Dragons' Onyx (37 page)

King Arik hung onto a scale as the dragon’s body swiveled. He spied another scale that was shaped like an arrowhead. Swiftly, he grabbed the dangling rope and wrapped it around the misshaped scale. As Arik held on to his precarious hold, Gorga shot flames towards the ridge. Prince Darok and Tanya disappeared from view. King Arik swiftly tied the free end of the rope to the sling that the dwarf had fashioned. That was when Gorga realized where the human had gone.

With a mighty roar, the dragon snapped his tail upward. The tail repeatedly smashed against the dragon’s back with thundering vibrations, but it could not reach King Arik. With a growl of frustration, Gorga rose upright and tried to smash his back against the wall of the canyon, but King Arik was too far up to be smashed into the wall of stone.

Tanya and Prince Darok reappeared at the edge of the ridge. Tanya shot an arrow into the face of the dragon, while the dwarf threw a throwing axe. Gorga spit fire and his huge wings flapped strongly.

“Run!” shouted King Arik. “You cannot help me now. Run!”

Gorga flapped his wings three more times and then he powered his body onto the ridge. King Arik tried to look around Gorga, but the dragon’s body was too large for him to see anything.

Not far away, Prince Darok and Tanya huddled behind a large outcropping of rock. Tanya nocked another arrow to her bow and started to move out from behind the outcropping, but Prince Darok placed his hand gently on her arm and shook his head. He pointed high into the sky, and Tanya’s eyes followed his finger. Another dragon had seen the commotion and was diving towards them. Tanya looked around for some place of safety, but could find nothing that would protect them from both dragons.

Gorga also saw the approaching dragon and growled. He threw his body over the edge of the cliff and spread his wings. As the second dragon swooped over the ridge, Gorga’s powerful wings carried him and King Arik out of the mouth of the canyon and over the treetops of the forest. While the second dragon searched the canyon, Gorga rose high into the sky. The second dragon finally noticed Gorga and gave chase. Within moments, both dragons were out of sight.

“I think your arrow got him in the eye,” Prince Darok broke the silence.

“Little good that will do,” scowled Tanya. “We did not do well on this quest. I should have done something more.”

“There was nothing more that you could have done,” comforted the dwarf.

“You don’t know,” snapped Tanya. “There was more that I could do, and I failed to do it.”

“Do not punish yourself so,” soothed Prince Darok. “I know of your magic talents. To use them would have doomed us all this close to the Dark One’s castle. King Arik is not dead yet. Give Garala some credit for using his head. He will find a way to get off the back of that dragon.”

“How did you know?” asked Tanya.

“Dwarves have good hearing,” shrugged Prince Darok. “I can assure you that the elves know, too.”

“Pioti!” cried Tanya as she raced to the edge of the cliff. “I must try to heal him.”

“There will be nothing that you can do for him,” the dwarf prince said solemnly as he looked down at Eltar and Prince Garong kneeling next to the body of their slain kinsman. “Prince Garong knows healing magic as well, and he is not using it.”

Even though King Arik was firmly tied to the back of Gorga, he hung onto the dragon’s scales as they soared out of the canyon. He was not sure what had caused the dragon to leave the fight so suddenly, so he pushed it out of his mind and concentrated on thinking of a way to get off the dragon. Gorga skimmed over the treetops before climbing high into the sky. A tremor of fear raced through the king as the ground flew away from him, and the trees became distant. Even though Arik had grown comfortable flying on Chaco, this flight felt terrifying because he was not in control.

Gorga kept turning his head back over his shoulder. At first Arik thought that the dragon was trying to bite him, but he soon realized that Gorga was looking at something. King Arik turned and looked back towards the Boulder Mountains, but he could not see anything. Suddenly, Arik felt something brush against his arm and he flinched.

“This is not a good place for you to be,” remarked Prince Midge as he landed on Arik’s shoulder and grabbed onto the king’s tunic. “Do you want me to try a sleep spell on the dragon?”

“I don’t think that would be a good idea right now,” King Arik shook his head. “How did you catch up to us?”

“Fairies were born to fly,” grinned the little green man. “I will think of some way to get you out of this.”

“I hope you do,” replied the king, “because I can’t think of one. Where is Gorga heading?”

“I don’t know,” answered the fairy. “We are heading towards Tagaret right now, but I doubt that Gorga is taking you home to the Royal Palace. Maybe I can make him drop the Dragons’ Onyx and then you won’t have to fight him. I do not think your battle is going as you planned.”

“Does he have it?” inquired the king.

“Oh, yes,” Prince Midge nodded vigorously. “It is clutched in his claws. That might have been the only thing that saved you. Gorga could not use both hands to attack you, or he would have had to drop the gem.”

“At least he hasn’t destroyed it or given it to Sarac,” sighed Arik. “I guess he has to land sometime. I will just wait until he does.”

“Maybe I can get him to land,” brightened the fairy. “Let me try.”

Prince Midge released his hold on the tunic and leaped into the air. His little wings beat frantically as he slowly moved forward towards the dragon’s head. Gorga must have sensed something because dark curls of smoke began emanating from his nostrils. Prince Midge moved closer to the dragon’s head, but stayed well above his mouth. As the fairy moved past the side of Gorga’s head, he saw an arrow shaft protruding from the dragon’s face. With a burst of energy, Prince Midge darted towards it and grabbed onto it. The arrow was stuck in Gorga’s eye, and the dragon screamed when Prince Midge grabbed it.

Gorga faltered momentarily in flight and then immediately dived straight towards the ground. His speed was impressive as both King Arik and Prince Midge hung on for their lives. As the ground hurtled towards them, King Arik felt his stomach churning. Soon the trees of the forest were growing larger at an alarming rate. Prince Midge had his first inkling of trouble when Gorga’s eyelid snapped shut around the shaft of the arrow. The dragon swooped into a large clearing and leveled off just before hitting the ground. King Arik’s body smashed into the armored scales on Gorga’s back, and Prince Midge fought to keep his grip on the shaft of the arrow.

As Gorga flew across the clearing towards the forest, Prince Midge cringed and shut his own eyes. Soaring along a wide trail under the forest canopy, Gorga rose incrementally until tree branches started snapping from contact with his head. Understanding that the dragon intended to sweep King Arik off his back by colliding with trees, Prince Midge used all his might in an attempt to twist the shaft of the arrow. Gorga screamed and shot straight upward.

Tree branches snapped and scrapped all along the dragon’s body as he shot skyward. Gorga furiously snapped his head from side to side as he powered upward. A small branch slapped into Gorga’s face. As it swept across his face, it sheared the arrow shaft in two. Prince Midge and the shaft tumbled towards the ground as Gorga broke through the canopy and flew towards the rising moon.

King Arik winced from the multitude of small bruises. He reached between his body and Gorga’s and grabbed at a collection of leaves and twigs. He tossed them into the wind. Gorga rose high into the sky before leveling off. His body twisted and turned in an attempt to dislodge the human from his back, but he eventually gave up.

The king felt despair as he gazed down and watched the city of Tagaret pass by below. From the great height that Gorga was flying, Tagaret appeared very small. Arik tightened his grip on the dragon’s scales. Soon Tagaret passed out of sight, and the deep blue water of the Sordoa Sea appeared. Despite his fear, Arik marveled at the view. The Channel Islands passed underneath and the Pebble Islands grew larger as Gorga altered his course slightly. Far in the distance, King Arik could see the huge island of Grakus with its towering mountain cap. He could also see the Darkness spread out before him, hanging like a dark thundercloud that engulfed the horizon.

Suddenly, King Arik heard the dragon cackle. There was just time for Arik to wonder what thought had passed through Gorga’s mind, before the dragon banked into a steep dive. The cold wind tore at King Arik as the dragon hurtled downward. The surface of the sea came closer at a dizzying pace, and the king tried to find the island that the dragon was heading for. As frantically as he looked, Arik could not find the dragon’s destination, but Gorga did not appear to be thinking about leveling off.

With a shuddering impact, Gorga smashed into the surface of the sea. King Arik had only a second to gasp for breath before he was submerged under the swells. Gorga continued to dive downward. Arik felt as if a giant hand was squeezing him, and his head began to swim dizzyingly. Understanding what the dragon was attempting to do, King Arik blindly reached for his knife. He groped around until he found the rope securing him to the dragon. Lightheadedness slowed his movements as he tried to saw through the restraining rope. His lungs grew taught as the rope finally separated and his body floated away from the still descending dragon.

King Arik dropped the knife and clawed at the water as he tried to rise to the surface. His lungs felt like they were going to burst, and he began to worry if he would lose consciousness before he reached the surface. Finally, his head broke the surface of the sea. King Arik gasped for breath, and he opened his eyes. The swells around him appeared to move erratically, and the king shut his eyes again as he filled his lungs with fresh air. Slowly, Arik opened his eyes again and the swells came into focus properly.

The weight of Arik’s weapons and clothing wanted to drag the king back into the depths of the sea. He moved his hands and feet constantly to keep himself afloat while he wondered where Gorga had gone. Without warning, a giant claw wrapped around him and tore Arik from the sea. Fear ran through Arik’s wet body as he watched the swells grow distant below him. The king tried to wriggle out of the claw, but the dragon only tightened its grip. King Arik sighed with resignation that he might be the dragon’s next meal.

The air rushing past his wet body chilled King Arik to the bone. He shivered as he gazed down upon the swells. He was not sure how much time had passed, but Arik was brought back to his senses when he saw white sand below him. He tried to turn his head to see where he was, but the dragon had a solid grip on him. He could only see a small piece of the coast and an empty road running along it. Excitement rippled through his body as he realized that the dragon had brought him back to land. He smiled inwardly as he thought about how he was going to teach the dragon that it had just made a mistake. At least on land he had some chance of defending himself.

The dragon glided along the coast in what appeared to be a preparation for landing, and King Arik recognized the old shack that Captain Hill had deposited him at. He wondered if he could race to the forest before the dragon could eat him.

Moments later, the dragon touched down, its free claw snaring an old log and tossing it aside. King Arik’s first thought upon seeing the other claw was one of alarm; the Dragons’ Onyx was gone. The dragon raised Arik up to its head. The king’s body shook with fear as he gazed at the huge open mouth with mountains of jagged teeth. The air rushed past King Arik as the dragon laughed.

“You don’t look much like a king,” the dragon chuckled. “I wonder if you would taste like one?”

King Arik tore his eyes away from the huge mouth and stared at the dragon’s face. A puzzled frown fell over his face as he stared at the dragon.

“You are not Gorga,” Arik declared.

“Oh?” questioned the dragon. “You have seen one dragon, and now you are an expert on them? Tell me then, who am I?”

“I don’t know,” admitted Arik, “but why don’t you let me down, and we can discuss this. The dragons promised not to harm humans.”

“They did, did they?” glared the dragon. “I guess I missed that meeting. Besides, no other dragon tells me what to eat.”

“Do you know Gorga?” asked Arik as he tried another approach.

“All dragons know Gorga,” replied the dragon. “He is known as the Wrong One now. You should learn more about him before you decide that you are fierce enough to oppose him. If not for me, you would have been his meal for today. Of course, you don’t look like much of a meal.”

“I am not much of a meal,” King Arik readily agreed. “I should think a nice deer would be much more appetizing.”

“It probably would be at that,” replied the dragon. “I don’t suppose you happen to have one in your pack, do you?”

Arik frowned and shook his head. “A deer in my pack?” echoed the king. “You aren’t all that bright. How could I fit a deer in my pack?”

“I am not bright?” laughed the dragon. “Who is it that is just moments from my stomach? You should learn to be more courteous.”

“I am sorry,” apologized King Arik. “I guess that was not a proper thing to say. Why don’t we start all over again? I know where there are deer around here. I will go and get you one.”

“Your apology is accepted,” chuckled the dragon, “but I fear that you still think that I lack intelligence. I know exactly what you would do if I let you go. You would dash for the nearby woods as fast as your short puny legs would carry you. Am I right?”

King Arik sighed and nodded as he tried to figure out what the dragon was up to. It was obvious that the dragon wanted more than just a quick meal, or it would have eaten him already, but what else could it want?

“What if I gave you my word?” asked King Arik. “Would you believe me then?”

“Why should I?” asked the dragon.

“Because I really do know where the deer are around here,” replied the king. “I would much prefer to get a deer for you than to have you eat me. We would both get what we want. What do you have to lose?”