Varheiman Myths: The Dragon And Her Fire

The Dragon’s breath.

The great lord Hadrites led the way to the deck, where the men were absorbed in the job their lord had demanded. The archers fastened the quiver on the bag loaded with arrows. The ship was more spacious and immense than it had occurred from outside.

‘Set the ballista and replace the spear with the anchor. Make certain you knot the hook tightly.’ Hadrites commanded Brietos, who had hit Alistair. Alistair remembered to pay him back.

The ballista crawled out of a big tainted veil of cotton, it was not as big as they used one in the war or on the rampart of the city. Rhineas wondered why are they setting it, They are not going to shoot the spears. At the end of the ballista where the spear should be was just thick rope knotted with an absurd anchor and aimed high towards the sky.

Hadrites descried Rhineas brooding over ballista, he loomed over him. ‘That will help us to affix our ropes to the rampart, the hook will cling between the narrow breach of the rampart.’

Rhineas nodded apprehensively. ‘An excellent tactic, my lord.’

The ship had initiated the sail towards the palace, Hadrites had said it wouldn’t take. The twilight sky had been anticipating the dusk to summon upon moon and stars to ornate itself. Rhineas had reclined against the ship's taffrail looking at the oceans hearing the wind's song and savouring the salty taste, he rejoiced the moment on board. Lady Dalenes strolled across the ramp which bridged the rear deck and the stern, Rhineas quickly straightened from his leisure posture and straightened his back upon seeing her.

‘Please, do not bother.’ Lady Dalenes said from under her hood.

Rhineas lapsed back on the taffrail, ‘The sea winds are pungent.’ He remarked.

‘Better not get so fond of them, fire and water cannot coexist at once.’ Lady Dalenes said.

Rhineas chuckled vaguely, and replied. ‘I don’t know how to respond to that. I am often startled by people when they associate me with Emone.’

‘You shall see for yourself what you indeed are, very soon.’ Lady Dalenes ascertained.

She aimed her hand at sea and rippled her fingers on the air. The ocean water raised up and spiralled around her fingers, Rhineas gazed agape and stunned. She pulled the little threads from the water and  swirled them on her palm turning it into a little whirlpool, she raised her palm up and sent the whirlpool in the air ,it poured back in the sea.

Rhineas stared widely in delight at lady Dalenes's blithe face. ‘How did you do it?’ He mused.

‘I am the daughter of Anlectus, I have the command over water.’ She stopped reluctantly to talk on this topic further.

Rhineas had cognized the excruciating tale behind her hideous scar and her disappointment about being the daughter of the mighty god.

‘That was utterly magnificent! the wonders you could do with water.’ Rhineas admired.

‘I could’ve done more than this.’ She looked afar. ‘Rhineas, know yourself before anyone else does. Fathom the inner power residing in you. I thoroughly understand and embrace it. The oblivion perhaps is bothering you, but you shall know when the time comes, and it is very near.’ She stormed away disappeared into the darkness descending down the deck.

Rhineas had perceived that he was taken as Emone's ward, already. He has to embrace the will of the god. The darkness had submerged the bright sky, the palace was in view ,illuminated in legion of the glistering lamps. The palace raised high like a golden hill from the sea, with the clumps of slanting roofs and turrets.

‘Archers!’ Hadrites yelled, ‘on the lower deck.’

The archers flocked In an array, equipped with the arrows. The ship has submerged in silence not making a single sound, the wooden deck  teetering on the unsteady surface of the water. They had quietly approached the western rampart of the palace, the insignificantly guarded area. Alistair counted the guards placed in charge of this rampart.

‘There are twenty men here.’ Alistair whispered, ‘twenty archer, twenty arrows at once through them.’

‘You are now put under the command of Alistair now, do as he says.’ Hadrites ordered and turned to Alistair, ‘make my men worth.’ He said.

Rhineas impeded in Hadrites's path and spoke, ‘I assumed you were coming with us.’

‘Nay. I don’t fight the losing battle.’ Hadrites muttered.

Rhineas strolled out the lord's way in disbelief. He draped a cotton cloth around concealing his popular hair and face, excluding his eyes.

Alistair had put the archers on hold fixing their aim on the guards.

‘Draw!’ Alistair ordered scrutinizing the guard’s position, and yelled ‘loose.’

The arrows showered on the guards like the drops of rain, in silence they fell all together at the same moment, no blaring of horn. The men had aimed the ballista at the rampart and pulled the iron bolt which sent the anchor rendering through the wind ferociously. The anchor clung to the balustrade of rampart, the thick bundle of rope which tailed the anchor was in a little boat, which had lowered down in the ocean from the deck. Rhineas and Alistair climbed down in a boat and began to row, followed by other give boats, as they got closer to the palace wall ,the rope was getting loose and the bundle getting bigger. They had rowed so close that they could touch the wall, others appeared as well.

‘Sir, throw the bundle In the sea.’ One of the Hadrites’s men said.

Alistair tossed the bundle off the boat into the sea, the rope got fastened and tight, adhered against the red wall. Rhineas tugged the rope violently to be certain it won’t ripe off.

Hadrites’s men grabbed the rope and pulled themselves up from the boat and then swung their feet against the wall, gripping the rope firmly with both of their hands. They began to walk on the wall as if they are walking on the ground. After a long moment Rhineas and Alistair were atop the rampart, the lifeless cold bodies were strewn all over the red floor, the blood blended with the floor awfully.

Rhineas glanced over to the sea, the ship was nowhere to be seen in the murkiness of the quietude of night. Hadrites's were sent to the treasury for s*******r, Rhineas’s muscles twitched. Alistair me remembered the map against his eyes, and handed the map to the men, they navigated accordingly. Rhineas and Alistair had to descend the wide stairs leading into the hallway of the palace. Alistair ripped out one of the dead guard's breastplate and donned it on himself. Alistair looked at the walls thoughtfully, he'd missed them, the laughs and tears, within them. He extended his gaze above searching for his cabin on the second story. Rhineas pulled his sword and slashed through a soldier silently, covering his mouth. Alistair had come back from his thoughts.

‘Go to the treasury, we'll divert the soldiers.’ Alistair ordered.

They parted from the sea lord's men and furtively glided through the hallway, a group of soldier were stationed at the end of the passage, which circled around a garden and on the other side were the chambers. The palace was dimly lit in the flickering lamps.

‘Run along with me, boy.’ He said and stormed through the hallway. The guards pulled their swords, about to charge but retreated after seeing the Dragon’s sign on the breastplate.

‘The sea lord's incursion, get all the men to the treasury now.’ He cried.

The guards hasted towards the treasury, Alistair smiled wickedly, ‘foolish lads’ he laughed. They had reached the stairs drowning deep in the cold and gloomily lit dungeons. It was outstretched widely, the cobwebs drooped down from the roof. The dust had smothered the rocky floor greatly. The redolent smell of rotten flesh lingered in the clammy stone walls.

‘The lair is amidst the crypts and dungeons. We're at the dungeons.’ Alistair surmised.

‘Dungeons are empty. No guards are here.’ Rhineas’s voice echoed through the relentlessly stretched as far the eyes gazed.

Alistair moved vigilantly holding his sword high Rhineas followed. Alistair gestured Rhineas to halt.

‘Four men,’ Alistair whispered softly, ‘up forth. That’s the crypt I surmise. We must be closer to the lair.’

‘You take the two against the right wall, I take the two before the left wall.’ Rhineas said.

‘They are not a piece of cake to be so delighted for sharing.’ Alistair glared, his forehead had trickled with sweat.

Alistair gasped couple of deep breaths and lunged at the right men and Rhineas surged the other two guards blisteringly slitting one's throat with his sword in a flash of moment. Alistair had ditched the blows grabbed the armed hand of the guard and disembowelled the guard's inner parts on the floor. The guard charged at Rhineas delivering a robust hit, Rhineas swerved swiftly from the guard's way. The guard fell on his face, his sword drifted away from him. Rhineas trod on the guard’s hand and stabbed the tip of the sword in his chest, blood oozed out. Alistair's blade clanked against the guard's the clash of the sword sent echoes in the hollowness of the dungeons. Alistair shoved the guard back with his shoulder mightily, the guard tumbled on his feet, Alistair slayed through the guard’s arm.

Alistair was breathless, gasping desperately.

‘You're getting old for fights.’ Rhineas chuckled.

‘I could cut through you like a piece of cake, boy.’ Alistair frowned.

‘Where is the lair?’ Rhineas grumbled.

Alistair grabbed Rhineas’s shoulders and spun him around. In the deep darkness a pair of golden eyes shone sharply near the roof. They both traded dreadful glances and trudged towards the lair, the passage extended far in the anonymous depth between the crypts and the dungeons. Alistair’s legs trembled while Rhineas was exhilarated to see the Dragon.As they approached nearer,the sound of wheezing and deep growling was getting thicker.

‘Lost your way to the treasury, sea lords?.’ A woman's voices froze them in their Places.

Alistair sighed exasperatingly, tired of dull battles. Rhineas had never heard a voice so enchanting. They both twirled to look at a huge burly knight casting a shadow on the woman next to him.

Alistair was delighted to see a knight, ‘Boy, leave the knight to me.’ He said amusingly.

Rhineas pulled the sword, Alistair charged at the knight. Rhineas felt as if he'd been put under the spell of the woman's beauty. Her flawless sharp curves silhouetted in the dim light pouring behind her. She was dressed in a yellow tunic flowing down, till her knees an impressively elaborated baldric wrapped tightly around her waist emphasizing her lithe shape. Her short wavy bronze hair, fell in curls over her shoulders. Her grey eyes under the long lashes, prickling Rhineas's heart. Her nose was pointy, and lips cerise, face was long, an ideal reflection of grace. Her calves were wrapped in leather straps of her sandals. Rhineas, utterly occupied by her beauty, somehow didn’t notice the two short swords in her hands. She surged forth with her agile movements. She swung her sword at him. Rhineas shielded his face with his sword. The woman sprang spinning around in the air extending her swords, Rhineas sat on his knees and avoided being slashed by her blades.She lighted on amidst the cloud of dust. She clutched Rhineas’s sword between hers, Rhineas felt her warm breath on his face through the cotton cloth draped around.

‘For a lady, you are utterly amazing at swords.’ Rhineas spun his sword with a vigorous thrust liberating his sword, the woman twirled round, Rhineas's arm seized around her neck and other arm clasping her wrist behind her back.

‘You are going to address me as “Your highness,” I am the princess.’ The princess noticed the opal stone embedded in silver around Rhineas’s hand, similar as of her father. She dropped one of her swords and grabbed Rhineas’s arm twisting it, getting away from his seize. She looked in Rhineas’s eyes, they were Scarlett red she was overwhelmed by them. She had an inexplicable urge of seeing his face. The princess charged with her single sword, as Rhineas moved to avoid the blow she slid down and picked up her other sword.

‘Didn’t your trainer teach you the bluff move.’ The princess giggled.

Rhineas dwelt on what she'd just said. ‘Your highness I was not taught by the royal knights.’ He replied.

She lunged forth at Rhineas and he again briskly jumped out of her sword. The princess pulled draped cloth of cotton around Rhineas’s face, unveiling it. She was swept by his glowing white face in the dim lamps like snow under the sunlight, his crinkling scarlet eyes had captivated her gaze, perhaps her heart as well. She scrutinized his fiery red hair waving across his face, she saw the blazing flame of gallantry. The princess had grown fond of battling with him, she willed to battle with him forever, but not as rivals. She thunderously charged at Rhineas with series of blows and strikes .Rhineas had been avoiding every cut and dodging every attack. He'd been pushed back into the depth of the lair, he realised. The princess leaped and shot down, aiming her sword at his chest, praying for him to ditch it. Rhineas tilted away and slid his sword between hers, the point of his sword was at her throat and it would’ve stabbed her if Rhineas hadn’t held her by her waist. Rhineas pulled his sword back engaging it with her sword's hilt and snatching it out of her hand, he thrust his sword at the back of her neck and held her sword against her throat.

‘Yield princess.’ Rhineas said.

She stared admiringly at him, she'd been battling for fifteen years now and no so frequently disarmed, not even by the prince. Rhineas dropped her sword down and pulled her by her cape, his fingers gently skimmed over her shoulder.

‘Did you know there’s a tremendous Dragon behind you?’ She said wolfishly.

‘Huh?’ Rhineas was disoriented. The princess thumped Rhineas's wrist with an abrupt jolt and shoved him back.

‘Jiua, roast your meal.’ The princess yelled and a big fire streamed from behind Rhineas. Rhineas turned around to see a big golden Dragon spitting out fire on him.

The princess was not surprised when the flames scattered around Rhineas and was untouched by the flames gusting from the Dragon’s mouth. She was awed in from the sight of Rhineas illuminated against the flames, his hair floating around his head, and his eyes ablaze with fire. Jiua the Dragon purred when she learnt that her flames didn’t burn Rhineas. The Dragon was huge, with a magnificent rough golden scale, it’s mouth was pointed out bluntly and wings folded back. Jiua was confined in huge chains, but she had smelled her lord's scent and recognized him. Rhineas gaped, flummoxed by the Dragon, he extended his hand to touch it. Jiua lowered her head bowing to her lord.

....To Be Continued.