Flames of Vengence

There weren't always dragons in the Valley. There had been a time when the valley had been a thriving district, when there had been things to trade and people to trade them. Lucah could remember the bustling markets, the sounds of laughter at the summer festivals, dogs barking at a passing carriage as the Bower’s old gelding drew it steadily down the main street.

He could remember when they came.

The smell had been the first thing anyone had noticed, the sulphuric tang to the air in the days leading up to the moment that changed their lives. They knew now that the southern districts had been burning, but now, it was a smell that tainted the earth. It had melted into the dirt, into their skin and even if they had clean water there would never be enough to wash it away.

His grandfather had told him of dragons, of the mighty beasts who had ruled the world in the time before man and elf. Of how man and elf had risen against a then peaceful creature that had shared the land. Man though, his grandfather had said, was greedy. Man and elf had fought over their equally shared lands, each race craving more. Dragons were firm rulers though and refused any argument that didn’t result in an equal world for all. And so man and elf had invited the dragons to a banquet and poisoned them like the cowardly, power-hungry beings they were.

The time of dragons was over.

It had been nothing more than a folk tale. Lucah had been one of many of the local children who would sit around to hear his grandfather's tales even if everyone else called them fanciful ramblings of an old man. He had died that day, burnt running to warn Lucah and his mother. All Lucah could think was how unfair it had been that the one man who had championed the creatures and talked endlessly about how mistreated they had been, had been among the first to die by their vengeful fires.

It had been twenty years now, his mother had died soon after his grandfather and Lucah who had been eleven at the time had had to use nothing more than his wits to survive in a world now ruled by chaos. The dragons were in charge again and this time, they had no intention of living peacefully with man or elf, this time they would not be fooled. They knew now the motives of man and elf and they had cleansed the world. Now they lived a half-life in fear of the enormous beasts that haunted the skies.

“I’ll give you five coins for them.”

“Come off it Pim, you tryin’ to rip me or what? You know damn well they’re worth at least thirty” Lucah’s pale blue eyes rolled as he reached out to place his dirt-stained hand over the small linen bag, “and that’s mates rates, people will pay twice that for seeds and you know it.”

“How do I know they’ll even sprout?”

“How do you know Adri’s at home alone? Faith mate. Faith.” Lucah grinned.

The small round man let out a huff and began counting out coins before sliding them across the rough wood of the counter. “Knew you’d come around.” Lucah laughed as he counted them out, slowly and deliberately if for no other reason than to see Pim’s left eye twitch.

“Just get out.” Pim sighed, a hand lifting to run through his hair which just amused Lucah more since Pim only had about three strands of hair left.

“Yeah yeah, pleasure doin’ business as always,” he turned on his heel stopping just before the door to glance at the man over his shoulder, “go home early mate, there was talk of fresh smoke in Dilby.”

Pim’s eyes narrowed before nodding and Lucah turned and stepped out onto the street. The new town wasn’t as bustling as the old had been. Everyone now was in a hurry, eager to do what they had to before returning to the safety of the underground burrows they now called home. It was dangerous to stay topside for too long and for the most part their world was connected by a series of purpose-built tunnels. Some people though, like Pim, refused to give up completely and out of either pride or spite insisted on either living or running their shops in the rebuilt main street.

And then there were the people like Lucah.

Lucah had nothing left to lose and the way he saw it, he had everything to gain. He was one of the only travelling merchants left, though he used the term very loosely. He and a small handful of others travelled the networks, buying and selling, sometimes stealing, borrowing and obtaining by any method that seemed fit at the time. They moved through the tunnels that ran from village to village and then on days like today, he would move topside.

He pushed his coins into his saddlebag, his hand reaching out to run down the length of his mare’s dirty steel grey neck as she shifted her feet nervously. “Easy” he whispered to the animal, “I know, we’re goin’, I smell it too.” Sulphur.

He stepped up into the stirrup and swung his leg over the saddle. He was barely seated before the mare was already weaving her way through the people who had also noticed. Bodies scattered to safety. It was then he heard it, the blood-curdling crack of sound that came the moment before flames spewed from a dragon's nose.

His mare skidded sideways and Lucah tightened his reins. “Easy, easy.” he cooed calmly, the noise had been loud, too loud but it was still a ways off. Not far enough away for anyone to be comfortable but far enough that he knew he had time to slip into the tree line and hug the cliff wall and hide in the shadows. It was why he had picked this particular horse out of a small herd of probably more suitable mounts, the mare's colouring blended into the charred landscape and melted into shadows like a ghost. Sure she was a little flighty but she was young and Lucah could see her potential. “Steady now,” he continued, his large hand stroking her neck once more.

“Lucah!”

“Adrian?” Lucah frowned, “What the hell you thinkin’ bein’ up here?”

“Is Pim at the shop? Everyone else is back but…”

Lucah could see the panic on the man’s face and threw a thumb over his shoulder with a shake of his head. “He’s on his way, I just left him and told him to get goin’, now get on back before you two fools wind up dead runnin’ round in circles lookin’ for each other.”

Lucah had all the time in the world for Adrian but the man lacked sense that Lucah refused to blame on the other's frail physique and sickly constitution. He was about to pull Adrian up onto the horse and deposit him at the entrance to the burrows when the man took off again without a word and Lucah turned in his saddle to see Pim catch his husband in his arms.

“Get him the hell out of here!” he called out, glancing at the western horizon as another crack of sound and a flash of light lit the late afternoon sky. Still, he held the grey mare in place despite her dancing feet until he was sure Pim and Adri were safe.

“Alright girl,” he grinned as he leant forward slightly, “let’s see what you’ve got.” He gave the horse her head and she needed no encouragement. She launched forward, her long legs making short work of the distance and yet she found another gear when another, closer, crack was heard from behind them.

The moment they reached the edge of the valley Lucah had her slow, her coat thick with sweat both from exertion and panic. “Shhh, we’re alright.” he cooed softly as he steadied her and slipped quietly from her back just as the clip of enormous wings could be heard above.

He held the mare’s head close as the dragon circled somewhere above them, the dense canopy of skeleton branches the only thing separating them. They had impeccable hearing, dragons, and incredible eyesight in the light of day and the still of the night but at dawn and dusk, they were useless. The grey of shadows and a half-lit world confused them and it was the only safe time of day to travel.

There had been talk for years about finding out where they nested during these times but no one had ever found them. There had never been any sign of a nest or anything that you would think large enough to house them. They seem to just evaporate into thin air only to reappear when the conditions were to their advantage.

So when Lucah heard the beast land not too far from where he hid, just as the sun began to slip from the sky curiosity got the better of him. He crept lightly through the forest, the mare moving just as silently despite the occasional shake of her head to signal she wasn’t a fan of this plan. The tree’s thinned and parted and a large clearing came into view. A small creek ran through the centre, the clear water rolling effortlessly over smooth stones and it made Lucah realise just how dry his throat was.

There was no sign of a dragon though, and he knew that stepping out into the open was too much of a risk, even for him. He was just contemplating moving around the edge of the clearing when movement caught his eye.

It was the first time he had seen one up close. It was the first time he had seen one that wasn’t spewing fire at everything in its path. It was smaller than he had expected and he had to wonder if it was the same beast that he had just left behind him. Its red hide seemed more than red, as though each scale was made of the finest jewel that had been carved and intricately placed; each one caught what was left of the light. He watched as the beast paced the clearing and Lucah noticed a lameness to its gait, a large gash across its shoulder. Had another dragon done that?

The sun slid further, the light shifting and Lucah watched with wide eyes as the Dragan seemed to shrink. He blinked and blinked again. He even rubbed his eyes but now standing in the middle of the clearing — was a man. Smaller and seemingly younger than Lucah, with alabaster skin and long hair the colour of blood.

When the dragon clutched its shoulder and stumbled Lucah didn’t think before rushing forward only to realise his mistake and stop a few paces into the clearing when the other looked up at him with wide, startled eyes.

For a moment, Lucah thought the creature would run, or that it would transform and burn him into the landscape but neither of them moved.

He raised his hands slowly and nodded to the dragon’s injured shoulder. “You’re hurt,” he whispered, “I just want to help.”

It wasn’t a lie, he was too curious to be any kind of threat. Besides, if he could get information then perhaps could sell it.

He saw the moment the other relaxed and he moved forward slowly until he could see the wound that ripped through the other's skin. “Did one of your own do this?” he asked, trying to keep his voice even in the same way he did when he spoke to his mare.

“It is my own fault.”

It could speak. Lucah’s head spun and it took him a moment to gather himself, a moment to realise that the dragon was looking at him with just as much curiosity in what Lucah realised were eyes darker than any black he had ever seen.

“You can speak.” He smiled. “Do you have a name?”

“Of course I can speak, did you think you lot worked out how to communicate on your own? We dragons educated the first elf kind, the first men kind.” There was a hint of sadness in the creature's words and Lucah winced despite himself as his grandfather's stories flooded into his mind. The betrayals. He didn’t really blame them anymore except that the people that had attempted to rid the world of these creatures had been long dead but he could understand the bitterness. He too was bitter about losing his family to a war that hadn’t been theirs.

“And my name is Inzan but most just call me Zan.”

“Zan.” Lucah tested, smiling when he decided he liked the sound of it, “I’m Lucah, most just call me Lucah.” he offered. He lifted his fingers to his lips and whistled, a moment later the grey mare walked reluctantly from the trees only to snort and shake her head when she reached them. “Don’t mind her, this is…well, different for all of us.”

He pulled a few things out of his saddlebag, including a handful of grain which he offered up as a peace offering before assessing Zan’s shoulder. “This might sting,” he warned before applying a balm to the wound and offering an apologetic smile when the other hissed at him. “I did warn you.”

“Does she have a name?” Zan asked.

“Hmm? Oh, no not yet. Haven’t found anythin’ that fits her yet.” He looked over the wound and decided it was about all he could do and sighed softly as he returned his things to his saddlebag. “That wasn’t you earlier, was it?” It wasn’t really a question and he wasn’t surprised when Zan shook his head.

“Was it that one that did this to you?”

He was offered no reply though. Zan turned and sank down into the dirt, curling in on himself as though to sleep and Lucah knew what it was to not want to talk about something.

He wouldn’t push it, he could wait.