Duty Above All Else

As dawn broke in the eastern sky, the Army of the Soulless crested the hills surrounding the village of Tranquility. When they appeared, even the area’s most dominant predator, dire wolves, moved deeper into the surrounding forest. The Army of the Soulless had only one goal—defeat and destroy every living creature in their path. The Jikininki soldiers were driven ever forward by their rulers known as Beast Masters.

Beast Masters arrived over a century ago from another dimension. They looked like humans, but possessed an insatiable thirst for violence and power. Using knowledge from their world, Beast Masters created a hoard of zombie-like creatures, crafted from the bodies of former prisoners. These were known as the Jikininki. World domination was their goal, and anything less would be unsatisfactory.

Every able-bodied man and woman eagerly answered the call to arms. The villagers were determined to defend their land, their way of life, their very existence. Jason, having just returned home from medical school, willingly joined their ranks.

When Jason reported for duty, the commander of the militia told him his talents would be best served caring for the wounded. He was to stay behind and set up a field hospital. Jason decided his first order of business was to locate a building. It needed to be big enough to care for the huge amount of wounded he knew would be desperately seeking treatment.

He located a large barn at the far end of town used for storing hay and farming tools. Jason placed two hay bales end to end and covered them with sackcloth. This was now his operating table. Other similarly arranged bales would be patient beds. Next, he organized the medical supplies he would need to treat the wounded: bandages, gauze, and ointments for treating external wounds. He also included a book of spells and incantations for internal maladies.

While Jason was arranging hay bales, the barn door opened and a woman with a young boy rushed inside. The boy, clutching a stuffed dragon in one hand, stared wide eyed at the barn’s interior.

“Why are we in here, mommy?”

“Shush, Alexander! We need to stay here until the bad people go away, so you must be as silent as a cat.”

Alexander pointed, and in a childishly loud whisper said, “Is that one of the bad people?”

Cleo looked in the direction her son was pointing and saw Jason staring back at her.

“Jason! I thought you left for battle with the others.”

“Hi Cleo! I tried to, but your husband told me to stay here and prepare to help the wounded. Is this your son?”

“Yes, this is Alexander. Alexander, say hello to Doctor Jason.”

“Hello Doctor Jason! My dad has gone to fight the bad people. Are you going to fight the bad people, too?”

“Not right now, Alexander. My job is here to help the villagers the bad people hurt. I could use you and your mom’s help with that.”

“Of course, we’ll be happy to help, won’t we Alexander?” said Cleo in an upbeat tone for Alexander’s sake.

The trio went about converting the old barn’s first floor into a workable clinic. While they worked, Cleo told Jason that she was told to hide Alexander in a root cellar with the other children. She felt that trapping him in a hole in the ground made no sense, so she opted for the barn instead. They finished their work and waited for the first of the wounded to arrive. Hours passed, but no one came.

The villagers, armed only with pitchforks, and home-made weapons, were hopelessly outnumbered. They fought valiantly, but they could not deny the inevitable. The Beast Masters spent the evening celebrating their victory. The Jikininki gorged themselves on the dead and dying villagers. Jason, Cleo, and Alexander watched the revolting scene from the barn’s hayloft. It was a vision of horror that would remain burned into three-year-old Alexander’s mind for the rest of his life.

Cleo’s decision to hide in the loft was justified. They watched as the children in the cellar were discovered and taken away by the Beast Masters to be used as slaves. The Jikininki got the weak ones. It was obvious they had to escape the village now or suffer a similar fate.

Jikininki don’t sleep. They enter a period of inactivity while the Beast Masters rest. Knowing this, Jason left the safety of the barn to search for survivors. Alexander and his mother laid in the loft until just before sunrise. Feeling it was now or never, Cleo, with her son clutched close to her chest, ran for all she was worth toward the woods. She knew this would be their only chance to make a dash for freedom.

Jason stealthily walked the tree line in search of wounded villagers the marauders may have missed. He took his time, making as little noise as possible while avoiding the Beast Master’s sentries. Crossing a clearing several hundred feet in front of him, Jason spotted Cleo running in a panic, clutching her son tightly. What he witnessed next both broke his heart and filled him with rage.

The forest was just feet away when a high-pitched, whooshing sound broke the silence. Cleo heard a heavy thud as an unknown force pushed her to the ground. She felt a searing pain as the arrow penetrated her back and pushed forward, piercing her heart. Her last words to Alexander were, “Run! Don’t stop running until the trees can protect you!” Driven by a blinding fear, the young boy obeyed without hesitation.

Jason, unable to contain his fury, raced toward the Beast Master with a throwing ax in one hand and a long knife in the other. The murdering brute spotted Jason, but it was too late to fend off the attack. It wasn’t much of a fight. Jason’s wrath fueled ambush overwhelmed and slayed the creature before he mounted a defense.

Jason immediately moved from his slain foe to Cleo’s motionless body. He knew she was gone, but his doctor’s training compelled him to try and revive her. Unable to bring her back to life, Jason collapsed next to Cleo’s corpse and wept silently. She was both his friend and the first patient he had lost. Jason knew there would be many more before this war was over. Now his duty was to find and protect Alexander.

Alexander continued running deep into the forest until his little legs could run no more. The child collapsed with exhaustion and dropped into a deep sleep on the forest floor. He had escaped the carnage that overwhelmed his village, but now had to survive a new set of dangers.

When Alexander finally awoke, the sun had already started its descent into the western sky. His first thought was to look for his mother, but the horrific memory of her death forced its way back into his mind, and he sobbed uncontrollably. Slowly, Alexander’s grief turned to hunger.

He scanned his surroundings, looking for something to eat and drink. On the other side of a field, Alexander spotted several bushes covered in berries. He liked berries and made his way toward them. Midway through the clearing, the rustling of brush followed by low growls made him freeze. Entering the clearing from the other side slinked a pack of dire wolves. His young mind first thought ‘dog’ and he smiled at the approaching pack. The alpha male let out a low, menacing growl and Alexander became very frightened and close to tears.

He slowly retreated as the pack approached. As he was about to break into a futile run, a voice from behind cautioned, “Don’t run, Alexander. They will only chase you. Let me get into position and I will tell you when to go.”

The boy looked over his shoulder and saw Doctor Jason brandishing his ax and knife.

“Doctor, the bad people hurt my mother?” whimpered Alexander.

“We’ll talk about that in a while, but first we need to get rid of these wolves.”

As the wolves began circling, slower now that an alpha human was in their midst, a sudden powerful gust of wind blew Alexander to the ground. The surrounding earth shook and the sky above them darkened as a beast, large and terrifying, landed between the humans and the dire wolves. They snarled and howled at the interloper, but none of the pack advanced on the beast. A dragon raised up to its full height, inhaled a massive breath of air and spewed fire in an arc separating the wolves from their prey and himself. The dire wolves knew they could not fight a creature of such magnitude and with one last snarl from the alpha wolf, the pack ran back into the woods.

The massive dragon turned and lowered his head in a gesture of friendship to the quaking Alexander and his adult protector. Dragons are incapable of speaking verbally, but if a person has an open mind, they can communicate telepathically. No one has a more open mind than a young child.

A deep baritone voice seemed to wrap around Alexander like a warm blanket.

“My name is Draco. I will not harm you. What are you called?”

A meek voice replied, “I’m Alexander. I’m three. This is my friend, Doctor Jason. We’re running from bad people.”

“Alexander, please tell your friend I mean him no harm and if he can open his mind, we can speak to one another.”

Alexander turned to Jason. “The dragon’s name is Draco, and he is our friend. He says he wants to talk to you in your head like he does with me.”

Jason had learned about telepathy in medical school but had never tried it. He closed his eyes and cleared his mind, anticipating a positive result. He wasn’t disappointed.

“The child tells me you are a doctor and his friend. I am Draco and I hope we may become friends as well.”

“My name is Jason, and I welcome the friendship of such an esteemed being as yourself.”

“Jason, I want to take you and young Alexander to a place of safety. They will welcome you both and you’ll be well cared for. It’s far from here and we’ll need to fly to this place. Are you willing to do this?”

Upon hearing this, Alexander jumped up and flapped his arms like a bird, excitedly asking, “You can teach me to fly?”

“No, but you can ride on me as I fly. Are you ready to go?”

“The man hurt my mother!” whimpered Alexander. “She never got up!”

Thinking about his mother lying in the dirt caused him to cry again.

“I’m sorry that happened, my friend. I am taking you to a place that will teach you many things, including how to fight bad people. Come, we must go now. It’s a long way.”

Draco lowered one wing. Alexander wiped his eyes and, with Jason’s help, scrambled up onto the dragon’s back. He found a secure place where he could wedge his body between the armor-plated scales.

“Draco, I won’t be coming with you,” Jason said. “I am a doctor and have taken an oath to help people. Along with my oath, humanity has issued a call to arms and I must obey this edict.”

Draco bowed his head to Jason. “A man of honor and principal. You have my undying respect and friendship.”

Draco took to the air. At first Alexander was terrified, watching the ground shrink below him. His young mind quickly transitioned from fear to elation as the flight soared above the clouds.

“You both will always be able to talk to me no matter how far apart we are,” said Draco. “Our bond is strong. All you have to do is call out to me in your mind and I will hear you.”

Alexander really didn’t fully understand what Draco meant, but it didn’t matter. He was flying like a dragon on his way to a new home.

Jason watched as the two flew high into the sky, communicating to Draco that he understood completely. Jason finished their conversation by saying, “I am honored to be your friend, Draco.” He turned and walked back into the forest in search of any survivors he could help. Duty first would be his words to live by until humans drive the Beast Masters back to wherever they came from.

Chapter 2

The Guardian

Chapter 2

Draco had been flying for several hours when he felt his young passenger stir. Alexander fell asleep shortly after Draco had taken to the sky, but now he was refreshed.

“Are we there yet, Draco?”

“No boy. We still have two hours to go. Relax and watch the clouds or the ocean below.”

Several minutes passed. “Draco, I need to go to the privy.”

Draco knew from experience how annoying human adults could be, but caring for a three-year-old human was a novel experience for him.

“Can’t you wait? It’s not much further. Dragons can wait far longer than that.”

“I’m not a dragon. Can you stop there?” said Alexander, pointing. “We can stop there. Please, please, please!”

Draco dipped a wing and veered toward what appeared to be a small island. He couldn’t recall ever seeing an island here before, but it had been several hundred years since he passed this way. He swooped in for a closer look. It wasn’t much of an island, more of a sandbar with seaweed strewn over the top. Draco decided to take a second pass, just to be safe.

Deep in the bowels of the island was a chamber festooned with brightly colored shells and sea bird feathers. Poised on a throne of claws sat Crustus, king of the floating island. His kind had created the island with floating debris and seaweed to lure in sea birds. Occasionally, a shipwrecked mariner would find his way onto the shore, thinking he was safe. The crab-like creatures would wait in ambush until just the right moment, then attack. They would swarm the misfortunate visitor, slicing and tearing his flesh until only the skeleton remained.

“King Crustus, we’ve spotted a dragon circling the island, and it looks like he has a human child riding on him,” said the lookout.

“A dragon! Are you sure?”

“I am, my lord, and I think he’s about to land.”

“Our clan could feast for a year on a creature that large. I must see this beast for myself. If he lands, it will take the entire colony to subdue him. Sound the alarm!”

“Yes, my lord.”

Draco finished his second pass. Finding nothing unusual, he decided it was time to land as Alexander’s fidgeting increased. Draco selected a spot in the center of the island, pitched his wings to slow his forward airspeed and bent his legs slightly to absorb the impact of landing. Several minutes later, his feet were on the ground. But was it ground?

What looked like sand from the air was sloshing like water in a bucket below his feet. Something was wrong. Every instinct told him to fly. Unfortunately, every instinct in Alexander told him to jump off Draco and take care of business, so he did.

“Alexander, get back now! Hurry!”

“But I’m not done yet, Draco. Ouch, something bit me!”

Draco felt them too. First, only one or two bites were under his armor-plated scales, but the volume was increasing. In a flash, Draco understood what was happening. Although he had never seen a colony of Killer Crustations, he had heard stories about them. There was no time to waste. Alexander was already partially covered in the ravenous creatures.

Thrashing his tail back and forth, the dragon dislodged the small creatures that had swarmed onto him. He wrapped his tail securely around Alexander and swiftly launched into the sky, clearing the marauding creatures. Now safely airborne, Draco unleashed a stream of fire on the counterfeit island, engulfing it in fire and boiling the surrounding waters. When the fire died out and the water cooled, all that was left were dead crustations drifting to the ocean floor where schools of fish were waiting.

A traumatized Alexander twisted and squirmed, trying to clear the remaining crustations from his body. He hurt from the pincer wounds and wanted nothing more than to be back on the farm with his parents.; parents and a farm that no longer existed. Draco felt his pain and despair and spoke to the young orphan in his mind.

“Alexander, my friend, because our minds are linked, I feel what you are feeling. It’s terrible that someone your age has had to endure so many hardships. I promise you that this will all change when we arrive at our destination.”

Sobbing both on the outside and in his mind, Alexander asked, “What is this place called?”

“The Citadel is our destination. It’s built on an actual island, not like the one we just left. The people there are teachers of science, philosophy, and self-defense. You will learn much while I sleep, but we will always be just a thought apart. Try to rest now.”

Alexander reluctantly settled in and slept once again. Draco continued his journey to The Citadel. When the island was in sight, the dragon, using his mind, gently nudged the child awake.

“Your new home is just ahead, Alexander. There are many children at The Citadel for you to play with.”

“Do they have dogs and cats there? I had a dog back at Tranquility. His name was Jack. Mommy said he couldn’t come hide with us because he might bark and let the bad people know where we were. I miss Jack.”

“There are dogs and cats and cows and many other animals. You’ll see for yourself soon. How are your bites?”

“Some are all right, but some hurt a lot. They were mean to me. I’m glad you hurt them too, Draco!”

“We did what we needed to survive. Hang on tight, I’m landing.”

Draco landed smoothly on a field just outside the Citadel walls. Immediately, a massive drawbridge was lowered, and several elderly men in robes with ornate designs walked out to greet their guests.

“Draco, my dear friend, you have stayed away too long. I hope your journey was a pleasant one?”

“Unfortunately, as much as I would like this visit to be about old friends catching up, I’m here to ask for your help,” said Draco. “My young friend Alexander has been made an orphan by the Beast Masters and their hoard. Would you have a place in The Citadel for him to live and learn?”

Alexander was confused. He knew Draco, and the man were talking with their minds, but he could not hear what they were saying. The eldest of the men turned toward him, knelt down on one knee and extended his hand.

Speaking not with his mind but with his voice, “Hello young man! My name is Aetos. What’s yours?”

Momentarily startled at hearing someone speak out loud, the boy hesitated, then answered, “I’m Alexander and I’m three. Draco says I’m going to live here. Do you have a dog?”

Aetos had to grin at the boy’s impetuousness. “Yes, my boy, you will stay with us for as long as you wish; and yes, I have a dog.”

“Aetos, I must leave now. My rest period is upon me. Once again, I am in your debt.”

“There is no debt, Draco. We are all brothers in spirit. Rest comfortably knowing that your ward is in excellent hands.”

Draco turned to Alexander. “I must leave now to rest. Aetos is a wise and caring man who will teach you many things. Remember, I’m only a thought away.”

Alexander reached out his small arms and did his best to hug his friend. Draco turned and launched into the sky.

“Come, my young apprentice, it’s time we get to know each other better.

Aetos and Alexander watched Draco fly off to his resting place, then turned toward The Citadel. They walked across the lowered drawbridge in silence, followed by Leandro and Lonnie. A feeling of deep despair washed over Alexander. His father died fighting the Jikininki. His mother was killed by a Beast Master as they tried to escape, and now his best friend and guardian was flying away to a distant place. There was only so much his three-year-old mind could handle. Tears began welling up in Alexander’s eyes as he passed beneath the stone archway and into The Citadel.

His despair was immediately replaced by delight and amazement. People of The Citadel lined the road and cheered! Children his age, mothers in tow, ran to him asking what it was like to ride a dragon. Older children looked at him with a mix of envy and annoyance. Even the village reminded him of Tranquility. Could this be his new home? Only time would tell.

**********************************************************************I haven't had time to post much lately so I thought I'd combined a couple of chapters of one of my favorite stories. Hope you enjoy it!