Aquias drove her short sword into the dragon\u2019s side. Under its glimmering green scales, it was as vulnerable as any mortal beast. A quavering screech escaped its throat as it shook, spasmed, and finally lay dead on the hillside. She pulled her sword out, and the blood on her blade smoked as readily as the dragon\u2019s wounds. Panting heavily, she stepped back and examined her handywork.<\/p>\n
Doc snorted. \u201cLess than half the size of a pony. What d\u2019you figure, three-hundred pounds?\u201d<\/p>\n
Aquias caught her breath. \u201cTwo hundred. No more than two-fifty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doc sighed through his nose. \u201cMmm\u2026 They said it was five-hundred at least. Hope they\u2019ll still pay what they promised.\u201d<\/p>\n
The blood died out, already turning brown in the late afternoon sun. Aquias wiped off what she could on the dragon\u2019s hide, the rest on the grass. It was good steel, though dinted in many places. Its cruciform hilt had once been coated in gold, and its pommel had a blank, burnished eye where a ruby once had sat. She found herself staring at the vacancy.<\/p>\n
\u201cOhh,\u201d Doc muttered, \u201cYeah\u2026 What did you say you got for that ruby?\u201d<\/p>\n
Aquias slid the short sword back into her wood-and-leather sheath. \u201cA horse.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doc snorted. \u201cOne horse? That ruby must\u2019ve been the size of an eyeball.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd a half-dozen salted hams,\u201d she added, still staring at the dead dragon. The smoke had died in its wounds. It was still now.<\/p>\n
\u201cMust\u2019ve been a good horse,\u201d Doc said. \u201cWhat happened to it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Aquias sniffed. \u201cDragon ate it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doc threw his head back and roared with laughter. Aquias was well-muscled for a woman nearing her fortieth year, but Doc was nearly three-times her size, and his keg-belly was outmatched his massive, hairy arms. Grey whiskers drooped down other side of his mouth, stubble covered his broad chin, and his eyebrows were every bit as bushy as his moustache. His nose was huge and red, though they had not had a proper drink in over a fortnight, and his eyes were small and black and beady, glittering only at the sight of gold. \u201cMust\u2019ve been a good horse,\u201d he repeated.<\/p>\n
Aquias rolled her shoulders. Upon her right shoulder was a great pauldron of black iron, shaped like a tiger\u2019s snarling face. It was so large she had to stuff it with leather to get it to fit right. Strapped to her arm was her old round-shield, battered and dented so greatly it was nearly concave. Her other pauldron was small, simple, unpolished steel, and it let her maneuver her sword arm more easily. Her head was throbbing from a bad tumble she got tripping over the dragon\u2019s tail. Why had she sold her helmet, she wondered? She had sold her greaves first, replacing them with tough leather boots. Should she have sold her shield first, then her helmet? She looked at the shield again. It was hideously scarred and dented, but that meant she used it a lot.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell,\u201d Doc sighed, \u201cI s\u2019pose we\u2019ll have to carry it back with us. To prove the deed is done.\u201d He stretched his back. \u201cWe\u2019ll wait another five minutes, to let the corpse cool down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aquias smirked at him, but said no more. An adult dragon\u2019s hide was so hot it could blur the vision of those that looked upon it, and men had fainted from the heat by simply standing near one. This thing she had killed, however, was likely already as cold as any other carcass. Still, if Doc wanted to wait, that was fine. He would be doing the carrying.<\/p>\n
She took a deep breath and looked around her. They were at the foot of a large hill, covered in springy green grass and dotted with vibrant beech trees. About halfway near the top, she could spy a small cavity boring into the side. \u201cLook,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cCave,\u201d Doc hummed. \u201cLikely that\u2019s where it slept.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded. \u201cThink there might be more in there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoubt it. But even if there is, they only paid us to kill one.\u201d Doc was rolling his head about, limbering up his spine. A leather skull-cap offered minimal protection to his head, but then again, Doc did not do much fighting these days. His bulky, fur-lined pauldrons matched, his chest plate still held most of its yellow paint, with a stylized bronze bull rampant upon it. He even still had fur-lined cloak fastened to his shoulders. It was the middle of Spring, but the fur made him look more impressive.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019d best get going,\u201d Aquias said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll right, all right.\u201d He knelt down by the dragon. It was already starting to look a little deflated. He bore it up in his arms like a swooning maiden, and with a great heave hoisted it over his shoulders. He grunted roughly. \u201cWhich way was the village?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCome,\u201d Aquias started walking.<\/p>\n
It was less than five minutes before Doc was breathing like a bellows. \u201cHow old are you these days, Doc?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
Doc chortled. \u201cAsk me no secrets, girl.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t call me girl, old man,\u201d she said, not for the first time.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight, right,\u201d he grumbled. She faintly heard, \u201cOlder and wiser,\u201d under his breath.<\/p>\n
The village of Foote was well named, as it sat at the foot of Mount Vramont, a rather humble eruption that had the distinction of being the only mountain in a sea of rolling hills. A generous stream ran all the way down from its peak and along the village, supplying the sixty or seventy peasants with everything they needed to survive. Save, of course, protection from dragons.<\/p>\n
A pair of young boys were playing in what passed for a village square, using two shaved sticks as swords to mock-battle one another. Just outside the villages was a large copse of trees that supplied the lumber for shacks, cabins, and playthings. Over half the trees had been cut down. A faint breeze blew a lock of golden hair in Aquias\u2019 face, and she brushed it out of the way. None of this mattered to her.<\/p>\n
Doc was heaving and grunting when he finally dropped the carcass in the middle of the square. It thudded on the downy ground like a sack of potatoes, and drew as little interest from those gathered. Nestled behind a couple of cabins, a few dozen sheep grazed in a large pen. An old woman in grey skirt and white blouse was speaking with the shepherd there, but looked up at the noise. She took her time crossing to them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere she is,\u201d Doc murmured through his teeth. \u201cBig smile, Aquias, big smile.\u201d Aquias tried to smirk, but feared it looked more like a grimace. \u201cHere comes the hard part.\u201d<\/p>\n
Easy for him to say. Aquias did all the actually fighting these days.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs that it?\u201d the old woman said. A girl of around ten years dressed all in brown had walked up to join her, staring down at the dead thing.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the flesh,\u201d Doc cried with well-assumed pride. \u201cA mean one, but in the end we put her down.\u201d<\/p>\n
The old woman wrinkled her nose at the smell. \u201cNot much larger than a wolf, is it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doc shrugged. \u201cWolves are dangerous. Just ask your sheep.\u201d<\/p>\n
She shrugged back. \u201cWe can kill wolves with sticks and knives. We can cut down their forests.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doc nodded politely, his still-white teeth flashing as he said, \u201cToo true, madam. Wolves don\u2019t breathe fire, of course. Nor do they fly.\u201d<\/p>\n
She cackled at that. \u201cYou expect me to believe that thing could fly? Them wings are smaller than its stubby, stunted legs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor now,\u201d Doc allowed. \u201cGive it another year, two at most, and she would\u2019ve stormed down on you from above, burned your village down, and roasted the sheep she didn\u2019t steal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow d\u2019ye know it\u2019s a she?\u201d the little girl asked. Her big brown eyes were wide in excitement.<\/p>\n
Doc acknowledged her point with a raised finger. \u201cExcellent question, young lady. In truth, a dragon\u2019s neither man nor woman. The eggs are laid already set to hatch. That\u2019s why the whole world used to be ruled by these monsters. All it takes is one, grown to adulthood, and she\u2019ll start infesting the countryside with her children.\u201d<\/p>\n
The girl\u2019s eyes grew wider still as she stared at the shrinking corpse. \u201cAnd you say, in only two years, it could fly, and spit fire from its gullet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo years at most,\u201d Doc said, lowering his voice to a confidential and dangerous whisper. \u201cThis here\u2019s a hill dragon. Dangerous enough, to be sure, but a fire dragon, or a rock dragon, ohhhhh my\u2026 ready to kill before a year old, you mark my words. And the king dragon, oh my, the deadliest of them all. Size of a house after half a year, ready to swallow a bull whole when it\u2019s fully grown!\u201d<\/p>\n
Aquias thought the little girl\u2019s eyes might start from her head. \u201cOughtn\u2019t you call it a queen, dragon, if there are no males.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doc threw his head back and laughed so loud and full, you might almost think he was sincere. \u201cAnother good question, young lady. Luckily, there are none left to correct my rudeness.\u201d The girl actually seemed sadden by that, but asked no further questions.<\/p>\n
The old woman sneered. \u201cA shame no such beast was about for you to kill. It might feel less like you were trying to extort us now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doc\u2019s smile froze, but did not faulter. \u201cExtort, madam?\u201d<\/p>\n
Aquias wove deftly in front of him, her left hand resting casually on her pommel. \u201cWe have come for our pay, madam.\u201d<\/p>\n
The old woman was not tall, but the contempt with which she glared at Doc made him seem smaller than the dead dragon at their feet. \u201cDragon slayer\u2026 hmph\u2026 hiding behind a little girl.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am a woman, madam,\u201d she said, simply, without rancor.<\/p>\n
The old woman sniffed, then spat on the dragon. \u201cSeems to me the deed\u2019s already been done. Not much of a deed either. Why should I even bother to pay you? This thing looks like it could be killed with a few staves and a knife. Or even a stiff breeze.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA common misconception, madam,\u201d Doc pressed on, seemingly oblivious to her insults. \u201cA knife might do on one this young, if one of your men was brave enough to risk it. But a stave? No, not a dozen, not a hundred could even bruise the beast under all those scales.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you say.\u201d She looked about. Aquias looked too. About five people had gathered to watch their polite argument. Most were preparing for the sunset. The two boys that had been play-fighting with sticks were nowhere to be seen. The dead dragon lay between them, ignored.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a cave,\u201d Aquias said.<\/p>\n
Doc laid a meaty hand upon her shoulder and guided her back behind him, \u201cNever mind that, Aquias.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAquias?\u201d the old woman mocked. \u201cThat\u2019s a fancy name, girl. What\u2019re you doing with this grizzly thing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re partners.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHmph.\u201d The old woman spat on the dragon again. \u201cWe know there\u2019s a cave. Every Autumn we send a boy up there to check it for eggs, and smash any they find. Usually there\u2019s nothing. Clearly my lazy, idiot grandson did not bother to even check last year. Third year in a row he was charged with checking the cave. Guess he was too important to be bothered with a half-hour walk.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aquias almost asked what that mattered to them, but Doc broke in first. \u201cSounds like the boy could do with a sharp lesson.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh he\u2019s gotten it, don\u2019t you worry.\u201d A faint, sharp smile creased her face. \u201cThree swats on the head I gave him with my old walking stick, as his worthless mother and father were too meek to do it themselves.\u201d She croaked in laughter. \u201cBoy wants to marry the miller\u2019s girl from the other side of the mountain. Thinks he\u2019s ready to start a family, but can\u2019t even be counted to check a hole for dragon eggs. Hmph!\u201d She rubbed the little girl\u2019s head. \u201cHalf the time he\u2019s supposed to be watching this little one, he\u2019s wandering off to see his \u2018beloved one.\u2019 Hmph!\u201d<\/p>\n
Aquias was getting bored, but Doc was taking a stronger interest.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll boys could use a good thump in the head from time to time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot just boys,\u201d the old woman broke in, her grin a fierce threat.<\/p>\n
\u201cToo be sure,\u201d Doc laughed, \u201cbut if you\u2019ll kindly bear my counsel, I wonder if this grandson of yours couldn\u2019t use a sharper lesson still.\u201d Doc raised his hand and rubbed his thick thumb and index finger together. \u201cA wallop is good, but soon forgotten, my old papa used to say.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was a brief spark in the old woman\u2019s eyes, and a thin smile split her face. \u201cPetal,\u201d she said, \u201cgo fetch your brother Fosten.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was a tiny village. Less than two minutes later, a tall and gawky boy with dirty yellow hair was being dragged by the middle finger by the girl in brown, whose name was apparently Petal. The boy\u2019s eyes widened at bit at the dragon\u2019s carcass, but he too soon lost interest.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoy,\u201d the old woman croaked as she reached up and smacked the back of his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNana!\u201d he cried, \u201cyou cannot be smacking people\u2019s heads these days. It\u2019s barbaric.\u201d<\/p>\n
She spat again, but somehow missed the dragon and hit the boy\u2019s bare feet. \u201cBarbaric. Hah! What\u2019s barbaric is you abandoning your sister to go try and sneak into some girl\u2019s skirts over in Montonvil. What\u2019s barbaric is this reeking wyrm I\u2019ve had to have killed because you were too lazy to take a walk last Autumn.\u201d<\/p>\n
The boy Fosten seemed to have no answer to that. \u201cSo?\u201d he said at last, \u201cit\u2019s done.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not done,\u201d she snapped. \u201cThese fellows are owed two gold eagles for their labor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBegging your pardon, madam,\u201d Doc broke in, \u201cbut the agreement was for three gold eagles.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThree eagles!?\u201d Fosten cried. \u201cFor that? I could kill that with a shepherd\u2019s crook.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could not,\u201d Aquias said, simply.<\/p>\n
The old woman cackled at that. \u201cThere. She\u2019s the assistant, she would know.\u201d<\/p>\n
She almost spoke again, but a faint gesture from Doc kept her silent.<\/p>\n
\u201cNana, you can\u2019t,\u201d Fosten cried. \u201cI\u2019m saving up for marriage. It\u2019d take me a year to earn three eagles back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen this year you\u2019d better check the damn cavern come Autumn, hadn\u2019t you! Now hurry off and fetch their pay, before they take it out of your flesh like brigands.\u201d Another swat to the head sent the boy skipping to get his treasure.<\/p>\n
Doc leaned forward very slightly, and though he was still cordial, the warmth had notably left his voice. \u201cBegging your pardon, madam,\u201d he said, \u201cbut we are not brigands. I was a knight, and we have provided a service for your village.\u201d<\/p>\n
The old woman glowered at him, then cackled again.<\/p>\n
In the end, Fosten did not even have what was owed. A single eagle, eighteen silver ravens, and a pile of copper pigeons. Doc smiled and point out they were still owed about ten more silvers, and the old woman finally acquiesced to be rid of them. The boy Fosten had stormed off in a huff, and the old woman hobbled away to fetch the last of the coin. The little girl named Petal remained, staring up at them with her shimmering eyes.<\/p>\n
She was staring at Aquias. She ignored the girl.<\/p>\n
A minute later the old woman nearly tossed the coins into Doc\u2019s palm. \u201cThere,\u201d she grunted, \u201clittle good may it do you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMuch praise to you,\u201d he answered, his cheer only slightly cooled. \u201cI fear it might be the height of foolishness to ask, but have you an inn or common house in your charming hamlet?\u201d<\/p>\n
She cackled again. \u201cLooking to drink away your money already? No, we\u2019ve none of that trash here. I suggest you take your racket around the mountain to Montonvil. They\u2019re larger and more gullible. I hear there\u2019s an old dragon\u2019s nest right in the mountain on that side as well. No doubt they\u2019ll like your song and dance better than I did.\u201d She spat on the dragon yet again. \u201cDrag that thing out of here and bury it before you go. I don\u2019t want it drawing wolves or poisoning our grass.\u201d And with that she tromped off, dropping them from their notice like a soiled handkerchief.<\/p>\n
Doc sighed loudly, pouring the coins into a satchel on his broad leather belt. \u201cAt least we got the money,\u201d he muttered. His beady eyes glittered, if only a little<\/p>\n
The little girl was still staring at her. \u201cWhat?\u201d Aquias finally asked. \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Little Petal was undeterred by her sharpness. \u201cYou\u2019re a dragon slayer?\u201d<\/p>\n
She wanted to insult the girl, but in the end she simply said, \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you think I could be a dragon slayer, too?\u201d<\/p>\n
Aquias stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should\u2019ve bought a pound of salted veal,\u201d Doc complained as they walked around the humble mountain. \u201cFor the journey.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt should only be two or three days,\u201d Aquias said, not for the first time. \u201cMontonvil has an inn, so they\u2019ll have cheaper food and a proper place to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sun was setting as they wandered along the foot of the humble mountain. They had wasted two hours carrying the dragon\u2019s corpse far enough away to not be found, then leaving it for the wolves. They had no shovels with which to bury it, and a proper hole could have cost them half the night. \u201cThey\u2019ll never hire us again,\u201d Doc had pointed out.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s already true,\u201d said had Aquias, and that was the end of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long we been working together?\u201d Doc asked as the sky turned dark as a bruise.<\/p>\n
\u201cFour years, as of last Winter,\u201d she said, \u201cbut I\u2019ve been slaying dragons as long as you have.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know it, I know it,\u201d Doc grunted, \u201cI\u2019m not looking for a fight.\u201d They walked another two minutes before he asked, \u201cWhen\u2019s the last time you slew a real one? An adult?\u201d<\/p>\n
She had to think a while. \u201cOnly a year before we met. A year and a half.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doc hummed.<\/p>\n
\u201cFire dragon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doc winced. \u201cNasty business. I had to face one of them when I was about your age. I was a lot nimbler back then, though. No burns.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aquias grinned. \u201cMe neither.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMine was a hill dragon, but she was big. Must\u2019ve been an ancient. She was nearly the size of a king dragon.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cQueen dragon,\u201d she corrected him.<\/p>\n
He chuckled at that. \u201cMonarch dragon, let\u2019s call them. They won\u2019t complain.\u201d It was another minute before he continued. \u201cWould have been about six years back. Her hill was small, but the whole thing was hollow. It was as if she\u2019d burrowed under the field and turned it into a hill with her own mass.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure,\u201d Aquias nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s true! I\u2019ll warrant that\u2019s how hill dragons first got their names. Maybe all these hills were made by great, giant beasts burrowing under the earth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would they do that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone needs a home, girl.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t call me girl, old man.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAye, yes\u2026\u201d he grumbled.<\/p>\n
They walked in silence for what felt like nearly an hour. The Spring stars were out in strength by now. Above them the Tiger roared, her claws extended out toward the Rabbit. Absently, Aquias rubbed at the tiger\u2019s-face pauldron on her right shoulder. Her shield shoulder. It was only then she realized her beaten, dented shield was still strapped to her arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was when I first hurt my back,\u201d Doc said from nowhere. \u201cThat hill dragon. She struck me with her tail. I must\u2019ve flown a hundred feet, maybe more. Those were downy fields, but it was quite a flight.\u201d He snorted. \u201cFlight. I couldn\u2019t tell you why dragons are so mad for flying. I did not care for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDragons have a little more choice in the matter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doc guffawed at that. \u201cRight as always, Aquias.\u201d<\/p>\n
A few more minutes passed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you,\u201d she said at last, \u201cfor getting our money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s how we always do it,\u201d Doc answered, \u201cat least for the last year or so. The dragons are so small these days, we\u2019d only get in each other\u2019s way trying to fight them together.\u201d It was another moment before he cottoned on to her intent. \u201cAh. Thank you, Aquias. For actually slaying the thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course.\u201d Her waves of gilt hair had mostly sweated to her head and neck, but now the cool breeze of the night was starting to breath some substance back into it. She ran her fingers through it, then finally began unstrapping her shield from her arm. \u201cSo,\u201d she said, \u201cMontonvil.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never been,\u201d Doc said. \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ve been in the Rolling Hills at all for near on a decade. Not sure Montonvil even existed back then.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot if there were dragons there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doc snorted again. \u201cGood point.\u201d<\/p>\n
They passed what looked like a great forest off to their left sometime nearing midnight. It was a ways off, but still too close for comfort. \u201cMight be wolves,\u201d Doc pointed out unnecessarily, so they kept walking. It was not far from dawn when they finally settled down for the night.<\/p>\n
\u201cTent?\u201d Doc asked.<\/p>\n
Aquias shrugged in the night. \u201cGood weather. Soft fields.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAy,\u201d Doc agreed, thoroughly exhausted.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll take the first watch,\u201d Aquias said. She said with her back facing the mountain, looking out into nothing, her short sword out and resting on her lap.<\/p>\n
Doc was already lying down. \u201cAre you sure? This late, there\u2019s likely to be only the one watch. You\u2019re not as young as you used to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTrue,\u201d She looked up at the Tiger. It had moved during the night, much farther west than when the night was young. Of course, the Rabbit had run just as far. \u201cBut I\u2019m still younger than you.\u201d<\/p>\n
She thought Doc might laugh at that, but he was already asleep.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Aquias drove her short sword into the dragon\u2019s side. Under its glimmering green scales, it was as vulnerable as any mortal beast. A quavering screech escaped its throat as it shook, spasmed, and finally lay dead on the hillside. She … Continue reading