The Last Dragon

Chapter 2: Grounded

With the dragon slain and his loved one under his arm, Harry’s adventure was finally over.

“Horrible ending,” John commented.

“What?” came the confused reply from Caleb.

“Just terrible. I mean, the dragon, being an intelligent creature, should be turned from evil to good. Then, of course, the bad guys will want to get the dragon back, causing a battle in which Harry gets to be a hero. That way, you can make a sequel.” John crossed his arms contentedly.

“But I don’t want to make a sequel,” Caleb whined.

“Then don’t. Squish it into one book if you like.” Caleb sighed and looked around the busy park. He and John were sitting side by side on one of the many benches. John was currently holding the pages of Caleb’s first ever book. John shuffled closer. “Or even better, make it into two parts, but it’ll be the same book. That way you’ll make more money from the cliff-hangers.” Caleb sighed again. John wasn’t the most helpful of friends. Caleb stood up and snatched his book back.

“I like the dragon being evil. That’s what they’re like in the legends. And anyway, why would Harry go on this big quest, and then become friends with the very thing he sought to destroy?” he asked defensively. John shrugged.

“People change,” he said cryptically. Caleb smiled.

“Yeah. I’ll give you a call if I do.” Caleb chuckled at his witty retort, then started the long walk home. John sat back in his seat with a smile and a slight shake of his head.

“By the gods, what happened to him?”

Guzray stirred.

“Big brute tossed him against a wall,” a voice answered. Guzray opened his eyes, and waited for them to adjust to the bright light.

“Oh good, you’re awake. Do try not to move.” This time, the voice was addressing Guzray. Craning his neck slightly, he could see it was a nurse. He was in the infirmary. Standing next to the nurse was a staunch fairy with jet black hair and blazing orange eyes, wearing a formal suit of some kind. Guzray’s boss.

“What are the injuries?” Guzray inquired. His head hurt.

“I have a list here,” the nurse answered, raising an eyebrow as she prepared to read from it. She cleared her throat. “Regular concussion, dislocated left shoulder, broken left arm, severe skin trauma on both hands and an incredibly twisted, bleeding, shattered left wing.” Guzray moaned.

“How long?” he demanded.

“One month in the infirmary, one month on the inactive roster. That makes two months at the least. Oh, and you won’t be able to even hover for another four.”

“Four months!” Guzray groaned. “What about the dragon? Did you finish the job?” His boss frowned grumpily. Guzray carefully rubbed his head. “What this time?” he asked.

“It doesn’t matter,” the nurse tried.

“My TV,” the boss mumbled, looking at the floor. Guzray sighed. “Don’t worry though; the dragon is being attended to right now.” His watch beeped. “Excuse me; I’ve got a meeting to make.” He glanced at Guzray apologetically, then exited the room.

“If you need me, just give us a shout,” the nurse announced before she too, left for another patient. Guzray settled back into his bed. This is going to be a long two months. He thought bitterly.

Meanwhile, many kilometres below, on the surface of Earth, Caleb was lying in his bed for a whole different reason. He started chewing the end of his pencil. I think chapter 12 could do with a little work. He pondered. As he thought over the current sentence, his mind drifted to his conversation at the park. Dragons, intelligent? What a stupid idea. Everyone knows dragons are foul, violent beasts who seek the destruction of humans. He suddenly had a flurry of ideas. Yes, maybe I should write a sequel. Yeah, though I might have to change the ending a bit... Got it! It’s is a contraction, not a possessive. Caleb corrected this mistake, shut the book, and turned off the light. Once more he found himself thinking about dragons. Then he fell asleep, probably to dream about them.

Anto’s heart raced. Why did I volunteer for this? He asked himself. He jumped quickly as the dragon’s tail swished across the floor angrily. He didn’t like the look of the barb on the tip. Anto ducked as the dragon snapped at him, the razor-sharp teeth missing him by inches. Anto leaped forward and grabbed the free-flying chain attached to the dragon’s collar. Not wanting to follow in the previous angel’s footsteps, he gave it quite a bit of slack before he ran to the back wall. There, he clipped the chain onto a hook embedded in the rock of the cave. The dragon stomped around the room, clearly not happy with the newest addition to his home. Anto hurried to the door that would lead him out of the enclosure.