~ .............................~
Merciless let out a terrifying roar. It shook the landscape. She approached at straight course, her eyes fixed on that of the shimmering skin. She screamed, coming a yard closer with every great stride of wings. Quinn could feel perspiration crackling out on his brow. He had the faint sensation of sound behind him. The slam of a door.
"I'm coming," Alex's voice rose over the wailing. She joined Quinn on his other side. "Anja, you have to go back in."
"Not on your life," she said stonily.
"Well, then you're being bait," Quinn told her with the flicker of a smile.
"OK," Anja shrugged. Alex and Quinn looked at her very hard then at each other.
"I brought two crossbows and a couple of arrows," Alex went on, "I hope your plan works. What if it just burns the thing down?"
"No! Look at it! It's confused," Anja called out.
Merciless was hovering before its shed skin. Her head was on one side, studying the outlines of herself.
"She's not leaving, Quinn," Anja said, panic rising in her voice.
"Make some noise. Shout, yell a bit. I'll go and get the skin to move," Quinn answered. He ran forward and began to shake the skin from the tail. It shuddered and danced on the valley top. Quinn let out a long screech that rose from the top of the scale to the bottom. Merciless' expression was that of pure fear. She roared back, spitting ash at her outline.
Quinn shoved the skin forward with all his might. It flew forward and straight into the dragon's face. It shattered as she let out a spear of flame. But the skin was on her eyes, ears and draped over her back. She wheeled about in the air, screaming and wailing, then she plunged down and straight into the cliff wall, wings stretched out behind her.
Alex and Anja grabbed the crossbows and loaded them. Their arrows zipped past the dimming fires and into the dragon's back. Merciless let out a moan and a puff of smoke escaped from her nostrils. Then the great eyes rolled back into her head and the dragon died.
The three figures stood on the hilltop as night seeped in through the fissures of the sky. A white moon had appeared overhead, a new thin sliver like a blade. Pools of blood had mixed with the earth and sloshed like thick wine about the body. Pale beams of light leaned down to show Merciless in all her true colours. Her ragged wings were caught in a breeze and rustled like paper.
"Well, let's go and look at her," Alex said, taking a step onto the slope. One by one, the companions slipped down into the gully. The smell of sulphur was everywhere. It was oppresive. Anja held her nose,
"Gees, I wish dragons breathed something nice smeeling. Like chocolate perhaps."
"Mmm, or citrus fruits."
"Oh, I love that smell. Ever smelt fresh goat's milk?"
"Sounds nice."
"Oh, if dragons breathed that, then I'd practically begged to go and meet one!"
Alex smiled as the pair wandered off together, laughing and joking while she investigated the remains. Merciless was no more than a scaly landslide. Her spines had wilted and the body was stiff and cold. The dragon's head had rammed into the hillside, breaking her neck clean in two. So that her face coiled round to meet Alex and she studied the tail. And her eyes fell on something among the ash and rubble. Something.man-made.
Merciless let out a terrifying roar. It shook the landscape. She approached at straight course, her eyes fixed on that of the shimmering skin. She screamed, coming a yard closer with every great stride of wings. Quinn could feel perspiration crackling out on his brow. He had the faint sensation of sound behind him. The slam of a door.
"I'm coming," Alex's voice rose over the wailing. She joined Quinn on his other side. "Anja, you have to go back in."
"Not on your life," she said stonily.
"Well, then you're being bait," Quinn told her with the flicker of a smile.
"OK," Anja shrugged. Alex and Quinn looked at her very hard then at each other.
"I brought two crossbows and a couple of arrows," Alex went on, "I hope your plan works. What if it just burns the thing down?"
"No! Look at it! It's confused," Anja called out.
Merciless was hovering before its shed skin. Her head was on one side, studying the outlines of herself.
"She's not leaving, Quinn," Anja said, panic rising in her voice.
"Make some noise. Shout, yell a bit. I'll go and get the skin to move," Quinn answered. He ran forward and began to shake the skin from the tail. It shuddered and danced on the valley top. Quinn let out a long screech that rose from the top of the scale to the bottom. Merciless' expression was that of pure fear. She roared back, spitting ash at her outline.
Quinn shoved the skin forward with all his might. It flew forward and straight into the dragon's face. It shattered as she let out a spear of flame. But the skin was on her eyes, ears and draped over her back. She wheeled about in the air, screaming and wailing, then she plunged down and straight into the cliff wall, wings stretched out behind her.
Alex and Anja grabbed the crossbows and loaded them. Their arrows zipped past the dimming fires and into the dragon's back. Merciless let out a moan and a puff of smoke escaped from her nostrils. Then the great eyes rolled back into her head and the dragon died.
The three figures stood on the hilltop as night seeped in through the fissures of the sky. A white moon had appeared overhead, a new thin sliver like a blade. Pools of blood had mixed with the earth and sloshed like thick wine about the body. Pale beams of light leaned down to show Merciless in all her true colours. Her ragged wings were caught in a breeze and rustled like paper.
"Well, let's go and look at her," Alex said, taking a step onto the slope. One by one, the companions slipped down into the gully. The smell of sulphur was everywhere. It was oppresive. Anja held her nose,
"Gees, I wish dragons breathed something nice smeeling. Like chocolate perhaps."
"Mmm, or citrus fruits."
"Oh, I love that smell. Ever smelt fresh goat's milk?"
"Sounds nice."
"Oh, if dragons breathed that, then I'd practically begged to go and meet one!"
Alex smiled as the pair wandered off together, laughing and joking while she investigated the remains. Merciless was no more than a scaly landslide. Her spines had wilted and the body was stiff and cold. The dragon's head had rammed into the hillside, breaking her neck clean in two. So that her face coiled round to meet Alex and she studied the tail. And her eyes fell on something among the ash and rubble. Something.man-made.