The Dragon Stone

by Andrew G. Wood

  He spotted Moira standing with her back to a large tree so she could not be attacked from behind, swinging her axe as two of the balgraf seemed to be toying with her. Both creatures jabbed their claws forward inflicting small wounds as Moira struggled to fend them both off. With his staff in hand, Finley thrust it forward while still running sending out an invisible force of energy that sent both beasts flying.

  He glanced to his left to see Arach hovering above two more, diving down and sending out small jets of flames when close enough. One of the balgraf was already alight, but still leaping up trying to grab the much smaller dragon as it tormented them from above. After checking Moira was okay, he spotted a fifth beast bounding straight for him and decided to deal with that one first. Knowing his limitations, and only utilising the magic he knew would work when he wanted it to, he thrust his staff forward sending out another blast of energy stopping the advancing balgraf in its tracks as it was sent tumbling backwards.

  Moira, despite clearly being hurt, wasted no time in taking retribution as she burst forward smashing down her axe across the beast’s exposed throat area, almost severing its head in one fierce, aggressive swoop. The first two beasts he had dealt with were now back on their feet, neither seemingly the worse for his intervention. “Moira, get behind me,” he shouted over to the dwarf who seemed intent on fighting her own battle. There was a loud cry, and a roar that echoed around them as another of the balgraf fell to Arach’s flaming attacks. The beast slumped to the ground still aflame sending thick black smoke up into the air.

  Happy that his new dragon was managing by himself he turned his attention to the two beasts now glaring his direction. Finley steadied himself, holding his staff in both hands, as he called once more for Moira to move quickly behind him. The dwarf, however, was as stubborn as a mule and instead made her way to intercept the two balgraf eyeing his direction. With a loud shout, Moira charged holding her axe aloft just slightly ready to smash it down into the nearest beast.

  Finley could only watch on as the young dwarf was merely swatted aside as if she were no more than an irritation. In a rage of temper, he ran forward screaming pushing the staff in hands out as hard as he could. The result of which saw the two creatures sent flying backwards, there bodies crashing and breaking in the thick trunks of the trees some distance off. He turned to see Arach still tackling the last beast and wanted to finish this once and for all.

  Despite knowing that Moira was probably badly hurt, he was aware that he needed to deal with the remaining creature first, and while he did not doubt Arach could have done so, decided to intervene and attempt to end the fight in one foul thrust of his staff. The last balgraf was sent scuttling backwards and thumped into a fallen log, clearly dazing it. Arach though did have the last part to play as the small dragon swooped down, and with great precision used its powerful jaws to snap across the balgraf’s neck, ending its life.

  Finley nodded up to the dragon and sent the word ‘Thank you,’ before turning back to run to where the fallen dwarf lay still in the short grass. “Moira” he called running, hoping for a response but none was forthcoming. Discarding his staff to the ground, he knelt down and lifted the dwarf’s head up and cradled it in his arms. “Moira,” he said fearing the worst. A big pair of brown eyes partly opened and looked back at him, “You got your dragon,” she said in a hoarse, rasping sounding voice that Finley knew did not sound right.

  “Come on we need to get you to a healer,” although he had no idea where he would find one.

  “Thank you for trying to save me,” came the rather weak sounding reply as Moira’s eyes slowly closed shut.

  “Moira!” Finley shouted gently tapping the side of her bloodied face in the hope she would open them again. He held her for several minutes before he heard Arach’s voice telling him what he already knew to be the case. “She is gone.”

  Finley took a deep breath, and although he and Moira had never really been close or even seen eye to eye, he felt a tear roll slowly down his cheek. “I couldn’t save her. I promised her I would not let her die,” he said as much to himself as to the dragon which landed gently down beside him. Another tear meandered slowly down his face as he gently rested her head back down to the ground. With a mixture of grief and anger, he slowly stood and turned about, heading to the tent that was still standing just a little way over to his left.

  Knowing he couldn’t possibly carry Moira’s body back with him, he had only one option left. So, after digging a shallow grave and gently placing the dwarf inside he reluctantly covered her over, piling small rocks over the top. Despite speaking with the gods in his dreams, even to Thedan who supposedly created the dwarfs he had to question their cruelty. Moira had never hurt anyone, well at least as far as he knew, and surely did not deserve to die in this remote wilderness. After cursing the gods, he picked a few wildflowers and placed them on top of the grave, before heading back to the canvas tent to start packing things away.

  While Arach was not large enough for him to sit upon and fly as he had done with the King of the Dragons, he was able to carry a few items and still fly up in the air to check for any potential dangers that might be heading their way. Moreover, Arach could help guide him back to where he needed to be, although in truth he wasn’t sure where that was supposed to be.

  He had checked on Karesh before setting off and struggled to make contact with Sessi, catching only a glimpse of their location. Wherever the young orc and the wolf were, it was certainly dark and creepy. His mother and Galdrac had headed back to Durn Raldun to warn them of an invasion, but he had no idea if that had ever happened or if they were even still there. Surely though he thought they would wait for him and would not have moved on without him, and with that thought in his mind he decided to head back to the dwarf capital, providing that was, he had enough supplies to get him back there.

  With the day stretching on, and the cold weather not letting up he knew he would soon need to re-erect his tent and find a good sheltered spot to do so. However, the advantage of being able to see through the eyes of a flying dragon soon reaped its benefits as he spotted something that might do instead. While viewing through the eyes of a dragon was unlike anything he had ever experienced, he noticed that just a few miles up ahead and not far from the route he was going to take was a rocky outcrop, in which he had spotted the entrance of a cave.

  After having Arach land nearby and peek inside, it seemed quite suitable for his needs and would mean not having to unpack everything, hopefully saving him time. Having the young dragon to guide him to the entrance was simple enough, and although he missed having Sessi around, he had enjoyed his time with Arach nonetheless, at least so far. Both animals had different personalities and the fact that the dragon could actually communicate with him as if he were just another person made this particular link somewhat peculiar.

  After gathering a few pieces of wood to make a fire, and having Arach light it for him, Finley sat down in the darkness of the cave. The area was not overly large and as far as he could tell only went back into the rock a dozen paces, but it would suffice in keeping him out of the cold wind for the night. After cooking a piece of meat that Moira had packed for them, he leant back against the cave wall to eat it, before realising he had not asked the dragon if he wanted anything.

  Arach replied that he would find his own dinner later, although he never actually said what that was. While Finley ate, he thought now was a good a time as any for the dragon to explain why the larger of his kind would not aid them earlier in the day. Finley hoped that Arach did not take offence by the feelings he was probably revealing, as they were not aimed at him directly. “Tell me more about your species,” he asked.

  Arach strolled over, being a small dragon he also fitted into the cave quite easily and sat down near the fire. Finley listened as he was told that dragons were not permitted to interfere in the lives of the other races. Apparently, they were the first ones, the original occupants of the world, in a time before the gods created
the humans, elves and other races. As part of the deal struck back then, the gods would not interfere with the dragons so long as they, in turn, did not do so to any of their creations, all that was except one.

  An agreement was made later on, just after Abalyon had made his first attempt at conquering the world. Being as dragons were also part of the same world, it was agreed between them and the remaining gods that they had a right to partake in its defence against the darkness. As a result, only one single dragon would at any one time be allowed and only then if linked to the owner of a unique stone. “The Dragon Stone?” Finley asked lifting his hand up to the ring hanging from the chain around his neck.

  In return, the dragons would be allowed to live in peace in their valley. Of course, they were allowed to fly further afield and look down upon the earth just to keep an eye on what was going on, but they never interfered. “How many of you are there?” Finley asked trying to pick a piece of meat from his teeth with his fingernail.

  “There are just twenty-four of us. Just the same as there has always been.”

  Finley thought it a strange number and listened to the explanation. Apparently, a new dragon was only hatched after one had died, and that Arach was the youngest of his kind at just twenty-three years of age.

  “How long do you live then?”

  “Our King, who you have already met, is I believe over a thousand years old.”

  “Whoah!” Finley said shocked at the reply. He had thought the fact elves lived for a hundred or so years was a long time. “So the King could not help Moira before because you were already linked to me?” he asked returning to the point he had initially asked about.

  “Exactly right Finley,” Arach replied. “I am sorry for the loss of your friend, and now we are linked I feel your pain.”

  Finley just nodded and remained silent for a while, just staring into the flames of the fire as they flickered upwards. If dragons lived so long, then the King of their species must have been around in the time when trolls walked the earth, a question he then put to Arach. The young dragon replied in the affirmative, although confirmed that the race of trolls still existed, albeit only just. Finley thought that at least Karesh was not chasing a lost cause then, although the thought of his brother having to cross the barren lands to find one did not fill him with any great confidence.

  “If you are only twenty-three, how long before you grow to the same size as the big one?”

  Finley could sense Arach’s feelings, somehow more intense than those he could detect in Sessi. Whether that was because the dragon was clearly far more intelligent, self-aware and able to speak, he was unsure.

  “We do not grow as you do,” came the reply, which only actually created more questions.

  Arach tried to explain, that a dragon grew when it needed to and that if they were all as large as the king, then they would soon exhaust their supply of food and natural habitat. In fact, the King was by far the greatest in size of all their number, while the others were probably no bigger than Arach.

  “So now you are not tied to your habitat and linked to our world you can grow?”

  “If that is what you wish,” came the reply Finley was hoping for.

  However, those words came with a stern warning. If Arach were to grow, then he would need much more food to stay alive, which although was not a great problem, it would involve him needing to eat at least something the size of a cow every day. Finley was first to admit that he was no genius, but having his dragon eating his way through the world’s population of cows for the next thousand years was probably not a wise thing. Yet with that thought, he now understood why the dragons were kept in their own environment. If they were allowed to do as they pleased and they all grew to their maximum size, they would surely eat the world bare.

  Sensing his master’s thoughts, Arach asked if Finley still wanted him to grow. However, now Finley understood the consequences he was not so sure having a fully grown dragon was such a good idea. Food was not that abundant anyway and adding a carnivorous monster to the food chain would not benefit anybody. However, on the other side of the argument, Finley knew that he needed Arach to be bigger and more powerful than he currently was.

  Hoping to strike a happy medium, he asked Arach if it were possible for him to grow just big enough that he could fly and carry him. The dragon seemed confused by the request, “Of course. I can grow to any size you wish…Within reason of course.”

  “Excellent. What do we have to do to make it happen and how long will it take?” he asked not sure he wanted the answer.

  “A couple of ways. The natural way is for me to eat and grow, all you have to do is wait. I can make it happen,” Arach replied shuffling to the front of the cave entrance and stretching out his wings.

  Finley just sat and watched as the dragon flapped a few times and took off, disappearing somewhere into the night sky. At first, he thought about closing his eyes and linking with him, but thought against it, deciding that perhaps Arach did not need him interfering into whatever it was he needed to do.

  Chapter 15.

  Karesh had entered the tunnel a few hours ago. Set into the side of the mountain, it had at one time been the main thoroughfare between the land of the elves and the dwarfs. The entrance still had the remains of what looked like a statue carved into the rock face, and the outlines of a few stone buildings that had once stood there. Since magic had been introduced and the waygates created, this subterranean link had all but been forgotten about and was now unused, at least by any of the races.

  Meldra had already forewarned him that the tunnels were home to dark creatures. While he was unsure as to exactly what these were, she had told him they were remnants of one of the early wars against the darkness. These were apparently an ancient breed of balgraf, unlike those that plagued the world today. Existing in the darkness and feeding upon the souls of those who wandered the tunnels unprepared.

  However, so far at least, both he and Sessi had managed to remain undetected and had quickly and quietly ventured deeper and deeper into the tunnel. Knowing it would likely take many more hours before he exited, he needed to be alert to what was around him. Using a small lamp, given to him by Meldra he was able to make his way along the winding tunnel, which in its day must have been quite something to behold. At least twenty paces wide and that again in height, its walls were smooth as if they had been merely sliced through when the route had been created.

  He paused just a moment as he realised he was approaching another cavernous area. This was the second such place he had discovered since entering, and he assumed must have once been some kind of stopping off point. The previous opening had signs that some kind of buildings had been in the area, although in the darkness it was very difficult to see exactly what. Fortunately, he had Sessi with him, who just strolled through the blackness, pausing every now and then to sniff the air, before guiding him onwards.

  Karesh knew that stopping was not an option for either him or Sessi and so meal time had to be taken while they walked. The wolf did not seem to mind and was more than happy to gulp down a few chunks of raw meat Meldra had given them amongst their huge amount of supplies he was carrying on his back. Likewise, he also ate while keeping moving, taking a little cheese and bread, and some water, knowing that despite the vast amount he carried it would still have to be rationed very carefully.

  As they passed the second of the cavernous areas, Sessi suddenly stopped. The wolf lifted its nose up into the darkness and sniffed several times before stepping closer to Karesh. “What is it boy?” he asked quietly. Unfortunately, he did not have the same link as Finley and was not able to instantly know what the creature was thinking and feeling. However, Sessi gave a little growl, and that was enough for Karesh to know the young wolf had detected danger ahead. “Okay, let’s proceed carefully,” he said slowly drawing the massive sword from off his back, and holding it in one hand, keeping the lamp held out in the other.

  The wolf seemed happy with the plan and slo
wly moved ahead again, although this time moved slowly as if a wolf in the wild would do when stalking its prey. Orc’s eyes were not very adept at seeing in the dark, although they were better than their human and elven cousins at doing so. As a result, Karesh knew he had to reply on the far superior senses of the wolf just two paces in front of him. If there were something out there in the darkness, the wolf would see it first.

  With progress slowing down considerably, Karesh tried listening out for any telltale signs of anything hiding out in the dark cavernous area they were in. So large was this area he could not see either wall nor could he see how high up the ceiling was, and thought that perhaps this might have been the halfway point for anybody travelling through. He thought maybe a kind of marketplace, where once elves and dwarfs had traded before returning back up to their respective lands via their own side of the tunnel.

  He could hear the sound of running water somewhere over to his left indicating there must be some kind of underground pool or lake. He trod down carefully trying to eliminate the noise made from his feet, listening only for the sounds that might indicate danger. Suddenly he heard an enormous splash and instinctively turned that direction despite not being able to see. Slowly he stepped back a little and placed the lamp down on the ground at his feet, allowing him to have both hands wrapped around the hilt of the sword where they should be.