The Dragon's Cry

Looking back, you see Valeris seems unaware of the impending doom and realize that she will not escape without some help. Taking no time to determine a safe landing spot, you leap for Valeris, hoping that your momentum will carry you beyond the rock. Not until too late do you catch your mistake. Valeris is not ignoring the boulder but is instead surrounding her body in mystical fire, an action that is hard to see from a distance.

Before catching hold of Valeris, she screams in anger and maybe a touch of fear, "You fool! You'll tell the entire world where we are!"

The resulting explosion slams into your body throwing you uncounted meters away from Valeris. Your vision, filled with blue and red stars since the time of the explosion, begins to fade away as blackness sets in. Before slipping away completely, you hear Valeris weeping.

Thunder shakes the land and especially your groggy head as you come to. You are lying on the lip of what must be a 10-meter crater recently carved out of the terrain. Looking up you see dozens of shadows circling in the cloudy sky. Every few seconds there is a flash of light from behind you that briefly illuminates the creatures. To your surprise they are all dragons. Feathered, scaled, red, blue, all dipping and gliding in the wind. The sight is breathtaking.

"Dragonling, are you up?" As usual, Valeris has rudely intruded upon anything you find peaceful.

"I am alive," you reply, still not sure of how much damage the blast did.

"Good, now get up and run like hell back toward the village. Someone might be able to help you hide." The voice is tinged with panic and not at all commanding.

This advice is not at all what you expected from the normally aloof Valeris. She usually keeps her cool to a point that irritates the heck out of you. Other than slight neck movements, you have not moved since waking up. Now you roll onto your back. The pain in moving is intense, but you can tell it is mostly bruises. Your leg on the other hand is clearly incapable of the suggested run.

Looking around you finally catch a glimpse of Valeris. She is standing on the opposite edge of the crater staring up at the sky. The magnificent silver dress that had so grabbed your attention when you first met is in tatters, hanging loosely from her right shoulder. Thinking back you realize that the explosion must have hit both of you. Held aloft in her right hand is a shaft of pure light.

As you watch, she throws the javelin high into the sky. To your horror it strikes one of the circling dragons with a clap of thunder and a flash of light. There is nothing you can do to help the doomed creature.

"What do you think you are doing?" you shout at the witch.

"I am saving our skins. They have been gathering overhead since that foolish leap of yours made me misfire. Twice already they have challenged me en masse, only their numbers were fewer then." A mist is forming about her upraised hand as another spell is prepared. "This is not normal, Lord Shrike must have more connections than I suspected."

You try to stand up, only to fall to the ground in agony. "My leg is not going to hold for any kind of walk. We could possibly fly out but for the dragons."

Silvera takes a quick look at your leg and grimaces. "Then shift to dragon form," the commanding tone is back in full force.

Taking a deep breath, you attempt to shift. At first it all seems okay, but as the skin magically stretches your injuries double in intensity. The effort to continue leaves you drained but successful as the wings sprout from your back in the final phase. The dragons above are taking notice now and gathering for what you assume is another attack.

Valeris now holds another javelin of light in her hand and is preparing to throw when a bright blue light catches her attention farther up the mountain. Another human is the cause of the light. Apparently this new arrival knows something of magic as well, as he is preparing a spell of his own. The witch changes the direction of her javelin throw and instead looses it at the wizard. A hastily erected dome of blue light prevents the weapon from reaching its target but is shattered when the two meet.

More flashes of light are happening all around you now. From a dozen hands come colors of purple, pink, green, gold, black, and orange. Valeris now raises a shimmering silver shield of her own against this new attack. Quickly but precisely her hands are weaving intricate patterns of light in the air to confront this latest twist in fate. The wizards hold aloft gems of their respective colors and begin the magical assault.

The dragons up above, denied of their original target, shift their focus to you. With piercing shrieks they dive toward your position. The thought of a quick death at those talons is first and foremost in your mind as you figure out what to do. Your only chance of survival is if you can get aloft and escape. Valeris will have to take care of herself, you hope that she is going to be okay.

With that thought, you leap into the air as well as your leg is able. Thankfully, the dragons were very far up when they started their dive, giving you some time to get airborne. About fifty meters off the ground, the first dragon lets loose with his devastating shriek. You catch the blast along your already-wounded right leg, losing some altitude in the process.

You hope that maybe these dragons have too much momentum from their dive to prevent you from reaching the town, so you wing back toward the ruined village. The other dragons are not able to reach you with their shriek as you head back down the mountain. Thankfully, nature is on your side as the winds and air conditions are perfect for the glide. They keep you aloft with minimal effort as your glide picks up speed. The other dragons are out of their fall now and heading after you. If the town were any farther away, the other dragons would catch you do to your injuries.

The town grows in your vision as you descend. From above, you can see the incredible amount of damage. Roughly two thirds of the town lies in ruins, including the strawberry fields on the northern edge of town. Few people walk the streets; most of those who do are armored soldiers of the king's own guard. Again you wonder how a king could do this to his own people.

The Town Square is the best place for a full-sized dragon to land. You can see a number of intact building around it that will help you escape from the pursuing dragons. It is simply practice that allows your injured body to land as it does. Again you thank your parents for making you practice such things when you were younger. Thinking of your parents makes you wonder at how they could put up with all the strange looks a human couple receives raising a weredragon.

Unable to hide as a full dragon, you shift to human form and crawl into the nearest building. The structure is apparently a warehouse of some kind. Empty now, it is amazing that it should have escaped destruction. Most other buildings of this size were brought down for some mad reason. Your leg is throbbing very badly now. Reaching around, you realize that the door frame would make a perfect crutch. With a loud snap, it pops right out.

In the square, the other dragons are now landing and looking around. Something strikes you as strange looking out at your kindred. They are all wearing metal collars. This kind of decoration is disgusting, a distortion of the true dragon way. Dragons do indeed like their treasures, and will hoard them forever, but wear them? Never!

Taking up the crutch, you inch your way along the wall toward the other end of the warehouse. Making too much noise could alert the abominations in the courtyard. The far end of the warehouse does not have a door on it, so you have to make your own.

Stepping out into the sunlight, you are unprepared for the collar that clamps around your neck. A crowd of soldiers and wizards have you surrounded with weapons and spells prepared. Fighting them would mean certain death, especially in your weakened state. On the other hand, following orders suggests a fate worse than death if the other dragons are any clue.

From up in the mountains of Shadow comes another explosion. A huge ball of fire reaches for the heavens. The flames must have gone at least two hundred meters into the air. After that, everything goes silent.

One of the guards chuckles, "Looks like the end of the witch, ehh, dragonbait?"

The rage is building again and your dragon form but a second away. Maybe a fight is called for after all?

What will you do?

Contributed by Eric Martinson


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