Aiden's Quest

by Dane Bagley

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  Aiden sat up strait. A black dot on the horizon emerged. It took John several minutes to see it, where Aiden pointed. They were as ready as they would ever be, the battle was about to begin.

  John wrapped the array of cords around his wrist after ensuring that his weapons were ready. He sat down and made sure that Aiden was in sight.

  Aiden climbed to the highest spot possible and made ready his bow. Aiden calculated and re-calculated the likely path of Dromreign’s ascension to its lair.

  All of the pieces were in place, just as Aiden had planned. Dromreign would be at the end of his long journey home. Its eyes would be struggling in the sun. It would be at the very end of its flight and anticipating rest and solitude in its lair. Aiden felt sure that the dragon had not rested the previous day and so its fatigue would be intense. Aiden perched where he would have a clear shot at the exposed flesh near the dragon’s breast. He watched and waited.

  The red of Dromreign’s eyes became visible and Aiden could see the fatigue. The dragon did not search its surroundings. Rather, it looked single-mindedly towards the lair. Aiden looked at John. John was fully alert and awaiting the moment. Aiden pulled back the string slowly.

  Aiden let out his breath, waited a moment and let go. The arrow sailed true and struck Dromreign in the center of its missing scale. The beast screeched, doubled up and flung its head towards the arrows direction, spotting Aiden.

  John was up and pulling on the cords with all his might engaging the snare that the dragon would become trapped in. All of Aiden’s calculations were correct. Dromreign, looking towards Aiden, became tangled in the cords and crashed into the mountainside. Aiden continued to shoot at its exposed flesh and continued to make impact. Blood began to ooze from Dromreign’s side.

  Dromreign, though dazed, struggled to right itself. The beast looked towards Aiden and let out a blast of flame. Aiden, expecting it, sheltered himself but felt the heat. The hair on his arms was singed.

  After wrapping the cords around a boulder to keep them taut, John went for his spears. Hoping to do what he had learned that Terrance had done, he threw the spears at an angle trying to wedge them between scales. His throws were good, but they continued to bounce off the scales, Dromreign appearing unaffected. The stench that affected John so much when the dragon departed, filled John’s nostrils anew. It sickened him, but his adrenaline rush allowed him to overcome. John rushed towards the beast, hoping that at closer range he could breach the scaly barrier. One throw had such luck. It penetrated into the dragon’s flesh and the beast reeled and turned its head looking for its other foe.

  Dromreign flapped its wings in hopes of freeing itself. It began to dislodge. Aiden shot at its wings. Here was another place of weakness. The arrows penetrated the wings and began to open up gaps and gashes. The beast folded its wings and let out more bellowing breath.

  John continued to attack the penetrated scale. Soon another spear lodged within and the scale came off. Throwing with his all he continued to send spears into Dromreign’s flesh, but they did not penetrate deeply and into the dragon’s core.

  Aiden saw fear in Dromreign’s eyes. The beast struggled against the cords, and shuttered with each hit. Still, the great hunters were not able to deliver mortal wounds. All arrows and spears were unable to reach its insides. John continued to inch closer to the beast, sword in hand. Aiden filled the air with arrows aimed at the beast’s weak spot, which kept Dromreign’s focus towards Aiden, and allowed John to come upon him.

  John reared back his sword overhead as he came upon Dromreign, and with all his might sunk the sword into Dromreign’s flesh. The dragon screeched with all its might leaning its head back and throwing flames high into the air. The sword had sunk in much deeper, but not enough to deliver a death blow. John wriggled it out, readying himself for another lunge into the wounded flesh. As he lifted his sword above his head, Dromreign loosed its tail. The dragon swung its tail with all its might towards John and knocked John in the back and into the dragon’s side—his sword still in the air. Johns back was badly lacerated and several ribs were cracked or broken.

  Aiden, seeing John in trouble, left his perch and moved toward the dragon, sword in hand.

  The dragons tail moved back and John was no longer pinned between the tail and the beasts bloody flesh. But he could no longer wield the sword or throw the spear. Every movement sent pain through his back. He dropped the sword and slowly backed away, each breath causing agony. John dropped to his knees. He saw the flesh exposed and the sword near it on the ground. What was he waiting for? If he didn’t attack then, he might be done for.

  John struggled back to his feet and held his breath. He approached the dragon and bent to retrieve his sword. The pain nearly caused him to pass out. Dromreign craned his neck, back in John’s direction. John’s blurred eyes focused on the wound his sword had created.

  Dromreign hesitated briefly, knowing that this scorch would also scorch its own wounded flesh. Then the dragon let loose and a ball of fire engulfed John. The dragon screeched from the pain caused by its own breath upon its own exposed and wounded flesh. John was no longer, and Dromreign laid its head upon the ground in pain and agony, struggling to keep consciousness.

  Aiden was upon it, sword in hand and ready to repeat what John had done to its other weak point. Dromreign shuttered with the first blow. And then trembled with the second. The sword dug deeper and neared the beasts heart.

  Dromreign couldn’t bring itself to inflict another fiery wound upon its own flesh. Instead, it swung its tail around to the other side in hopes of hitting Aiden. The swing was weaker, but effective, nonetheless. Aiden’s arm was broken and he stumbled off balance. The ledge Aiden was on was steep and he fell over twenty feet, breaking both legs on impact.

  Unable to move, Aiden looked up at Dromreign in agony. The dragon’s head lay on the ground, its eyes closed. But, the beast still breathed. A quarter of an hour passed. Both warriors laying, unable to mount a further attack. This fight would end in a stalemate. Eventually, Dromreign opened its eyes and scanned the area. Its eyes caught Aiden lying broken on the rock below. For some time, these arch rivals looked at each other. Then, Dromreign raised its head and gave Aiden a nod. Aiden looked on in agony and awe.

  Dromreign mustered its strength. It curled up tight and then stretched out with all its might, breaking the cords. It shook and gathered itself, trembling upon its feet. It flapped its wings and tested itself for flight. The wings were too tattered from Aiden’s arrows. Slowly and painstakingly the beast clawed itself up the mountain, and into its lair.

  Chapter 30