Dragon's Keep

Chapter One: Death to the Dragon

She had this.

   Sabeline remained in tense position, hidden behind an outcrop of stones. From her vantage point, she had a good view of her men, also hidden around the outcrop and in the below clearing strategically. After her last mishap, she had tracked the dragon to the Great Green Plateau. It was clever on the dragon’s part, large open space and little cover for Sabeline and her team. But she was better. She had to be.  

  A dead cattle procured from a local village had been laid out in the centre of their arrangement. The farmer had been reluctant to give it them at first, but as soon a Sabeline explained who she was and what it was needed it for, he was all too happy to hand it over. Though she presumed, the hefty gold she paid him might have also had something to do with it. The dragon would expect it to be a trap of course. What it wouldn’t expect was Sabeline’s surprise attack from above. The plan had been formulated for days as they travelled, every little detail had been explicitly analysed and a counter move suggested for every and any eventuality she could think of. This time, she smirked, gripping her scabbard tighter, the dragon will be mine.  

   Some of the men shifted restlessly. They had already been out here for several hours awaiting the dragon and she could admit that even her limbs were starting to ache. But the anticipation coiled in Sabeline’s gut as she trained her eyes to the sky. Eventually it will come. She was sure of it. The dragon had been her adversary for several months now and begrudgingly, had gained some of her hard won respect. It had been a worthy opponent, but now their little dance would be coming to an end. Sabeline felt satisfaction wash over her at the inevitable events, but there was a strange mix of sadness too. Her lip curled. It is only because no one else has challenged me as much as this beast.

   Suddenly in the distance, the sound of steady flapping echoed across the Plateau. Detecting the loud beats, the men under her command raised their heads to the sky, trying to pinpoint the direction it was coming from.  Sabeline turned to the soldier at her side, instantly making a falling motion with her fingers, imitating rain or snow. North. He nodded and repeated her gesture to the rest of the men. She’d know those wing beats anywhere. The great dragon was coming and she was going to kill the creature. A dark speck slowly emerged against the clouds, gradually growing in size the closer it came. Sabeline narrowed her eyes, drawing her blade slowly. That’s it, come to me you monstrosity. She flicked her gaze towards the men. Even though they were trained, she could still see the nervous way they clung to their swords in the face of the dragon. Trained, but not trained enough. She kept her stance steady and blade still as the beast flew ever nearer. She was a Knight of Idrelas after all.

   With surprising speed and agility for a creature so large, it was not long before it was upon their location, circling wide several times. Gradually, the dragon decreased its distance, eventually circling to just a narrow arch. Sabeline remained motionless, though the thunderous staccato of her heart betrayed her true feelings. The dragon needed to land. Everything hinged on that key point. If it were to fly off now, she didn’t know what she’d do (although it wouldn’t be pretty, she knew that much). Barely daring to breathe, Sabeline never tore her gaze from the cautious beast. It was a good job she kept her brunette hair short, she could only imagine the long strands that would be obscuring her view and hindering her progress as the dragon agitated the airflow with its wings. Sometimes it paid to be practical.  

   Carefully, the dragon began to descend. Yes! The initial relief soon began to dissipate as the dragon curiously sniffed around the carcass. Silently, Sabeline held her hand up, signalling to wait. It was still being cautious. She needed the beast distracted and relaxed before her attack. A few more moments passed as the dragon continuously inspected the cattle and peered around with its searching stare. Sabeline gritted her teeth, needing to channel her itching nerves into something. By the goddess, just eat the damned thing! As though the creature had heard her angry thoughts, it began to settle and rip apart the meat with its long dagger like teeth. The bloody flesh scattered into various pinkish red sized globs as the dragon began to feast. Sabeline sneered. The sight was disgusting. But, it was what she had hoped for. 

    Edging forward, Sabeline slowly crept from behind the rock concealing her presence. Making sure her blade was clenched securely in her fingers, she took a deep breath. This was it. There was no room for error. Her armoured feet hurried across the grass, building up to a sprint. Coming to the end of the small cliff, she leapt off the edge. It was difficult to look dignified as she fell through the air and she had no doubt her old mentor would’ve had something to say about her less then elegant descent. Who cares? Looking splendid doesn’t get the work done.  

   The dragon was still tearing the cattle apart as she landed solidly between its head and neck. Quickly, she raised her blade ready to plunge it into the beast’s body. Just as the metal was about to slice through scales, an impact to her right side left her breathless and scrabbling on the side of the dragon, her blade balancing between the small dark red spines running down its neck. What in the five kingdoms was that?! What had hit her? The thick, whip-like red-orange tail that was hurtling towards her answered the question. Releasing one hand, she managed to dodge a second impact from the limb as she flung herself backwards against the creature’s side. Shouts and screams reached her ears as the men charged from their positions, forming and oval and blocking the creature. The idea was their small blows and cuts would exhaust the dragon, giving her an advantage.  

     Sabeline threw herself back to her previous position, sinking her hand back into the dragon’s skin as she crawled up its neck. Her side was going to bruise; she could tell by the throbbing ache currently pulsating across that area of her body. Hauling herself up, she ran towards her blade. As soon as her fingers curled around the scabbard, the dragon reared up, causing her to tumble down its neck and back. Some of the spines punctured her flesh and she bit her lip to keep from crying out at the pain. The men were still valiantly attacking the creature from all sides, though it seemed the dragon had had enough. It opened its jaws and released a magnificent torrent of fire. Those with spelled fire resistant shields had been placed near the head of the beast and immediately brought them up in defence. Some unfortunate souls nearby were not so lucky as the fire caught them. Sabeline watched as they desperately tried to roll around in the grass, attempting to stop the burning. This is why the dragon had to die. The destruction it left behind devastated Idrelas. 

    With renewed determination, Sabeline made her way agonisingly towards one of the dragon’s wings. Gripping her blade with both hands, she stabbed it straight down on the point where the wing connected to the body, feeling mildly disturbed at the squelching noise that emanated. The dragon roared furiously and Sabeline had just enough time to pull out her blade before the beast took off. When it had reached a few feet in the air, it rolled, dislodging Sabeline. There was no time to think as she careened towards the ground of the Plateau. The hand not clutching her blade flailed as she tried to grasp anything that may slow down her fall. Come on, come on! Her fingers eventually managed to catch a tree branch, burning with the effort. Her arm felt as though it had been pulled out it’s socket with the strain of forcibly supporting the rest of her. This was no problem, all she had to do was manoeuvre herself towards the trunk and then she could climb down relatively easily. Altering her position, a deafening c***k suddenly filled the air as the branch snapped.

   Landing with force at the bottom of the tree, Sabeline grimaced as pain shot up her tailbone. She’d had enough of falling to her death to last a lifetime. Battered, bruised and bleeding, Sabeline surveyed the scene. Most of the soldiers appeared to have minimal injury, though there were some who looked how she felt. A glance to her left showed some charred bodies. At the sight, the despair and fury crashed in her soul and she let out an unearthly scream, throwing the tree branch she still held away from her. 

  The devastation of battle and failure was not the ideal time for a tidy and polished Palace Commander to come riding up to her as she sat broken by the tree. As he looked down at her from his impeccably groomed stallion (that she reasoned had probably never seen battle), the pity he was trying to hide behind a mask of professionalism made her want to scream again.