Dragons by Roger Keyserling (ebook smartphone TXT) 📕

We of the Abby of Westburrow believe that this unnatural creature was released by the wicked warlocks of the East. The Druids that reside in the north have always indulged in dark magic. We honestly believe that one of them unleashed a hellish monster from one of their rituals. They worship the ancient dark lord that we abhor. They are the ones who let loose this menacing soul-destroying demon upon our realm.

The knights of Burringham have been fighting against this thing in the darkness. When the sun sets, the cries of this creature can be heard for miles around. Remember, no one is out roaming the streets at night, except the king’s soldiers. Quite a few of them have been slaughtered. Some have been found with their flesh burned clean from their bones. Others have been found half-eaten. One chap was even found alive, but his stomach and private parts were eaten out of their place. He died shortly after being discovered.  

Everyone who has seen this creature believes it to be a dragon. I know, dragons are not real. They are supposed to be the stuff of legend and myths. But if this dragon is a fake, then why is it killing the lives of people. Farmers are waking up to their fields being burned and their animals are found maimed along the roads and out in the woods. Homes have been destroyed with fires and the bodies of people have littered the countryside of Angleland.

As I said earlier, the knights of Burringham are out in the countryside. They are actively trying to track the night beast the harms the land. However, they are being smitten with the plague. At least 4 of the knights have wasted away because of the plague. The knights of Burringham feel inadequate against the creature of the night. They too see it but how can they confront something that strikes like an invisible hawk and reigns down fire like a wild storm.

We at the Abby of Westburrow now pray every day to drive back the terror of the night. We somehow believe that the dragon is connected to this pestilence, but we can’t prove it. I am at a crossroads. I know that I can personally stop this demon through the power of my faith. I want to end this nightmare. I will now ride with a regiment of 15 knights from Burringham. We will travel to the land of the Druids.

For 3 days we have been riding through the ravaged lands of Angleland. We are now outside of the city of Crameworth near the borders of the Druid’s lands. We rest during the day and travel mainly by night. It’s fall. The night comes early, and the air is cool. It is close to turning dark and I am examining the land.

The border areas look rife with destruction and mayhem. There are roaming scavengers who look more subhuman than normal people. They are starving because the plague forces food away from their homes. Some have even taken to cannibalism. They eat roaming souls that are unfortunate enough to pass through their lands. They tried to consume us but the knights of Burringham slain these sorry souls. They are fortunate to be released from the madness of consuming human flesh. It is an abominable thing that no one should experience.

It has been 2 weeks and we have only seen the tail end of this fiery monster. We are now nearing the village of Shadows. It lies on the edge of the Druid kingdom. This place has been frequently hit by the dragon. A few of the brave souls that dare to venture out during the nighttime tell us that it comes often to feed on the human sacrifices offered by the Druids in the area.

Then one night, we finally get what we desired. We have an encounter with the dreaded beast that has been causing us great pain. In the village of Shadows, we encounter the Druids. What we monks have expected all along has been true. They have summoned this creature from the dark realm to claim the souls of men. The beast has brought the pestilence. The knights have forced the Druids to tell us about the creature. It uses the pestilence to help send souls into the dark realm.

The dragon returned to the village of Shadows for its nightly meal of man flesh. However, it was given a meal of steel, iron, wood, and death. It tried to cook us alive with its powerful flame. The knights held it off but at a great cost. I have prayed that this day would come. The day the dragon would be defeated. Now that the dragon is dead, the plague died with it and the land is healing itself. Now, I watch the realm of Angleland once again to ensure that no other evil will destroy it.

"Why don't you go ask them? You have a cooler name than me, surely they'll listen to you." Scarlet said. She looked at me and her scales glowed with the sun.

"I don't think my name will make anyone listen to me. It doesn't make me special. Besides, your name is a literal color, and mine is just random letters thrown together TRYING to sound cool." I told her. She didn't say anything, she just stared off at the guards with her wings pointed down. There were 13 of them. All training for their time guarding the fence. They learned how to do flying whirlwinds, and how to kick their hind feet into the chest of another dragon. There was only one guard at the fence a day, they had to be good. I mean if not, what types of dangers would we be exposed to? If the stone was stolen, what type of power would we still possess, if any? 

"Avok, What's happening?" Scarlet asked me. She seemed to grow frantic as she inched forward and then backward. I jumped out of my head and paid attention. The guards were yelling, point towards the fence. An alarm sounded and Scarlet shrieked, shrinking back even further. 

"Scarlet let's go!" I nudged her with my shoulder and ran. I flapped my wings, intending to tell her it'd take less time to fly home, but when I turned around she was gone. "Scarlet!" I roared. I looked around and there was no sign of her anywhere. I was worried she might've gotten lost in a crowd, or trampled by the guards. 

I flapped my wings again and brought myself into the air. People were rushing home, pushing one another. Dirt was being kicked up which fogged my view. I flew to her cave, swerving around every person that got in my way being careful not to hit them. They are panicked, pushing them would set them off I'm sure. 

    When I got to her cave, for the first time since we were younger, their rocks were piled. An entranceway was no longer visible. Scarlet's family was the most inviting family in our village. They constantly went out of their way and welcomed people into their home for dinner, or donated to other families that didn't have what they did. But there was no sign of that generosity here. Fear was radiating off of the rocks now, and the world within them was closed off.

    I roared. From within, Scarlet roared back. She was safe in her cave. I nodded even though she couldn't see me. I guess it was more to myself rather than Scarlet. I turned to fly again but stopped when I saw a light in the sky. Turquoise, bright, and round. It was a stone. Someone had stolen the stone. I couldn't make out who the dragon was from here, I could only make out the color. He was black, and his scales didn't glow as Scarlet's or mine did. The sun did not shine on him at all. The guards were flying after him, but somehow he was faster than them. 

        The stone. It held great power. Without it in its correct place, all power withers. It couldn't be the reason he was faster, could it? I watched closely as the guards tried to catch up to him, occasionally using the tactics they'd learned in training hoping it'd speed them up. I switched my gaze to the dragon that stole the stone. He held the stone in his talons, and smoke began to rise off his flesh. The stone was burning him, but he didn't care. He pushed on anyway. 

    I didn't gain my powers yet, and I always thought about what I'd be capable of when I did get them. Now my hope begins to wither just as the guards magic is, and they begin to fall. One by one, they all grew too tired. 

The rocks behind me began to move.

"Avok, thank goodness you're still here, something's wrong with my mother!" She cried.

"I know Scarlet. Something is wrong with everyone that possesses power from the stone. The stone isn't in its correct place and it's causing their powers to die out. The guards have fallen." I turn to look at her. Her eyes are shifting everywhere except for the sky. She didn't want any part of it. She just wanted her mother back, healthy, and strong. 

    "What happens now? Is everything just lost? We were fine before, everything was good and now nothing will be the same!" Her voice cracked and I looked at her. I watched her for a minute as she sobbed, and then the answer came to me. I know what needs to happen now.

    "I go up there is what happens now, Scarlet. Only people with power are growing weak. Those without powers are completely fine. I'd be able to catch up to him and get the stone, but I won't be able to do it on my own. I need you to distract him." She just looked at me. Tears streaming down her face. "Are you okay to do that?" I asked her. Her eyes, once sad, turned cold. She stood up straight with her wings out. 

    "Yes, I'm okay to do that." She said. She flew off without me. She had somehow already formulated a plan. I smiled. She was sensitive but fierce. I flew off in the opposite direction. She would distract him from one side, I'd come up on the other side. We had figured out without saying anything at all. I could see her flapping her wings at him, never giving him a chance to strike back. I flew up behind him and struck him in the back with one of my wings. He roared and the stone fell. Scarlet kept striking him as I dove to catch the stone. 

    I caught it on one of my wings. Although the moment was surely riveting to its full extent, the pain was almost unbearable. I wondered how the dragon had held the stone for so long while it was burning him. I