Deadly_The Odyssey of Nath Dragon

by Craig Halloran

  “I don’t want to be a burden. I want Chazzan too, but these hunters that go after dragons really rile me.” Nath clutched his fingers in and out of a fist. His hand was still sore from hitting Reaver. “They said they knew where a dragon was and its fledglings. I feel compelled to protect it. I just can’t let these butchers go after my kind and not do anything about it.”

  “I understand,” Darkken replied. “I’ve been giving this a lot of thought too, and I strongly feel that the Caligin are behind these dragon issues. This is what they do. They bring a seedier element into the cities and expand it. Sometimes it’s stronger wine or intoxicating foods and flowers, but I think they want to bend a fine town like Advent toward a lower level. Getting people to accept dragon merchandise is but another step in their game. It will draw a bad element and, at the same time, divide people. Those that are for and against.”

  Hugging Darkken’s arm, Maefon said, “That’s awful. Nath, I know this hurts you. It makes you think of the fledglings who died, doesn’t it?”

  “Yeah,” he said with a sigh. He could see the fledglings that were slaughtered in Dragon Home clearly in his mind. He got up, stepped between two elves, and paced. “I gave up a lot. I will have justice.”

  Darkken agreed. “And we will help you. Perhaps we should stake out the fort. Nath, you said they were very clear about hunting down that dragon. Those monstrous goons, what were they called?”

  “Reaver and Slaughter.”

  “Yes. Those two. I’m certain they will be going after this dragon and its nest. We can follow them there and rescue the dragon. Perhaps we can nab some Caligin at the same time—supposing that they work together to achieve the same task—but we risk exposing ourselves and might have to start the chase all over.” Darkken shrugged. “I’m willing to take that risk for you, though. And I think I speak for us all.”

  Nath swallowed. He was moved that his new friends would come through for him like that. “I thank you. And I really do think this is the best course of action. After all, saving a dragon can only bring good luck.”

  “It should,” Maefon replied.

  Retaking his seat by the fire, Nath opened up his backpack and took out the Gauntlet of Goam. “I have a feeling I’m going to need this when it comes to dealing with these massive men. They felt like they were made of stone.”

  “Assuming they are true sons of giants, then they practically are made of stone,” Darkken replied. “They are the offspring of giants that mixed with man is what they say. No one knows for sure how they come about. This Sigourney, the Merchant Queen, is privileged to command them. One couldn’t ask for a better set of bodyguards. Those goons are practically one-man armies.” He eyed Nath putting on the gauntlet. “You’ll need that and then some, I imagine.”

  Nath held his hand before his eyes. The gem in the leather glowed with a warm inner fire. “Oh, I’ll have something for them both, all right. I’ll have the gauntlet and Fang.”

  “And us,” Maefon said.

  “Yes. That should be more than enough.”

  CHAPTER 56

  On foot, Nath and company made it to the poachers’ hideout late the next day. It was just as Maefon described, a sturdy construction made from stones and logs stacked up on one another. A road led up to the entrance that was mostly covered in grasses that were stomped down and muddy. A gate made from logs made up a portcullis that went up and down. The towers on either side stood thirty feet high, with a stony hillside in the background behind them. From the front, the rugged-looking fort was well protected, and the land behind it appeared impassable. If Nath were to guess, it could hold fifty to a hundred people. The massive logs reminded him of Slaver Town.

  Hidden in the woodland but with a good view of the fort, Darkken pointed at the towers. In each, there was a big figure, a dog-face gnoll, standing with two goblins wearing metal skullcaps. They pointed crossbows down at the road. Their yellow eyes scanned the nearby foliage. “Well, we won’t be sneaking up on them,” Darkken said to Nath. “A good thing that we don’t need to go in. Chances are they would butcher us.”

  “I think we could make it in if we had to. We’d just take the back side from the rocks and drop in,” Nath replied.

  “I’m sure they have some goblins stuffed in those nooks and clefts, but they are probably sleeping,” Darkken quipped. “Anyway, Nath, no matter what happens, don’t let your temper get the best of you like it did in the Merchant’s Cove. We have to work as a team. Our very lives depend on one another.”

  “I know.”

  Darkken squeezed his arm. “You must know. Now, do you want to follow my lead, or do you want me to follow yours?”

  “Yours.”

  “Good, but I’m open to suggestions. Again, we are a team.”

  Little was said between the group after that exchange. One and all, Nath, Darkken, Maefon, and six elves spied the fort from the woodland concealment. Darkness came, and it wasn’t long before the next morning arrived.

  As the morning birds began their songs, the portcullis opened. Nath slapped Darkken’s shoulder, as the big man was curled up in a soft bed of ivy.

  He sat up quickly, wiping his eyes and shaking his face. His gaze followed Nath’s finger. Two wolf-faced gnolls came out with a small group of goblins wearing steel caps. They were towing a pair of pack mules loaded down with gear that included ropes, bundled-up nets, and sleeves of javelins.

  Behind them came the towering goons, Reaver and Slaughter, donning heavy cloaks, showing a glint of dragon-scale armor covering their chests. Each colossal man had a two-handed sword resting on his shoulder.

  They marched alongside Sigourney, the only person on horseback. She no longer wore the garish golden robes of a merchant but opted for leather riding gear with a red sash tied around her hips.

  Behind them came four elves in dyed black-leather armor, carrying bows, full quivers, longswords, and daggers. They moved down the road at an easy pace. The fort’s portcullis closed behind them.

  “Mother of Mitra, those are some big swords they carry. Hmmm…” Darkken said, as he watched the formidable group make their way around the first bend in the road and disappear.

  Nath eyed him. “What?”

  Fanning a mosquito from his face, he said, “I just wonder how vulnerable that fort is with so many gone. It could be an opportunity, if that was our quest.”

  Maefon nudged up beside him. “I could stay back and keep an eye on things.” She slapped her hands together, smashing the mosquito that hovered near Darkken. “Besides, they might have more living dragons in there. We’ll never know if we don’t take a peek.”

  Nath stiffened.

  Darkken held a hand up. “I’m sure that isn’t true, but if we capture someone, we can find out what is really in there. Let’s get moving.”

  Silent as stalking panthers, the small group trailed after the party of dragon hunters. Keeping their distance, they followed them on a two-day journey north, where the forest terrain became rockier to climb. The dragon hunters made camp underneath a steep hillside that was riddled with caves half covered in brush. Spying from a distance, Darkken said, “Those holes look like a good place for a dragon to nest.”

  “Yes. Too good,” Nath said. He understood dragons and knew that they thrived by burrowing deep into the ground and sleeping for a long time. Given the cold weather, he had no doubt that a dragon very well could be huddled inside the hillside, protecting its nest or fledglings.

  “The caves aren’t very big. I don’t imagine there could be a very big dragon inside there, if there is one,” Maefon said.

  “Don’t be surprised if one much bigger than you think comes out. They might ball up to the size of a boulder, but once they uncurl and stretch their claws and wings, they become much bigger than you would have imagined.” Nath scanned the hillside. There was no way to tell which one the dragon would be in if he didn’t get a closer look. “I need to get to the dragon before they do.”

  “It’s broad daylight.
Someone will see you,” Maefon said.

  “I can wait until nightfall,” Nath replied.

  Frowning, Darkken replied, “Bad idea, look. The poachers are already taking to the hills. I have a bad feeling that they already know exactly where this dragon is and are prepared to roust it out. I’m sorry, Nath, but we are going to have to wait and see what happens. Either that or have a full battle on our hands.”

  Pulling hunks of bark off a tree, Nath replied, “I can’t just stand here and watch them kill it.”

  From a knee, Darkken replied, “Let’s let it play out. There’s no telling what they are getting into just yet. We can’t overreact. And didn’t you say they would try to take the dragon alive? That would be my guess, given all of the nets. Besides, dragons are worth more alive than dead, and all of those people are greedy.”

  The goblins scurried up the hillside. One by one, they darted into the caves, each carrying a coil of rope.

  “They think the dragon sleeps. They are going to try to pull it out.” Nath made a shaky laugh. “Ha, that will be difficult. The dragon will be wedged in there like a piece of stone itself.”

  “Not if they are using iron cord,” Darkken said. “And those men, Reaver and Slaughter, I have a feeling that they could pull a horn out of a dragon’s head if they wanted to.”

  CHAPTER 57

  With avid interest, Nath watched the dragon hunters get to work. The goblins scurried from cave to cave, poking the points of their spears in the holes. The mouths of most caves were only a foot or two wide. Others were a lot bigger. After the goblins poked at the open mouths, they squeezed their wiry frames inside. They vanished and popped out moments later then moved on to the next hole. Near the base of the hill, the giant men, Sigourney, and the elves waited.

  “A tedious process,” Darkken said. He was on one side of Nath, and Maefon was on the other. They were well concealed in the ferns. “It might take all night long. It wouldn’t surprise me a bit if they broke out torches right after nightfall.”

  “Perhaps they won’t find any dragon, and they’ll go home,” Nath replied. “That would be a better option.” His mind raced as he toyed with a plan of calling out to the dragon in Dragonese. But the sound would alert the dragon hunters, which certainly wouldn’t fall in his favor. For now, he would have to wait it out, but at dark, he’d be tempted to sneak in.

  A commotion broke out among the goblins. One goblin squeezed out of a bigger cave that had a four-foot opening. He had his coil of rope tied to something within. The other goblin was flagging down the people at the bottom of the hill. Reaver gave the two gnolls beside him a shove. The gnolls, bigger than most men, snapped their jaws at the giant. Reaver looked down at the bigger gnoll with cold, dead eyes. Heads dipping, both gnolls headed up the hill.

  “Do you think they found a dragon?” Maefon’s hands fastened on Nath’s wrists.

  “We’ll see,” he said.

  The gnolls climbed their way up the steep hillside. They met the goblins at the mouth of the cave and took the rope in hand. Together, the gnolls braced their feet and started to pull. The muscular dog-faced brutes’ arm muscles flexed. Hand over hand, they pulled together, hauling whatever was inside the cave out. The goblin team hovered over the cave mouth with spears poised to strike. A black mass came out. It was balled up, thick, and hairy.

  Creeping up out of the ferns, Darkken said, “Is that a bear?”

  “It is,” Nath said with relief. The black bear was in a deep hibernating slumber. Its body lay lifeless, but Nath could see a very gentle rise and fall of its chest. He looked over at Maefon. She patted him on the back.

  The gnolls confronted the goblins. They pushed the smaller men to the ground and barked at them. Using a garbled Common tongue, the gnolls called the goblins idiots. The goblins popped back up, pushing the gnolls. Before long, more goblins came over and started squabbling with the gnolls.

  “Heh-heh. I love it when they fight with one another. It shows their stupidity,” Darkken said. “It always gives us an advantage, especially when a goblin doesn’t know the difference between a dragon and a bear.”

  One of the gnolls punched a goblin square in the face. The blow knocked the goblin’s helmet from his head and sent him sprawling to the ground. The other gnoll snatched a spear from the goblin’s hands. Standing over top of the bear, he killed it. Together, the gnolls dragged the bear down to the bottom of the hill. The goblins got back to work, jabbing and prowling the caves again. Soon, darkness fell, and small torches were lit.

  The biting chill of early winter came quickly. Nath’s breath became frosty.

  Maefon hugged his arm more tightly. “I really could do without the cold,” she whispered.

  Nath nodded, but his attention was on the goblins, who prowled the hills like black devils. He understood how they worked now. They had a system, apparently an effective one, and they seemed to target smaller dragons, not bigger ones. Of course, the bigger ones were rare, and on average, most dragons were little bigger than men.

  Don’t find anything. Don’t find anything.

  No sooner had Nath thought it than the goblins started waving their torches. They shouted down the hill. “We found the dragon nest.”

  CHAPTER 58

  The gnolls and the giant men made their trek back up the hill. At the base, Sigourney, still on horseback, and the Caligin remained. Their eyes were fixed on the scene that unfolded up the hill. At the cave, the gnolls were in a heated discussion with the goblins, but the goblins assured them that it was a dragon. They handed over the iron cord to the gnolls, but Reaver took it away. He handed a length of the rope to Slaughter.

  “The moment of truth,” Darkken said.

  As Reaver and Slaughter tugged the rope, Nath’s throat tightened. The big men put their weight into it and towed the rope down the hill. Something was coming out. All Nath could hope for was that the dragon wasn’t in a deep sleep. He wanted it to come out in full attack mode and tear the hunters to pieces. He wasn’t so lucky. On tiptoe, he watched the dragon being dragged out of the cave. It was hard to see because it was balled up.

  “Sorry, Nath, but it looks like they got one.” Darkken gave him a firm pat on the shoulder.

  Nath crept closer, staying low in the field of tall grasses just a few dozen yards behind Sigourney and the Caligin. The others in his party came with him. Squinting, he could see the goblins poking at the dragon with the butts of their spears. With the help of the gnolls, they stretched out the dragon’s body and strung it up by the neck. Its scales reflected a citrine yellow against the torchlight. There were broad yellow stripes running down the length of its back. It was about eight feet long from snout to tail if he had to guess. Hornless, its wings were folded tightly over its back. Its eyes were closed, but Nath’s keen vision could make out eyelashes in the dark. It was a female. He reached over his back for the handle of his sword.

  Darkken stayed his hand. With the chilly wind in their faces, he whispered, “Be patient. Otherwise, they might kill it.”

  Nath ground his teeth. This was a bad scenario for the dragons. He’d never thought about it before, but capturing dragons while sleeping, if one could find them, could be easy. Dragons were very hard to wake from a hibernating slumber that sometimes lasted for years. It was no wonder that the poachers took advantage of them. A sleeping dragon was an easy target. A dangerous one too.

  Ahead, Sigourney sat up in her saddle. There was a stir coming from the cave. A goblin crawled out and stood up, holding small baby dragons by the tail. They were two feet long and wriggled and nipped at the goblin with their little jaws. The Merchant Queen clapped her hands. “Yes. Yes. Yes.”

  It all became suddenly clear to Nath. Baby dragons would be worth a fortune in hopes that they could be domesticated. And these dragons, the yellow streaks, were fairly docile compared to the more aggressive sorts.

  Come on, dragon. You have to wake up. Save yourself!

  Reaver gathered the dragon up in his long arms. T
he goblins gathered around him, holding thinner coils of rope. They started hog-tying the bigger dragon’s top and bottom legs. The goblins holding the fledglings stuffed them into burlap sacks. One of the fledglings let out an ear-splitting shriek that carried down the mountain. The mother yellow streak flexed in Reaver’s arms. The dragon lashed out, jaws wide, snapping down on the nearest gnoll’s hand. The gnoll let out a howl, staring wide-eyed at the stump that was once attached to his hand.

  Slaughter shoved the one-handed gnoll aside and helped Reaver control the wriggling dragon. With mighty hands, he clamped the dragon’s snout shut. Reaver held the dragon fast, squeezing it tightly. It thrashed against the two men, twisting and rolling. They lost their footing and went down to the ground. Flames shot out of the dragon’s mouth, scattering the goblins and gnolls.

  Nath jumped forward.

  Darkken tackled his legs. He pushed Nath down in the grasses. “Not now. We don’t have a good position.” Nath wrestled against him. Darkken locked up his legs and said, “You are going to give us all away and get us killed. Stop this madness.”

  The elves and Sigourney’s attention remained fixed on the scene above. Reluctantly, Nath pulled back. On the hillside, Reaver and Slaughter had the dragon mother contained. Her snout was bound up, as well as her arms, legs, and wings. The fledglings had both been stuffed into the sacks and slung over the goblins’ shoulders. The group made its way down the hillside.

  With a tug from Darkken, Nath slunk back into the woodland. At least the dragons were alive. Back inside the safety of the forest, he grabbed Darkken by the collar and shook him. “What are you doing? This is not how we save dragons. What are you wanting to do, wait for them to take the dragon back to the fort and then get them out?”