The Way to the Mountains

If It Were Only A Dragon [Chapter 27]

The first dragon turned suddenly, turning its gaze up from us on the ground. The rein of arrows suddenly stopped. The remaining horses dashed off back under the cover of the trees. Their riders stood and looked up at the sky.

The second dragon came from the west. It was much higher in the sky, but it was already clear that it was even bigger than the one we had already tried and failed to slay.

“Pull back into the trees!” I said, waving my arm up into the air. We dashed back into our sheltered camp, dragging the freshly regurgitated Farvin with us. The troll remained behind in the grassy field, bellowing up at the sky, but after a jab from Nemona’s staff, it refocused its attention and lumbered back to join us.

Before I could ponder any more about the certainty of our failure and likely death, I had to wipe the smelly, sticky blood from my face and hands. After all, I couldn’t be looking like that while addressing my men. Nemona crept up beside me at the cache of spare clothing without a word.

“How many years has it been since dragons have been spotted in this land?” I couldn’t help but ask.

Nemona puffed out her cheeks. “Like three hundred years.”

“And now there are two of them,” I said, staring out of the corner of my eyes until I was sure she took notice of my unease. That never seemed to happen.

The elf clapped her hands together all of a sudden. The others took notice of it, imagining it to be a call to attention, but instead, it was just her entertaining herself. “Look at what they are doing!”

“Plotting the downfall of all non-dragon creatures within our Kingdom here?” I said back. Alas, I had to jerk about and look up at the sky.

The new dragon was indeed larger, but also darker. Its green scales had a reddish hue to them as well. Its wide wings took it in a circle, matching with the smaller dragon’s movements in speed and pattern.

“Are they… friends?” Eriques said excitedly from my side.

“What, and playing tag?” I said, yanking him back by the collar out of sight. “Next they shall have a friendly picnic lunch of us, then?”

“I believe they may be courting,” Nemona spoke up, stepping out from under the canopies.

“Like boyfriend and girlfriend?” My squire added. “And next they will have a marriage and then a dinner party… of us!!” He huffed loudly, matching my tone.

I shoved him following that comment. “Quit mouthing off and grab me some water to wash myself down.”

“Yes sir.”

I crossed my arms across my chest and watched as the supposed courting carried on above our heads. “I’m… yet convinced that beasts such as these are that smart, but let’s say they do want to… mingle. Can we stop it?”

Nemona stepped suddenly on my foot and glared at me indignantly. “How could you suggest such a thing?”

I held up my hands in front of me. “My apologies, I forgot you desired to mingle with the dragon first. How could an elf be so long-lived but also have no experience with jealousy?”

I felt my feet suddenly disappear from beneath me as Nemona’s staff came knocking at the back of my shins. “My romantic exploits — or lack thereof— are no business of yours! And that is not what I am referencing! Let them mingle or whatever you want to call it!”

The druid coughed lowly. “Yes, as it seems their numbers are so limited, hampering their reproduction would be utterly despicable.”

I pushed myself up on my elbows. “You too, Nariza?”

The elf bowed her head to the druid. “So we can see eye to eye on at least one thing. That is correct.”

While the ladies were making up, I couldn’t help but notice the two flying, indestructible vermin change flight patterns. “Hey now, they’re on the move.”

The others lined up along the edge of the grove to watch the dragons’ movements. With the smaller dragon in the lead, they both flew off toward the east, heading straight for the mountains.

I dashed out into the fields to keep an eye on them the best I could. “My duty given to me by the King dictates that we must keep this creature from defiling any more of our land.”

Eriques stepped up behind me and began wiping down the drying blood off my armor and clothing. “Whatever’s past the mountains is not our Kingdom, though?”

Nemona joined us, chuckling. “He’s correct, you know.”

I whispered back to her. “Don’t encourage him, he’ll want a raise. Not that he would be able to count it.”

The elf sighed. “Well, as you said, if we wanted to actually take it down, we would need more power. And that itself would cost much more. I’m sure nobody here will rat you out if you simply tell the king that you defeated it. To think, it had just come this way to seek out a mate.”

I yanked the cloth from my squire and wiped down the rest of the blood from my face. “So that shall be it. I’m tired of sleeping out in the dirt and eating dried food. Speaking of which—“ I said with a blink, noticing the distinct pattern on the cloth, even though the fresh bloodstains. “— Are these my sheets?!”

Eriques inched away. “There was nothing else proper for such a use, sir.”

I noticed Farvin approaching, wiping his matted hair down with a similar cloth. “I know how to wash bedding, Gladius— it would be the least I could do to repay you for everything… one of those things being your help in makin’ the dragon chuck me back up.”

“Let’s just say that was half me, half your smell.”

The easterner placed his hands on his hips. “Bet. And as we speak of it, that damage you did to its insides will make it think twice about eating up another cow and dropping a fat—“

“Say no more,” I sighed. “Let us rest. Rest and celebrate… even the fact that we’re all still alive.”

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