Dragon Slayers

by Kristin D. Van Risseghem

  Regaining my balance, I freeze in place. Then I remember my training. Being a sitting duck will get me killed.

  Giant leathery wings flap, creating a gust of wind that makes me falter backward. I check my quiver. Three silver-tipped arrows are left. Taking aim at the violet colored eye, I better make them count.

  Then a line of fire is hurled down the alley, burning everything in its path. No number of weapons can save me from a fiery death.

  I’m trapped.

  “Brooklyn!” I turn my head toward the street. Someone is running at lightning speed to get to me. I knew he wouldn’t have forgotten me. “I’m coming. Hold on.”

  Fire persists against my shield, but my cover is still cool to the touch. A small thanks to the magic that’s infused with the titanium we use to create our weapons.

  Manny slides like a baseball player toward me, and his shield meets mine, creating a larger barrier from the flames. “Are you okay?” His wide eyes scan my body.

  Relief washes over me.

  “I thought I lost ...” He shakes his head. “You went the wrong direction at the drop point.” His voice is all business.

  “I thought we were going left,” I say.

  “No, the dragons were hiding to the left, and we were all going to the right to surprise them from behind. We’ll sort that out later. Right now, we need a plan to get us out of here.

  For all my studying of weapons, anatomy, and combat skills, it can’t make up for me botching the mission. It’s not my first mistake, and I have confidence that it won’t be my last. Maybe this is why no one wants to associate with me? Sometimes, I think he can read my thoughts, but I know he can’t. He’s told me on occasions that he can’t. It’s how I wear my thoughts on my face, and it doesn’t take a genius to guess what I’m thinking. I need to have a better poker face.

  “So, what’s the plan?” I ask, needing to change the subject. And well, we need to get out of here before we both are killed. “We have nothing to shield us if we try to make our way back out to the street.”

  “Do you have any arrows left?” Manny asks. I nod. “Good because I’m out of bullets.” He reaches behind him for his own crossbow. Of course, he’s more than prepared. “You notch one, too, and when I say go, you run and don’t look back no matter what you hear.” He turns and grips my shoulders, forcing me to face him. “Got it?” I nod again. “As soon as you’re out of here, shoot your arrow how I’ve taught you.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “What you came here to do.” He peaks around our shields to look at the black dragon literally breathing down our necks. “On the count of three.” I bounce my steps, preparing to run. “One.” Manny checks the location of his target again. “Two.” I shift my feet. “Go!”

  I sprint out from our protection and move my shield to cover my back. At the same time, Manny fires his weapon, keeping the blaze focused on him and allowing me a couple of seconds to escape.

  A horrific shriek fills the air. I risk a look back and see an arrow wedged into the dragon’s wing, right where it meets the shoulder joint—one of the few weaker locations on its body.

  Manny is a few steps behind me, motioning me to run faster. We turn the corner and see the rest of my class a couple of blocks farther. My teacher’s legs are a lot longer than mine, and I can barely keep up. He grabs my hand and tugs me along.

  The dragon leaves its perch and follows us from the sky. The arrow makes the wing useless, but that doesn’t stop its sharp claws from digging into the bricks as it hops from one rooftop to the next.

  The block will be destroyed in a matter of minutes if we don’t take it down. Then we’ll have mass casualties and need the Rescue Team to assist us. Disaster seems to follow me in spades.

  Thankfully, it’s well past the time bars close, and few pedestrians are out. At least we don’t have to worry about dodging them. Because of our magic, or I should say with the combination of the dragon magic, the Level Threes and our instructors out with us, we are invisible to passerby’s. It’s our magic that keeps what we do hidden from the real world. Normal humans can’t see the dragons flying around, nor do they see the slayers on the streets on missions.

  All they know is that sometimes buildings are smashed, or trees are uprooted in parks. The school’s media specialist sends reports to the news channels about earthquakes, building construction projects, and greenery renovations around the city. On rare occasions, people are eaten by the dragons, but those are covered up by a Missing Person report.

  The warmth from Manny’s hand calms me. That is until we join the rest of the newbs. He drops me as if I’m poison and then steps away.

  “We need to regroup and draw the dragon into open space,” Manny says.

  I hear a couple of kids grumble that if I had followed the instructions, we’d be back at the academy already. I don’t comment. I feel horrible enough that I botched the mission. Or at least it could’ve ended sooner.

  “You bunch, go that way to Franklin Avenue.” He points to his right. “And you guys, keep going straight until you get to Fulton Avenue. We’ll meet at the Crotona Park.” The group automatically divides itself and takes off in a sprint. I turn to go with the group traveling on Franklin, but Manny snags my elbow and brings me close to his side. “Oh, no. You’re coming with me, so I can keep an eye on you.” My cheeks blush as a wicked smile stretches across his handsome face.

  Not the appropriate time, Brooklyn.

  We all know the city well. One of our Level One classes was to memorize all the streets, parks, and building names. I know exactly where we are, and I know that we have six long blocks to run like a dragon is chasing our asses because there really is one hot on our tails.

  As the small group of twenty students run, I’m stuck in the back with Manny. I know we could catch up to the rest with a few longer strides, but he doesn’t push us. Our shields are strapped onto our backs, protecting our crossbows and quivers. Until we graduate to Level Two, we are only allowed to use the basic weapons. As our training and experience grows, we’ll use the guns with titanium bullets.

  He hasn’t let go of me yet.

  If normal humans could see us, I’m sure we’d look like a bunch of hoodlums roaming the streets at night. We run in the middle of the road, dodging parked cars that sit crooked along the curbs. Some students run on the sidewalks and leap over parking meters and duck under storefront awnings like it’s some sort of game. I stay locked tight in Manny’s hold.

  The dragon’s scream above spurs my group faster. It’s following us, not the group that split off. A few more blocks and we’ll be at the rendezvous spot. Arrows from my fellow classmates soar into the sky, but none make their mark.

  “Hurry Manny,” someone yells. I think it’s Reist. “It knows where we’re making our final stand.”

  “It does,” he yells back. “Dragons are smart.” Manny looks at our joined hands and then to my face. His eyes give nothing away, but I feel him distancing himself and we part. “Come, Brooklyn. We need to have our date with a dragon.”

  The ground shakes. I know that the animal has landed. We ready our bows and shields. The other teens are almost joining us. I see flashes of their bodies when we pass the adjacent streets.

  We enter the city park. Standing taller than a three-story building is a midnight black dragon. The arrow that Manny shot is no longer poking out of its wing. It either managed to dislodge it, or it wiggled out. In either case, it doesn’t seem injured. Just our luck.

  “Are you ready, Brooklyn?” I nod at him. “Remember all of your training. I know you can do this.” He squeezes my shoulders and then pushes me in to join the rest of the kids.

  A classmate devises the plan, and I follow my orders. I’m not a born leader; besides, no one would follow me anyway. Sure, I have book smarts, and yes, I can sometimes hold my own in a fight, but a one-person assault isn’t going to take a dragon down. We wait for our other half of the group, and then we circle around the beast. O
ur shields lead the way as my crossbow is pointed at its body.

  Everyone made their weapon choice before leaving the school, and since the bow is lighter than a sword, it’s my preferred weapon. Others have spears and rope darts. Maybe as I get better with aim, I’ll choose the deadly magic infused silver-tipped javelin.

  The ones who have the rope darts aim them toward the opposite side of the circle. The threaded line is also titanium enhanced to trap dragons. Nails are being hammered into the ground to hold the ropes crisscrossing over the dragon’s body. A lot of the stronger guys use them since it’s their strength we rely on to subdue our targets.

  As soon as a few cables catch, the dragon rears up on its hind legs. Its impressive wingspan snaps some of the remaining lines. I have a feeling we won’t be graduating tonight. What happens if we can’t take it down? We’ll be sent out on missions until someone kills a dragon.

  My class won’t fail on their first solo mission.

  I only have one arrow left in my quiver and as I scan my fell Oners, many of their quivers are empty or only have a few remaining arrows.

  We manage to corral the dragon across the wings, neck, and tail. Yep, watch out for those because some dragons have spikes on the ends. Many new recruits have died being impaled. I’m not planning to die that way.

  No one is near the head, either, since that’s just as deadly as the rear. As my luck would have it though, I’m the closest to the fiery pit. Its head thrashes from side to side. I don’t want to get that close and personal with it until it’s dead.

  The rest of the first years throw their weapons. The javelins poke out of the dragon’s hide, reminding me a bit of a porcupine. With less then twenty of us who still have a projectile, a battery of arrows and spikes fly, all targeting the dragon’s body.

  But the creature is still moving. Fire erupts from its mouth, burning everything in a forty-five-degree angle. The grass and playground instantly turn to ash.

  A couple of newbs have titanium swords and inch their way closer. The tail whips up but is met by resistance from the ropes. Someone slashes steal through the dragon’s back claw. Another goes into the side near the belly. Red blood oozes out from the wounds. More flames spew from his mouth. His head twists and turns, fighting us with everything he has. A pitiful cry escapes from his open mouth.

  Suddenly, my heart sinks. We’re killing this creature, and what had it done to us? Me? This one hasn’t done anything but live.

  I don’t think much longer because it’s us or them. They don’t take pity when they decimate our farm fields, drink our lakes dry, or pick us off one by one as we travel across the city.

  “Does anyone have any more weapons?” someone yells. The dragon is still alive and putting up a good fight. I scan my brethren, and it seems that their hands are empty. The dragon is not dying. We have failed.

  “Brooklyn!” I’m snapped out of my thoughts. A voice comes near, and I can just make out the body of Reist running toward me through the thick smoke from the grass. He’s what I would have called a jock in a normal school. Everyone knows and loves him. He’s a born leader, which is why he was captain of the football team before he applied to York and was appointed leader on this mission. “Fire your weapon. Take the kill shot.”

  My mind goes back to the year of schooling and the anatomy of the dragon. The weakest parts are their eyes. Can I make that shot? Everyone is counting on me, and I can’t f*ck this up.

  I turn my head to the right and to the left. All of the Oners are looking at me, expectantly. Do something, Brooklyn. Then I feel Manny’s presence behind me. He’s walking closer to me, pressing his hard body against mine, and whispering instructions into my ear. My breathing hitches as his lips brush against my hair. I wonder if he knows what he does to me? I refocus on the seven-ton dragon lying in front of me.

  I look into Reist’s blue eyes then back to the dragon. Lifting my crossbow, I take aim at the eyes. It’s the only shot I have that will end this, to let us graduate, and become Level Two trainees.

  The dragon’s dark violet eyes rotate toward me. Sadness again creeps along my body. Doubt unsteadies my hand. Without realizing what I’m doing, I lower my weapon.

  We don’t know how the dragons got their magic, but they use it to transform their bodies into humans. They walk around passing themselves off as ordinary people. Do I know this one? Maybe I’ve seen him at a game. Maybe he’s the barista at the coffee shop I always went to before I came to this school. Maybe he’s just a business man who is married and has a couple of kids. A sinking feeling weighs me down.

  Reist is about to grab it from my hands and make the shot himself.

  No.

  I can do this. It’s what the year of training has brought me to do. I can’t disappoint my peers, parents, Manny, or myself.

  Readjusting the crossbow, I take aim. All the dragon has to do is blink, and my shot will be for nothing. I crouch down, taking my shield to my right side, and slink closer to the head. I know this is probably the worst idea, but at least it is one.

  “What are you doing, Brooklyn?” Reist asks. I ignore him and continue my death march. “Take the shot!”

  And then I feel Manny’s presence behind me, his left hand on my shoulder, while his shield is flanking mine. Together, we advance on the dragon. More students join behind Manny. I giggle. My mind conjured an image of a caterpillar slinking along to kill a dragon. Maybe one can’t hurt it, but fifty all working together?

  Taller guys step to my left side and raise their shields higher, blocking our heads.

  The dragon’s eye follows us; its mouth opens but no fire spews forth.

  A few more people step in front of me, forming the same barrier. I loosen my grip on my shield. I signal to Manny to let me pass behind him and for him to take my place. I do this a couple more times in hopes that it’ll confuse the dragon, and it won’t know where the shot will come from.

  Fire explodes from the dragon’s mouth bathing us in heat. The line slowly walks forward, and I’m three spots behind my original location. I lower a shield and squint to see how far in front we have come.

  Almost there.

  I step lightly to match the others’ movements but then slam into the person in front of me. Looking up, Manny is standing in front of me, his eyes lowered to mine. How did he ... why did he come back to me?

  He nods as if he knows my plan. Maybe he does. He walks backward while the rest of us stride forward. I know we’re almost to the perfect location.

  “Brooklyn,” he says.

  I hesitate for one more second. This is what I’m trained to do.

  The last arrow flies into the air.

  Our collective breaths inhale. Then the roar of the black-scaled beast fills the air. My silver arrow burrowed its way into the mouth. The tip now projects out of the top of its head. Then body stops moving, and we release our breaths. The only eye I see stares directly at me and then closes forever. Sorrow spreads through me as black smoke lays across the dragon’s body, and its magic is absorbed back into the atmosphere, leaving the dead carcass on the ground. The normal glittering scales are flat and lifeless.

  Cheers rise throughout the park, and then I feel the strong arms of Manny as he wraps them around my waist. The giant shield comes down, and our line breaks apart.

  “I knew you could do it,” he breathes into my ear. Then he turns and addresses the crowd. “Great job everyone. Let’s get back to the pickup location. I’ve already called, and they’ll meet us at the 174th Station, so we have to book it now.”

  “What about the dragon?” I ask. “We can’t just leave it here.”

  “Level Three people will take care of it.” Manny motions for everyone to get a move on. “Let’s go celebrate.” He turns and looks at me and then sprints down the street.

  He and I are going to have to talk about us. I hope it’s not awkward, but I know I’ll mess it up somehow. I hope I’m not reading the signals incorrectly.

  I take off and run th
e four blocks through the park. Adrenaline and excitement push my legs along until I’m in the middle of the pack. We arrive at the bus station and aren’t kept long. Three vans pull up and open their doors.

  Mr. Astor steps down from the first vehicle. “I hear congratulations are in order. Wonderful that you have made it to Level Two. Now, get on board so you can continue the celebrations. Tomorrow, your real training begins.” He moves aside to let everyone file into the vans. As I make my way to the second vehicle, he touches my shoulder. “I hear that you took the kill shot.”

  “I did,” I say.

  “Your parents will be so proud of you.”

  “I hope so.”

  He nods, and I push forward, finding an empty seat. Leaning my head against the window, I’m lost in thoughts about my parents, the dragon, and what’s next in my life. The seat beside me dips, and I know someone has sat down. No one has ever talked to me before, so I keep my eyes closed.

  “You’re not going to say anything?” My lids blink open, and I turn my head. Next to me is Manny. “It’s a great achievement to be the one to take down the dragon. I did it when I was a One.”

  “I know.”

  “You do?”

  “I checked the stats books. You graduated top of your class for One and Two.”

  “And I suspect Three will be the same.” He places his hand on my knee. We both stare at it, and then our eyes meet. His eyes shine with emotion. Pride? Mine are glossy from embarrassment. “What are you planning to do the rest of the morning?”

  I shrug. I can’t tell him that my bed is calling to me. The colors in the sky tell me that it’s almost time for my early morning routine to start, but I need some sleep.

  “Well, if you don’t have any plans, I’d like to show you something when we get back to the school.”

  “Okay.” I give him a shy smile.

  For the duration of the ride, we don’t speak, and his hand remains on my leg. I rest my head against the backrest and close my eyes again. Everyone else is chattering away about what’s next in the program. But I’m too absorbed about why Manny’s hand is on my body, and what he wants to show me. I hope my cheeks aren’t red.