Hey guys! I'm SO SORRY for the long wait. I've been kind of busy lately, what with moving across the Atlantic Ocean and all. Although I technically did have enough time to put this chapter up, since it's been pretty much finished for months now. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it, it ought to be quite a sizzler (I hope)!
Chapter 11: Turning the Tables
The sun was warm on Alys's back as she sat munching her sandwich at the mouth of the cave, the crisp February air chilling her breath. The witch was keeping up a continual stream of chatter, leaping at the chance to finally speak at great length without interruptions. Alys found her a great comfort, even if it only meant that she didn't have to be alone with the red dragon.
She was no longer as afraid as before. The red dragon had shown that she could be just as petty and silly as any human woman. Despite her supernatural beauty and grace, she was more human than Selendrile, who had hardly shown human feelings as long as Alys had known him. Just now, Narissa was sitting a slight distance away from her and the witch, pretending she didn't know either of them existed. But the occasional looks of irritation whenever the witch laughed, which happened often, gave her away. Alys found it quite funny to watch. She wasn't really listening to the witch, who was describing the townspeople. "Not terribly sociable, are they?" she asked. Alys had the sense not to answer. "Especially that dreadful old man in the bookshop. He didn't used to be so unfriendly, back in the day…."
At this, Alys perked up. The witch knew the man who owned the bookshop? She was going to ask her about it, but the witch had already moved on to the baker. "He's the friendliest one by far, but that's only to distract everyone from how stale his bread is. Nearly cracked my teeth on the stuff."
It was strange hearing her talk so much. Figures, thought Alys wryly. Now that my life is in the hands—or claws—of that awful Narissa, she won't stop talking. But when I was asking important questions? She shut up like a clam.
Alys glanced up at the sky. Judging by the height of the sun in the sky, it was about an hour before noon, maybe more. Alys found she had trouble telling when a dark shadow obscured the sun. A dragon-shaped shadow.
"Selendrile!" Alys cried out, interrupting the witch in mid-gossip. The old woman looked up at the sky, then resumed talking as if the appearance of the third dragon were as natural as rain falling.
He came for me, thought Alys, numb with shock. He actually came for me….
For a moment, she wondered if it was all some kind of fluke, if the dragon blocking the sun was really just an oversized cloud. But the sudden gust of wind that could only come from dragon wings convinced her otherwise. She felt elated, as if nothing could possibly go wrong anymore.
Then, of course, she realized it was ridiculous. Narissa was twice as dangerous as Selendrile, so there was little or no chance for Alys to escape. Still, she thought happily, he came for me. Selendrile was willing to risk encountering a dragon he freely admitted he didn't have a chance in a million against. He cared about her enough to face his fears even though it might all come to nothing. And despite having nothing more to look forward to a life of catering to the selfish red dragon's needs, Alys suddenly felt that it was much more bearable. There was a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach that no number of red dragons could take away from her.
The gold dragon circled lower and lower around the entrance of the cave, finally landing a few yards away from Alys. His golden scales sparkled so brightly in the bright sunlight that it almost hurt to watch.
Alys wanted to rush over and hug him, but knew this probably wasn't the wisest thing to do at that point. Still, the simple knowledge that he had come for her was enough to convince her that, somehow, things would turn out just fine. Selendrile probably would have disagreed, but then again, when had the two of them ever agreed on anything?
He glanced at her to ascertain that she was alright, and then turned his attention on Narissa, who had finally gotten up and was looking at him with an expression of satisfaction.
"As much as I hate to agree with the half-breed over there, dear Selendrile, I thought you might come," she said by way of greeting.
Alys watched as Selendrile's eyes narrowed. Here, Alys discovered that the dragon book hadn't been completely accurate about dragon telepathy. She guessed that they must have some way of speaking to each other before they came of age, because Narissa laughed as if in response to what he was saying.
"Oh, but I couldn't possibly do that."
Again, there was a wordless remark from Selendrile, and Narissa answered out loud. "I don't intend to hurt the child, of course. She's much too interesting to kill just yet."
Alys shuddered, wondering what would happen when she stopped being interesting.
Narissa by this time had begun to move closer to Selendrile, and was eyeing him appreciatively. "My dear Selendrile, I know you think you have the, er, how did you put it? 'Prior claim,' I suppose, but since when have I followed dragon laws? Speaking of which, you're trespassing, and by law I have the right to kill you."
Selendrile didn't even blink, and a moment later Narissa laughed again. Alys wanted to strangle her. "Clever. I do believe you would make just as interesting a companion as Alys," she said. Bile rose in Alys's throat at the thought. "You're right, of course. Technically, I forfeit my territory rights along with everything else. However, the territory law was not one of the laws implemented by the Council—feeble-minded old fools that they are—and so it still applies to me." There was a strange smile on her face. Alys was beginning to see what Selendrile had meant when he'd said that red dragons had strange hobbies.
"Ah, but it would be such a waste to kill one so young, don't you think?" She was now close enough to touch Selendrile, which she did, reaching out her hand and stroking his scales. He went rigid, and Alys noted to her satisfaction that he seemed to want nothing better than for her to take her hand away.
Narissa laughed—was that the only thing she could do?—and removed her hand, though her eyes lingered on Selendrile's bright scales.
Selendrile made a step in Alys's direction. In the blink of an eye, Narissa had transformed into a magnificent red dragon and was looming ominously over him. She let out a roar that shook the cave walls; Alys could hear small rocks loosening themselves from the walls and pattering to the ground.
Selendrile stepped back, slightly cowed. But there was a defiant look on his face that he must have learned from her, because it certainly wasn't a dragonish expression.
Alys saw to her dismay that any thought of escape was pointless. Narissa was at least twice as big as Selendrile, on his own taller than a house. The red dragon seemed only too aware of her advantage.
As quickly as the red dragon had appeared, she vanished again, and there was only Narissa, the beautiful human.
"That'll teach you to disobey me," she said. Alys, who only just noticed she'd been trembling, resolved to hate Narissa just a little bit more.
"You're nothing but a bully!" she burst out.
Everyone turned to stare at her, stunned faces all around. Alys herself was shocked at her own daring.
"Do shut up, child," said Narissa irritably. "I'm trying to decide what to do with our little friend here."
Alys glowered, but didn't dignify it with a response.
"Did you hear me?" said Narissa, growing impatient.
"Yes, I heard you, you foul creature," said Alys.
There was a shocked silence as four pairs of ears tried to take in what she had just said. Alys was amazed at her own daring.
"Excuse me?!" exclaimed Narissa.
"You're nothing but a spoiled child, keeping us under your eye like fascinating little toys! You have no right to frighten people like that, to play with their lives as if it were all a big game."
Narissa stared at her in frozen fury. Clearly, she had little experience being refused.
Without warning, she walked up to Alys and slapped her so hard in the face that she stumbled to the ground.
In a flash, Selendrile flew at Narissa, but she switched to dragon form before he even got close. He dove at her throat, but she was too quick for him. Her tail lashed out and smacked him in the face, winding him, and he staggered back.
So began the deadliest and most beautiful thing Alys had ever witnessed. The two dragons took to the air, assailing each other with a grace and agility that was in their very core. They moved so swiftly that Alys could barely follow the movements with her eyes.
Narissa and Selendrile moved in a deadly dance. If she looked closely, Alys could see the differences between them—Selendrile was a golden mass of fury, attacking with force and precision. But Narissa, even though she was faster and more agile than Selendrile, gave the impression that she was merely toying with him. Alys immediately recognized the truth in this, for Narissa had hundreds of years worth of experience that Selendrile did not, and was moreover bigger, faster, and stronger than he. In other words, the golden dragon was doomed.
Alys cried out in anguish at the futility of the situation and her own helplessness. What could she do but watch what was sure to turn into Selendrile's funeral? She hid her face in her hands, unable to watch any longer, but a moment later was peeking through her fingers. If she had had any attention to spare, she might have noticed that the witch was enjoying the spectacle immensely.
Never in her life had Alys felt fear so acutely, not even when her own life was in danger. That was when she discovered an immortal truth: being afraid for a loved one is ten times worse than fearing for yourself. Because if you lose someone, you have to live with their death every single day of your life.
"Stop it, stop it!" she screamed at the dragons. They were too far away to hear her, and they were so absorbed in attacking each other that they wouldn't have noticed anyway.
Miles above her, the dragons were locked in a battle that grew steadily more dangerous. Selendrile was getting increasingly frustrated, while Narissa radiated smugness. She knew she was going to win, and she was enjoying drawing out the scene.
Selendrile lunged and dodged, struck ad swerved. His reptilian reflexes were lightning fast, his movements almost a blur. Alys watched with bated breath as the two dragons snapped and kicked at each other. Once, Selendrile looked like he'd been hit and he dropped a few feet. But it was a feint: a moment later he used his advantage to kick the red dragon on her soft underbelly. Narissa roared and attacked with renewed vigor. The blow didn't seem to have fazed her.
Alys was too new to dragon fights and to far away to understand much of what the two dragons were doing, but the witch knew a few things about the matter. She gave Alys a play-by-play that was completely lost on her. Alys kept hearing phrases like "Persian Plunge," "Saint George Slip," but she had no attention to spare.
Finally, the red dragon seemed to grow tired of her game. Where before, the two dragons had only nipped at each other—Selendrile because he wasn't fast enough, Narissa because she was holding back—, the red dragon now succeeded in gashing Selendrile's left hind leg with her tail. The gold dragon dropped a few feet, winded. To her horror, Alys saw a glitter of red on his leg.
The fight would not last much longer now. Alys didn't know how deep the damage was, but Selendrile was definitely moving much slower than before. Narissa was able to kick him and bite him more easily than before, and she did so with renewed energy.
The battle ended when the red dragon tore at the other's neck. Selendrile roared in pain and began to drop hundreds of feet to the ground. He managed to catch himself before he was dashed to the ground, but the force of the impact made the earth tremble.
Alys ran over to him as fast as her legs could carry her, ignoring the red dragon swooping above her head. Selendrile was alive, thank goodness, but badly hurt. Neither wound was very deep, but if he didn't get some help soon, he was going to bleed to death. Alys wanted to break down sobbing, but wouldn't give Narissa the satisfaction. Besides, crying would accomplish nothing.
Narissa landed a few yards away, a look of triumph on her face. She transformed back into a human and walked, bold as you please, over to Alys.
"You see, silly girl, what happens when you get in my way? Your beloved Selendrile is dying, and there's nothing you can do about it. All that effort wasted."
"We'll see about that," said Alys, knowing the red dragon was right and hating her for it.
Narissa laughed. "Leave the poor dragon alone, child, and let him die in peace."
Alys grinded her teeth, not wanting to burst out into an angry tirade at Selendrile's attacker—she refused to think "murderer" when there was still a chance to save him.
Even though most of her focus was on Selendrile, she did happen to glance over at the witch, who had been silent for quite a while. To her consternation, she saw that the witch was smiling. This was going too far. Maybe she found it funny that she'd been right about the dragon fight, but did she have to look so smug? Selendrile was dying, and that horrible old biddy didn't do anything but smirk.
Biting back tears of rage, she sat down beside Selendrile's massive head. The golden dragon's gaze was fixed on her. She could see that, if she'd been able to understand him, he would have volumes to say to her. But he wouldn't be able to speak until nightfall, by which time he might already be dead. "Oh, Selendrile!" cried Alys miserably. "Why did you have to come after me?"
Not wanting to have to just sit there and wait as life trickled out of Selendrile, she turned around and focused on the witch, fixing her with her fiercest glare. "How can you be so heartless? It's not funny at all!"
The pink hippopotamus's expression turned sympathetic. Alys wondered why she hadn't noticed up until now that the witch could speak while in dragon form. Perhaps it was a benefit of being a half-dragon. "Child," began the witch. But Alys would not be called a child by someone who laughed at the face of one of her loved ones dying.
"Don't call me a child, and don't pretend to care when you don't. This is all your fault. If you had just told me from the start about Narissa—wait a minute…"
A thought flashed across Alys's mind as the witch's pink hippopotamus face looked at her expectantly, glancing every now and then at Narissa, who was basking in the wintery sunlight. And then, curiously, Alys got a similar look on her face.
"Beautiful day, isn't it?" she remarked to the witch.
"Quite," said the witch, nodding.
Alys glanced over at the red dragon. "Shame, though, about Narissa losing that battle."
"I agree."
Narissa gasped in outrage. "Have you two lost your senses? Didn't you just see me beat the scales off your gold dragon?"
Alys turned to her, her strange smile widening. "Yes, I did, Narissa. But you and your kind can never win, not today, not ever. In spite of all your cunning little plans, your clever plots, and your conniving mind, you forgot something."
"And what would that be?" the red dragon sneered.
"You forgot what time it is!"
And then the most extraordinary thing happened. Narissa suddenly seemed to feel very itchy, because she started scratching herself. At first she scratched only a little, but then it was as if she didn't have enough fingers to scratch with. "What is this?!" she screamed. The witch shrugged, but Alys simply stared, fascinated.
The red dragon was glowing red now, and little clouds of steam were rising up from her skin. She let out an earsplitting shriek and made for the shade of the cave, but she was too late. Within seconds her skin caught fire, and she was roasted alive.
Alys's eyes nearly popped out of her skull. By the time the flames died away, there was nothing left of the red dragon except a black scorch mark on the grass. So that was what would have happened to Selendrile if she hadn't gotten the shackle off in time, she thought, eyeing the spot Narissa had just occupied. The red dragon was gone, just as if she had never existed.
Well! How's that for an exciting chapter! Please forgive me if it's not the climax you wanted--I've never written a story this long, let alone one with so much plot. I'd love your feedback, so please review!
