Chapter 26
R ichard, Vince, and Rennec crept through the dark cavernous halls of the rocky cave. The light from Rennec’s torch danced and flickered with the flames. A sense of déjà vu seeped into Richard’s mind. Only yesterday he walked along these same steps hunting the same dragon. It just happened to be with a different dragon slayer. His heart raced, his eyes moved furiously around in their sockets as he glanced from one moving shadow to the next. Somewhere in this cave lurked Jade, the dragon.
He placed one hand on his chest, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath to steady himself. He inhaled through his nose and back out through his mouth.
“You feel alright?” Vince asked in a hushed voice.
“Just a little anxious.” He took back up his sword.
A deafening roar bellowed from the depths of the cave. All three of them froze in their tracks, they stared down into the long shadows and eternal darkness. None of them moved, they barely breathed.
The sound of disturbed stones was heard. A soft padding of feet along with the hard clink of claws as something approached. She emerged from the darkness like a thief in the night; her shoulders hunched, claws extended, wings folded, lips curled, and teeth bared.
Almost nine feet tall, twenty-five feet long, and over a ton of deadly, angry reptile advanced like a large cat stalking its prey. The shadows dripped off her as she walked into the torch light like globes of black ink. She was Jade the dragon.
Richard lifted his sword. He gripped the pommel with both hands. “I’ve waited too long for this day.”
“Be on your guard.” Vince stated. “This is its territory, we don’t know what to predict.” He raised the crossbow and aimed. With a tug of the trigger, the bowstring snapped forward.
The bolt propelled towards the dragon and grazed the side of her face. Jade hissed, fresh blood oozed down form the small cut.
“Why did you miss?” Richard asked.
“Because I did. It’s dark and the light is not good. Not every shot can be perfect.” Vince said as he cocked the lever and the crossbow reloaded. The dragon drew in a deep breath. “She’s preparing to breathe fire. Richard, I suggest you go back outside.”
“I’m not leaving, this is my mission, too.” Richard protested.
“No time to argue. You don’t have a flame cloak, go outside!” Vince grabbed him roughly and pushed him back towards the cave entrance. “Once we’ve forced her to burn away all her fire, we’ll call you back in!”
Richard began to see the plan. He gave a quick nod and raced back to the sunlight.
Jade’s gaze was drawn to the movement. She watched the human, Richard, as he sheathed his sword and ran away from her. She would not let any human escape her cave now, least of all him. She roared in anger and chased after him.
“Hey!” Vince shouted. He fired the crossbow, and this time the bolt struck the dragon in the gut. She growled with pain. “You want a fight, come at me!” Vince pumped the lever and fired bolt after bolt, they rained down on the dragon. She snarled and growled, shook her head from side to side as the bombardment continued. Vince’s chamber was soon out. He crouched down and grabbed hold of his clock, holding it up in front of himself like a shield. “Rennec, get down!”
Jade drew back her head and unleashed all the fire she could muster. Only small, blue flames escaped past her tongue. She tried again, but nothing happened. Her internal heat was gone from hibernation; her fire was out.
She didn’t care now. She bellowed an earsplitting roar, her muscles tensed, and she charged her invaders. Rennec peeked out from behind his cloak only to see the rapidly approaching dragon. He shrieked, dropped his cloak, and tried to run, but the dragon was too close. Jade overtook him, her jaws clamped tightly over his shoulder and bones crunched beneath her teeth.
She shoved past Vince, knocking him to the ground. He cried out in surprise as he landed hard on his back, wincing in pain. He heard the snarls and growls, the screaming and snapping of bone. In shook and horror, he witness the dragon shake Rennec like a dog. Her teeth easily shred the light armor he wore and tore through the young boy’s skin and flesh. Rennec cried in agony, unable to free himself or even utter any coherent words, only shrieks of pain.
Jade tossed the boy aside and there was a sickening crunch as his skull cracked against the rock wall. His screams stopped instantly.
“Rennec!” Vince shouted. He stood up and took his crossbow again, fitted it with another chamber of bolts, and began to fire. “You want to do it like that, huh? Well, come on then!” Vince’s voice shook as he spoke.
Jade winced and backed away as the bolts stuck in her scales. Her throat rumbled with anger. Once the bolts stopped and Vince moved to reload, Jade attacked. She pounced on him, knocking the crossbow from his hands. She pinned him down, her clawed foot pressed him against the ground and her talons pierced the armor breastplate.
Vince gasped under the weight of the dragon. He struggled, pulled a dagger from his belt and stabbed it deep in the dragon’s leg. Jade roared, pulled her leg back and limped in pain. Blood spilt down her foot and dripped from her claws. She yanked the knife out with her jaws, scarlet blood splattered across the cave walls.
Taking his sword from the scabbard, Vince jumped to his feet and moved to attack. He’d fought dragons before, often with just a sword, but none like this. This beast was vicious and ruthless, she seemed not to care for her own safety, but more about killing her targets.
Jade lunged at Vince, her mouth agape and teeth bared. She reached out with her front claws. Just before she caught him, Vince threw himself at the ground. He ducked and rolled under the dragon, her claws embedded in the stone cave wall. He righted himself and brought his sword to bare. He was about to thrust it into the dragon’s gut when Jade kicked her hind leg out and struck him, sending Vince skidding across the ground. The sword slipped from his hands.
Vince gasped for air. Jade knocked the wind out of him with that last kick. His body trembled as he sat up. A loud crash split the air as Jade broke free of the rocks. She turned towards the human, rage and hate in her eyes. For the first time since his childhood, Vince found himself absolutely terrified of a dragon.
He looked around frantically for his sword. It slipped from his hands after the dragon kicked him, leaving him unarmed. He found it behind him, closer to the cave entrance. If he ran, he could get it and fight back before the dragon caught him, but he would have to be fast.
Vince bolted to his feet and sprinted for the exit, the dragon roared as it gave chase. He was fast, Jade was faster. The dragon pounced and pinned him to the ground, his face pressed up against the rough stone.
The claws dug into his back, the dragon’s weight crushed him. But it was so close now. Vince reached out with his good hand for the sword, his fingertips almost touched the end of the hilt. If he could just reach a little more then he might…
Jade clamped her jaws around Vince’s head. Her three inch teeth pierced his skull. He knew it was coming, even if he could grab the sword it would do nothing for him now. It was over. Jade jerked her head sharply to the side, Vince’s head ripped from his neck in a fountain of blood.
The dragon dropped the human’s severed head to the ground where it landed with a wet splat. Two of them were now dead, that left only the one outside. The one who caused her all this pain.
Richard waited, anticipated, out in the snow. His back was pressed against a tree and he faced away from the cave. He dared not to look inside as he heard the cries of terror and death. The first death he knew was Rennec, the poor boy whose dream was to be a dragon slayer like Vince, only to be killed by one instead. Then there was a struggle, and finally a sickening snap and crunch, but he didn’t know who or what caused it.
Finally, curiosity overruled his better judgment and he peered around the tree to look. At first, he caught just its dark shape hidden in the shadow, and then it emerged into the light and he saw it. Jade, the dragon, with bolts from Vince’s crossbow sticking o
ut of her scales like quills and blood coating her muzzle.
Jade stood at the edge of her cave, she growled and snarled. A brief instant of movement caught her eye, the other human. He stood behind a tree less than thirty feet from her. She roared, blood and saliva flew from her fangs, and charged for him.
Richard bolted away from the oncoming monster. He ran from the tree and headed deeper into the woods. A loud splintering of wood could be heard as the tree he’d just ran from came crashing down, Jade having torn through its trunk.
She pursued him, while unable to fly she could use her wings to gain speed as she stalked her prey. Richard could hardly keep out of her reach, more than once as he veered out of her path he caught the wind of her claws or of her snapping teeth. Fear drove him to run. Fear and adrenaline. The same dragon he had so foolishly tried to attack in a field was now chasing him like a fox after a rabbit.
His foot caught on a root buried in the snow and he plunged face first to the ground. Jade was upon him in less than a second. Before she could tear his head off the same as Vince, Richard tore Ardose’s old sword from its sheath and struck the dragon across the face. Jade winced and retreated in surprise, the blade sliced through her scales and drew another swath of blood. He got back to his feet, but rather than flee again, he took the sword and stared down the dragon.
Jade lunged at him, snapping her jaws and swiping her talons, but Richard held her back. He swung at her again, and Jade pulled back.
He was doing it. He was fighting the dragon, and somehow he was keeping it at bay. He could do it, he could do what everyone else failed to. He could slay the dragon. Richard pulled back the sword and thrust it at her head. Jade clamped her powerful jaws over the steel blade and twisted, the sword shattered. Shards of metal fell to the snow and dribbled out from her teeth.
Richard stared, dumbstruck at the stump of a sword he now held. His one good defense, the only weapon he had, the dragon snapped it into pieces without a seconds thought. Without thinking, he hurled the broken hilt at Jade and ran as fast as he could.
The pommel struck Jade in the face. She winced as the guard hit her eye and then bounced harmlessly away. She roared and gave chase again. She would not let him get away, not this time.
Richard’s legs ached as he ran. The dragon was right behind him, and there was no where left for him to go. In another moment she would be on top of him, her claws in his chest and her teeth at his neck. Out of the corner of his eye he saw something in the snow. Something that glittered like gold. With the dragon ready to lunge, Richard scooped it up and looked down at it stupidly. It was Lion’s Fang! His sword, the one Phillip stole the day before! And it was said to be sharp enough to cut dragon scales. Now he could do it. Now, he could slay the dragon.
Richard came to a halt just before he turned back to face the dragon. He gripped the sword in both hands and let out a battle cry as he charged. Jade pounced at her prey, her mouth wide open and all her needle sharp teeth prepared to render flesh. They collided, Richard stabbed the sword forward just as Jade snapped her jaws shut.
Bones buckled and broke under the pressure of her jaws. Richard’s punctured lungs filled with his own blood as Jade’s teeth pushed deeper into them, punctured his skull, and closed around his face like a prison cage. His vision grew blurry. His blood soaked hands were too weak to hold on anymore and they slipped from the sword, falling to his side.
He coughed and convulsed in the dragon’s mouth, blood splattered down his chin. This was the end, and he knew it. His eyes rolled back into his head as they closed and his heart stuttered to a stop. The last thought to go through his dying mind was that of Rachel; asleep, warm, and happy in the bed waiting for his return. Then, he breathed his last breath and his life lifted from his body.
Jade dropped Richard’s lifeless body to the ground. His corpse landed with a thump against the snow at her feet. He was dead. The ones who had plagued her existence ever since she came to this mountain were finally gone, the last one now lay dead at her feet.
A sudden convulsion pulsed through her body. She gagged, blood came spewing from her mouth; not human blood. Her legs felt weak, her whole body was wracked with spasms of pain. The long steel blade of Richard’s sword, Lion’s Fang, pierced straight through her chest and stabbed her heart.
Jade’s legs gave out beneath her. She collapsed to the ground, her body landed on Richard’s. She tried to stand, but all her energy had been drained. The dragon did not even have the strength to return to her cave and die with her daughter. Her blood mingled with that of her enemy, her eyes grew dim. Jade stopped struggling, instead she fell to the earth and let death take her. Her eyes closed and her pierced heat beat its last.
The last dragon died.
Chapter 27
R achel lay soundly in the spare bed of Helga's house. Her face was buried in the pillow, her hair a wild mess, blankets strewn over her body. She lay in a half sleep state, her eyes closed and a small smile upon her lips. Her dreams were of Richard, she longed for his return. Her rest was disturbed when a knock came to the door. “Rachel?” Helga's voice called from the other side. “Are you decent? My I enter?”
“Helga?” Rachel’s voice was groggy. “What is it?”
Helga pushed the door open, she drug her rocking chair in with her and took a seat in the corner. Rachel sat up in bed, the blanket pulled up to her collarbone to cover her otherwise exposed self. “What’s going on?” She asked as she saw the sadness and stark whiteness of Helga’s face. “What happened? Does it have to do with Richard?”
The older woman took a handkerchief from her sleeve and rubbed the tears from her eyes. “Richard came to visit you this morning, I’m sure you’re aware, just before he set out with the dragon slayers.”
“Yes.” Rachel replied, although she did not confess to what she and he did just before his leaving. “Had he returned?”
“Their horses, all three of them, came charging back into the village just this past hour.” Helga spoke. “All were close to death from exhaustion having run themselves so hard, and all were without their rider.”
Rachel felt her heart stop with shock, her blood ran cold and the color drained from her face. “No…” She whispered almost too quiet for even herself to hear. “I don’t believe you. He can’t be…”
“I’m sorry I had to be the one to tell you.” Helga stood and approached the redhead. She placed a hand on Rachel’s shoulder, only for it to be swatted away.
“No!” Rachel spat. “He’s coming back! He has to! I don’t believe that he’d be…” She looked up at Helga with tears streaming down her face and her teeth clenched. “All we know is that his horse came back. Maybe it just got frightened off and now he’s walking down the mountain! Has anyone thought of that?!”
“We have considered it, but it’s not likely. Rachel,” Helga sat on the bed next to the younger woman. This time, the girl did not bat her away. “You must accept it. He’s not coming back. His mission was a failure.”
She was unable to hold back her tears any longer. Rachel wept, her face buried in the blankets as she cried with grief and misery. The fabric quickly soaked through. “I will not accept it!” She wailed. “I need to see for myself!”
“That’s not possible. This time of year, no one should venture up that mountain.” Helga said. “And besides, it’s too late in the day. The sun is almost set already, it would be pure darkness by the time you even reached anything close to the dragon’s lair.”
“Fine then, first thing tomorrow.” Rachel groaned. “But I will make sure, even if I have to go alone.”
* * *
Rachel had a horse saddled and ready to ride that next morning. She sat astride it, one leg on each side rather than sidesaddle. She kept a dagger in its scabbard at her waist, unwilling to travel up this mountain unarmed.
But she was alone. No one else from the village dared to go with her, all of them were too frightened of the thought that the dragon might still be alive.
She pushed the horse further up the mountain slopes, it huffed and puffed for breath. Thick clouds of whitish vapor formed around the animal’s muzzle. Rachel followed the tracks left in the snow from the days before; she was no expert in detecting animal tracks by any means, but the footprints left by both Phillip’s mob and later Richard’s venture were easy to find.
Soon, she came upon the devastation that surrounded the mouth of the dragon’s cave. The frost covered, burnt bodies of Phillip's mob lay in scattered remains in the snow. She placed her hand over her mouth in shock and horror. Looking from the charred corpses to the yawning maw of the cave, she feared to enter.
From a distance came the caw of a crow. She tugged the reins of the horse and lead it towards the sound. In a small clearing in the woods, she found the black bird and what it was pecking at. Rachel gasped.
Richard’s body lay face down in the snow, which was now red with his blood. On top of him lay the dragon, enormous and frightening even in death. Both the man and dragon were encrusted in ice. “Richard!” She shouted so loud it scared the crow away.
Rachel leapt off the horse and ran to Richard’s side. It took all her strength, but she managed to drag him free from the dragon’s clutched, his body was riddled with teeth marks. “No, no. Not you. Can’t be dead.” She held his cold form in her arms, buried her face in his chest, and sobbed. She’d hoped against all reason to find him alive, but now her searching was in vain. Richard had been slain just the same as all the others.
She placed a kiss upon his forehead. He was cold to the touch, and that coldness pierced her soul. She couldn't just leave him here, he deserved better than that. Richard deserved a proper burial.
Rachel laid him on his back, and after looking about for a moment spotted the wooden handle of a shovel, one of the tools brought by Phillip's mob two days prior. Rachel took it, and still fighting through her tears, she got to work. She first cleared away a section of snow the length of Richard's body, and then stabbed the shovel at the ground. The earth was cold, hard, and unyielding. The day wore on and shadows grew long as she dug the makeshift grave. Her hands ached with blisters, droplets of sweat froze on her forehead. Finally, with the sun already slipping behind the mighty jagged peaks of the mountains, she tossed the shovel aside with the hole dug.
The Last Stand of the Dragon Page 13
