeat looming over them, the path ahead opened out into a vast cavern, like nothing any of them had ever seen before. This was as far as they got on that first expedition."

  George let out a long breath that crystallised in what had become very chilly air, as he contemplated everything Axus had said.

  "Any tales that have something to do with cold always send shivers down my tail, no matter what form I'm in."

  "Aye," chuckled Axus, "but that's not the end of it. After that startling discovery, more expeditions, better equipped, were sent to explore and document the place. Six missions over a fifteen year period finally revealed all. The cavern that the original geologists came to the entrance of below Antarctica is believed to be the biggest of its kind on the plane
t. In excess of five hundred square miles, it has a depth in places of over two miles. Unusually it has half a dozen underground fresh water streams running through it, the source of which has yet to be determined. Another odd fact is that there is no geothermal activity whatsoever, with not a single trace of any known mineral deposit anywhere in or around the entire cavern system. Ideal for the purpose the Council has in mind, the channel appears to be the only entrance and the temperature never gets above -10°C."

  Running his chapped hands through his long, matted, dark hair, George considered everything his friend had told him.

  "It just feels so permanent, Axus. I understand the need to punish Troydenn and his followers for what they've done. I do. I really do. But I also hope it doesn't come to that and that the Council can find a more...” (he nearly said humane... that would have been ironic) “...suitable solution."

  "Aye, I know what you mean son, but these are undoubtedly the darkest times we've ever faced as a race. Even all that trouble that went on in South America, pre Balfor, pales in comparison. None of this sits very comfortably with me George, but I trust in the wisdom of the Council, and so should you. Once they've made their decision, whatever that may be, we can be confident that the hard work of so many has left us well prepared. Should it be needed, the cavern is stocked with everything required to survive well into the future. It won't be easy, but it will be achievable. Starting at the exit of the cavern, going ten miles back into the channel at quarter mile intervals, the individual shaped charges have been laid and have been carefully tested so that they only bring the roof of the channel down and do not disturb the ocean above. If it's decided that Troydenn and his followers should be incarcerated then they will be, well and truly, in that cavern."

  "I appreciate you filling me in on some of the details," George whispered to Axus. "Let's trust in the Council's judgement and wait to see what they decide."

  With that the two parted company, George slipping off to guard duty, while his engineering friend headed for some well needed sleep.

  As the bright morning sun cut through the early morning mist of the camp, those sleeping were woken, bread and cheese passed out, horses watered and fed, ready for the next stage of their unusual journey.

  The next two days proved uneventful. Many people were passed as they made their way along the prescribed route, all shocked to come across the corpse of the massive ferocious dragon being dragged along by the giant sleighs. On occasion, sly hand signals or the briefest of telepathic touches were exchanged with passersby, those who were more than they seemed, anyway. All the cloak and dagger business showed that the way ahead was clear, something of a relief to those in the convoy.

  In the middle of the afternoon on the third day, the convoy left the poor excuse for a muddy main road at the point where a purple trident had been inconspicuously painted onto a large boulder, and headed across an open field in the exact direction in which the trident pointed. Once through the field, they came to a coppice and noted the same trident carved into a tree, and adjusted their heading accordingly. This continued for four more hours, until they came over a rise and into a beautiful meadow full of tall green swaying grass, punctuated with gorgeous wild flowers. A large rocky outcrop could just be seen in the distance.

  As the troop entered the meadow, hundreds of warriors and archers silently appeared from atop the outcrop and within the surrounding grass. Bows and swords appeared from nowhere in the hands of George's companions as they formed a defensive perimeter around the captured dragon. Those without weapons readied their magic. A tense silence enveloped the entire meadow; the only movement was that of the long grass rippling in the wind. George stood up from his kneeling position in front of Troydenn and sheathed his trusty sword. As he did so, a loud horn echoed across the surrounding countryside. One of the foremost warriors stepped forward from the long grass, stowed his sword and clasped George's proffered hand. Greetings were exchanged, magic dispelled and weapons lowered. Warriors in front of the convoy parted swiftly, forming a huge path straight to the rocky outcrop. At a snail’s pace, the convoy crawled along the corridor that had been laid out for them, the soldiers in the meadow closing in behind them, forming a giant impenetrable ring.

  As everyone gathered at the cave's entrance, the exhausted horses were untethered and led off into the meadow to graze. Meanwhile ropes appeared from the well-illuminated cave entrance and were threaded through a series of pulleys on either side of the sleighs.

  After Axus was satisfied, the warriors in the meadow picked up the slack on the ropes in two lines as a large horn echoed deep within the cave. Slowly the rope in and around the pulleys began to go taut, pulling the sleighs and their giant burden forward through the cave's entrance and into the massive interior. All this happened at a funereal pace, with the daylight from outside gradually fading, being replaced by dull yellow lights from stony protrusions both on the cave's floor and in the surrounding walls that carried on down the winding slope, as far as the eye could see. Occasionally a hairpin bend would have to be negotiated, which meant that distance became measured more in inches, rather than miles per hour.

  After what seemed like an eternity, but was actually just over eighteen hours, the weary travellers reached their destination. Opening out into a colossal grotto, filled with dragons in both their natural and human forms, the same light producing protrusions lined the walls and the floor, fading up above, the ceiling some way off in the distance, shrouded in darkness. Far from being damp and cold, the chamber was filled with toasty warm air that tickled and prodded, washed and wavered, all the time carried on a subtle breeze. Brilliant red lava oozed down mineral laden walls sporadically throughout, in complete contrast to the countryside through which the convoy had travelled.

  Shuffling feet could be heard in the dimly lit arena as the beings let the sleighs through. Those who had accompanied the sleighs drifted off to join the already gathered crowd, with the exception of George who stayed where he was. Little shapes scurried out of the shadows, surrounding and inspecting the sleighs purposefully.

  After much whispering, George was asked to step back, which he duly did, while others surrounded the prehistoric arrival, chanting in hushed tones. Starting low, it didn't take long to reach a crescendo of raised voices, all in unison. Abruptly there was an almighty BANG, startling all of those not paying attention.

  In the subsequent near silence, it would appear that instead of a scene of utter devastation and carnage which they nearly all expected, all that had happened was that the double sleigh on which Troydenn had been resting completely disappeared, leaving him lying on the cold stone floor.

  Unexpectedly, huge stone doors swung in on themselves right in front of George and the captured dragon. Through them walked a tall, lean man leading twenty four other men. I say “men”... they were of course dragons in their human guises. As one, the crowd started to kneel and bow their heads, realising it was the king and his councillors.

  In his mutatio form, the king looked nothing short of magnificent. Standing seven feet tall with long golden hair flowing down past his shoulders, rippling muscles threatening to burst through his clothing, which was all white with a bright purple trident running across the tunic. Most stunning of all though was the real trident the king carried by his side. It was as tall as he was and appeared to be made of a bright purple metal that seemed to be constantly moving within the form of the trident. An eye-catching ring that seemed to be visible one moment and then gone the next, constantly phasing in and out of existence, decorated the king's left hand.

  Abruptly the monarch thumped the trident's base onto the stone floor, the resulting sound hurting everyone's ears.

  "Be upstanding," he declared. "You should know why we are all here. Let the proceedings begin."

  One of the councillors strode over to Troydenn, pulled some parchment from beneath his robes, and began reciting the words from it. The purple glow on the dragon's body receded. Finishing the mantra and slipp
ing the parchment back in his robes, the councillor addressed Troydenn for everyone to hear.

  "Will you voluntarily turn back into human form for this trial?"

  Gradually the dragon's mighty skull moved slightly from side to side, dragging its massive chin along the cold stone floor, while dribbles of flame squirted contemptibly from each nostril.

  "I'll take that as a 'no' shall I?" fumed the councillor, stepping aside to let the king through. On noticing the king, a little quiver of fear ran through the defiant dragon.

  Face contorted with rage, the king addressed the rogue dragon.

  "Since you won't change of your own free will, I will force the change upon you, which unfortunately for you will be most unpleasant... something I'd hoped to avoid."

  Shimmering beams of brilliant blue energy lanced out from the tip of the trident as the king levelled it at Troydenn. Just as the first beam connected, the helpless dragon let out a YELP, much like a frightened dog. Onlookers in the shadows could barely watch something that hadn't happened in over three hundred years. History was quite literally unfolding before their very eyes. As the separate beams hit Troydenn's body, they formed straight lines all along it from head to toe, encircling the circumference of his belly. All the while he remained motionless, determined, resolute, apart from his eyes which flickered from side to side, betraying the fear coursing through him.

  By now the lines of energy had started to crisscross each other, giving the impression of an all encompassing giant net. Without warning, Troydenn panicked and, mustering all his remaining strength, tried desperately to get to his feet, clearly sensing what was to come. Crackling ferociously, the shimmering net of blue energy surrounding him began to shrink, causing the captive dragon to let out a blood-curdling wail.

  As the contracting lines of energy sparked, crackled and smoked, and Troydenn's pain echoed around the underground space, it became much harder to determine what was happening inside the energy net. Certainly a change of some sort was occurring because the area the net covered had diminished to about a third of its original size, and the howling and screaming coming from within now sounded much less like an animal, and much more like a human.