Dragon Fire
A fanfic prequel to Reign of Fire. No copyright infringement intended.
They claimed in the movie, Reign of Fire, starring Christian Bale (Quinn) and Gerard Butler (Creedy), that they find fossil evidence that dragons wiped out the dinosaurs. Then the dragons died out from lack of food except for a few that went underground into a deep hibernation. What if 2000 wasn't the first time the dragons got out? What if a massive landslide unearthed a fertilized dragon egg from the dinosaur age in Scotland, and it hatched? What if one of Creedy's ancestor's, James Hamish MacCreedy, out of necessity, became a slayer? Creedy will eventually share the tale that was handed down in his family with Quinn and the survivors in Northumberland. Will the past help them with their current plight?
This was originally written 8/1/2002 and updated in March 5, 2005. It is incomplete and may eventually be completed. I had a request to post what I had here. Hope you enjoy what there is so far.
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'Hungry. So hungry. Must find food. Pain!' she thought as she flapped her massive wings. The sharp wind was harsh against her eyes, drawing out the moisture as she leveled out at a couple thousand feet above the ground. Flying farther away from London, she kept hoping that somehow, somewhere, she would find something to fill the emptiness inside her. She blinked to moisten her burning eyes; ever sharp, they scoured the countryside for some sign of life.
It seemed like ages since she had fed, and she was getting weaker by the day. Anger and frustration flowed through her at each mile she traversed. On and on she flew until finally, she slowed, getting weaker, and began to descend to a lower altitude. As she descended, she thought she detected a bit of movement and a heat signature in the rocky, charred terrain below. She banked right, lowering her nose, angling her wings, and flew down closer to investigate.
2018 A.D.
Heat, fire, destruction, starvation. It was all they had known for nearly two decades. Civilization, as it once was, no longer existed for its people. The modern technology they had once taken for granted was all but lost. Cities were in smoldering ruins. Once abundant, vegetation was now quite scarce as it grew harder and harder for humans to grow food, and any other creatures still populating the planet, to find nourishment let alone shelter from those who hunted the skies both night and day.
The hills and valleys were scorched as well from the breath of the winged beasts spawned from the hell that their exhalation had brought to mankind as their ever increasing numbers and hunger for their elusive ash made them even more dangerous than they were in the beginning when the ash they ate from charred flesh and vegetation was plentiful.
What was left of the towering ruin of a castle in Northumberland now served as the only home some of the children had ever known. During the day, the castle occupants excavated deep underneath the structure, trying to get further away from the leathery, scaled monsters that threatened their daily existence. Others went about their assigned duties of cooking, looking after the children, watching the skies from the battlements, tending the hydroponic wing, and gathering what food they could grow in fields they had hidden here and there. They hoped to wait out the dragons as it seemed that now they were having as much difficulty finding food as the humans they stalked.
The smell of brimstone was still permeating the air as well as the clothes and skin of the men as they came back in their water-soaked trucks, some wearing fire-retardant gear. Ten miles from the castle, at dusk, a dragon had found a small field where they had planted some fruit. They had just harvested most of it when a shadow had passed over them.
Just under an hour earlier, David James MacCreedy, Creedy to his friends, had felt the hair on the back of his neck rise up, catlike, as the gust of the beast's passing jostled his ebony locks. "DRA-GON!!!!" he shouted as he swung his burlap sack, heavy with fruit, over his shoulder and ran for the trucks, pausing to give a hand up to a blonde woman who had fallen to the ground, whimpering, scared out of her wits, when the dragon had passed overhead.
"Come on then. We've no time, luv. Get up, wu-man! Now! Before I take a strap to ye!"
Jenna looked up at Creedy and seemed to come back to herself then, retrieving the sack she had discarded when she had hit the ground, and let Creedy help her up. Running along beside him, she pursing her lips at the tone he had taken with her. 'Bloody man,' she thought as she ran.
"Quinn!!! Are ye all right?" yelled Creedy as he spotted his friend.
"Get to the trucks! He's already made one pass. Did he not see us, Creedy?"
"I du not know. He'll no make another wi'out burnin'. Come on, wu-man," he added as Jenna tripped, slowing down their progress. Quinn was now in the lead.
It was a mad dash for the trucks by all who had been at the harvest. They had a little time as the dragon made a wide circle in the air and came back, flapping her wings until she got close, the holes in the wingspan letting the air whistle through her leathery expanse. As she neared the field, she came diving down, no longer flapping, like an engineless glider that enthusiasts used to fly, with wings held steadily outstretched, nose down, a fighter jet preparing for a strafing run. Though in the dragon's case, her fiery exhaust was full frontal. She opened her massive maw and exhaled.
Roiling over them, the inferno blazed everything in its path. Jenna had already scrambled into the truck with a helpful shove from Creedy.
Creedy felt the intense heat, even though the hose on top of the truck was already in full force, spraying down the truck to keep it from catching fire, and yelled loudly as his shirt sleeve crisped and burned into his forearm as he jumped into the truck behind her. "Aaahhh. Blood-y 'el!"
Quinn had already started the engine and floored it, leaving the dragon behind in their wake. The dragon appeared too interested in the burning field to follow the trucks.
Jenna exclaimed, "Ah, Creedy. Are you hurt then?" He moaned as she attempted to look at his arm.
"Let it alone, wu-man," he said to Jenna, through clenched teeth. Then to Quinn, "Where was our spotter? He should 'ave seen the dragon long afore this. Jest wha' the fook was he duin'? Takin' a piss?"
"I don't know, Creedy. But we sure as hell will find out when we get back."
Creedy was seething, and his arm hurt so that he could not think straight. He looked down and tried to pull the remnants of his shirt from the wound. "Bloody 'el!" he exclaimed as pain churned through his body, settling in his stomach. "I'm goin' to be sick." His eyes went blank.
"Creedy...?" started Jenna as Creedy lost consciousness, leaning heavily against her.
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Through the thick fog that was his head, Creedy heard voices out in the great hall. It sounded like Quinn. He felt simply awful with his arm throbbing relentlessly. He laid there a moment to get his bearings then raised his arm a little and noticed the white dressing. He raised up a little further and realized that it was Quinn who was speaking. Dizziness passed through him, and he laid his head back down and listened to the conversation.
"Dammit, man. It was your responsibility to keep watch. What the hell were you doing?"
"I fell asleep, Quinn. I'm sorry. I did not mean to."
"Asleep? You are lucky I don't turn you out for this. You could have cost us lives. Don't you understand? People could have died out there today! We had several injuries today as it is and have lost our field. It was sheer luck that we had already harvested most of the food. At least we'll have seeds for next season."
"You are so full of your own self importance, Quinn, that you've lost focus. Can't ye see that? Yer bloody obsessed!"
"This is what I see, Fagan. A man standing before me who has used up his chances in this community. Tow the line," Quinn said, getting in Fagan's face.
"Get the fuck out of my face, Quinn. I sure as hell would have been wide awake this morning if you didn't work us so fucking hard digging those damn tunnels of yours all day, every day. We're all bloody sick of it," Fagen said defiantly looking pointedly at Eddy, his seeming contriteness of earlier having disappeared entirely, as he pushed Quinn away from him. Eddy rolled his eyes and looked the other way.
Creedy rose up into a sitting position, rubbing his left eye with his good hand, just in time to see Quinn haul off and slug Fagen right in the nose. Fagen fell to the ground. "Fuck! You broke my fucking nose!
"That is the last time you fuck up around here Fagen. You are out!"
Fagen had his hand on his nose, and blood was seeping between his fingers. "You can't do this, Quinn. You need me."
"No!" he said as he whirled back around. "I need people I can count on, who are loyal to what we've got going here. You aren't one of them. Pack your things and go. I don't want you to endanger any more lives."
"I'll kill you for this," threatened Fagen loudly as Quinn walked away. "Do you hear me, Quinn? You are a dead man!"
"Come on Fagan," said Eddy, holding out his hand to help him up. "There's no talking to him. You best go."
Creedy was still sitting up in his bed, checking his neatly bandaged arm, when Quinn came into his little hole in the wall. He was breathing hard, and his jaw was clenched.
"I certainly would no want ta be on yer bad side, Quinn. You've a mean right hook and a temper ta match. You made an enemy today."
"You know what was brewing in that direction, Creedy. I should have done this a long time ago. How's the arm then?" asked Quinn, leaning back against the wall and crossing his arms in front of him. "Gave us a bit of a scare, you did. Not like you to pass out."
Creedy gingerly touched his bandaged forearm and winced, "Aye, I know. Hurts li' the ver-ra devil. But I'll live."
"Jenna did a right fine job of cleaning you up and sorting you out."
"Jenna was it? The blonde?"
"Yes, the blonde. It is pretty obvious, at least to me and a few others...well you know. I'm your best friend, so I put up with you, but why she fancies you, I'm sure I don't know."
The left corner of Creedy's mouth turned up in a sly grin as he used his good hand to stroke his scruffy beard, "Well, now. Is no tha' an interesting turn of events. Think she'd be a good sha..."
Quinn rolled his eyes around and then exclaimed in mock disgust, cutting him off, "Good God, Creedy, you nearly lose your life today and all you can think about is getting laid? Shite!"
"Weel, ta be sure. But then a man has his needs. An we two eligible bachelors need ta keep the ladies content, do we no?"
"Well, you certainly spread it around, Creedy."
"Weel, shurely," said Creedy with another grin. "It's a dirty job, but..."
"Yeah, I know. Somebody has to do it. Shite, Creedy." He turned to go, but then turned back. "The children have been asking for you. Are you feeling up to telling them a story tonight? They are worried about you, and a good story would put them at ease."
"Aye. I weel. Even if it kills me. They 'ave been after me for days, they 'ave, the lit'l buggers."
"Good, see you after supper then."
"Think I am going ta need some of my own steel barrel brew to get me on my feet afore then," he said under his breath. Then to Quinn, "Later, mate." But Creedy was looking past Quinn just then to Jenna, who was just walking toward him with a plate of food and a tankard, he hoped of his own label. With a twinkle in his eye, he just smiled at her and watched her hips sway back and forth with each step she took.
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"Cweedy, pwease tell us a story. Pwease!" said Kate, one of the many children who were seated on chairs in anticipation of the evening's event. "You pwomised, Cweedy."
"Yeah, Creedy. You promised," said another.
They were gathered in an area that used to act as a chapel in better times. At one end of the room, they had fashioned a staging area with numerous candles. Surrounding the circular room, the walls were covered with religious art painted directly on the masonry. The castle had once served as a monastery but had been purchased a couple of centuries earlier by a duke. Creedy was sitting on a stool in the stage area watching the children seated in front of him, bursting with excitement.
"Oh, all right then," he paused as he stroked his beard, giving the appearance of deep thought. "Now just what kind of story will you be wantin' then?"
"A ghost story!" called out a little boy named Jimmy.
"No! Tell us a dragon story, Creedy. Please! The worm!" said Andy.
"But I want a ghost story!" the Jimmy said with a whine, turning to Andy next to him.
"I want to hear about the worm! He told us a ghost story last week. Remember, Jimmy?"
"He did not," retorted Jimmy.
"Yes, he did," counted Andy.
"Did not."
"Did too."
"Not," said Jimmy, giving his friend a shove.
"Weel, now, tha' weel be enough of tha'. And yes," he looked pointedly at the Jimmy, shaking his head. "We did 'ave a ghost story last week, Jimmy."
"But I want to hear another one," he whined.
"Let's see a show of hands. Who wants ta hear the worm story?" Creedy inquired.
Nearly all the hands shot up. With one exception. Jimmy looked around at all the hands in the air and started pouting. "You're all BUTT-heads!"
Creedy got off his stool and walked over to rough up Jimmy's hair. "Come on then. Weel 'ave a ghost story another time, Jimmy."
Jimmy said nothing but kept silent. Then turned to his friend and mouthed, "Butt-head."
"Jimmy!" said Creedy. "I said...enough."
Jimmy, pouting once more, placed his hands over his ears to drown out Creedy. Creedy gave him a warning look but said nothing further to him. He went back to his stool and sat down before his captive audience.
"Now then," said Creedy, clapping his hands together and rubbing them. "The Lambton worm. An interesting story tha'. It seems there was a young man by the name of John Lambton who lived near here long ago. So fond of fishing, young John was, tha' he spent many Sundays in pursuit of his hobby instead of goin' ta church."
"Weel now, one fine Sunday, John was sittin' on the sandy bank of the Wear holding his pole, wi' his line in the water, when suddenly...something grabbed onta his hook. It was a mighty struggle between him an' what must surely have been a large fish, but he was a determined lad, and when he finally reeled in his catch, he was surprised at what he had pulled up. And wha' du you suppose it was?"
Creedy paused. The children all took in deep, expectant breaths, and then expelled them at his next words.
"It was the most hideous thing he had ever seen," he said, then paused again. "It was no' a big fish he had caught. It was a nasty, black worm wi' legs an' feet, which quickly coiled itself up an' showed him it's extremely sharp teeth."
"Did it bite him, Cweedy?" asked Kate.
"No, Kate, it tried to, but he grabbed it by the scruff o' the neck an' put it in his basket and went home. It wriggled and wiggled so an' kept trying ta escape tha' by the time he got to the weel, he opened his basket an' dumped the worm inta it."
"Is that why they call it the Worms Well now, Creedy?"
"Aye, it is. To this ver-ry day."
"Sing us the song, Cweedy."
Creedy smiled down at Kate, the green-eyed little girl, with the long, straight reddish-brown hair. He never could resist Kate. She would be a heart breaker when she grew up. He certainly didn't feel like singing as he was getting a bit queasy, and his arm ached abominably. He shook it off and became animated, then began to sing in a clear tenor voice, hamming it up and gesturing wildly with his good arm. It was sung to the tune of an old drinking song.
"One Sunday morn young Lambton
went a-fishin' in the Wear;
An' catched a fish upon his huek,
He thowt leuk't varry queer,
But whatt'n a kind a fish it was
Young Lambton couldn't tell.
He waddn't fash to carry it hyem,
So he hoyed it in a well."
When he got to the chorus, Creedy motioned to Quinn, and both began to sing it in earnest as Quinn walked onto the staging area with Creedy and stood behind him with his hands on Creedy's shoulders.
"Whisht! lads, haad yor gobs,
Aa'll tell ye aall and aaful story,
Whisht! lads, haad yor gobs,
An' Aal tell ye 'bout the worm."
Then Creedy continued with Quinn joining in on the chorus each time.
"Noo Lambton felt inclined to gan
An' fight in foreign wars.
He joined a troop o' Knights that cared
For neither wounds nor scars,
An' off he went to Palestine
Where queer things him befel,
An' varry seun forgot aboot
The queer worm I' the well.
Whisht! lads, haad yor gobs,
Aa'll tell ye aall and aaful story,
Whisht! lads, haad yor gobs,
An' Aal tell ye 'bout the worm.
But the worm got fat an' growed an' growed,
An' growed an aaful size;
He'd greet big teeth, a greet big gob,
An' greet big goggle eyes.
An' when at neets he craaled aboot
To pick up bits o'news,
If he felt dry upon the road,
He milked a dozen coos.
Whisht! lads, haad yor gobs,
Aa'll tell ye aall and aaful story,
Whisht! lads, haad yor gobs,
An' Aal tell ye 'bout the worm.
This feorful worm wad often feed
On calves an' lambs an' sheep,
An' swally little bairns alive
When they laid doon to sleep.
An' when he'd eaten aal he cud
An' he had has he's fill,
He craaled away an' lapped his tail
Seven times roond Pensher Hill.
Whisht! lads, haad yor gobs,
Aa'll tell ye aall and aaful story,
Whisht! lads, haad yor gobs,
An' Aal tell ye 'bout the worm.
The news of this most aaful worm
An' his queer gannins on
Seun crossed the seas, gat to the ears
Of brave an' bowld Sir John.
So hyem he cam an' catched the beast
An' cut 'im in three halves,
An' that seun stopped he's eatin' bairns,
An' sheep an' lambs and calves.
Whisht! lads, haad yor gobs,
Aa'll tell ye aall and aaful story,
Whisht! lads, haad yor gobs,
An' Aal tell ye 'bout the worm.
So noo ye knaa hoo aall the folks
On byeth sides of the Wear
Lost lots o' sheep an' lots o' sleep
An' lived in mortal feor.
So let's hev one to brave Sir John
That kept the bairns frae harm
Saved coos an' calves by myekin' haalves
O' the famis Lambton Worm
Whisht! lads, haad yor gobs,
Aa'll tell ye aall and aaful story,
Whisht! lads, haad yor gobs,
An' Aal tell ye 'bout the worm.
Noo lads, Aa'll haad me gob,
That's aall Aa knaa aboot the story
Of Sir John's clivvor job
Wi' the aaful Lambton Worm."1
When Creedy and Quinn finished the song, everyone began clapping and cheering. Ever the clowns, Creedy got off the stool, and, standing with Quinn, they both bowed to the children, bowed to each other, and then turned their backs to each other and bowed to the adults, bumping their backsides together in the process and making a big show of it. The children squealed with laughter.
Both Creedy and Quinn had a soft spot for the children and always enjoyed making them happy. Children certainly had little to be happy about, so it was nice to see them smiling and laughing.
Quinn said, "Okay, now it is off to bed with you."
There was a chorus of "not yet," "tell us another story," and "I don't want to."
"No, I'm sorry but it's time for bed. Let's say our prayers, shall we?"
Creedy and Quinn both knelt down on the floor, folded their hands, and went through their nightly prayer ritual with the children. It had been Quinn's idea, the prayer, to help the children focus on the seriousness of the dragon threat and made them repeat it often. They began with, "What do you do when you wake?"
The children all answered together, "Keep both eyes on the sky."
They continued on until at last, when they were done, and had said their good nights, the children were finally hustled off to bed to hopefully happy dreams.
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Creedy had gone to bed relatively early considering how late he usually liked to stay up. His arm was throbbing, and his head was pounding as well. Feeling hot earlier, he had taken his shirt off and was just tossing and turning on his bed. He finally sat up, resigned to go in search of some pain killers from the stores.
He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hand and got up. Landing back on his bed, he'd found that his legs would not support him, and he felt lightheaded. He groaned. Then he noticed the blonde. 'What was her name?' he thought to himself and couldn't seem to remember. He was desperate though.
"Wu-man!" called out Creedy to Jenna, from his hole in the wall, as she walked by carrying some linens.
Jenna, who had walked past him on purpose, getting up the nerve to check on him, felt a thrill of excitement when she heard his voice. She had hoped he was still awake. Even though he'd been a little rough on her earlier that day in the fields, he had seemed receptive when she'd taken him a meal. She'd been attracted to him since her arrival three months ago but until now, had never seriously caught his eye. She stopped, took a deep, ragged breath, and turned toward his room, ignoring the fact that he still called her 'wu-man' in that way he had, instead of using her name.
"Good evening, Creedy. How's your arm?" she asked nonchalantly, walking into his pale, candle lit room as if it was an everyday occurrence and hoping that her giddiness at seeing him shirtless was not showing on her face. She laid her linen on the bed next to him and pulling a wooden chair closer to his bed, sat down on the chair across from him and checked the dressing on his forearm, all the while admiring his hairy chest and rippling abs without openly showing it.
He looked into her eyes and said, "Just wondered if you've anything for the pain. I'm 'aving trouble gettin' ta sleep. I was 'oping you'd help me with tha'."
She broke her gaze from his beautiful chest and looked up at him suspiciously at his comment but saw the slightly glazed look and dark shadows under his eyes and realized he wasn't trying to come on to her. He was in pain. She reached up and placed a hand against his cheek, and when she felt the heated skin, she also ran it across his clammy forehead. "You do look very haggard and have a fever. Let me see what I can find for you. Lie down, and I'll be right back."
With a moan, Creedy laid back. She rose, picked up her linens, and hustled to the castle stores. Walking by the food stuff, she went back to the wall where the first aid supplies were kept. And after looking around a little, she finally found what she was looking for. She also grabbed a wash cloth, a basin and glass of water, and went back to his room.
He was lying back on the bed sideways with his bare feet still planted on the stone floor, one hand draped over his stomach. She hesitated, again admiring his upper body. When she entered, he came up on one elbow and then sat up. She set the basin down on the table next to his bed and handed him the pills and the glass. He took the proffered offerings, popped the pills, and drank the contents of the glass. He looked up at her and smiled. "Thanks. Maybe tha' will help me ta sleep." He handed the glass shakily back to her.
"You're welcome, Creedy. Now, let's get you into bed," she said as she set the glass on the floor, placed a hand on his left shoulder, and gave him a gentle push. He laid back immediately, and she helped him get his feet under the covers. She sat down beside him and leaned over to plop the cloth into the basin full of water.
"Aye, I'll no argue wi' you, Wu-man. I'm feelin' a wee bit worse for wear tanight. Weak as a wean. No strength ta even make a pass at you."
She smiled down at him as he looked up at her and squeezed the water from the cloth into the basin. With the cloth in one hand, she cupped her hand on his cheek. They gazed at each other as if seeing each other for the first time. She blushed under the intensity of his gaze and turned back to her cloth which she placed on his forehead. "Your arm must be infected for you to have a fever."
She stopped, suddenly, as his last words finally sunk in and then added, "Well, maybe you'll feel up to it soon."
Creedy saw her blush as she said the words, just before he closed his eyes, and grinned a little. He felt the cool cloth against his heated skin as Jenna bathed his face and neck. Again and again, he felt the coolness bath him, and then the sound of her wringing it out again in the basin. 'She has a gentle touch,' he thought just before he sank into oblivion.
Jenna sensed, before she had felt him relax, that he had gone to sleep. She continued to bath his face, neck and upper body for some time. She stayed for hours by his side, at times, he was so still that she grew fearful, but when she bent her head to his chest, she could feel his heartbeat beneath her. At others, he tossed and turned, the heat pouring from his body as he ranted and raved about something. She never could quite make it out.
Finally, in the early morning hours, his fever broke, and he started to shiver. She used a towel to mop up what she could of his damp face and torso and fetched extra blankets to warm him. Nothing seemed to make him warm again. As he lay there, shivering violently, she realized that only some direct warmth was going to help. She slipped off her dress until she was clad only in her undergarments and slipped under the covers with him. She positioned herself over him until she was lying nearly on top of him, her head nestled against his shoulder. She rubbed her hands down his arms, trying to get him warm again.
For Jenna, it was pure agony to lie so intimately with him. She felt every inch of her body on fire even against his clammy skin. As she raised her head up to look at his face, she could not stop the urge to lift her hand up and stroke his chin; his scruffy beard tickled her fingers and palm. She touched his face, stroking his brow, and then moved her gaze down to his chest.
She felt her heart ache as she looked her fill and ran her hand down across his chest, learning the feel of him and enjoying herself immensely. Her fingers met his crisp chest hair, and she plucked gently on it, wrapping her fingers in it. She looked up again and leaned in and kissed his neck, then settled back down and relaxed against him when she realized he was no longer shivering.
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Creedy stirred later that morning when he heard the bustling sounds of the castle inhabitants going about their duties. He felt an unaccustomed weight along the top of his body and noticed someone's warm breath against his neck. He opened his eyes to see a blonde head and then saw it was Jenna. Her face was turned slightly up to his so he could look at her.
Jenna was no beauty by any means but there was something about her that made his stomach jump when he looked at her. She didn't know it, but Creedy had noticed her before. She wasn't the type of woman that he was usually attracted to but there was something there, some quality that he found he liked. He couldn't imagine some of his other women tending to him last night as Jenna had done. He realized that she had covered him with herself to keep him warm. He vaguely remembered her bathing him, being extremely cold earlier, and then had felt the warmth seep into his bones.
He was enjoying the feel of her against him. She had a rather nice figure, he had noticed, and liked the feel of her full breasts nestled against him through the fabric of her camisole. She sighed in her sleep and curved her hand into his chest. Creedy moved slightly, and her thigh brushed against his manhood. He felt himself tighten despite his weakened condition and stifled a groan.
Jenna awoke feeling very tired but contented. She could hear Creedy's heart beating a little fast and then felt the reason why. Her thigh was pressed intimately across his hips, and she felt the warmth of his bulge through his jeans. She rose up slowly from his chest and looked down into his eyes, her green ones into his blue.
They stared at each other then for some time. Their breathing beginning to quicken. How long they looked at each other they would never know because Kate came skipping into his room just then.
"Cweedy, are you stiw sweeping?" she said, then looked at him in surprise when she noticed Jenna lying atop him. Her little lip turned under, and she backed out of the room, turned with a little cry, and hurried off.
"Shite!" exclaimed Creedy. "Kate! Kate! It is alright, lass."
Jenna slipped off Creedy as he struggled to get out of bed to go after her. He got up, finding his strength after all, grabbed his shirt, and turned back to Jenna. "I'm sorry."
She nodded and watched him go after Kate, pulling on his shirt as he went.
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Creedy stopped short when he finally found Kate. She was lying on her bed, sobbing loudly. It made his stomach turn to see her so. Always his favorite, he felt like she was his daughter and loved her no less than he would a child of his own. He knew that she had a terrible crush on him for all that she was only five years old, but thought he had handled the situation up until now. He moved to sit down beside her as she lay facing away from him.
He placed a hand on her shoulder and said softly, "Kate."
She pulled away from his hand and huddled toward the wall. "Go away! I hate you!"
Creedy rolled his eyes in exasperation and tried again. "Kate, lass, dunno turn away from me. I can no bear it. Talk ta me."
As he spoke to her, he took his hand and rubbed it gently up and down her back. Finally, she turned to him and gave him a look of abstract betrayal and said, "You don't wuve me anymore. You wuv her!"
"No. Och no, lass," he said as he scooped her up and hugged her close, her head resting on his shoulder and her arms around his neck. "Is no true, lass. I love you still. But it is different wi' grown ups."
She pulled back and looked him in the face, tears brimming from her eyes, and her lip quivering as she said accusingly, "But you wike her now. You were supposed to wait, Cweedy, so that I could mawwy you myself."
'God,' thought Creedy. 'She can really turn me inside out.'
"Kate, I was sick during the night, and Jenna stayed ta help. And yes, we do like each other, but she and I are just friends. We are no going ta be married any time soon."
"Weawwy?" she blinked back her tears, looking hopeful.
"Really." He continued, "But, Kate, du no wait for me ta be your husband. There are too many years between us for tha'. Some day, when you grow up, you will find a nice young man near your own age who will catch your fancy, and you will forget aboot old Creedy."
"No, I won't, Cweedy. I wiww wuv you foweba."
"And I will always care for you, Kate. No matter what. You will always be ver-ra special ta me, my wee lass."
Kate seemed satisfied at last, and he wiped her tears away, gently disengaging her and said, "Come on then. Let's go find something to eat."
She smiled and took his hand as they left the room.
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Against Quinn's objection that it was too soon, Creedy worked on the digging for an hour or so that afternoon. It was always hard, dirty and exhausting work, but they had to dig deeper into the rock under the castle if they were to be safe from dragon fire during an attack.
They had discovered a large underground source of fresh water only the week before and were allowed to bath more often now since they had more than just the water tower. Creedy entered one of the bathrooms, stripped off his sweaty, dusty clothing, stepped into the heated water, and eased down into its warmth.
One of the men at the castle was an engineer who had built a solar-powered and wind-powered device that heated the water for them. They were then able to transport it in the pipes to bathrooms, the kitchen, and the laundry area so that they could have hot and cold running water in the castle. Creedy had told him he was 'fooken brilliant' after he had taken his first hot bath in years. Now they just had to get the pipes laid throughout the castle to wet the place down in the event of an attack.
Even now when his body ached from the hard labor, he felt the heat giving some relief to his abused body as well as his aching soul. He sank down until his head was immersed and then came back up with a gasp, the water dripping from his curly dark hair onto his chest with little rivulets running down his torso into the water. When he scrubbed and finally felt clean, he stood up, dripping wet and began to towel himself dry, moving the rough cotton against his muscular chest to his stomach and on down until he felt almost alive again.
He went and stood naked before the cracked mirror of the bathroom, and as a number of men do when they are alone, began flexing his muscles and then chuckling about it. Just over six feet tall, Creedy had a finely chiseled body and good looks that had gotten him in the good graces of the ladies of the castle. He never took advantage unless they wanted him too, but he was a charmer and attractive, and he knew it. Not in a vain sort of way, but he had an unmistakable confidence in himself and a bit of boldness that always drew women wherever he went.
He decided not to shave because there were several ladies that liked his scruffy, barely there, beard. Toweling his hair dry, he shook his head and then ran his hands through his curly locks, his blue eyes staring back at him. He sighed and then grabbed his clean clothing and quickly donned them.
Looking all over for Jenna, he felt the need to apologize for his abrupt departure of the morning and wanted to thank her properly for taking care of him. She was present at dinner but circumstances kept him from talking to her. Nor during prayer period. He searched high and low for her afterwards, but could not find her. He could feel the weariness creeping into his aching muscles and headed early for bed.
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Feeling like she could no longer avoid him, Jenna went to Creedy's room with a tray laden with supplies, just as he had sat down on his bed to remove his shoes. She looked down at his dust-stained bandage barely showing under his shirt sleeve and said, "Just as I thought. Your dressing needs changin'."
"Aye. Tha' it du."
"I could not believe it when I heard you were workin' the rock today. That was a foolish thing to do after the rough night you had. Is it your intention to send yourself to an early grave then, Creedy?" she asked reproachfully.
"Well, no. But I dunno li' ta be lazy when there is work ta be done."
She set her supplies down on his night stand, pulled the chair up to him, and asked to see his bandage. He obliged by removing his long-sleeved black pull-over shirt, wincing as he did so.
Jenna sucked in her breath at seeing his exposed chest again and willed herself to be calm. When the shirt was lying on the bed beside him, he held out his bandaged arm to her. The bandage was filthy she noted and pulled some scissors out of her pocket and began to cut away at the cloth. This time it was his turn to suck in his breath as she gently pulled the cloth, now sticking to his skinless flesh, away from the wound. He winced.
"Sorry, Creedy. I know that hurts, but it has to be done. I'm trying to be gentle. We certainly don't want a repeat of last night, do we?"
He looked into her eyes at that moment and said, "I...I wanted ta thank you for watching over me last night. I was no' at my best."
Jenna blushed as she cleaned his wound and was afraid to meet his intense gaze. She managed to find her voice and said, as she applied the antibiotic salve, "You are welcome, Creedy."
"Aboot this morning... I, weel I. I wanted ta apologize for leaving the way I did."
"I understood very well. Kate has a crush on you. There is no need to apologize."
She spread a generous amount of ointment on the wound and wrapped another bandage around the area and secured it. "There. All done."
She looked up at him then and saw him gazing fondly at her. She felt giddy and pleased at the same time and then turned away to retrieve two pain killers and a glass of water from the tray. Taking the pills from her proffered hand, he placed them in his mouth and then drank from the glass, watching her intently as he did so. She watched his Adam's apple move up an down as he gulped and swallowed. He smiled at her and handed her the glass. She took the empty glass and placed it on the tray and made to leave.
"Get some rest, Creedy," she said as she stood up.
Before she got any further, Creedy reached out and took her wrist in his left hand, preventing her from leaving. "Would ya stay wi' me a bit?"
Jenna's heart took a little leap at the touch of his warm fingers on her wrist. She turned back to him. 'God, I adore him so!' she thought to herself as she looked on him. "Yes, I can stay for a bit," she answered as she let him draw her back to sit beside him on the bed.
As she sat down, she noticed that Creedy moved his shoulders and back as if they were stiff and bothering him. She sat more toward him and scooted behind him a bit and placed her hands on his bare shoulders. "Hold still," she said.
'God, he feels so good,' she thought to herself as she started working her magic on his warm skin. Creedy gave out a large manly vocalization of contentment and then said, "Aye, tha's it. Yes, that feels...oh yeah. Right there. Tha' feels great."
Jenna smiled to herself. She was so glad that she knew a bit about massage therapy since it sure was coming in handy now. As she continued, moving her hands down his back, she began working on his lower back. He moaned, and she continued until she felt all the tension leaving him. "Lie face down for me, Creedy," she requested.
He turned his head a bit to look at her, and she nearly came undone when he smiled at her. Moving, he complied until he was stretched out flat on his belly. She lifted her dress, climbed on her knees over him, straddled him at the hips, and put her weight on him. She liked the feel of his soft jeans against her skin.
"Och! It's a shame, you know," he said, deciding to play with her a bit.
"What is?" she inquired.
"Tha' I'm lying face down just now, Wu-man. Would be a lot more satisfying for us both if I was on me back." He raised up so his buttocks rubbed intimately up between her legs. When he heard her gasp of surprised pleasure, he began chuckling lightly in that infectious way he had.
Jenna bit her bottom lip so that she wouldn't moan out loud at the feel of him under her even if he was still partially dressed. When she felt and then heard him shaking with laughter, she reached down and lightly smacked his good arm with her palm.
"Ow!" he exclaimed. "Hey, I was just teasin'."
"Don't tease me, Creedy. I'm trying to help you relax."
"Weel, if you want me ta be really relaxed, then I'll definitely need ta turn over."
She lightly smacked him again and then leaned forward, put her weight on her hands and began massaging him in earnest.
"Not so hard. I've already had some skin removed," said Creedy, moving a bit to get her off balance.
"I'm sorry, Creedy," she said and gentled her touch.
She felt him relax beneath her and then, after some time, saw by his even breathing that he had finally fallen asleep. She leaned forward a little and kissed him lightly on his upper shoulder and then moved off him. She found that he was lying partially on her skirt and tried several times to pull it out from under him to no avail. She was afraid she'd wake him if she moved too much. Instead, she sighed and moved down to lie next to him, her back close to the wall.
She watched Creedy until the only candle in the room burned down and fizzled out. Then, even in the dark, she watched the even rise and fall of his breath, lulling her until she too fell asleep.
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In the spotter tower of the castle, the hawk was casually preening herself as she was tethered to her makeshift t-stand, her feathers ruffling wildly in the Northumberland wind. Barlow, a short yet gangly man with overlarge eyes, walked over to her and gave her a piece of meat which she took eagerly from his fingers and swallowed gratefully then begged open-mouthed for more.
He pushed his thin, stringy hair away from the side of his face, making his receding hairline even more prominent and said, "Good girl. Still 'ungry then?"
He started to hand her another piece when she stiffened and vocalized as someone stepped out of the shadows and joined them. Barlow whirled around and then breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it was just Quinn. "Ye nearly made me piss meself, Quinn, sneakin' up on me unawares. Thought it was a blood-y dragon."
Quinn replied stoically, "Lucky for you I was not a dragon, Barlow."
"Bloody good thing too. 'ave had it wit the lot of 'em. 'ave me scared of me own shadow and tha's the God's own truth." Then he continued, "Wha' brings ye up here then, Quinn? Can't sleep?"
Quinn replied, "You were on watch last night, were ye not?"
"I was. Why?"
Quinn stepped a bit closer and crossed his arms. "I was wonderin.' Did ya see which way Fagen went when he left?"
"Tha' I did. He went that way," he pointed. "Toward Pembury. Why, Quinn? Ye expectin' trouble from tha' quarter?"
Quinn walked over to the edge of the tower and leaned forward, placing both hands on the wooden railing as he surveyed the courtyard compound below. The strong wind blew his hair around his face and into his eyes. He breathed heavily and said, "Well, I will say this. I don't trust the man, Barlow. He's got a mean streak a mile long." He straightened up and turned around. "You and Ajay just keep an extra sharp eye out. That's all I'm askin'."
"Sure, Quinn. I been wit ya since the beginnin'. Nuthin' gets past ol' Barlow."
Walking toward Barlow, Quinn placed his hand on Barlow's shoulder, gave him a pat, and said, "We'll be counting on you, my friend."
"I will not let ya down."
Quinn smiled and left. When he got to the bottom of the stairs, his 14-year-old adopted son, Jared, met him.
"All quiet upstairs?" Jared inquired.
"Yes. Why are you not in bed, Jared?" he asked as he reached the bottom stair. "It's late."
"Couldn't sleep, Quinn. The wind is keeping me awake. That's all."
"You sure that's it?"
Jared shrugged and looked away. Quinn walked over to him, putting his arm around his shoulder, and said, "Come on then. Let's see if we can find some tea to help us both to sleep."
Updated 3/5/05
to be continued...
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Sources:
"The Lambton Worm" in The Legends and Myths of Britain. ./legends/lampton_, accessed 8/1/2002.
Newman, Paul. The Hill of the Dragon. Kingsmead Press: Bath, 1979. p. 132-139.
Pacheco, Sophia. "Lambton Worm." Reader's Digest, Strange Stories and Amazing Facts', .org/articles/l/lambton_, accessed 8/1/2002.
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Endnotes:
1. The Legend of the Lambton Worm. University of Sunderland, ., accessed 8/1/2002.