Chapter 32

Seeing a Dragon was one thing. Fighting one was entirely different. Naz knew that this was an encounter he was never going to forget for the rest of his life.

As soon as he said the word, Bo threw himself into his tent and snatched his sword just as the massive beast was circling around to come back towards their camp. It issued another roar and the sound pierced their ears. Great big gusts of wind pelted down from its massive wings and Naz was stunned for a moment as he stared up at what he thought was a myth.

The first time he'd seen a Dragon the moment had been fleeting, but tonight this Dragon was out for blood. Its black gaze was fixed upon the two Orcs with an unreadable expression. It sent a shiver down Bo's back as memories of his first encounter flooded back to him.

The Dragon hovered just above the tree line, batting its wings so much that their tents were ripped from their anchors and blown around. The horses screamed in terror, and they huddled under the cluster of trees shaking from head to toe.

The Dragon sucked in a deep breath, and Bo knew that it was going to breathe fire.

"Run!" Bo shouted, and he began to head for cover.

Naz followed suit just as the Dragon opened its gaping mouth. It released a huge flurry of fire from deep within its belly. Anything flammable in the immediate area burst into flames. One of their tents were toast, while the other had been flung away by the wind. Grass and trees were alight with flames. The horses screamed again, and Bo knew he needed to draw the Dragon's attention away from them and coax it to the ground. He cursed himself for not having a bow.

"This way!" Naz roared from close by.

The Orcs ran, swiftly making their way towards the open road. The Dragon followed easily, swooping over the tops of the trees as it pursued them. As soon as they reached the road they took off in a different direction. It chose to follow Naz.

Bo circled back around, watching as the Dragon prepared to land. Its huge wings beat slower as it began lowering itself down. Up close he could see all of its light grey scales. They glowed under the light of the moon like massive snakeskin and the sight alone made him feel sick.

As soon as its clawed feet touched the ground Naz roared and ran towards it with his sword poised. Bo silently ran up from behind, making sure to watch out for its tail, which he knew was just as dangerous as its front. He swung his sword hard, grunting as it connected with lower belly. The Dragon's body was harder than any other enemy he was used to fighting, and the socket in his shoulder screamed from the jarring blow.

Bo swung again, aiming for the softer underbelly of the beast, while Naz continued his assault against its neck. The Dragon angrily snapped at him with a snarl, but the Orc was faster and he dodged its razor-sharp teeth. He hacked at the neck several times, frustrated that he appeared to be getting nowhere.

Suddenly Naz broke through the thick skin, and the Dragon screamed as blood spurted out from between its broken scales. Bo had managed to wear down a spot as well, but he was forced to hastily retreat as it swiped its tail at him and began spreading its wings. He stumbled back just as it began to take flight, watching in annoyance as it rose up swooped away.

Both of the Orcs remained where they were. They leaned against their knees as they gasped for air, and Bo reached up with a shaking hand to wipe the sweat from his brow. He wasn't sure if the Dragon was gone for good.

They waited a few more minutes. The longer the silence dragged on the more Bo felt it was not going to return. He opened his mouth to say something to Naz when there was another roar, but this time it was farther away.

"Where is it?" Naz growled, and he swung his body around.

Their eyes were glued to the sky, searching, until realization dawned on them.

"The horses!"

They took off at a dead run, quickly making their way back to the broken remains of their camp. Like Bo had dreaded, the Dragon was there. He watched, horrified, as the body of one of their horses was locked in the jaws of the beast. It swung its head as they approached, releasing the creature from its grip. The horse screamed as it was thrown into the air and landed on the ground with a sickening crunch.

Anger ignited inside of Bo, and he bellowed so loudly the Dragon was distracted from the horses. It turned its attention to the Orc, fixing its inky black gaze on him. It was almost as if it knew, and the Dragon began stalking towards him.

Bo growled and ran forward, his sword raised. The Dragon's mouth opened, preparing a fiery assault, but Bo opened his and quickly issued a shout.

Fus Roh Dah!

The Dragon was taken aback as the shout blasted its face, more of an annoyance than anything else. Bo quickly took the moment and leaped up onto the broad surface of the Dragon's head.

He slipped, but Bo hastily grabbed at one of the spiked horns and hauled himself back up before he tumbled off. He quickly raised his sword with both hands and threw it down as hard as he could, fuelled by the berserk rage deep inside of him.

There was a loud crack as his sword burst through the top of the Dragon's skull. He had met his mark.

The Dragon screamed as it died, and its body began to crumble to the ground. Bo quickly leaped off and retreated far enough away so he wasn't crushed under the massive corpse. He watched, his chest heaving, as it crashed to the ground and stopped moving. The light faded from its eyes, and there was almost silence.

Naz knelt beside the injured horse, speaking softly to it. Bo quickly lurched towards them, and when he reached the beast he knew there was no way they could fix it. The extent of his injuries was too great.

"Do it quick," Naz growled.

He placed a hand on the horse's neck, which thrashed around as it choked on its own blood. There were great huge gashes along its stomach and almost all of its bones were shattered. Bo quickly knelt down and let out a shaky breath before shoving the blade of his sword right between the ribcage, piercing the heart. He sighed as the horse stopped moving, and there was silence.

Naz quickly stood up and walked over to the other horse. He inspected it for injuries, but everything was fine. Bo stood by the dead horse, his eyes glued to the bloody gashes when there was a soft whoosh from behind.

The older Orc turned around and watched in utter amazement as the body of the Dragon began to disintegrate. Light glowed and glittered from it like magic and began floating in a stream of brightness. It rushed towards Bo and went through his body, floating all around him as he absorbed it. His head was bowed, and he didn't look pleased.

"What was that?"

Bo picked up his sword and glanced at the horse once more before walking towards Naz.

"I... absorbed its soul."

"Seriously? What does that mean?"

"It's something that the Dragonborn does... it's what enables me to speak their tongue."

"So... in order for you to speak their tongue you have to absorb its soul?"

Bo rubbed his neck, and he gave a small nod.

"Basically. I still don't really understand it myself. The Greybeards speak so cryptically."

"Wow."

They both glanced back at what remained of the Dragon. A heaping pile of bones, fire-scorched earth, and a dead horse was proof they had fought the Dragon and won. They were down a tent, out of most of their supplies, without a second horse, but they were alive, and that's all they could ever ask for.

The Orcs quickly gathered what they could salvage of their supplies and walked the horse closer towards the road. Both of them were too tired to bother with the tent, and they only had one bedroll. Naz collapsed down on the fabric of the tent with a blanket while Bo took the bedroll. Both of them stayed awake for a long time, still in a daze from their fight and the death of one of their steeds. They barely slept a wink and were up well before dawn.

Back in High Hrothgar, Jane and Lynne were fast asleep, unaware of their partner's struggles many miles away.

The first night since Bo had left Jane had tried to sleep in their bed alone, but it was no use. Every time she moved she expected him to be there, but he wasn't. So, she had quietly shuffled down the hallway to Lynne's room and slipped under the covers, startling the Nord.

"I'm sorry," Jane mumbled sadly as she pulled the blankets up to her chin."I can't sleep alone."

Lynne pushed back her hair and eyed Jane for a moment before laying back down.

"It's fine, I couldn't fall asleep either."

Since then, Jane slept in Lynne's bed each night. They had both welcomed each other's presence, and they often times held hands until they fell asleep. Jane's soft snores were soothing to Lynne's ears. Jane felt better knowing she wasn't alone as she clenched Lynne's pale hand.

She missed Bo terrible and found herself thinking about him almost every minute that her mind was idle. She tried to keep herself occupied, but there was only so much magic theory she could study before her brain felt like it was going to explode.

On the third night since Bo had left, Jane abruptly woke up in the middle of the night. Pain shot through her shoulder as she sat up in bed with a loud gasp.

"Jane?" Lynne mumbled sleepily, and she sat up as well. "What is it?"

Jane didn't know what was wrong. Her chest constricted tightly and it felt like she couldn't breathe. Her entire body felt tingled as if her limbs were asleep, and the feeling was entirely overwhelming. She leaned forward, placing her head between her knees, and Lynne softly rubbed her back until she had calmed down a bit.

"Are you alright? What happened?"

"I don't know," Jane mumbled shakily.

"Was it a dream?"

"I'm not sure. It's... it's fine, I'm fine now."

Lynne firmly held Janes hand as they both laid down again. Jane shuffled closer and closed her eyes. She let out a deep breath as Lynne stroked her hair. The feeling lulled her to sleep, and the two women slept soundly until morning.