The Dragon’s Treasure Part I by Drake Richards
An adventurer goes to drive a dragon away, but ends up with more than she bargained for. , This is a rewrite of “Treasured One,”
The second part is coming soon.
* * *
Is this my fault? Enna wondered. She guided her horse around the numerous black holes and furrows which gave the hills a ghastly scarred appearance. It must have been months ago, now, but Enna easily remembered each blood-spattered detail of her and her companions’ fight with the black dragon deep beneath the earth. They had fought the beast as they had many others, having no time to wonder what a drake’s presence might mean.
“Trap the wings!” Dailen had shouted. Rondar, bearing the heavy chain net which they had prepared for the fight, roared primally and heaved the metal through the air as Makoa brought the dragon down with an arcane whisper. Before the dragon could rise, the net fell over its wings, and Rondar soon followed, wrestling the chains and clasps into place. The creature had howled then, a sound which had shaken the entire cavern and likely the whole mountain. Enna’s ears had rung in pain, yet over the noise she continued to sing, feeling as the spirits within the mountain responded to her voice which grew to a volume above even the dragon’s roar.
It had not taken much longer for Rondar and Dailen to beat the dragon into unconsciousness. As Dailen prepared to ram a spear into its throat, Enna had suddenly noticed a hooded figure retreat around a corner. She called attention to it, sending everyone chasing after the stranger.
As the cave quieted, she found herself alone, with nothing but a dying dragon for company. Making sure that nobody else was around, Enna had stepped carefully over to it. Enna could recall each detail of the dragon as clearly now as she did then: She could feel the hard, smooth scales under her hand, could feel the warmth which radiated from them like a pot fresh from the hearth. She also remembered even more clearly the ankles of the beast, which seemed unnaturally thin for something so massive.
“You’re a prisoner, aren’t you?” Enna asked somberly as she stroked its thick shoulder. Gingerly, she touched the small pendant hanging about her neck and glanced in the direction in which Dailen had run. Looking back at the dragon, she whispered “You deserve a second chance, too.”
Sympathy welled within her, and before she had stopped to think about what could happen, Enna placed her hands over the hard ebony scales. Beginning with a low hum which grew into a sonorous tone, Enna began to sing. She could feel as the spirits within the mountain shifted uncomfortably about her, but they did as she asked, crawling invisibly up to the dragon’s wounds. A warmth spread beneath Enna’s fingertips as the long cuts knitted together, and before long the blood had ceased its flow. Enna closed the song gently and leaned back onto the stone wall, watching the bulk before her carefully.
Soon, the dragon drew a deep breath and flicked open its massive yellow eyes. The beast lurched to its feet, stumbling for a moment as its wounds throbbed. Enna backed away frantically, but not before the dragon had seen her. Its long tail lashed out, hitting her square in the stomach and sending her flying back into the cavern wall. Her vision blurred, and she saw as the dragon eyed her hungrily. In her daze, Enna shook her head and pointed weakly at the cave’s exit. “Go!” she had shouted. The dragon looked where she pointed, looked back at her, then lumbered away as it spat a wad of blood on the ground.
I let it live, Enna thought. The scorched fields, slaughtered livestock, and dead innocents were all her doing. That’s why she’d come so far south, though; if this dragon was the same that she had healed, it was her responsibility to end this problem. What troubled her the most wasn’t that the dragon had gone so rampant- her greatest fear right now was that she had come so close to its cave, now within sight of it, and yet had not been accosted. From what the rumors had said, nobody could even get close to the mountains any more.
Enna checked the straps on her sword one more time and made the final climb up to the mouth of the cave. She dismounted and drew out a torch, quickly lightning it as she peered into the gaping mouth before her. The darkness inside seemed undisturbed by the light of the sun, and seemed to draw in the light of her torch. The cave whispered gently as wind blew across it, sending chills across Enna’s skin. She reached within her jerkin and clasped the rough stone pendant hanging there firmly. The cave whispered again, and Enna took a resolute step inside. r
Within, the cave’s whispers continued louder than before, becoming a low howl.. Enna’s torch reflected oddly off of water which trickled down the walls, and the air itself seemed to cling to her like a cold silken cloak. “Like the throat of a great beast,” she mused, but pressed downward through the twisting passages. “Hello?” she called, then cleared her throat. “T’saak?” The word grated on her throat.
“Hello,” something whispered behind her. The voice responded in deep Draconian, and Enna whipped around to see a large black reptilian head before her with yellow eyes shining like lanterns. She reached for her sword, but the dragon blew softly and extinguished her torch. The darkness surrounded her immediately, and Enna froze in place, her heart beating frantically. She heard a deep intake of air in front of her, followed by a steady breath which wafted over her and filled the air with a harsh acrid stench.
“Mmm,” the dragon rumbled. “You are afraid.”
Enna wet her lips “I am alive,” she said haltingly.
“Impressive,” it mused. The sound bounced about her, echoing endlessly in the darkness. “Ours is no easy tongue for a human. Who taught you such things?” Enna turned carefully, trying to pinpoint the dragon. His voice seemed to be moving, she thought, circling her.
“I am a clever woman.” She quipped. “But that’s not what spared my life. You have killed everyone who has come close- all but me. Why?”
“Curiosity. I never forget a scent, and I could smell you on the wind long before you entered.” As the dragon spoke, Enna felt the air around her stir slightly, then jumped suddenly as something briefly flicked across her skin.
Enna shook off the feeling. “You remember that I saved you, then? You were a captive of that priest, and I released you from him.”
“I do remember that,” the dragon replied. “I also remember the blades of you and your comrades, piercing into my skin and drinking my blood. I remember the biting net. I remember the filth of your magic as it crawled across my scales, and I remember most of all one other thing.” The dragon punctuated each item sharply, his very voice seeming to drip with venom.
Enna gripped the hilt of her blade tighter, testing it in its sheath. “I am sorry about all of that. We did-”
“Most of all,” it said, cutting her off, “I remember your voice.” His tone was sultry, for a dragon, almost crooning.