Disclaimer: I'm contemplating suing my wishing star..
Oh This is partially book-verse, so some strange characters are mine and some are the book's...enjoy!
I still have a poll up for you all and thanks to those who've voted!
Chapter Twenty
xxx
"There I was, so young, a mere novice entrusted with the monastery's most entrusted secret. Silence, was my solemn vow..."
xxx
The novice turned from locking the dungeon door he'd just slipped through, and was on his way back to the kitchens to return the cauldron he carried...
"Mansel! What are you doing?"
"Geoff." A bit of a pointless thing to say Mansel realized afterwards, it was obvious who the speaker was as he turned.
Geoff glanced down at the meat broth and porridge smudged container, "Looks like old Friar Peter's cauldron, what would you be doing with that."
Mansel glanced around a bit, "Can you keep a secret?"
"You know I can."
A bit of boyish enthusiasm slipped into Mansel's voice, "Friar Peter gave me, a new chore to do." He said with a definitive smile.
"Ooo, lucky you...what is it?"
"I told you it's a secret."
"Fine..."
The novice began to continue his trek to the kitchens when Geoff caught up with him again. "A secret chore from Friar Peter, that's pretty special don't you think?"
Mansel replied a bit nervously, "Maybe just a little special, yes."
Geoff smirked, "Come on, don't say it like that, take some pride in being special."
"Alright, I am special," Mansel smiled and continued walking.
Geoff called after him, "It's not like pride's one of those seven deadly sins or anything."
Mansel froze, guilt wiping over him, "Actually it is..."
xxx
Geoff jogged up the steps that led to the lower room connected to the stables for Geoff to sleep.
"You're right Geoff, manual labor sure keeps the soul humble. Thank you for getting me to do this."
"Anytime." Geoff remarked as he stepped pat the novice, yanking the key out of the belt of Mansel's robes. "Don't forget the corners."
Mansel looked up as the boy left, and as he turned back to work he saw the combat dummy and jabbed at it.
xxx
The monastery was quiet for the rest of the day. Geoff knew better than to try to sneak into the dungeon in the daylight.
The only new occurrence was the arrival of two foreign men from the East that night.
xxx
Friar Peter loved the monastery and his work there, not just as Guardian to Brother Gilbert's personal writings left in the monastery's care, (or his charge safely tucked beneath the monastery), but the time he was able to devote to his own writings such as this at night...
A knock on the door interrupted his work and he turns as Mansel enters.
"Yes?"
"Two most unusual strangers are asking about Brother Gilbert's writings, the abbot has sent them to you." Mansel explained politely.
"Very Well."
Mansel leads to two foreigners into the cell, "This Master Kwan and his son."
Friar Peter nods as the two bow respectfully as dictates their customs.
The monk stood a bit stiffly and clutched the dragon talon with it's braided leather cord to tuck into his robe.
"I fear that I do not have much hospitality to offer." Friar Peter said as Mansel brought forth a chair for Master Kwan and moved to stand out of the way.
"Oh, I spend my youth in a monastery, much like this one." Master Kwan amended as he sat down. "But we do not seek comfort, we have come from Herbayne Province, where man and dragons lived in peace, Many years ago, a terrible evil set dragons against man, and all are dragons were destroyed."
Friar Peter listened patiently then spoke, "A terrible tale, though I have to say, I don't see what this has to do with me"
"I'm told that the founder of this monastery wrote extensively on dragons, and still does so to this day, I was also informed that you are the guardian of his scrolls while he is away."
Friar Peter barely suppressed a sigh, "Brother Gilbert is a kind soul with a fanciful imagination and poor hand at poetry."
Master Kwan was getting desperate and stood up while speaking, "It has been read in the stars, that a new dragon was born. Surely you are aware that the prophesied comet will return in eight days, we must prevent the evil from taking hold again."
"I am a man of God, I do not believe in such superstitious prattle."
"Then the dragon talon is a meaningless talisman?"
It has meaning only to the monks of the order, it was left by Brother Gilbert who received it from our beloved King, Sir Bowen. He claimed it belonged to Draco, the last dragon.
xxx
Geoff decided to risk sneaking to the dungeon later that night, and just as he reached it...another door opened, letting the younger of the two foreigners from the building and walk towards where Geoff was hiding, Geoff motioned fro silence and received a solemn nod.
"But we must test the dragon, before the comet arrives."
That must've been the other Eastern traveler, Friar Peter answered with a little exasperation in his voice.
"There are no dragons here, but...Lord Osric knows about stars and comets, perhaps he can help you."
"Thank you, Goodnight."
The younger of the two keeps Geoff's location a secret as they depart with a shrug from his older companion.
Once they've gone, Geoff turns back to the door and slowly unlocks it, opening it with an ancient creak resounding from grating hinges.
He stepped inside, reverently picking up the sword hilt...
And saw the snapped blade inches from the guard.
Geoff threw it down in anger, the metal clanging against the the ground.
Looking around the chamber he'd been locked from for as long as he could remember, and found the footprints set into the dirt.
"What would Mansel being doing down here?"
Geoff walked alongside the prints, and grabs a torch before heading down the corridor.
An intersection meets him to soon and he looks around, until the wind begins to extinguish the torch. Geoff groans as he takes off running down the tunnel away from the wind stopping once the air ceases to push on his back.
"AH, this was not a good idea..." Geoff blows gently on the torch head slowly restarting the blue tinged flame.
Geoff held the torch higher and investigated the small chamber...he was in a crypt.
Geoff screamed and backed right into a hanging corpse before he took off running.
Note realizing where he was going, he slammed into a stairwell railing, dropping the torch over the edge.
Seeing a glint on the dungeon floor he leaned over the edge further.
A sword lay on the floor, completely whole, just a little filthy.
He crept down the stairs and picked up the sword, not realizing he had a dorky teen smile on his face as he polished the sword with his sleeve.
He didn't notice the faint humming, or the heavier intakes of air as something large sniffed at him, nor did he even see the bulky shadow on the wall, but he did see the reflection of a monster in his sword...
Geoff screamed again, leaning away and ducking under the stairs.
Geoff shouted as the creature headed back the way it had come, deeper into the candlelit dungeon and nearly knocking over a stand full of burning lights, "Stay away from me!"
After making sure he remembered to breathe Geoff cautiously (and if he had stopped then to think about it a little stupidly) followed whatever that creature was into the dungeon's main room.
The dungeon was furnished like a overly spaced out library, candles just as numerous as the books. But the curtained off alcove wouldn't have been a cause of worry if the bulky shadow behind it hadn't growled and stretched...
Geoff yanked the curtain down...the shadow cringing and ducking away, gasping as the cloth fell...
And Geoff laid his eyes on a dragon.
The muddy yellow and black scaled dragon looked up nervously, a small crest of eight horns adorned his head and a lethal looking axe sat on the end of his tail, he must've been young, not only from his size but lack of large fangs and the spikes down his back.
The dragon spoke first, "You know, you bet-ter...go...You better go...you're not supposed to be here." A little on the defensive side but mostly nervous.
"How long have you been down here?"
"I've always been here." The dragon sounded like it was the most obvious bit of information.
"I'm Geoff."
"I'm Drake."
Whall Laa!Or however you spell that...
Enjoy!