“The weather over the channel can change in a heartbeat,” Jaax told his friends as he gazed out across the choppy sea.
The clouds still drifted overhead, but the wind could pick up at any moment and he wanted everyone to be as well rested as possible when they reached Ahseina on the other side of the water. We don’t know what awaits us there. He shivered when he remembered one of the concerns of the Coalition members. What if this was a trap?
Jaax gritted his back teeth. No, it couldn’t be a trap. The Crimson King, if he were intent on starting a war, would do so with a far greater degree of fanfare than baiting a troupe of dragons into assisting a seemingly insignificant town. Jaax chuckled bitterly. No, he would be sure to draw the most attention possible.
Shiroxx eyed him warily, but he merely gave her a smile he hoped was encouraging and said, “We fly before dawn.”
* * *
The clouds had thickened by sunup, and the dragons were only a few miles into their trek across the wide channel when the clouds finally opened up. By the time they spotted the shores of Yddian in the distance, the rain and sleet had been pelting them for nearly an hour. They passed over rocky shores and conifer forests, foothills and the lower peaks of a mountain range before the town of Ahseina crawled into view. It was a sprawling settlement, wedged between the sea and the foothills. Great pastures partly full of multi-colored sheep surrounded the archaic buildings and a small castle, presumably belonging to the patron of the town, or so Jaax assumed, perched on the lowest hill closest to the town. Just to the east of it, on another low hill, was a giant wooden barn that looked like it could fit a whole kruel of dragons.
Shiroxx beat her wings and drew close enough to Jaax to speak to him. “I think we are just in time. Look.”
She gestured off to the south and Jaax’s stomach did a flip. A huge, dark red beast appeared to be rising from the ocean itself. Its massive wings easily took up half the town, and its grotesque head and mouth displayed an impressive amount of jagged teeth, many of which protruded from its lower jaw. It only had two legs and a long, powerful tail with spikes running down its ridge.
Jaax blanched when the creature opened its mouth and let out a terrifying roar. Even from his height, he could hear the screams of the townsfolk far below. He gave them a quick look as they scattered, running to the closest buildings. When the creature drew breath and spit fire upon the closest wooden house, Jaax felt his skin crawl beneath his scales.
“Quickly!” he bellowed. “We must stop it before it burns down the entire town!”
The four dragons split from one another, working to encircle their common enemy. Sapheramin and Tollorias breathed their red fire while Jaax and Shiroxx breathed the green-blue flames that were a trademark to their particular kruel of dragons. Their plan was working; they had distracted the Morli from its attack.
Jaax took this small opportunity to dive from the sky, landing in the center of town in order to quickly assess what damage had already been done and to see if he could reassure the townsfolk that help had finally arrived. Luckily, the creature hadn’t set anything on fire, yet. Some of the townspeople were still running around, terrified, but one man dressed in the fine clothes of a noble came running up to Jaax.
“Are you from Lidien!?” he asked frantically.
“Yes,” Jaax said, keeping his eye on his comrades and the dragon they kept at bay.
“Please, help us! Don’t let that thing kill any more of our people!”
Jaax drew himself up as he began flapping his wings once again. “I won’t. I promise.”
He didn’t stay to find out what else the man had to stay and was soon flying high above the city, moving towards the three other dragons.
“Let’s drive him out over the channel,” Jaax called out to his companions. Their nods of affirmation were his only sign that they had heard him.
They quickly formed a half circle and began driving the Morli back towards the water with their fire. The stubborn monster put up a hard fight as he returned their fire with his own. It was tedious work, trying to get the beast to move while not getting singed themselves. Once the monster was over the water, Jaax and Tollorias held their positions while Sapheramin and Shiroxx took to flying in, fast and close, to hit it with their fire and sometimes their claws or tails.
The battle went on this way for nearly an hour and the icy rain and wind that had followed them to Ahseina didn't help the situation. Its persistence caused Jaax’s wings to ache, but he pressed on with his friends as they battled the massive Morli dragon. The creature was beginning to tire, he could tell, but then again, so were they. Shiroxx dove like a red lightning bolt, swiping her claws at the monster’s wings. It screamed, the roar of its fury blending with the roll of thunder.
Jaax couldn’t even see Sapheramin and Tollorias any longer, their grey and blue colors blending too well with the cloudy sky. He drew in a breath and flew straight towards the Morli dragon, releasing a burst of green-blue flame as he passed under it.
The monster bellowed again, but instead of inching back like it had done earlier, it turned and started heading east. Then slowly, it banked its wings, as if to turn around so it could come at them again.
Jaax flew to join Shiroxx and the two Korli dragons already hovering far above the channel.
“What is it doing?” Jaax roared over the combined sound of dragons’ wings, churning waves and howling wind. “Is it coming back for a fresh attack?”
“I don’t know!” Tollorias answered. “It shouldn’t have any strength left! We’ve been at it for a good hour!”
Jaax gritted his teeth and watched the creature carefully, its dark red color almost impossible to track. Then, with a sinking feeling in his stomach, he yelled, “It’s not coming for us! It’s headed back to Ahseina!”
And if to prove his point, the creature made a sharp dive towards the small town, releasing an orange torrent of fire.
Jaax’s heart dropped. No! he thought. I promised!
“Quickly!” Tollorias screamed as he dove, heading straight towards the distant shoreline. The other three dragons were right on his heels.
By the time they reached Ahseina, a fire had taken hold of most of the buildings in town, despite the rain. A hot anger burned through Jaax as he made a mad dash at the giant dragon hovering lazily over the edge of the city that had not yet caught flame. Its wings were torn and its wing beats were sluggish.
Good, Jaax thought with some satisfaction, at least we’ve nearly ended you.
The monster turned its head then, its saber-like teeth protruding far from its lower jaw. It saw Jaax, then opened its mouth and turned towards the people running for cover just below it. Jaax looked too, and he felt his scales lose their color. A girl came tearing out of one of the burning buildings, screaming and falling to the ground as one side of her body burned with flames. She managed to get most of the fire out when she stumbled into a puddle, and Jaax secretly thanked Ethoes for the rain that had hindered them earlier.
The Morli dragon became distracted from the other people and focused instead on the girl, now curled into a ball and whimpering on the cold cobblestones of the street. In that instant Jaax anticipated what was going to happen. He let out a frustrated growl and beat his great wings, picking up speed as he flew directly towards the other dragon. The creature had opened its mouth further in order to finish what he had started with the girl, but Jaax, never slowing his flight, crashed into him, grabbing onto his lower jaw and scraping at his exposed stomach with his clawed feet.
Although the Morli was almost twice Jaax’s size, the force of his attack caused the two of them to tumble in the air and crash into a few ruined buildings on the other side of the street. Jaax grunted with the force of their landing and then sucked in a sharp breath as something crushed one of his fingers. He dared to take a quick look at it and realized that during the fall one of his hands had remained grasping the Morli’s jaw, with the middle finger not safely placed between the monster’s tee
th like the others.
Jaax clenched his teeth as he removed his damaged hand from the danger when the beast opened its mouth to draw breath. The pain was far worse than he thought possible, so he drew his arm into his chest and flapped his wings to get away from the dangerous dragon that still struggled to get up. Luckily, the Morli had landed first and had received the brunt of the fall, but it was still alive and looked even angrier than ever.
“To me, Jaax!” Shiroxx called from above.
Jaax glanced over his shoulder and spotted his companions. With much effort he managed to join them in the sky, his bruises and broken finger forgotten for the time being.
“Let’s end this,” Sapheramin hissed, her blue eyes hard with anger.
Jaax nodded grimly, trying to stay airborne as his head swam from the pain of his fight.
Together, they descended so that they flew directly over the fallen threat, the Morli dragon finally showing the signs of defeat. On Jaax’s signal, the four dragons released their fire, killing the Morli dragon before it had a chance to recover. Its screams of pain and anger filled the ruined town, and when the job was finally done, the silence that swept over them was chilling.
Eventually, the four dragons landed exhaustedly in the middle of the street, the soft patter of rain welcome to their ears. They approached the fallen enemy carefully, its charred carcass hissing as the icy raindrops fell upon it.
“It’s dead,” Tollorias said grimly as he nudged the creature’s lifeless leg.
Jaax limped over to see for himself and Shiroxx eyed him carefully.
“Are you alright?” she asked.
Jaax snorted. “I got my hand caught in its mouth when we tumbled from the sky.”
“It looks pretty bad,” Sapheramin commented, her brow furrowed. “I think it’s shattered.”
Jaax gritted his teeth and hobbled forward, still clutching his arm in close. He knew it was shattered. He had felt the bone splinter himself. A wave of nausea hit him at the memory and he staggered.
“Steady old friend,” Tollorias said with a grin.
That only made Jaax grit his teeth even more.
Eventually, the townsfolk emerged from their hiding places to cautiously approach their fallen enemy. When they saw that the Morli dragon was truly dead, they all began cheering and dancing in celebration. The rain continued, but they all started making their way towards the large barn that stood upon one of the low hills just outside the city limits.
“That accursed slave of Cierryon didn’t manage to burn our storage barn. Hah!” the town’s patron lord crowed as he led his shaken, but gleeful people up a well-used trail.
Jaax and his dragon friends straggled behind, especially Jaax with his broken finger, as everyone piled into the massive building, gathered wood in the hearths, and got several fires going, with the help of their dragon saviors of course. Many of the mixed Resai, Nesnan and elfin men and women pulled out flutes and pipes and started playing lively music.
The building was truly a sight to behold and large enough to hold the four dragons easily with all the townsfolk, but Jaax stayed close to the entrance and watched the revelry unfold in front of him.
“Come in, Jaax! It is much warmer in here than hovering near the door,” Shiroxx said, her head held high and her brown eyes gleaming.
Jaax smiled but shook his head. “I’m more comfortable here,” he insisted.
The red Tanaan dragon merely shrugged and turned to talk with Tollorias about something.
“What is it, Jaax?”
Jaax started and accidentally put weight on his injured hand. He turned to see Sapheramin's kind face.
“Nothing,” he answered, pulling his hand in close again.
“Now, don’t give me that, I know your looks,” she answered. “Something is bothering you.”
Yes, something was bothering him, and not just his broken finger. He didn’t want to talk about it and ruin the current mood, but Sapheramin’s persistent presence finally pulled it out of him.
“I cannot understand why they celebrate so,” he admitted, a tinge of guilt peppering his words. “Their entire village was nearly destroyed and some of their people lost.” He turned his eyes on Sapheramin. “I almost witnessed a girl nearly burn to death.”
The Korli dragon nodded once, her eyes dropping to the ground. “It isn’t your fault Jaax,” she murmured sincerely.
He clenched his jaw then said, “I promised their patron. I gave him my word.”
“And you fulfilled that promise!” she hissed. “You, we, brought down that Morli dragon and took away the threat to their village and livelihoods.”
“Yes,” Jaax laughed bitterly, “not before it burned down half of their homes and killed a good number of their people.”
“Lives are always lost in battle, Jaax. That is the way of the world. You know this. I do not like it any more than you do. All we can hope to promise is that we do our best to end such atrocities when we can. No one can ask any more of us, or expect any more either.”
Jaax took in a slow breath and stared at the floor. She was right. He knew she was right. But that didn’t take away the feeling of failure that engulfed him. If anything, only time could do that.
Fortunately, Jaax didn’t have much longer to focus on his dark thoughts, because in the next moment a woman broke into their conversation.
“Pardon me, but are you the dragon with the broken finger?”
Jaax glanced up to find a pair of dark eyes framed by a flurry of white hair gazing sharply back at him. The woman looked Nesnan, maybe Resai, and she stood with a sturdy confidence that only a healer could pull off. The bag of herbs and salves she carried with her only proved his suspicions to be correct.
He gave Sapheramin a knowing look, but the Korli dragon only grinned and bowed her head before moving back into the crowd of celebrating townsfolk.
“Let’s see that finger,” the healer said, rummaging through her pouch for supplies.
Jaax sighed and decided to cooperate. His finger was broken after all, and it would do no good to delay healing it.
The woman pulled out a large jar of salve and set it aside. Jaax offered his injured hand, and the woman eyed it with chin in hand. She clucked her tongue after a few moments. “Lucky that demon didn’t take the whole finger.”
“Lucky he didn’t take my whole hand,” Jaax countered.
The healer grinned, her eyes dancing with mischief, and then she sobered up. “I should be able to mend it, but you’ll have to keep it wrapped against another finger for several weeks until the bone knits. I’m afraid this scale will eventually fall off.”
She reached out and tapped Jaax’s injured finger, just above the knuckle, where one of his scales appeared to be slightly out of line with the others. He hissed and drew his hand back from the sharp pain her action had caused.
She only chuckled and started unscrewing the lid from her jar.
A true healer indeed! Jaax thought grouchily. All healers love to prod at your sore spots.
The woman turned back around, her hands lathered up with the strange ointment. “I promise to be gentle,” she said, holding up her right hand when Jaax gave her a dangerous look.
Reluctantly, he held out his injured finger and she carefully smoothed the salve over it. He only winced twice.
“What does that do?” he asked when she was done. He sniffed at it. It smelled like strong mint.
“It will help numb it as I encourage the pieces of bone to settle back together.”
Jaax raised his eyebrows at that. “So you have the gift of magic as well?”
She gave a full smile, her eyes glittering with calm pride. “Ethoes has blessed me well, dragon friend. I have helped many with it.”
The process of aligning the shards of bone in his finger required the healer to close her eyes, rest her hands over his injury, and hum a tune that seemed as old as the earth itself. Jaax didn’t feel any pain during the whole process, only a strange tingling sensation alo
ng his middle finger.
“There,” the woman said after a few minutes, “done. Now, if you keep it bound to your other finger, it should heal well.”
She finished up by wrapping the newly tended digit to the one next to it.
“You should also keep as much weight off of it as possible,” she added. “At least until it no longer aches when you put pressure on it.”
“Thank you,” Jaax began, and then looked at her questioningly.
“Faerra,” she offered.
“Thank you, Healer Faerra. I shall take your advice to heart.”
“And thank you dragon friend, Raejaaxorix, for what you have done for our village.”
She nodded politely, packed her bag, and disappeared among the revelers to seek out the others who had been injured during the battle. Jaax watched her go, wondering if Sapheramin had given her his name and hoping she tended to the girl who had been burned. He lifted his hand and looked at the finger, now tightly bound to its neighbor. The salve was wearing off and the dull ache was returning, but it didn’t feel so out of place any longer.
Sighing, he sought out his companions. They were at the opposite end of the great barn, so he braved the dancing and laughing men and women to reach them.
“I’m going to find a place where I can get some sleep,” he told Tollorias. “It would be best if we left tomorrow, sometime in the morning.”
Tollorias nodded and Jaax left him and the other two dragons to enjoy the festivities. It was still raining when he stepped out into the open hillside, but as he climbed farther into the hills, he found an empty hollow that was covered with tall, dense pine trees. Jaax curled up on the thick matt of evergreen needles and willed himself to sleep. He was exhausted, but the image of the girl half on fire haunted him, and it was a long time before he was safe in the realm of dreams.
* * *
The rain had gone by the next morning, but a heavy fog clung to the mainland and disappeared out over the sea. Jaax had risen early, fighting the nightmares that often visited him after he had taken part in any violence. He met the other dragons in the center of town, the two Korli and Tanaan bidding farewell to those townspeople who had been spared the Morli’s wrath. Only a dozen or so people had lost their lives to the creature, a small number considering the size of the town and the damage that had been inflicted, but to Jaax it had been too many.
Tales of Oescienne - A Short Story Collection - Volume One Page 6
