Flames of Vengeance

There weren’t always dragons in the valley.

No, there had been generations of humanity who had never seen these winged beasts, who had never laid eyes on their scales or seen the horrors of their fire, breathed the sting of their smoke.

There weren’t always dragons in the valley.

But there certainly were now.

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The beast crept forward, the scorched remains of homes and their residents crumbling to ash and black char beneath its feet. The murmur of flames still crackled and lapped at the edges of its mind, even as the cries of fear had subsided, and any human sounds that remained were only straining, tapering breaths.

It looked around silently, taking in the destruction and chaos that still glowed with heat, eyes wide with awe. Some bodies rested beneath the destruction, and the rest of the humans had abandoned their dwellings for the sake of survival. There was nothing left for it here. It pushed its way through the remains toward the woods, the shadows reaching out as if calling it forth. It had been left behind by its own, considered too small, too powerless to be of any use. But the darkness? The darkness whispered that it had a place, a home for the beast.

It clambered unsteadily on clumsy feet toward the night that lay in wait between the towering oaks. Its limbs were not yet strong enough for the difficult terrain, the splintered wood and broken trees too tall for its still-small limbs. But it would not give in to the world that fought against its tiny body.

The shadows beckoned it further, whispering comfort to the young being, until it found itself in a clearing, surrounded by vibrant red mushrooms. A faerie ring. The words murmured within the creature’s mind. It was some memory, or perhaps the voice of the darkness, yanking at the shroud of its mind.

Indeed. A faerie ring, dear child. Magic creatures of all kinds can be lost or found here. So which are you?

Yes, that was certainly another voice that was echoing in its skull. The beast’s mind could not yet form words such as this. With eyes wide, not with a young creature’s terror, but with the wonder and expectation of what was to come, it turned toward the hulking shape that inched its way toward the ring. Smoke curled out from the figure, as if the voice had taken shape and was reaching out.

So you are my dragonright? A disappointed growl peeled itself from the shadows. I burn down the grandest village, and reclaim the mountains, while my brothers south of the valley cower in fear, too ashamed to even speak to me, and yet the gods gift me with a creature so puny and weak? I should destroy you where you stand.

The figure in the shadows alit as flame spewed forth with a low rumble, charring the trees surrounding the ring. Its scales glittered behind the fire, unlike anything the little beast had ever seen. The reflection of an emerald dragon shimmered in its own wide eyes. In fact, if you were to ask the dragon what it had seen that day, it might tell you how the beast’s eyes were more vibrant and gleamed with delight far brighter than any of its brethren’s hides.

Are you not afraid, beastling?

The creature stood gazing back, unwavering.

You have been abandoned here, do you not know this?

The creature sat and smiled softly at the dragon. And after a moment, the dragon bared its teeth, twisting its face into some semblance of an amused smile.

Perhaps I can find use for you yet, young one. Come along, beastling. I will raise you as my own, for my own design. You are dragonkind now, human.

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The sounds of beating wings as loud as cannon fire broke through the quiet murmur and stillness of the night that hung above the lake. The glass of the water shattered into a ripple, bobbing our miniature vessel up and down in its wake.

“Get down!” someone whispered behind me.

And without another word of instruction or warning, the candles were pinched out with a dull hiss and feathers of gray smoke.

As if in response to the death of its kin, fire flooded the sky, filling the clouds with light and smoke. The men behind me were rolling out a layer of camouflage over the boat in a hushed flurry, water slapping against the sides of the boat and spilling over the edges. Some rushed underneath my feet and I gave the tiniest gasp of surprise.

It was enough.

One of the men whipped around to find the disturbance to the unspoken pact of silence. At a first glance, there was no man before his eyes.

“Stowaway,” he muttered under his breath.

Inching forward, he peered between the barrels and through the netting I had flattened myself behind. I held my breath and stayed motionless, praying the man would not see me. His gaze seemed to lay on me for decades, centuries, eons, the fire of the sky reflecting in his eyes, and revealing to me a fury that shone just as bright. I was sure to lose consciousness from lack of air. But just when the edges of my vision began to blur into a haze of black, the man turned away, attending to a task he had been nudged to do.

I released the air from my lungs, breathing anew, as relief and oxygen flooded inside me. The men continued to scurry about, and I watched, learning their ways. I practiced the movements of knots with my hands and leaned forward for a better view.

Within moments before I even had time to think to process what had occurred, I was on the floor before them, dully aware of the pain in my shoulder from being dragged by the arm. That pain was overwhelmed by the sting as I thudded against the deck and the shock of seeing blood begin to bead at my knees.

“Found this thing hidden among the nets, Captain.”

The quietest murmurs I have ever heard rustled through the collection of men, before being silenced by a hulking mass of a man that I could only assume was the captain.

“Don’t worry boys, if it comes down to it we can simply leave him behind as bait for the dragon.”

The men seemed to accept this and turned away, resuming their busy work.

“No!” I said loudly and firmly.

The men froze where they stood, from my volume or my defiance, I wasn’t sure.

“What was that, boy?” growled the man in front of me.

“I said: No.” Despite the confidence in my words, I gazed firmly at the ground, eyes searing holes.

“Look at me, boy.”

I remained unwavered, eyes set on the wood beneath his feet.

“I said look at me.”

Rage bubbled up at the edges of his voice, as he reached forward and tugged my chin up to meet his eyes, flinging my cap to the ground in the process, and loosing tresses of hair around my shoulders.

Silence, a silence louder than the cries of a newborn dragon pierced the air before one brave soul had the stupidity to speak.

“A girl.”

Another voice followed behind.

“Captain, this is why the beast has come, we have been cursed by this wench, this… this devil.”

“Hush.” Said the mountain that still towered before me.

The silence fell again.

“I know,” Said the man. “I know. So get her off of here as soon as you can. Tie her up and throw her overboard for the fire beast to devour. We will flee while it feasts on her.”

“No!” I screamed, but the hands of the men were quick, wrapping me tightly in rope I couldn’t hope to escape.

My cries pierced the night, and the Captain came racing towards me, fear and fire in his eyes.

“Silence! Or we will all die. Our blood and the blood of our children will be on your hands.”

I screamed again, begging for my life, pleading to be set free. He raised his hand toward me, and I began to cower, to quake at the sight before me. No, not his hand set to strike. I had been pummeled and beat more times than I could count. It was the flames behind him and the spread of the wings of a blood-red dragon that had me shuddering.

The thing dove toward us, talons outstretched, and before the man could touch me, the boat rocked, sending several men overboard.

Shrieks of fear filled the air as the beast breathed flames that stayed upon the water, dancing about. The men still in the boat dove into the water as if there was hope that they might swim back to shore, and return home to their wives.

I knew better.

The dragon bore its teeth with what most would assume was ferocity, but I knew in an instant that it was more of a… smile. It flung the men about as if they were children’s play things, sometimes tossing them in the air and watching them flail about, and with others, holding them under the water to see if they still screamed when they arose.

I pressed myself against the sides of the ship, making myself small, hardly breathing. I watched as the dragon swam towards the last man, who had swam quite the distance, and silently closed its mouth around him, muffling his scream while sinking under the water. The water lapped against the boat gently. A peaceful silence settled around me, as if unaware of the clouds of red that had stained the lake below me. I waited for the beast to rise once more and take off into the (night? sky?), hoping I was free, hoping I would live to tell the tale.

The rush of water rose behind me, as the beast slowly lifted itself from the water. I turned to look and found its eyes upon me. Before I could even breath in fear, its claw curled over the surface of the boat, snapping through the rope that bound me and burying deep into my shoulder.

Blood trickled from the wound, and I let out a cry of pain. Not a scream. No, I would not become its toy.

“Hello, tiny one,” rumbled a voice like tumbling stones in my mind. “You are awfully quiet, little plaything. Won’t you allow me some fun?”

“I am not your plaything. If you will end me, do so while I still have more honor than those weeping cowards.”

It hummed what I might assume was a purr of delight.

"Ah, so you understand the elder language. Though I must say, it is a shame you cannot speak it. It is ever so funny to hear our words on human lips. Try for me, will you, little plaything?”

I looked into its eyes with quiet defiance, staring my death in the face with the rage and fearlessness of a girl who had been broken long ago. I had allowed myself to cower once today, but I would not again. Not ever in the rest of my life, though my life may end now.

It hummed again with that same satisfaction, clearly fascinated by the little creature that would not give in nor shudder at its power.

“I like you, tiny one, you have the smell of dragon. So, I will give you this warning, should you make it back to your people before you bleed yourself into the next life. The mountains belong to me and my sisters, the seas to my brothers. We once ruled it all, but we were pushed back by your people before we knew how fragile you are. But now, tiny beast, we have allowed you monsters to plague the valleys and the fields for too long. It is time we claimed our land once more. We have begun here, in this valley, but we will take it all, and swallow your bodies in fire and ash. Tell your people this, and see if you can spare one or two from our reign.”

It hummed its pleasure, seeing me wince in pain as it removed its claw. With a powerful beat of its wings, it flung itself in the air, showering water upon me. I watched as it soared away, its heavy body never impeding its graceful flight.

When I was quite certain it was gone, the sound of wings silenced by the space between us, something bubbled inside me. A laugh. It burst forth from my lips, it danced across the water, and with it came its sisters. I laughed, and glee spilled from me like the blood from my shoulder.

I would not warn the people. I would not tell a single soul. I would not try.

“My people” had never treated me with love. Never even with compassion. Not even pity. “My people were fiends and bastards. They were a plague upon this world.

No, there were not always dragons in the valley, but a new age was coming when the beasts, my true people, those who had raised me in the mountains of the north, would have it all.

I laughed again.

Let them burn.

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