Faithful Pebble
Part Seventy-Eight
Pebble bit her lip hard safe behind the hooded veil of her cloak. "Do you want to know the rest?" she asked.
The wanderer shrugged. The wanderer brushed a hand through his hair and licked his lips. "Yes," he muttered. "Yes. Yes, please," he said. His voice settled. Quietly, the restless sea of his eyes slept and stilled. He forced its repose if only slightly, if only on the visible service. "If only for the boy," he thought, he lied hypocritically to himself. If only for her was his real reason, but his mind would not let him think this, though his heart longed to. It screamed adamantly for him to acknowledge it, to accept it, to hear its beat and answer.
Only Pebble did.
Pebble took a breath. Hesitantly, she moved on, in word and action. Once more, they began to walk. "He did turn, the boy. His skin turned purple and twisted. It evolved under a slick white light into scales as hard as the diamonds it originally caressed. His eyes glowed red, his teeth lengthened and sharpened. Suddenly, he stood on four legs while colossal wings sprouted from his back. They flapped angrily and mightily and with much fear. They scared him.
"Alarmed, the boy ran bursting through the little hollow's entrance. His body easily broke through the wall and the inner tunnel after that. It didn't take him long before he found the boys and the men laboring their way as if he never left. Their arms were laden heavily with coal and gold and the slightest glimmer of the seven's tainted diamonds.
"Seeing their dirty and greedy and twitching fingers rummaging through HIS lute, a new feeling erupted from the boy's heart. The feeling exploded with the miners' simultaneous discovery of his presence. They screamed and he? He hated it. He envied them. He attacked them, the boy, tearing through his fellow workers one by one not caring who they were: men, boys, miners or Baron. All he cared about was the desire to keep them away from HIS gold and HIS coal and above all HIS diamonds. He growled. He sputtered and then finally, he spewed. Liquid flame, black as pitch, poured from his mouth. With each roar, it sang from his fangs like an aria a soprano.
"He killed most of the men by the time the boy realized what he had done. Those that survived had long since fled into the forest by the time the boy even perceived of what he become: a beast, a monster, a dragon the color of poison and sin."
"It was at this time, that our savior appeared. He stepped into town after spending a number of years hunting in the lands beyond. The hunter was strong and courteous, a hero in look and heart. Believe me, you would know him if you saw him," the headsman laughed. "Seeing the need, hearing it tumble from the quivering lips of the surviving miners', the hunter ran to the woods and its tragic cave. He plunged himself into its heart easily finding the murderous beast dripping in the blood of his victims."
I'm getting excited. I know what's coming and I've waited so long to get to this point in the story. You have no idea. Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing. I appreciate every one of you. - Calla