Post by Eolith on Aug 18, 2005 22:54:43 GMT -5
Author's Note: Okay, this is the shortest story I have yet to have written... but it's still fairly long. It's kind of embarassing because some of the plot is messed up and my characters are softies but give me a break! All of my good stories are unfinished... hehe. About the ending of this one... it's lame and I know it, but I am decidedly bad at endings. But I better shut up before my self-criticism makes you decide not to read this.
The two brothers stood side-by-side, chained to the sandy bank, chained to each other. They were partially surrounded by a crowd of self-important men.
“You have betrayed us,” the leader said. “We raised two monsters that would bite their own saviors. The dragon can have you if it should so desire your corrupt flesh, or you can sit here and fry. No longer are you one of us.” He turned and led the others back to their horses.
“We never were one of you!” The younger of the two yelled after them. The elder brother was silent, his mouth taut, and his jaw clenched. Eventually the youngest sat down and squinted up at his sibling. “You might as well sit, no one’s likely to save us in the next two hours.”
No one’s ever likely to save us. The eldest thought as he sat down. The waves crushed down on the shore nearby. To him, they were the drums pounding in anticipation of his death.
*(~)*
The end of the day found the brothers sprawled out on the sand, unmoving. Anyone who had not known may have thought them already dead. Night’s cool relief soothed their savage burns, but did nothing to lessen the feeling of impending death. The moon was high when the youngest brother was wakened by the feel of winds buffeting him. His brother woke, and sat up, looking up. A form silhouetted by the night sky circled them, gradually drifting closer to the ground. With a graceful motion of its wings, the being caught itself and landed lightly, barely shifting the sand. The brothers looked up at the dragon before them, fully expecting to be eaten alive.
However, it didn’t move, it just stood poised, its wings outstretched. Its head was held high on a delicate neck, gazing down at them. It really wasn’t that big, had they been standing, its head would have just barely been above theirs.
“Why are you chained to the beach?” They stared at it, no doubt in either of their minds that it hadn’t been the dragon speaking. But its mouth had not moved.
“They want to get rid of us, it’s just your chore to do so.” The youngest said sardonically.
“I’m not inclined to do so. Why do they want to rid themselves of you?”
The eldest laughed; a dry sound that held no humor. “We were weakening them,” he said with a sneer.
“Really?” It paused as though considering something.“ Well then, you’ll be coming with me.”
The dragon bent its slender head and took hold of the iron stake to which their chains were welded. With a slight shake of its head, it pulled up the stake they had been unable to budge. “Hold tight to your chains, unless you want to be hanging by your wrists the whole flight.” The dragon ordered.
*(~)*
When he woke, the eldest brother sat upright and touched his arm; it had been badly blistered, but now it was back to its regular tan. And, he wasn’t hungry, or thirsty… or in any other way uncomfortable. He was in a cave. A huge cave with its floor layered with thousands of shiny, metallic objects. His brother was nearby, sleeping still. Their wrists were still connected, with the stake in the middle of the length of chain. Someone walked in and he turned—not someone, it was the dragon.
“I saved your life,” It said, though its mouth still had not moved. “Wake your brother, you owe me a tale.” The eldest realized the floor was covered in scales, and that they were in the lair of the dragon. He turned and stirred his brother.
“What have we gotten ourselves into, Minac?” He asked sharply.
“You seem to have an interesting past. In exchange for saving your lives, you’ll tell me your story.” The dragon interrupted before Minac could say anything. It leapt onto a ledge like a huge cat.
“Why do you care? Why would a mortal’s short past interest you?” He asked as Minac sat up, yawning.
“I am more inquisitive than the rest of my kind.” It replied, lying down and folding its wings at its sides.“I’m curious as to how you ended up on the beach. You don’t have much of a choice.” The dragon added impatiently.
“Alright then,” Minac said optimistically, “I assume it all began when we were on our father’s ship. He was a Nahiekan captain you see, and we would go with him on his travels often. While we were on our way to the Jade Isles, we were attacked by a Budonian ship. Our father and his crew were killed, but as we were only boys then, the ship took us on as cabin boys to clean the decks, and do other chores about the ship. We were beaten almost every day for some petty reason or another. ‘The decks haven’t been cleaned well enough’, ‘you haven’t polished the cannons’. My brother, Gaic, would take many of my punishments, and for that I have yet to repay him. When we finally did reach Budona, we were given to the barracks master.
“If we were treated badly on the ship, we were treated horrifically working for him. It was rare that our stomachs would be full; or our clothes new and clean. Eventually, we grew rebellious. I started to give as much information as I could to the Nahiekans, just for the satisfaction of knowing I was undermining my enemies. I grew skilled in the art of spying, and soon Gaic joined me. Of course, it was me who was caught in the end, and Gaic who honorably turned himself in just to suffer along with me. Our punishment was to be chained to the hill for you to have us.” Minac finished his summary of their lives, watching the dragon for its reaction. It opened its eyes, having laid its head on the stone floor and listened quietly.
“I was right,” it said, “you do have an intriguing past. But Gaic, why did you join your brother?” Gaic gave up, he might as well fill in the details.
“Minac is all I’ve had left for all the time we’ve been with the Budonians, without him, I’d have gone insane years ago.”
The dragon continued to ask question after question, learning everything from the name of their father’s ship, to how Minac had been caught.
“I want to help,” the dragon said decisively when it had finished asking its questions.
“How?” Minac asked eagerly.
“Let me think a moment.” It replied, closing its eyes again, they waited for it to speak, but it remained silent. Eventually Minac began to suspect that it was asleep. Just when he was about to give up, its eyes snapped open. “I have it.” The dragon said, “and now is the perfect time to start.” It stood, shaking its wings out and yawning.
“What exactly is this brilliant plan?” Gaic asked cautiously.
“You’ll see,” it said, jumping down from its ledge and taking their chains in its mouth.
“Wait. I don’t want to fly again.” Gaic protested as it towed them into another cavern.
It had not been a very exuberant time, their last flight. The dragon carried them in front of it, with their chains in its mouth. It was tough, hanging by one’s wrist as they flew about.
“You should be thanking me, not protesting. Now come on!” The dragon pulled them into a run, spreading its wings before jumping into the air and exiting through a vast opening in the top of the central cavern. Gaic tried to hold onto the chain in such a way that it would not cut into his wrist, but it was near impossible. He could see Minac struggling with the same problem.
The dragon took them to the beach then dove sharply towards the water. Minac let out a yell as it skimmed the waves, drenching both of them. Gaic spit out a mouthful of the salty water as the dragon took them to shore. Instead of landing as they expected, the dragon hovered over the sand, sending huge clouds of it into the air and coating them.
“What are you doing?” Gaic shouted as the dragon climbed upwards again, flying toward the city of Kelron.
“You’re ghosts. We’ll give your enemies a good shock, just you wait.” The dragon was animated, flying to the city with quick powerful strokes. As they glided higher and higher, Gaic could see the city, and the Yamara delta. He scanned the land, fascinated with the way it was laid out below. Minac yelled, pointing down.
Gaic looked to where he indicated and saw a flicker of green, then another. “The Nahiekan troops!” He cried.
“I know,” the dragon replied smugly, “it is all part of my plan.” It circled over the army, slowly descending, and slowly sending the troops into havoc. The dragon took a huge breath and created a circle of fire around the Nahiekans, leaving one open end. The horses immediately took off, escaping through the break in the dragon’s fire, heading directly towards the bridge leading across the Yamara.
“Come along little soldiers. We attack now.” The dragon said as it drove the terrorized horses toward Kelron.
The dragon stopped the army just before they came into view of the city, forming a neat barrier of fire around them as it took off towards the city. “Wait here,” it said. “My fires will dissipate when it is time. Until then they remain as they are.” The dragon reached the city and landed silently in the town center. It set the brothers down and gave their chains a good shake with its head, making an awful clashing sound reverberate through the area. Men ran to their doors, throwing them open. The brothers stared at them dumbly, and then someone screamed behind them. Gaic turned and saw a young girl on the ground behind them.
She shrieked again, weeping. “Don’t kill me… please….” She screamed yet again, a blood curdling sound that tore into everyone present.
The crowd watched with growing horror as the girl grew paler and paler, the color of her skin and hair seeming to drain away until she was as white as the brothers, unmoving on the stones. There was no sign of the dragon.
Gaic stood staring blankly at the girl, baffled.
Minac suddenly turned and yelled, shaking his wrist to make the links of iron clank again. He jumped at the mass with an awful sneer on his face, jerking Gaic along behind him. The people scattered, chaos breaking loose as they all tried to escape the deadly ghosts.
“What are you doing?” Gaic asked as Minac continued to stir the people into a frenzy.
“Can’t you see?” Minac asked incredulously. “They think we’re ghosts, the girl was the dragon, and she was able to make herself appear to die, as if the very soul had been sucked from her.”
Gaic still didn’t fully understand, but he played along, chasing after the commoners.
A battle cry sounded. The Nahiekans galloped into the city, taking advantage of the disorder the dragon had helped them cause. Minac spotted a spout of fire nearby and shoved through the masses of people, dragging Gaic behind him.
They found the dragon chasing none other than their old master, the barracks commander. He screamed like a madman as the dragon snapped at him, catching his shirt with a claw. He landed on his back, shielding his face from the dragon. Gaic ran forward, this time pulling Minac after him. They reached the barracks master and pried his fingers from his eyes, leering at him with the most ghastly expressions they could come up with. The man tried to pull away, half insane with fear.
The dragon caught the brothers up by their chains and pulled them away into the night, leaving the hectic city behind as it headed back towards its lair.
“Wasn’t that fun?” The dragon asked with an odd, screeching laugh.
Minac chuckled with boyish glee. “Finally, Gaic, we have avenged our father, and his ship.” Gaic smiled as they headed off into the night. They had indeed.
The two brothers stood side-by-side, chained to the sandy bank, chained to each other. They were partially surrounded by a crowd of self-important men.
“You have betrayed us,” the leader said. “We raised two monsters that would bite their own saviors. The dragon can have you if it should so desire your corrupt flesh, or you can sit here and fry. No longer are you one of us.” He turned and led the others back to their horses.
“We never were one of you!” The younger of the two yelled after them. The elder brother was silent, his mouth taut, and his jaw clenched. Eventually the youngest sat down and squinted up at his sibling. “You might as well sit, no one’s likely to save us in the next two hours.”
No one’s ever likely to save us. The eldest thought as he sat down. The waves crushed down on the shore nearby. To him, they were the drums pounding in anticipation of his death.
*(~)*
The end of the day found the brothers sprawled out on the sand, unmoving. Anyone who had not known may have thought them already dead. Night’s cool relief soothed their savage burns, but did nothing to lessen the feeling of impending death. The moon was high when the youngest brother was wakened by the feel of winds buffeting him. His brother woke, and sat up, looking up. A form silhouetted by the night sky circled them, gradually drifting closer to the ground. With a graceful motion of its wings, the being caught itself and landed lightly, barely shifting the sand. The brothers looked up at the dragon before them, fully expecting to be eaten alive.
However, it didn’t move, it just stood poised, its wings outstretched. Its head was held high on a delicate neck, gazing down at them. It really wasn’t that big, had they been standing, its head would have just barely been above theirs.
“Why are you chained to the beach?” They stared at it, no doubt in either of their minds that it hadn’t been the dragon speaking. But its mouth had not moved.
“They want to get rid of us, it’s just your chore to do so.” The youngest said sardonically.
“I’m not inclined to do so. Why do they want to rid themselves of you?”
The eldest laughed; a dry sound that held no humor. “We were weakening them,” he said with a sneer.
“Really?” It paused as though considering something.“ Well then, you’ll be coming with me.”
The dragon bent its slender head and took hold of the iron stake to which their chains were welded. With a slight shake of its head, it pulled up the stake they had been unable to budge. “Hold tight to your chains, unless you want to be hanging by your wrists the whole flight.” The dragon ordered.
*(~)*
When he woke, the eldest brother sat upright and touched his arm; it had been badly blistered, but now it was back to its regular tan. And, he wasn’t hungry, or thirsty… or in any other way uncomfortable. He was in a cave. A huge cave with its floor layered with thousands of shiny, metallic objects. His brother was nearby, sleeping still. Their wrists were still connected, with the stake in the middle of the length of chain. Someone walked in and he turned—not someone, it was the dragon.
“I saved your life,” It said, though its mouth still had not moved. “Wake your brother, you owe me a tale.” The eldest realized the floor was covered in scales, and that they were in the lair of the dragon. He turned and stirred his brother.
“What have we gotten ourselves into, Minac?” He asked sharply.
“You seem to have an interesting past. In exchange for saving your lives, you’ll tell me your story.” The dragon interrupted before Minac could say anything. It leapt onto a ledge like a huge cat.
“Why do you care? Why would a mortal’s short past interest you?” He asked as Minac sat up, yawning.
“I am more inquisitive than the rest of my kind.” It replied, lying down and folding its wings at its sides.“I’m curious as to how you ended up on the beach. You don’t have much of a choice.” The dragon added impatiently.
“Alright then,” Minac said optimistically, “I assume it all began when we were on our father’s ship. He was a Nahiekan captain you see, and we would go with him on his travels often. While we were on our way to the Jade Isles, we were attacked by a Budonian ship. Our father and his crew were killed, but as we were only boys then, the ship took us on as cabin boys to clean the decks, and do other chores about the ship. We were beaten almost every day for some petty reason or another. ‘The decks haven’t been cleaned well enough’, ‘you haven’t polished the cannons’. My brother, Gaic, would take many of my punishments, and for that I have yet to repay him. When we finally did reach Budona, we were given to the barracks master.
“If we were treated badly on the ship, we were treated horrifically working for him. It was rare that our stomachs would be full; or our clothes new and clean. Eventually, we grew rebellious. I started to give as much information as I could to the Nahiekans, just for the satisfaction of knowing I was undermining my enemies. I grew skilled in the art of spying, and soon Gaic joined me. Of course, it was me who was caught in the end, and Gaic who honorably turned himself in just to suffer along with me. Our punishment was to be chained to the hill for you to have us.” Minac finished his summary of their lives, watching the dragon for its reaction. It opened its eyes, having laid its head on the stone floor and listened quietly.
“I was right,” it said, “you do have an intriguing past. But Gaic, why did you join your brother?” Gaic gave up, he might as well fill in the details.
“Minac is all I’ve had left for all the time we’ve been with the Budonians, without him, I’d have gone insane years ago.”
The dragon continued to ask question after question, learning everything from the name of their father’s ship, to how Minac had been caught.
“I want to help,” the dragon said decisively when it had finished asking its questions.
“How?” Minac asked eagerly.
“Let me think a moment.” It replied, closing its eyes again, they waited for it to speak, but it remained silent. Eventually Minac began to suspect that it was asleep. Just when he was about to give up, its eyes snapped open. “I have it.” The dragon said, “and now is the perfect time to start.” It stood, shaking its wings out and yawning.
“What exactly is this brilliant plan?” Gaic asked cautiously.
“You’ll see,” it said, jumping down from its ledge and taking their chains in its mouth.
“Wait. I don’t want to fly again.” Gaic protested as it towed them into another cavern.
It had not been a very exuberant time, their last flight. The dragon carried them in front of it, with their chains in its mouth. It was tough, hanging by one’s wrist as they flew about.
“You should be thanking me, not protesting. Now come on!” The dragon pulled them into a run, spreading its wings before jumping into the air and exiting through a vast opening in the top of the central cavern. Gaic tried to hold onto the chain in such a way that it would not cut into his wrist, but it was near impossible. He could see Minac struggling with the same problem.
The dragon took them to the beach then dove sharply towards the water. Minac let out a yell as it skimmed the waves, drenching both of them. Gaic spit out a mouthful of the salty water as the dragon took them to shore. Instead of landing as they expected, the dragon hovered over the sand, sending huge clouds of it into the air and coating them.
“What are you doing?” Gaic shouted as the dragon climbed upwards again, flying toward the city of Kelron.
“You’re ghosts. We’ll give your enemies a good shock, just you wait.” The dragon was animated, flying to the city with quick powerful strokes. As they glided higher and higher, Gaic could see the city, and the Yamara delta. He scanned the land, fascinated with the way it was laid out below. Minac yelled, pointing down.
Gaic looked to where he indicated and saw a flicker of green, then another. “The Nahiekan troops!” He cried.
“I know,” the dragon replied smugly, “it is all part of my plan.” It circled over the army, slowly descending, and slowly sending the troops into havoc. The dragon took a huge breath and created a circle of fire around the Nahiekans, leaving one open end. The horses immediately took off, escaping through the break in the dragon’s fire, heading directly towards the bridge leading across the Yamara.
“Come along little soldiers. We attack now.” The dragon said as it drove the terrorized horses toward Kelron.
The dragon stopped the army just before they came into view of the city, forming a neat barrier of fire around them as it took off towards the city. “Wait here,” it said. “My fires will dissipate when it is time. Until then they remain as they are.” The dragon reached the city and landed silently in the town center. It set the brothers down and gave their chains a good shake with its head, making an awful clashing sound reverberate through the area. Men ran to their doors, throwing them open. The brothers stared at them dumbly, and then someone screamed behind them. Gaic turned and saw a young girl on the ground behind them.
She shrieked again, weeping. “Don’t kill me… please….” She screamed yet again, a blood curdling sound that tore into everyone present.
The crowd watched with growing horror as the girl grew paler and paler, the color of her skin and hair seeming to drain away until she was as white as the brothers, unmoving on the stones. There was no sign of the dragon.
Gaic stood staring blankly at the girl, baffled.
Minac suddenly turned and yelled, shaking his wrist to make the links of iron clank again. He jumped at the mass with an awful sneer on his face, jerking Gaic along behind him. The people scattered, chaos breaking loose as they all tried to escape the deadly ghosts.
“What are you doing?” Gaic asked as Minac continued to stir the people into a frenzy.
“Can’t you see?” Minac asked incredulously. “They think we’re ghosts, the girl was the dragon, and she was able to make herself appear to die, as if the very soul had been sucked from her.”
Gaic still didn’t fully understand, but he played along, chasing after the commoners.
A battle cry sounded. The Nahiekans galloped into the city, taking advantage of the disorder the dragon had helped them cause. Minac spotted a spout of fire nearby and shoved through the masses of people, dragging Gaic behind him.
They found the dragon chasing none other than their old master, the barracks commander. He screamed like a madman as the dragon snapped at him, catching his shirt with a claw. He landed on his back, shielding his face from the dragon. Gaic ran forward, this time pulling Minac after him. They reached the barracks master and pried his fingers from his eyes, leering at him with the most ghastly expressions they could come up with. The man tried to pull away, half insane with fear.
The dragon caught the brothers up by their chains and pulled them away into the night, leaving the hectic city behind as it headed back towards its lair.
“Wasn’t that fun?” The dragon asked with an odd, screeching laugh.
Minac chuckled with boyish glee. “Finally, Gaic, we have avenged our father, and his ship.” Gaic smiled as they headed off into the night. They had indeed.