The Last of the Dragons-Set 1

153

One Day Later

     The sun rose up once again, signalling the start of yet another seemingly unimportant day in the grand scheme of things. But, I knew that this day would be different. It would resemble the countless days of war, suffering and slaughter that ravaged our land so long ago. We had only a shore time to gather men to defend against the invading force of ships, who outnumbered us hundreds to one. We had managed to bring together four nearby villages, who's men now slept on the cold hard ground, surrounded by dragons as the sun slowly blanketed the ground with its warm, comforting light as it continued to rise. I stepped out in front of Doron, the force from his breath nearly knocking me over as I walked past his enormous head. I tapped him on the snout several times until finally, his eye slowly crept open and locked on me instantly.

"I hope you slept well. You're going to need all the energy you can get." I said.

He slowly propped his head up and started looking around at the small army we had conjured together. He nudged Magar slightly to wake her, and greeted her with a submissive purr as she rose to her claw tips. Bailey covered her face when the light suddenly beat down on her, waking her without much trouble.

"Morning. Did you sleep well?" I asked.

"I was." She said as she stood up, rubbing her eyes.

I chuckled slightly.

"You can't really blame him." I replied.

Bailey looked over at the men we had gathered as they slept peacefully.

"Jess... You know that a lot of these men are going to die today... The coast isn't far from here, maybe half a days ride from here. Odds are they've already come ashore, and spread out across the beach and into the forest. If we're to reduce our casualties, we have to go now, and hope to catch them off guard." Bailey said.

I sighed as thoughts of what would soon transpire flooded my mind.

"I know, but we don't have a choice. They killed three dragons with ease. They're a force to be reckoned with. We needed an army." I replied.

Bailey seemed frustrated as she turned back to me.

"You really think this small group of just a few thousand men will be enough to combat that force? There's no way we'll be able to kill them all! What about the villages that are unaware of this?!" She said in protest.

"I know we don't have enough. But we had no choice. We had no time. We have to try. As for the rest of the villages, we sent messengers to spread the word to as many as they could." I said as I turned to Doron.

"Wake everyone!" I shouted.

Doron looked out over the small army and roared deafeningly as men started to wake from their slumber, along with horses and dragons alike. Without instruction, the men started to mount their horses with weapons in hand, but not riding off without the lead of a dragon to guide them. Just as the group started to rise, Tahli walked up behind me, startling me by placing her hand on my shoulder.

"Are you both ready?" She asked confidently.

"We are. Where's Amy?" I asked in reply.

Tahli pointed over to Veracon.

"She's still getting herself up." Tahli said.

I watched in amusement as Amy stumbled out from under the dragons wing, rubbing her eyes and yawning repeatedly as she wandered over to us.

"It's a bit early don't you think?" She said through a raspy voice.

"Perhaps, but we've got to get a jump on them before they get to far inland." I replied.

"So, what's the plan then? We just fly in and attack whenever we spot them? That seems awfully risky considering what happened just a few days ago." Amy said.

I pondered for a moment.

"No, I'll fly out ahead of the rest of you and search for the enemy until I spot them. Once I find them I'll turn back and meet you in the air and give you the layout of what's going on." I said.

"No. I'll go instead." Bailey cut in.

I turned sharply to her.

"You will do no such thing." I said firmly.

She sighed in protest.

"Think about it. He's way bigger than she is, she's a lot harder to spot, and she can maneuver far easier. She's a harder target to hit from far off. I'll be fine. Trust me." She said defiantly.

I narrowed my eyes to display my displeasure with her protest, but she silently persisted that she would be the one to go ahead of the rest of us. For what ever reason, I knew she would do it regardless of what I said, and at that point, I had started to understand her point about Doron being much easier to spot. Even if he was harder for them to bring down, spotting him would alert them to our presence and put us at a far greater risk than we would otherwise be at.

"Alright. Go. But you better get back to us in time." I said reluctantly.

She smiled, before giving me a hug that reminded me of my sister. As she turned towards Magar, I noticed Jules and Lucy standing behind her, staring at me waiting for direction.

"Take the rest of your group and follow us once we take to the air. When we give you the signal, you split up and choose your own targets. Understood?" 

They both nodded briefly before turning towards their dragons, which were sitting off to the side, gazing up at the sky. I turned back to Magar as Bailey sat down on her back.

"I'll be fine! Just keep your eyes open for me!" She shouted.

She held her bow up above her head as Magar spread her wings and effortlessly took off over the army, who watched silently as the purple dragon vanished into the distance.

"She'll be fine Jess. Don't worry." Amy said as she placed her hand on my shoulder.

I said nothing for a moment, before snapping back into my attentive state.

"Right. Let's go. You follow me, and stay close." I said.

I grabbed ny bow, with its arrow clutched tightly in my fingers, and swiftly took my place on Doron's back, as Tahli, Amy and the others did the same. I looked out over the small army, who all looked back at me. I could see the trust in their eyes burning into my skin as they all kept their eyes locked on me.

"Fly!"

Doron screeched before spreading his wings and leaping into the air, bringing out the cheers and war cries of the men below as the started galloping after us, just barely able to keep pace with the seemingly unrivalled speed of a growing dragon. Back behind me, the remaining dragons flew wing tip to wing tip with each other, leaving only Doron to lead the small army into battle.

"No matter what happens, you'll always be the best." I said softly.