The hooves pounded the earth hard, sending great clumps of it
skyward, as the animal thundered forwards, seeking to escape the airborne
threat that had been tracking them at a distance for about a mile.
And about two minutes ago, the rider had decided that he could take no more of the games from the monster, and had decided to spur the animal on, allowing it to give in to the terror it felt.
He felt the beating of its gigantic wings from above and behind, and he risked a tentative glance over his leather-clad shoulder.
A roar verified what he already knew, and he felt the heat wash over him, blowing his tousled hair over his head, and around his face.
He closed his eyes briefly, and kicked the horse hard in the flanks.
It whinnied in terror, and unleashed a bust of speed that gave them the edge he had been hoping for.
There it was, finally. His eyes had been searching frantically for it for the entire mile. The fog hid the landscape, and it was difficult to tell where one land started and another ended. He often forgot where he was, and in these times, losing one's bearings could be a fatal mistake.
You should have checked you'd gotten rid of them all, he thought angrily, pushing the black horse on faster, if that was possible. Damn you, Van Zan.
The structure seemed to draw closer, and again, a bellow sounded furiously from behind him, and he was almost certain he felt the snap of jaws clamping behind him.
With a leap, the horse charged up the large mound set before the castle, now rebuilt, after two years.
When he heard nothing from over the hill, not a sound, he gave a desperate, loud yell.
He reached the top of the mound, and that was when he heard the great whooshing of wings, and that of their weapon set up before the hill he raced over now. He could see the short tower, and made out the rough shape of a person there.
He saw the giant bolt fly towards him, attached firmly to a strong, firm rope, sailing from the massive harpoon.
Eyes wide in realisation of his inaccurate timing, he ducked to the side, yanking the animal's head along with him.
He felt the sting of his skin being torn away as the tip of the bolt scraped along his muscled arm.
With a dry swallow, he stifled a cry of pain, and heard the great wail of agony as the bolt punctured the dragon, right in the chest.
He pulled the horse violently, directing it to the side, and away from the crashing beast, even as the giant form crumpled to the ground, tearing it out from under it, leaving huge gouge marks in its chaotic landing path.
With a snap, the dragon's head rolled in under its body.
Trotting over, pulling the axe from its saddle strap, he stopped beside the body.
He leapt down from the horse, now panting and snorting heavily in exhaustion. On steel-capped booted feet, he strode confidently over to the carcass, studying it carefully with dark, soulful eyes.
Amongst the rough facial hair, he allowed himself a lopsided smile, half-hearted, lazy.
With a great swing, he plunged the axe into the dragon's open maw, hearing the crunch as it split its head in two.
* * *
Leading the horse back into the castle compound, he was greeted by Jared, his young companion, who took the tired animal from his grip. The reins felt thin, worn and in need of repair.
"That's the third this month, Jared," he grumbled unhappily, accepting a liquor bottle from another man, who went by the name of Andy. He took it back after the man had taken his fill, relishing the strong aftertaste that numbed his senses.
Quinn looked into Jared's gentle eyes, eyes that had yet to see the true horror these beasts could bring in their wake.
"I know, but maybe they're just dying out slower than we thought," was the youth's response.
Quinn shook his head in disbelief at Jared's naivety. How could one person be so blinded to the truth, even if they wished for a better existence? It had hit Quinn hard, seeing that shadow loom over their crops again, after they had worked so hard to re-grow them. Half of it was ash again, nourishment for that disgusting breed.
"They're not dying out," Quinn growled, his grip on the axe handle so tight that his knuckles whitened. "We must have missed something."
"What do you mean?" Jared inquired innocently, passing the black horse to another youth as he passed. The other boy, Malcolm, gladly accepted the reins, and led the animal back to its stable.
Quinn rolled his eyes discreetly. How many times did he have to go over this with people?
"One of the females must have laid an egg before we killed that bastard male," he said, not bothering to key down the tone of his voice, even in the presence of the younger children as they passed a play area, where the kids proceeded to play hopscotch, and other simple games. "Maybe the egg contained a male."
He looked to Jared, ensuring the boy -well, he was eighteen- was listening.
"Van Zan said himself, most of the dragons, nine out of ten born are female. Maybe when the males are young, the mothers kill them off, or something like that. That's why we haven't seen another one since. But who's fertilizing the eggs, Jared, who?"
The youth tilted his head in submission, and sighed heavily. "I know you're right, Quinn. I just don't want you to be."
And about two minutes ago, the rider had decided that he could take no more of the games from the monster, and had decided to spur the animal on, allowing it to give in to the terror it felt.
He felt the beating of its gigantic wings from above and behind, and he risked a tentative glance over his leather-clad shoulder.
A roar verified what he already knew, and he felt the heat wash over him, blowing his tousled hair over his head, and around his face.
He closed his eyes briefly, and kicked the horse hard in the flanks.
It whinnied in terror, and unleashed a bust of speed that gave them the edge he had been hoping for.
There it was, finally. His eyes had been searching frantically for it for the entire mile. The fog hid the landscape, and it was difficult to tell where one land started and another ended. He often forgot where he was, and in these times, losing one's bearings could be a fatal mistake.
You should have checked you'd gotten rid of them all, he thought angrily, pushing the black horse on faster, if that was possible. Damn you, Van Zan.
The structure seemed to draw closer, and again, a bellow sounded furiously from behind him, and he was almost certain he felt the snap of jaws clamping behind him.
With a leap, the horse charged up the large mound set before the castle, now rebuilt, after two years.
When he heard nothing from over the hill, not a sound, he gave a desperate, loud yell.
He reached the top of the mound, and that was when he heard the great whooshing of wings, and that of their weapon set up before the hill he raced over now. He could see the short tower, and made out the rough shape of a person there.
He saw the giant bolt fly towards him, attached firmly to a strong, firm rope, sailing from the massive harpoon.
Eyes wide in realisation of his inaccurate timing, he ducked to the side, yanking the animal's head along with him.
He felt the sting of his skin being torn away as the tip of the bolt scraped along his muscled arm.
With a dry swallow, he stifled a cry of pain, and heard the great wail of agony as the bolt punctured the dragon, right in the chest.
He pulled the horse violently, directing it to the side, and away from the crashing beast, even as the giant form crumpled to the ground, tearing it out from under it, leaving huge gouge marks in its chaotic landing path.
With a snap, the dragon's head rolled in under its body.
Trotting over, pulling the axe from its saddle strap, he stopped beside the body.
He leapt down from the horse, now panting and snorting heavily in exhaustion. On steel-capped booted feet, he strode confidently over to the carcass, studying it carefully with dark, soulful eyes.
Amongst the rough facial hair, he allowed himself a lopsided smile, half-hearted, lazy.
With a great swing, he plunged the axe into the dragon's open maw, hearing the crunch as it split its head in two.
* * *
Leading the horse back into the castle compound, he was greeted by Jared, his young companion, who took the tired animal from his grip. The reins felt thin, worn and in need of repair.
"That's the third this month, Jared," he grumbled unhappily, accepting a liquor bottle from another man, who went by the name of Andy. He took it back after the man had taken his fill, relishing the strong aftertaste that numbed his senses.
Quinn looked into Jared's gentle eyes, eyes that had yet to see the true horror these beasts could bring in their wake.
"I know, but maybe they're just dying out slower than we thought," was the youth's response.
Quinn shook his head in disbelief at Jared's naivety. How could one person be so blinded to the truth, even if they wished for a better existence? It had hit Quinn hard, seeing that shadow loom over their crops again, after they had worked so hard to re-grow them. Half of it was ash again, nourishment for that disgusting breed.
"They're not dying out," Quinn growled, his grip on the axe handle so tight that his knuckles whitened. "We must have missed something."
"What do you mean?" Jared inquired innocently, passing the black horse to another youth as he passed. The other boy, Malcolm, gladly accepted the reins, and led the animal back to its stable.
Quinn rolled his eyes discreetly. How many times did he have to go over this with people?
"One of the females must have laid an egg before we killed that bastard male," he said, not bothering to key down the tone of his voice, even in the presence of the younger children as they passed a play area, where the kids proceeded to play hopscotch, and other simple games. "Maybe the egg contained a male."
He looked to Jared, ensuring the boy -well, he was eighteen- was listening.
"Van Zan said himself, most of the dragons, nine out of ten born are female. Maybe when the males are young, the mothers kill them off, or something like that. That's why we haven't seen another one since. But who's fertilizing the eggs, Jared, who?"
The youth tilted his head in submission, and sighed heavily. "I know you're right, Quinn. I just don't want you to be."
