The Last of the Dragons-Set 1

180

The Next Morning

The stars came and went, though after the dragons had flown off, not a moment of sleep was had by anyone. Children and their mothers huddled together while the men worked all through the night to put out fires, try to repair tents and doing whatever they could for the injured, though many of them joined the dead. Several dozen people had been killed in the attack, with each dragon consuming as much as they could before they were forced to fly off. I had gotten a good look at the dragon shot down and killed during the night. It was a female. Not very large, perhaps fifteen feet long, with wings maybe 10 feet wide. Dark black stripes over an otherwise shimmering blue body. I was unable to see the fabulous colours in the dark of the night, but now with the suns light I was able to admire the gorgeous pattern of colours covering her scales. The wound on her neck wasn't big compared to what I'd seen in the past, but it was more than enough to kill a dragon her size.

"It's a shame. So few of them left, and yet they're still being killed." Tahli said as she came to my side.

"If we can somehow find Doron, and regain his trust, we just may be able to change the way things are." I replied.

Tahli chuckled at my response.

"The odds of that happening are a little less than in our favour." She replied.

She made a good point. I had little idea of where to even find him, except for the fact that he was last seen heading for the coast. Other than that, we would be traveling blind. But in the moment of our conversation, my mind was quickly shifted back over to the surviving members of the group. There were still several severely injured men, women and children who had been attacked, but survived. Even after an entire night, there were still people searching for their family members, or mourning those who were confirmed dead. The mother who lost her daughter was being consoled by someone who I assumed to be her friend, along with her other children. But, to my despair, she was far from the only parent to lose a child in the attack. All I could hear was a mix of crying, and men working to restore what ever they could of the camp.

"You both know we can't stay here. And you both know where we need to go."

Tahli and I both turned to see Amy and Bailey standing behind us, both tired from working along side the surviving men.

"And where do you suggest we even begin to search?" Tahli asked as she turned her body and placed her hands firmly on her hips.

"Ask him. I'd be willing to bet he knows something." Amy said as she motioned behind me.

I turned around, and saw Wade working with several other men who were laying dead bodies out in the middle of the camp, checking them for signs of life. I slowly approached the men, hoping not to be scolded to disturbing them.

"Wade?"

He turned his head sharply towards me before rising from his knees to his feet and stepped up to me, silently waiting for me to say something. An uncomfortable silence fell over the two of us for a moment, before I recalled what I was there for.

"If one wished to find the night devil, where would they want to start?"

Wade chuckled, with several other men who over heard me joining in. One even muttered something about me having lost my mind before I reached his sons age.

"Why on earth would you want to find the night devil? He is nothing but a much larger version of what attacked us last night. Anyone or anything that crosses his path is destined to be killed. You're all young and beautiful. Don't be foolish." He said.

"I don't remember her asking about what you thought of it. If I recall, she asked where someone would go if they wished to find him, which you have yet to answer." Tahli said as she stepped to my side.

Wade had a sudden shift in his face with Tahli's more aggressive approach to the conversation, seemingly putting him on guard with her presence.

"He flew to the north. Where the snow falls thick atop the mountains. The winged star and the silent forest have flown out to the coast, south of the night devil. If you travel out to the coast in that direction, and head north, eventually you will enter his territory. But be warned. No-one will go looking for you should you not return." Wade said.

Tahli nodded, before motioning with her head for me to follow, then walking away. I turned back to wade before joining Tahli.

"Thank you for saving and sheltering us, and I'm so sorry for your losses. I wish you and your people all the best." I said before turning away.

"Wait." He said softly.

I turned around, confused, waiting for him to finish speaking.

"Should you make for the coast directly from here and follow it north, you will run into the purple dragons territory. I wish you all the best of luck." He said before turning and walking away.

I pondered for a moment before turning and joining Tahli, Amy and Bailey. Tahli held out her hand, giving me my bow. The four of us exchanged eye contact with one another for a moment.

"Alright. Let's go." I said.

We turned and started towards the large gap broken in the gate caused from the attack. We walked no longer payed attention to the death and destruction that lay all around us, at one point I even stepped over the top half of a mans body with his organs spilled out on the ground, without giving it a second look. I felt Bailey lightly nudge my hand with hers, and without looking down at her, our two hands became intertwined with each other as we stepped outside the wall. We all looked back one last time, the dead dragon still laying in the centre of the partially destroyed camp. Then, without another thought, we turned and wandered into the trees.

Hey Everyone!

If you're enjoying this story, be sure to check out my new story "The Dragon's Bond"! It can be found on my profile page and is still in progress, updates are daily or bi-daily on average.

Enjoy!