The School for Good and Evil Prequel The Never Prince (fanfic)

Chapter 22

He launched himself forward, grabbing one of the dragon's frills. It roared and shook its head wildly. Garth tried to pull himself up, but his hold slipped every time he tried. The dragon didn't stop, twisting and curving its neck. Garth held on for dear life, trying to find a better hold.

"Hey! Lizard breath!" Edward shouted from below. In short glimpses, Garth thought he had lost it. He could see Edward waving his arms and hear him make the weirdest noises. This got the dragon's attention. As it roared at the prince, the dragon dipped his neck. However, it happened so quickly that Garth was thrown off.

What had been going on in a fast pace instantly seemed to freeze. Garth felt like he was flying, but knew he would fall any minute if something wasn't done. He could see the dragon raise its scaly head, the snout just in reach. As he came forward, he grabbed the black scales on the tip of its nose, almost touching the sharp teeth that came out of its lower jaw.

Everything came back into regular time. Garth screamed as he dangled from the dragon's snout, the force of his fall almost ripping his arms out of their sockets. His racing heart rang in his ears as the dragon stared down his nose at him. To his dismay, the dragon started to open its mouth and lean back. Garth could see an empty abyss with a long red tongue.

"GARTH!" He couldn't tell who screamed, but it snapped him out of his trance. Garth quickly grabbed the rope off his shoulder and hooked the loop around the dragon's snout, letting go completely. He clung to the end of his rope as he spun around the dragon's neck.

He landed on the dragon's back, the rope wrapped once around its neck. He pulled with all the strength he had, despite the pain in his shoulders. The loop around its top jaw tightened and the dragon backed up, its head forced against its neck. Crocodiles and alligators under foot got crushed by the weight of the dragon.

Chest heaving and tears stinging his eyes, Garth pulled even tighter, trying to hold back a painful wail. The dragon tripped on its own feet and fell backward into the corn fields. Garth let go of the rope as it fell, rolling onto the ground.

Surrounded by corn stalks, he looked up to see the dragon's massive claw coming at him. He curled up into a ball on the ground, waiting to be impaled. He heard claws sink into the ground around him. Everything seemed to settle. Garth opened his eyes slowly, seeing the dragon's claws form a cage around him and blocking the sun overhead.

He relaxed on the ground, shifting onto his back. He tried to catch his breath, his heart still pounding against his ribcage. His arms felt like twigs, ready to snap at the slightest breeze. His head throbbed, all his effort draining him completely.

A low growl came through the constant ring of his ears. He just barely opened his eyes, the act painful. He could see the crocodile, a sickly grey like the ones he had dealt with in the river. He could see the glint of its sharp yellow teeth. The only problem was, Garth couldn't get himself to move. He couldn't even reach his sword.

"Help," he moaned pathetically, sapped of all his energy. The crocodile came up to his face. Its breath was warm and sickly, causing Garth to choke. Garth rested his face away from the crocodile. The only plan he had left was fooling it.

Garth stopped breathing, his body laying limp in the field. He didn't dare move. He felt the crocodile nudge him, but he stayed still. He could hear it walk around him, the stench of its breath telling him that it was now looking at his face. It poked and prodded him, but Garth didn't move. The crocodile snarled, its drool dripping onto Garth's face. He stayed down, finding this opossum play very relaxing.