The Dragon's Prize Read online

  She wasn’t sure what they thought she could do. After all, she was still chained to the wall, but they burst through the door in a rush. Not wanting to spend the rest of her life unconscious, Sandra backed up against the nearest wall and put her hands up in surrender. The guard respected that and only punched her a few times.

  “For what it’s worth,” As he was busy laying into her solar plexus, the guard leaned over and whispered in her ear, “I think you’re right.”

  “It’s not worth much.” Sandra croaked the words out and then doubled over in pain. He was being nicer than he could have been, but with the beating she’d already taken she now felt like her insides had been turned to custard.

  At least they weren’t hitting Mira. She had her hands up, too, and they just put some manacles on her and undid the chain holding her to the cell’s well. Sandra would take small miracles where she could find them. She didn’t know if Mira was going to share her fate, but there was a big difference between being taken to a dignified end and being beaten every few minutes.

  Eventually Sandra couldn’t stand on her own anymore and collapsed to her knees, coughing blood onto the ground. That seemed to be what the guard was waiting for, because he grabbed her hands roughly and hauled them behind her back. They were the only things keeping Sandra partially upright, so she collapsed into a heap with her forehead pressed against the floor of the cell.

  Wonderful.

  The guard finally finished, undid the chain mooring her to the wall and hauled her roughly to her feet.

  “What? No wise cracks?” The captain smirked.

  “Damn you.” Sandra spat blood in face.

  The guards laughed. The captain grimaced and wiped away the bloody spittle. Sandra hung her head, running out of strength and the will to keep her head up. It wasn’t worth it.

  The trip out of the dungeon was fast. Mira and Sandra were dragged down a short hallway, up a tight corkscrewing stair and out into the bright sunlight of the castle’s bailey. It was not a market day so there were few people milling about the dirt courtyard in the noon sun. Noon? Sandra wondered how long she’d been unconscious in the cell. It might have been days, but it seemed more likely to have been hours. Her fight with the prince had been early in the morning… was it really only going to take half a day to decide on and execute her sentence?

  The word execute stuck in her throat as they were lead to the side of the keep where a hasty headsman’s block was set up.

  Sandra couldn’t help it. A low keen escaped her throat and she started to backpedal hard, throwing herself backward against the guard who was leading her forward. He grunted with an ‘oof’ and almost lost his grip on her.

  Almost.

  The captain whirled around and hit her. Hard. Her mouth popped open in surprise and the man who was leading her forward jammed a dirty rag between her teeth to keep her from saying anything else. She tried to bite down on his fingers, but he got the rag in too fast and she wasn’t able to close her jaw all the way.

  Damn!

  There had to be a way out.

  There had to be!

  How could they hold a private execution like this? Usually they liked the spectacle: bringing people in from all around the town to watch a criminal have their head cut off. It was like a festival day, people would wear brightly colored clothes and buy sweets from street vendors. There was the obligatory throwing rotten fruit at the criminal, and the classical jeering at them while they were trapped in the stocks for all to see the folly of trying to break the law of the land.

  That would give her plenty of time to escape.

  Or, at least, heal so that she didn’t have to die while her entire body was a map of pain.

  If she thought about it, though, she guessed that this had to be done in secret because there was too much chance of the people sympathizing with her.

  That made sense.

  She didn’t want to make sense!

  She didn’t want to die!

  “Sandra!” Mira’s voice cut through Sandra’s desperate struggles and brought focus around to the world again. Did Mira have an answer? She must have an answer!

  “Mmmf?”

  “Look.” Mira nodded her head towards the other side of the bailey, where a tight knot of guards was marching through the gate toward the keep. Trailing behind them was a group of servants with bags and carts and various and sundry items. There were at least a dozen servants, all laden and all trying desperately to keep up with the guards. And in front?

  The prince!

  “Mmmf!” He would help! He must not know what was going on, but if he saw his childhood friend in chains about to be lead away to her death, he would stop it.

  Right?

  The prince must be able to stand up the guard captain, otherwise the world simply didn’t make sense.

  She tried to struggle again. Punch. She tried to spit out the rag. Punch.

  The prince was almost at the keep’s gates. If he went out of sight, then her last chance for survival would go too.

  She poured all of her desperation into an attempt to get free. The idiots should have chained her feet together, it would have hobbled her and kept her from running. She elbowed the guard holding her in the gut, forcing him off her and away and then burst into a sprint. Everything in her body hurt as she ran, and her abdominal muscles screamed in protest, but desperation cut through the pain.

  Later.

  Later she would pay for this.

  Later she would hurt.

  Now she needed the speed. The captain was taken by surprise by her dash, as was the guard holding her, so she got away from them easily. They’d stripped her of her armor, leaving her in just her tattered exercise clothes, and at the moment that was very helpful. It left her free to concentrate on running.

  Running!

  To freedom!

  The guards started shouting, yelling that a dangerous prisoner was loose and calling for the assistance of their comrades near the prince. That got their attention, but it also got the attention of the prince himself. He and his entourage turned to look at her, confused by what was happening and interested that she seemed so desperate to reach them.

  The prince’s face lit up in recognition and confusion. He knew it was her! She was saved!

  A blood-curdling, reptilian screech ripped through the air and took Sandra’s attention completely off her goal. People yelled in surprise. A huge shadow covered the courtyard, blocking out the sun and smothering the bailey in darkness.

  Instinct took over and Sandra leapt sideways, rolling away from the prince’s entourage as she hit the dirt and trying to put as much difference between herself and them as possible. Less than a moment later, the world erupted in heat and flame.

  *

  The courtyard was a storm of chaos, noise and heat. Sandra rolled as she hit the ground, less graceful than usual due to the chains preventing her from using her arms, and managed to twist herself back up onto her knees. Flame was everywhere: the very ground seemed to have ignited. Super-heated wind swirled, driven by the downbeats of huge wings and scattering the people.

  Something huge, red and reptilian was landing where the prince’s entourage once stood. Now there was a jumble of discarded packages and fleeing servants. The guards had fled too, running for cover or rolling around in the dirt trying desperately to put out a fire. Sandra couldn’t blame them, but it left the prince standing alone on the stairs to the keep. His face was white with shock and he was staring up at the massive creature descending on him.

  Dragon!

  Sandra’s brain, for a moment, refused to recognize what was happening. The massive red lizard was clearly a dragon, but why was it here? The closest dragon lived in the Riprock mountains, and they had a treaty with it. Him? She didn’t know…

  The dragon landed on its hind legs, reared back and let loose a blood curdling howl. A single, massive beat of its wings scattered the guards who were massing on the walls and cracked loose dozens of pieces of mortar. H
eavy shrapnel rained down from the sides of the keep, forcing people to keep their heads down for fear of having them bashed in.

  “Sandra!” Mira’s voice came from behind Sandra.

  Mira?

  Sandra realized her hands were free. The distinct clank of manacles hitting the ground was almost lost amongst the chaos of the courtyard.

  “Mira?”

  “Help him.” Mira was right, the dragon was clearly focused on the prince. He’d had the presence of mind to try and run, but the dragon’s whip-like tail lashed around and caught him by the ankle. It swept him off his feet and hoisted him into the air, almost level with the monster’s snaky head.

  “How did you…?”

  “Wasn't always a maid.”

  Sandra didn’t have time to dig into that. The dragon looked like it was about ready to take off with its prize. Was that really why it came here? It seemed nonsensical…

  Adrenaline blocked out the pain as Sandra surged to her feet. She sprinted toward the dragon, bending to snatch a discarded sword on the way. Unbidden, a battle scream tore itself from her throat and she leapt the last few feet at the creature’s leg, holding the sword above her head with the tip pointed at the dragon.

  The dragon turned toward her at the sound of the scream, but it was too late. She collided hard with its leg, driving the sword into its thigh. It was tough; if she hadn’t had the extra momentum of the jump behind her she didn’t think she could have pierced the thick scales and heavy muscle.

  The dragon screamed in pain and kicked out hard with the leg she’d stabbed. The extensive damage done to her across three beatings and who knew how long in captivity had taken its toll. She thought she might have been able to hold on in better circumstances, but here and now she couldn’t. The bloody sword hilt slipped out of her grip and she went flying across the hard packed dirt of the courtyard. On the way she rolled twice before finally coming to a stop at Mira’s feet.

  “I tried…”

  “I know.” Mira lay a cool hand Sandra’s forehead, which felt good against the backdrop of pain she was in.

  The dragon launched itself into the air to avoid further stabbing attempts, but none came. The guards on the walls stayed hunkered behind what cover they could find, and the guards on the ground were content to cower around corners and inside solid-looking buildings. Sandra’s lip curled: cowards.

  “The prince is mine!” The dragon’s gravelly voice boomed across the courtyard, and he held the prince high in a clawed hand to demonstrate his prize. The prince hung limp in the dragon’s grip, and Sandra thought for a moment he was dead… then he stirred at the rough treatment. He must have fainted.

  “Do what I demand and he will not be harmed! I require a fee of one hundred thousand gold coins for his safe return.” The dragon blew a cone of flame at an unoccupied portion of the bailey to emphasize his words. The scorching blast of air which swept across the castle stole everyone’s breath and made them involuntarily gasp. “I will return in one month to collect it.”

  Then it took off. A great, clawed foot gripped the top of a tower and flexed mightily. The dragon coiled itself into the motion and then launched itself into the sky. Huge red wings scooped massive amounts of air and the creature soared off into the sky with the captive prince in its grasp.

  For a moment, everyone was quiet. Flames sputtered and died in the dirt, and burned guards ran for cover. Everyone was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

  “You should run.” Sandra whispered to Mira.

  “I won’t leave you…”

  “That’s not a good choice.” Sandra laughed, which hurt. Then she started to crawl to her feet while the rest of the castle crouched in cover.

  Mira helped, and soon Sandra was on her feet. Once there, she managed to walk without much effort. She didn’t want to imagine what she looked like: blood coming from her mouth, bruises across her face and posture broken by her rough treatment. Instead she focused on one goal in her mind: getting the prince back. Riprock mountains were two weeks away on horseback, which was plenty of time to heal up before the fight.

  “Captain!” Yelling hurt. She didn’t care. “You can kill me later, but you need me now. Take me with you on this expedition!”

  In the silence she could hear the shuffling of nervous feet. Maybe people thought another dragon was coming? They didn’t have any more crown princes…

  “Uhh… what?” Finally the captain spoke up, peeking around the corner of the keep. “We don’t need you.”

  “Like Hell. I didn’t see anyone else trying to take that thing down.”

  “Take it down?”

  “On the expedition.”

  “I don’t see how getting gold from the treasury needs bravery…” It didn’t look like anything else was going to happen, so the captain came out from around the corner of the keep and strode toward Sandra. Now that the danger was passed, he struck a noble and confident figure in comparison to an injured guard who could barely stand.

  “What? You’re not going after it?”

  “To what?”

  “To punish it for this trespass!” Sandra was angry now. Yelling. “It broke a peace treaty with us and you want to kowtow to its demands?!”

  “Umm…”

  “It took the prince!” She pointed at the sky for emphasis. “We hunt it down like the filthy cur it is and show it what awaits the enemies of the kingdom.”

  “You’re both right.” A woman’s voice, cool and regal and commanding, interrupted their argument.

  Sandra turned to see who it was and was confronted with a stately middle-aged woman in a lavish gown dripping in jewels. She was surrounded by a dozen women in gowns which were nearly as lavish, although with fewer jewels, and a half dozen guards in crisp white-enamel plate armor.

  The queen!

  Sandra found herself falling to one knee without even thinking about it. The jarring pain in her stomach made her think that, maybe, she might not be able to get back up after.

  “Your majesty.”

  A chorus of ‘your majesty’s echoed throughout the bailey. People had started to trickle out of their hidey-holes to watch the shouting match between Sara and the captain, but their attention was now entirely on the queen. While it was her castle, she was rarely seen outside of the sumptuous gardens at the top of the keep or the great hall where she and the king kept audience. Sandra had only seen her once, from afar, when her class graduated to full guard status.

  “Rise, brave guard. I witnessed your effort on behalf of the prince earlier and you have my respect.”

  “But, your majesty…!” The captain surged to his feet and tried to protest.

  “Enough, captain!” The queen held out an imperious hand which stopped him dead. “I also know of the fate intended for her.”

  Sandra couldn’t disobey a direct order from the queen and stood. Tried to. She managed it on the second attempt. The queen graciously didn’t say anything.

  “Now.” The queen raised her voice so everyone could hear her. “You are both right. We must mount a rescue attempt, and if that fails we will gather the bounty that the creature has proposed.” She paused for dramatic effect, then continued. “I will not order anyone to make an assault on this creature’s lair, for it is dangerous and there is no guarantee of success. I will, however, take volunteers.”

  “I’ll go, your majesty!” Sandra stepped forward. She was up now, so she could manage that.

  She waited with her heart in her chest for someone to protest. Or, worse, for the captain to volunteer as well. It would only make sense, but she didn’t think having him on the expedition would do much to help her life expectancy. He probably wouldn’t be stupid enough to throw away her help on the way out, but he might do something on the way back.

  Didn’t matter.

  What mattered now were the prince’s life and the kingdom’s honor.

  It was quiet. Someone coughed. Someone else shuffled their feet. Another cough. Sandra felt her anger rising with ea
ch passing moment. Cowards!

  “I’ll go.” A female voice and someone stepped forward. Mira? Sandra turned to look.

  “Oh, Mira, no…”

  “I can be… a squire, you know?” Mira shrugged.

  “Oh, that’s rich.” The captain barked out a sharp, derisive laugh. “The commoner guard and a maid, against a dragon?!” He slapped his leg and laughed again. There was no mirth in that sound. “This filth won’t last a second against the creature’s might, your majesty!”

  “We’ll see.” The queen cut through his derision with cool indifference. “Still, they are the only ones who have volunteered.”

  “Because they’re the only ones crazy en-…!”

  “Your respect, captain.” The queen snapped at him this time. “They are the only ones willing to lay down their lives for the honor of our kingdom. They are the only ones willing to save my son.”

  “Majesty.” The captain knew when to be quiet, so he did. He bowed and took a step away from the gathering crowd.

  “Majesty.” Sandra bowed as well, though not as deeply. She didn’t know if she could get back up if she went down too far. “With your leave, Mira and I will go and pack for the journey.”

  “Yes.” The queen nodded. “I think you should.” Then she raised her voice and addressed the crowd which milled about, waiting for answers and saviors. “My people! Your prince has been taken by a most foul beast, but fear not!” Clearly she was hamming it up for the audience. “Your champions will prevail!”

  A cheer went up from the crowd. Ragged at first, it gained momentum when Sandra hopped up to the top of the stairs and raised her arms in defiance. She was bruised and bloody, barely able to walk, but to see her like that and still willing to go through with such a dangerous course helped morale. They knew she was doing this for the good of the kingdom, for their good, and that she would let nothing stand in her way.

  Afraid she might not say the right thing, Sandra just cheered. The crowd cheered. Mira cheered. The queen beamed at the two of them, apparently quite satisfied with the state of things.

  *