Bentwhistle the Dragon Box

by Paul Cude

  Stunned at what he'd just witnessed, the larger of the two guards readied his magic and, thanks to his training, was prepared for anything. At least he thought he was. As a dozen more nifoloa joined their two nest mates in a swarm that would chill any being's blood, two four armed, scaled apes swung up from the staircase, landing with a thud beside the single toothed, vicious magical insects. As if that wasn't bad enough, a pack of eight blue-maned asena trotted casually around the corner, green blood dripping down their jaws, matting the thick fur surrounding their necks, a wicked understanding of the poor dragon's plight reflected in their blazing blue eyes.

  As the realisation dawned on just what he was up against, regret welled up inside one of Manson's nameless sycophants. Nothing was worth this, none of the promises of power, wealth and position. At that very moment, all he wanted to do was survive and with that in mind, he opted for the most undragonlike thing possible... to run away, or in this case... FLY AWAY! Turning on his heels, bending his legs, he pushed off with all his strength in an effort to take to the air inside the building. It was then that a cloud of tiny gnats tumbled into his line of sight, flitting this way and that, surrounding his face. Ignoring them as little or no threat, just as he'd been trained to do, surprise, fear and terror consumed him as the first of the little buggers breathed a steady stream of fire right into his left eye. Rocked by the attack from something so innocuous, his take off faltered momentarily, ending any real hope he had of escape. A split second later they were on him... ALL OF THEM! Scorpion men stung him, double-headed eagles dive bombed and pecked him, pixiu raked their claws across his wings as he tumbled to the floor, conaima took giant bites from the muscles on his thighs and belly. All of that, and the camaheutos and skrikers hadn't even gotten involved. Of all the ways to die, this was by far the last way any being should go. After a few minutes, the feeding frenzy was over and the coordinated attackers continued to move upwards, following the trail of magic.

  Cold, calculated cunning battled against the rage that constantly flooded her veins as she negotiated the obstacles in her way. It had been slow going, but she was about to reap the rewards for her patience, having almost reached a position to strike from. She knew exactly who was going down first... her father! And this time, unlike events in Germany that her mind had blocked out for so long, there'd be no escape, no intervention by the fickle mistress of fate. This time, he'd be going straight to hell.

  Not quite the fiery red mass it had threatened to become, the laminium dagger that Richie held out in front of her to power the shield that for the moment kept them all safe, had cooled down considerably, affording Peter the luxury of just dribbling a little healing magic across his friend's hands every now and then to keep them fresh and undamaged. Concentrating solely on this, the young hockey playing dragon was well aware that something was going on, something that involved Flash, but he hadn't a clue about the details. None of them did. So as Hook followed Yoyo's instructions in an effort to assist the injured, Janice's consciousness swirled in and around that of her new found friend and decidedly deadly weapon, Fu-ts'ang, they, like Peter and Richie, almost missed the single most amazing, most astounding bit of magic on display so far today. And that was saying something.

  As the pinprick sized hole in the shield expanded to that of a table tennis ball, Flash's strong, stocky form instantly folded in on itself. Remarkable, it was made even more so by the fact that as far as the friends new, a human sized shape was almost the smallest a dragon could become. Peter might have known differently if he'd thought about it; after all, his first experience of Gee Tee's Mantra Emporium had involved one of THE most embarrassing experiences of his life, in which he'd stood almost naked in front of Tank, who'd been sitting high up on a wall, transformed, using an ancient magical mantra, into a gigantic grinning spider. If not for the shock of the experience, the young dragon might have thought to wonder about the size difference. It had been a giant spider, but it was still about half the size of a normal human being, something that should have been almost impossible. Anyway, he hadn't thought to enquire of either his friend, or the famed master mantra maker, about this and so his surprise now was palpable. Usually unflappable, even in a situation like this, the young lacrosse playing dragon was also so flabbergasted she almost dropped the dagger, something that would have ended them all. Luckily, she didn't. And what bombshell had them so up in arms, so totally and utterly dumbfounded?

  Flash's physical form had continued to crumple in on itself, looking as though it might disappear altogether, but before this could happen, the colours of what remained of him began to change. Greys, whites and subtle yellows transformed into majestic blues, stunning shades of green, brilliant bright oranges and reds that looked like a phoenix rising from the flames, with finally just a hint of purple, all taking place in less than a blink of an eye. So captivated were the friends with the rainbow brilliance of colours forming before their very eyes, they'd failed to notice the newfound shape their magical pal had become. But they noticed now, and as their jaws dropped open simultaneously, they marvelled at the beauty, elegance, complexity and simplicity of it all. With that, and the hole in the shield staying steady at about the size of a tennis ball, Flash, decked out beautifully as the single most striking hummingbird in the whole of history, hovered in mid-air, wings flapping almost faster than their enhanced dragon senses could see. He nodded once in their direction before diving headlong through the gap Richie had provided him with, lost instantly in the dizzying array of ethereal explosions still inundating their last line of defence.

  A stray dart of poisoned magic spun counter clockwise through the air as it headed in her direction, deep behind two piles of upturned marble. Normally she'd just bat it away with a touch of the supernatural, much like you or I would swat a fly. But using even the slightest touch now might alert her enemies to her presence and so she calculated the lost projectile's path to the nearest millimetre and let it zip past her left thigh, tearing a hole in her fluttering brown cloak as it disappeared into the recesses of yet more debris. Ducking down, wary of each footstep, she made sure not to touch any of the rubble strewn around her. As her painstaking journey reached its conclusion, she peeped out from her hiding place, sheer delight on her face at what she saw. There, only twenty metres away, was her so-called father kneeling on the cool, white marble, tears spilling down his face, with the current dragon king of this world and a very fancy coloured naga, trying hard in her opinion to look important. This was it! Her chance had come. None of the trio had any idea she was here, so wrapped up in their own world had they become. A fatal mistake this would prove to be, as far as they were concerned. Raiding her mind to bring forth the perfect spell, a smile of epic proportions drifted into place across her purple scarred features, as the deliciousness of it all sank into place.

  For Flash, time had slowed to almost nothingness. As well as taking on the hummingbird's form, some of its unique qualities had also merged with his dragon consciousness. The appreciation of time was one of those. Flapping his wings at around fifty beats a second instantly gave him a much greater understanding of his surroundings. Magic oozed, blasted, shot, fragmented and exploded all around him, but he was in absolutely no danger because of the form he'd chosen. As agile as anything and able to fly at around sixty miles per hour, there was a reason the hummingbird was renowned, the very same reason he'd selected it all those years ago.

  A grumpy old dragon, even in terms of all the other instructors, this one had been there from the beginning, and it showed. Flash, unlike most of the other candidates, had little time for tomfoolery or jokes. He was there to learn, something he was well aware of, due in part to the number of times it had been drummed into him. But most of the others, his classmates and future colleagues, all liked to muck about. Considered a loner because of this, he spent most of his evenings studying by himself, and most of his tutor time sitting as far away as possible from anyone else. Today was no different, apart from the fact that the ill-te
mpered tutor had dragged him into a challenge, something the other students were absolutely delighted about, much to his horror.

  "And so now, we will see just how much you've learned on this subject," announced the dragon tutor known as Fleetingsmeet, all plummy and upper class. "Transcend here and Flash will see just how small they can go. The winner will have tomorrow off. After you gentledragons," offered up the tutor with a wave of his hand.

  Transcend, cheered on by the rest of the class, minus Flash of course, released her DNA and allowed her bonds to relax. In an absolute muddle, causing eye strain for even the most fervent of her supporters, the physical form that she'd clung on to throughout the lesson so far, ran amuck briefly, before buzzing into place, a much smaller place than her previous incarnation.

  "Bravo, bravo," shouted Fleetingsmeet in delight over the howling and the clapping, at the sight of the small ape.

  Flash stood stock still, a totally blank expression covering his entire face.

  "Not joining in?" enquired the tutor sarcastically, as the crowd basked in Flash's failure.

  "Hardly worth bothering yet, is it?" replied Flash.

  Transcend, her hackles up and buoyed by the crowd's support, once again released the restraints of her DNA, recognising a challenge when she heard one, sure she could go one better than the ape. As the same magical mixing and writhing started to occur, this time there was a pause, almost as if her physical form was against what she was trying to achieve. A battle of wits might well have been taking place; if that was the case, she eventually won, but at what cost? Much slower than before, her physical form shimmered into place, the last pieces taking an age to reform. Moments later a large house cat purred softly in the crowd's direction, producing screams of excitement, much to Fleetingsmeet's displeasure. As more clapping ensued, a sudden squawk from the cat stopped them in their tracks. One of its paws had totally lost cohesion. It didn't seem to be able to regulate its form. And then letting out one long sigh, the change they'd seen twice already reoccurred once again, the end result this time being Transcend back in her recognised human form, looking more than a little worse for wear and flustered.

  "Well done my dear, well done. A super example of what we were trying to achieve. It's only a shame that your opponent ducked out of the challenge."

  Something inside Flash stirred.

  "Funny," he uttered, "I never think of any of us as opponents. Only brothers and sisters in arms that I've yet to work with, and as for the challenge... ACCEPTED!"

  Accessing the magic inside him as simply as you or I would blink, he started the process of change, at the same time whispering the words in his mind, giving himself over totally, applying all his will. He had no doubt that it would work, because truth be told he'd tried it before, on his own, in his room. That night it had been about testing his limits, the strength of his magical endurance and imagination. Inspired by something he'd read a while ago, an article about the Aztec God of War Huitzilopochtli often being depicted as a humming bird, something piqued his curiosity, and he made it his mission to find out what he could about Huitzilopochtli. When he did, it made him chuckle, and I bet you can guess why. Of course, the Aztec God of War was... a dragon! Not just any dragon as it turned out, but a mighty powerful one. And what's more, rumours abounded throughout the ages about him being able to change his form into a... hummingbird! Brilliant, he thought on discovering this, knowing that it was the perfect form to aim for. Not only did he achieve his goal, but the creature itself was spectacular, its dazzling colours as close to perfection as he could have hoped.

  And so it was on that fateful day in the classroom that the change occurred, much to the surprise of not only his classmates, but Fleetingsmeet as well. For the next twenty minutes or so, the soon to be Crimson Guard flew around the room, dive bombed the tutor's fish tank and precariously hovered in place right in front of all their faces, one by one, much to the whole class's delight. For everyone involved, it was a day to remember. And remember he did.

  Arcing energy from a series of crackling, electrical, blue bolts startled his tiny form out of the memory he'd been enjoying and back to the raging battle he now hovered in the middle of. Whilst in no danger from the form he'd chosen, he was only too aware of how costly lack of concentration could be, having seen others lose their lives time and time again. Jinking left, out of the line of fire of some vicious looking ice shards, he turned his head to follow their trajectory, watching them splatter harmlessly against the powerful shield his friend so confidently held in place. Thoughts about what would happen when her magic ran out tried to infiltrate his mind, immediately swatted away by his strong will and self control. He couldn't divert his attention to that, not now. The king needed him which was his one and only priority, and maybe the answer to the shield problem. If he could get George, Fredric and Vasuki behind Richie's magical barrier, then the king's ring might well be able to power it indefinitely. Unaware of the deep flaw in his plan... that the ring hadn't been behaving for its rightful owner for some time now, and that his friend, Tank, was in possession of the real band, Flash swept back round on himself to avoid yet another mystical barrage, dropped down like a stone towards the deck and, building up all the velocity he could, corkscrewed off in the direction of the trio that desperately needed his help.

  Side slipping dark dragons and brutal looking nagas, each of whom paid him little or no attention at all, Flash's beautifully designed form climbed up and over a particularly large and angry dragon, before plummeting down its back at quite a dizzying rate, running almost straight into a vile, blood stained naga that seemed for all the world to be carelessly throwing his magic around on an almost industrial level. Paying little heed to the foul creature, with the king his utmost priority, the ex-Crimson Guard wondered how any magical being could be so stupid.

  'He'll have wasted all his power in no time at all. What an idiot!' he thought, as he drew to a halt, wings beating ten to the dozen. The dumb assed naga conjured up a huge bubbling ball of power, and in one powerful, slick motion, tossed it in the direction of the magical shield. As the brightly coloured ball left the naga's grip, the merest glint of light caught the little hummingbird's attention.

  'Oh my God!' thought Flash, taken aback at what he'd just spotted. 'It can't be? Can it?' Vectoring in for a closer look, Flash's surprise was there for all to be seen if anyone had been looking. 'It is!' he thought.

  On his first trip to Antarctica, something that now seemed like a lifetime ago, he'd gone totally and utterly prepared, as any decent dragon agent would, despite the fact that it was supposed to be a very straightforward assignment. Things had, of course, gone south in almost the blink of an eye. Out in the harsh, snowy wilderness, he'd been captured by two ingenious and resourceful nagas, totally unaware of their true nature. Looking back, it had been one of the most worrying times of his life. Right there and then, escape seemed almost impossible, and a lifetime of imprisonment in that hellhole looked like a fate far worse than death. Luckily for him though, he'd had a little help in the form of the two beings he'd recently returned the favour for: Fredric and Vasuki. Not only that, but he'd had his trusty Polar Surveyor Redesign watch. Luckily for him his captors had forgotten to remove it from his being, and that had helped him break free. At the time though, they'd had the forethought to remove two other items of his, a prized laminium necklace and a matching ring. As he fluttered to a halt, hovering in mid-air as gracefully as any being that could take flight, both missing items swam into view, adorning the depraved serpent sitting there before him. Relief at seeing his prized possessions again swept through him, followed quickly by anger.

  'How dare that loathsome being wear those things?' he mused. Quickly though, his mind moved on to the much bigger picture, and whether or not he could regain his lost jewellery. If he could, then it would temporarily solve the problem of powering the shield. Whilst the necklace didn't contain nearly as much laminium as Richie's dagger, it did contain quite a lot and would be able t
o power that size of shield for some while, providing of course that it hadn't already been depleted. Mind set on a course of action, all the while aware of the king's plight, Flash lost himself to the action and wondered just how best he could use this tiny little form to inflict the maximum amount of damage on the raging, repellent serpent-like monster, curled up there before him.

  'Limited' adequately described his options, with only one really standing out. So with no time to lose, he got on with it.

  Trading stealth for altitude, knowing time was of the essence, he pulled up into a climb, racing upwards for all he was worth. Reaching the fifth floor, he figured this was high enough for what he had in mind. Ignoring the multitude of rainbow coloured, magic infused blasts exploding all around him, he took one last look at the scene below him and lurched into a dive. Feeling the full force of the air exerting pressure on his multi-hued feathers, he concentrated his vision on his rapidly approaching target, knowing that he'd probably only get one chance to do this right. Carving a path through the atmosphere, the exhilaration of flight threatened momentarily to take him over. Sadness at not having flown in some time, due to the catastrophic injuries he'd suffered by one of the kind he now found himself approaching, was washed instantly away when he remembered what Fredric had done for him back in the Antarctic icy prison. Then the moment arrived. Unable to blink for fear of missing his target, it was then that he knew he'd gotten it right. All the naga had to do was not move his head in the next few moments, and it didn't. With little regard for the tiny little body he currently inhabited, the ex-Crimson Guard flew with all the speed he could muster, using his beak to crash headlong into the naga's right eye. The results were... eye watering in more ways than one. The beast's yell of excruciating pain could be heard above the sound of the explosive magic going off throughout the private residence, and given the number of creatures and the firefight involved, that was quite something. It wasn't the only pain in evidence though. The entire length of Flash's deliciously dark beak felt as though it had been pounded on an anvil with a blacksmith's hammer. This had been negated though by the most satisfying 'POP' in the world, on contact with the creature's vertically slit pupil. With no time to waste, Flash placed his sharp but delicate claws on the naga's cheek, and used them for leverage before pulling out his beak. Free to fly, he had to muster all his wits to avoid flailing, flimsy arms and the muscled length of tail that was smashing its way through the air, mirroring its owner's descent into madness.