The Deal with Dragons

October 19th (I think it must be by now)

We found Sam! Or rather, we found where we think he is. About a five minute walk down the hall is a door guarded by two dragons. We’re almost certain that’s where Sam is. When we found out they were there, we snuck back to this empty room and are waiting for the guard shift to change. We think the two that passed us before were guarding before being relieved. The last thing we want is to have an extra set of dragons show up when we’re trying to bust Sam out so we decided to wait. Kevin took the first watch. He’s asleep now, I think. At least he’s resting in the corner with his eyes closed.

            My hands are shaking as I write this. We’re so close. So close. I…I’m worried that even after all of this, we’ll fail.

            The soft echo of a claw trailing against the stone floor had Leah freezing into place for a moment. Then she quickly dropped her pen and diary into her backpack, turning to look at Kevin. Her partner’s eyes were open and he was sitting up as he glanced towards her. She held a finger to her lips, nodding at the doorway that stood between them. He returned the gesture, eyes going to the opening just as hers had.

            In moments, they could hear the faint click-click and odd scrape of approaching talons. Leah concentrated on her breathing, keeping it slow, deep, and most importantly, quiet.  Despite her efforts, she could still feel her heart begin to thump harder. This time she was calmer though. She knew they were coming and as long as neither of them took it into their heads to come into this room, they’d avoid detection. She couldn’t imagine why they would look in. This was the heart of their fortress and they had most of their concentration on the attack by Kevin’s people.

            But her thoughts couldn’t keep her heart from pounding as a flash of red and pale grey scales passed by the door. Even after they had passed she didn’t relax. She knew what was coming. The first set of claws came to a stop but was almost immediately replaced by another set. The previous set of guards approached their hiding place again causing Leah’s heart to beat hard against her chest.

            A brief glimpse of pale blue hide was all Leah saw of them as they strolled down the hall, the echo of their claws slowly disappearing.  Even with the sound of the guards’ passing gone, they waited nearly a half-hour before moving.

           Leah quietly zipped her backpack up, slinging it onto her back and nodding to Kevin, who’d already gotten to his feet. She lead the way out of the room, ghosting down the hall, senses straining for any sign of others approaching or alarm from the guards.

            They paused around the last bit of curving hall that stood between them and the guards. Leah took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before looking at Kevin. His eyes were on her, waiting for her signal. She settled herself, hands clenching and unclenching for a moment before she struck. With one hand she shoved Kevin in the chest, sending him falling backwards.

            She didn’t wait to see him fall or to see if he was alright, just racing forward. She didn’t slow at the sight of the guards, who were staring at her, eyes wide in what she assumed was shock. She took full advantage of their surprise, turning her headlong rush into a vicious roundhouse kick that slammed the long red dragon’s head into the unforgiving stone of the wall. It made no sound as it crumpled to the floor.

            Its partner was still frozen, eyes on her. Leah used the turn of her kick to spin herself to face her other opponent. She felt her anger expand, igniting her veins as it again consumed her. She was faced with enemies, the same ones who had taken Sam from her. She aimed a jump kick at the grey dragon’s knee.

            But he had been trained for combat and recovered, jerking his leg back so all she hit was the shin. She leapt back, narrowly missing the snap he made at her with his teeth. Leah refused to waste the opportunity and darted forward to slam her palm into the bottom of the dragon’s chin. His head did snap up but without enough force to break his neck or to do more than make him bite his tongue.

            Blue blood trickled through his still clenched jaw. His eyes dropped to Leah, the pupils almost invisible as he stared at her. She ducked, his tail whistling over her head, close enough that some of her hair was blown to one side by the wind of its passing.

            Ignoring the sound of Kevin’s running footsteps, she ran forward and snapped her leg out into a side kick. This time the dragon didn’t move fast enough and her foot connected solidly with his knee. A hiss escaped his lips, blood falling from them as his mouth opened and his left leg buckled.

            His head closer to her now, Leah grabbed either side of his face, pulling it down at the same time that she kicked up. She scraped her hand on his scales as his head ripped out of her hands from the force of her blow. She could see his eyes roll back into his head, the whites all she could see before his eyelids snapped closed and he collapsed into a heap.

            Not trusting his apparent unconsciousness, she kicked him again in the side of the head to be sure of him before turning her attention to the door he’d been standing beside. The whole thing made of wood, complete with black metal latch and lock. It was also the first door she’d seen in this world.

            Leah didn’t wait for Kevin. She was sure now that Sam was behind this door. She jumped up and kicked at the door with one foot. She could feel it buckle under her blow but it remained stubbornly where it was. Glaring at the door as she resettled herself, she spun and kicked sideways, making part of it splinter in. Growling now, she kicked it as hard as she could, finally making it explode inwards.

            She ran into the room, eyes sweeping it. The walls were hung with what looked like tapestries while two piles of pillows filled the back corners. Glow globes circled the room, keeping the room well lit with their steady light.

One hand clenched as she looked around again, her heart beginning to hammer in her ears. A second examination didn’t change anything. Sam wasn’t in the room before her.