Her muscles ached. After a day of training, all Jen wanted was to fall into her soft bed and sleep the night away. The rain pelted against the glass in the stairway, while thunder rolled in the distance. She loved rainstorms, the chaos outside was strangely calming.
She stepped into her room as lightning flashed. But a tiny whimper cried from underneath her bed. Closer inspection revealed a set of eyes staring back at her. Puzzled, she reached deeper, only to feel tiny teeth snap at her arm. A lighting flashed exposed the tiny form of a Cave Dragon curled under her bed.
“Molly! Why is there a dragon under my bed?”
“He’s scared. There’s a monster outside.”
“They’re dragons! What could possibly scare them?”
The thunder rolled, rocking the lantern hanging from the exposed ceiling beam. A slim creature crawled over her foot. It wrapped its clawed feet around her ankle and cowered as the lightning illuminated the room.
Unbelievable.
Kicking the air caused it to cling tighter, the tip of his claws poking into her flesh. She limped across the hall to Molly’s quarters; her impatience growing with every clumsy step. Molly lay reading by candlelight on her bed cuddled with several creatures piled in her bed.
Dragons of assorted sizes, breeds and colours crammed themselves in corners, chairs and on tables. Some nestled in open drawers, under her bed and in piles of clothes. Even the snake like dragons looped themselves around the hanging chandelier.
“Don’t be mad.” She shielded herself behind her book, “but I couldn’t let them be alone. They’re scared.”
“Molly, what have I told you again and again?”
“Say please and thank you?”
“Molly…”
“Stairs are for walking down not sliding….”
“No dragons in the house!”
“But Jen…”
She grabbed the hatchling from around her leg and dropped it on Molly’s bed with the others. “NO DRAGONS IN MY ROOM!”
She slammed the door and stomped to her own room. She slipped into the soft bed; her body grateful for the comfort of a warm blanket draped over her. The storm roared outside, but inside was her small sanctuary.
Everything exactly where she wanted it. Surrounded by the sparse but well-loved mementos of a past long gone. Shutting her eyes, she let sleep quell her restless mind. Then a hiss pulled her from her rest. Sitting on her chest was a baby Scarlet Dragon, who nestled himself into the blanket.
“Molly!”
“I can’t hear you!”
The next morning, Jen ate her breakfast alone in the dining room trying to enjoy the quiet meal in peace. The storm still raged outside. Which she considered odd. She had never seen a ferocious storm last so long without losing its velocity.
The tiny Cave Dragon from the night before climbed on the chair next to her. His body resembled a ferret and sat on his four tiny legs with his pointed snout sniffing at the air. His sharp attentive eyes locked on to the food on her fork. Following its every move from the plate to her mouth. He licked his lips at the bacon, giving a tiny squeak.
“This is why you aren’t allowed in the house.” He whimpered scratching the air with his foot. “You want this? Too bad,” and she stuffed the bacon in her mouth.
“Don’t be mean.”
Molly entered the dining room with her entourage of dragons in tow. She held the tiny Scarlet Dragon in her arms. The snake like Serpent Slither slinked at her feet. Followed by the giant tortoise shelled dragon named Herbert.
And the annoying plains dragon which looked like a giant bird with a long neck and no feathers. It was about Molly’s height and Jen hated Matilda more than the beast next to her. The hatred was mutual; Matilda squawked at Jen as Molly sat at the table.
“I see she’s chipper as always,”
“I know you don’t like the dragons but— “
“I never said I don’t like them—I specifically don’t like that one. Also, I like them better when they are out there.” She pointed her toast out the window. The Cave Dragon took his chance, leaping from the chair grabbing the toast from her hand. It was impressive how fast he gobbled the bread down. “You’re going to find yourself out there in the rain if you keep that up.”
“We can’t do that; they’re scared of the monster.”
“Molly, they can’t live here forever, we have the sanctuary, so they won’t destroy the manor.”
“They won’t destroy anything,” she protested but the crash of a suit of armour in the next room proved Jen’s point. “Okay, fine. But it’s not forever. Once we find the monster they’re right back where they belong.”
“We?”
“I’m nine, do you expect me to go by myself?”
“If I get rid of this monster, everything returns to normal? With them outside.”
“I pinky promise.”
The rain pelted their heavy cloaks. The sky grew darker as they approached the center of the storm. She gripped the fabric to her chin to keep the brutal wind from blowing it away. Molly huddled close as the path ascended into a steeper hill.
The child struggled against the wind, but insisted they keep to their path. Without the cover of the trees, Jen feared for their safety. Even worse, to her dismay, the Cave Dragon remained latched to her leg.
“Did we need to bring him?”
“No one knows these hills better than Gregory. Plus, he likes you.”
“Could he like me less and do something productive; the storm is getting worse.”
The child adjusted her shoulder bag before crouching to retrieve Gregory. It took a gentle coaxing, but the dragon let go. She then planted the trembling creature on a rock.
“Go on Gregory, sniff out the monster.” She smiled, but Jen didn’t seem impressed. “He knows all the smells of all the rocks, if there’s a new smell he’ll find it.”
Gregory went to work sniffing the ground, like a hunting hound. They pushed past the blustery rain behind him. He led them through abandoned stone arches, up and down hills, until they reach a dried-up ravine. A fierce grey cloud spun in the center of the flat plain. Thunder erupted from the center and bolts of lightning flickered from the cloud’s edges.
“The storm is coming from this?” Jen yelled as Molly scooped Gregory into the pocket of her cloak. “Are you going to tell me what it is or am I to guess?”
“I found it, didn’t I? Do I have to do all the work for you?”
“Oh, is that how this works?” Jen smirked. The thrill of a fight inflated her spirits.
“You need to get to the center, it’s most vulnerable there!” Molly yelled as Jen began the descent to the rock bottom.
The narrow path was difficult to manoeuvre on a sunny day, let alone as the wind and thunder howled around her. She struggled to stay upright and move forward, taking one tentative step at a time. But the roar from the storm, echoed, sending a gust of wind directly at her.
It smashed her against the rock. This isn’t a normal storm. She turned to her staff, focusing her magic until the sapphire emitted a soft white light. In her mind, she allowed the light to bloom; tugging on its edges until it surrounded her. Using its strength to combat the force, she managed to reach the bottom.
The storm’s eye was stronger than she imagined. Her elbows locked in place trying to keep the staff from moving and the shield breaking. Her feet, firmly planted on the ground shifted as the wall of wind pushed her back. Both refused to give into the other. She slid the gem across the rock; using it like a matchstick to ignite a flame.
She had to act fast before the rain extinguished it. Moving her palm over it, the fire grew bigger, hotter, and spun faster. She sent a cyclone of fire at the swirling tornado. The golden flames engulfed the storm encasing it in a heated glow. The magic and the storm clashed, fighting in a swirling battle until the air was warm and the rain dissipated. The tornado extinguished itself like a morning fog revealing the monster within.
The golden rays of sun beamed through the thin cloud cover. Before her stood a behemoth golden dragon with white feathers coating his body. He flapped his heavy winged arms, forcing his lithe body to hover a few feet above the ground.
He roared, snapping at the air revealing two rows of pointed teeth and a forked tongue. His long neck weaved from side to side like a cobra. It slammed towards her. She dodged it, but it hit the rock wall sending debris cascading over the ground. But the shuffling from behind her told her Molly was close.
“Stay back!” she ordered, climbing to her feet. Molly stood on the path, fidgeting in place. “Give me the report from there.”
“It’s a sky dragon,” the girl spit out. “Jen, they don’t play well with others. Which is why the breed is solitary and rare. There must be a reason he’s this close to the ground. Isn’t he beautiful! Daddy only ever saw one once before, he said it was one of the most spectacular creatures he had ever seen.”
The winding feathered tail whipped at her. She felt the feathers brush against her skin, as she jumped to the side.
“Did your father ever say how to defeat one?”
“No, we should never do that! He’s the king of the skies, he deserves respect.”
“Respect goes both ways” she yelled back over the angry roars. The dragon whipped his tail again. The power rattled the ground causing her to tumble off balance.
“That’s it! Jen, I got it!” Before she could protest Molly scurried to her side as he began his careful descent. “There!” She noticed it too. As he placed his second foot flat, he flinched. It was hard to spot, but there it was, a splinter of wood embedded in his soft underside.
“For the love of…” she sighed, the whole thing had come down to a splinter.
“If you hold him still then I can get in there and pluck it out. Just keep him from flying off,”
“Make it fast.”
Molly fumbled with her bag pulling out a glass flute. Jen suppressed a smile as she turned her attention to the roaring in front of her. Raising her staff, she made small circles with the sapphire. She shut her eyes, relying on her other senses to take over. Every breath, movement, and energy around her blossomed in her mind’s eye.
She focused on the dampness that hung in the air. At first it was a small tug, teasing her staff before submitting. Then it latched on, and she felt it follow her movements like a feather on a string.
The damp collected around itself; she heard a roar then the smashing of rocks beside them. Molly whimpered under her breath. But Jen needed to concentrate on the mist forming high above them. She sensed the dragon’s final resolve, and she knew it was now or never. It started as a few drops, barely noticeable to a dragon who lives in the clouds. But the drops grew and splattered the surface. Heavy blobs of water smashed over the mud.
Jen looked up at her creation, a massive whirlpool of water spiraled above them. The dragon beat his massive wings, but the water descended as Jen lowered her staff. Trapping him between the rock walls and the spinning whirlpool. It was too heavy for him to break through. He hovered above the ground and was forced to land again.
“My turn!”
Molly held the glass flute to her lips and began to play. If Jen listened carefully, she could hear the faint residue of the notes but nothing more. The flute played pitches only dragons heard. Molly’s father, the late Lord Rose, explained that Tamers only felt the vibrations of the song as they played.
In the past Molly claimed to hear the notes while she dreamed. She played, as her father had taught her. The Sky Dragon stopped pacing, his agitation quelled, and his breathing became regular. When the time was right, she stopped and ran to him.
“It’s okay fella, you’re a good dragon aren’t you.”
She reached his injured foot, and the dragon didn’t resist. Jen focused on the magic floating above them, one wrong move and she could drown them all. Molly’s hands felt around the inflamed flesh for the splinter. Finding her target she clasped it and yanked it out. The dragon winced, roared, and snapped at the air.
“There’s a good boy, that’s a good Gilbert.” She reached into her bag and pulled out her bottle of ointment and applied it to the wound. “It’ll only sting for a bit. Jen, you can stop now.” The Mage obeyed and scattered the hanging water over the rocky countryside in a heavy cloudless rain. They sent the dragon off, Molly waved as the golden dragon took to the sky.
“Gilbert huh? That was the name of your uncle’s hunting hound; he was a miserable wretched thing.”
“Yea but he was loyal till the end.” Despite the sad memory bubbling to the surface, Molly smiled. Gregory emerged from her cloak, and she patted his prickly head.
The next morning Jen sat at the table eating breakfast, enjoying the silent almost dragon free manor. Gregory, of course, sat next to her waiting anxiously for her toast.
“I told you; no. Molly may have convinced me to keep you here, but it will be beneficial to remember I dislike you.” He squeaked again. “Look, Molly put out a dish for you- see it’s dragon food.” She pointed to the silver bowl with some brown concoction Molly made the cook prepare. “That’s dragon food, this in my hand is people food. You dragon. Me people. Now go away.”
A bang echoed, rattling the window beside her. Her heart skipped as a creature slammed itself against the glass. Her breakfast dropped to the floor as she noticed the culprit.
At the window, Matilda knocked with her pointed snout. She waited there long enough to see the surprise on Jen’s face then darted away as quickly as she appeared. “Damn thing.” She muttered trying to recover from the fright. At her feet, Gregory chomped on the last piece of toast.
“Perfect…”
The Scribbling Scribe 