Dragon's Fire

This story is part 2 of Dragon, a 7 part series that started in Dragon's Fury.

Dragon's Fire

Custer hit the wall hard as his hands grasped at his throat. The beast’s razor sharp tail barely hit him, but the damage was done. Blood started to ooze from between his fingers. He tried to say something, but all that came out was a sickening gurgling sound as he struggled to breath.

Kawalski went to help Custer, but the dragon’s tail lashed out again and knocked him down. Kawalski tried to get to his feet, but the dragon took to the air and landed on top of him, crushing him under its immense weight.

The dragon turned towards me before diving at me with its massive head. I rolled out of the way and her snout hit the ground where I stood. I reached for my sword to drive in it into her eye, just as I had against Draconte, but I had dropped it as I dove out of the way.

Shelano turned her head and fired. I was able to jump behind a pile of rocks, but Custer wasn’t as lucky. Still trying valiantly to slay the dragon, he was incinerated almost instantly by the searing hot flames. I managed to get behind a stalagmite that was large enough to barely protect me. I could feel the heat as fire shot past me on either side, singeing the hair on my arms. I began to charge my shield, knowing that she would have to stop soon, and then I would have my chance. I would kill her just as I had killed her mate.

Draconte had reigned as the king of the dragons for years, slaughtering all who attempted to slay him. But he had not anticipated the technology Jacob had used to create this shield. A beam of phased energy had torn through Draconte’s skull, ending his reign of terror.

When Shelano returned to their roost, her cry of sorrow over the death of her mate shook Energist City to its core. In the five months since I killed Draconte, she has terrorized Energist City and the surrounding countryside, searching for his killer. Now she wanted nothing more then to see me dead.

Searing pain once again shot through me as the shield finished charging. I gritted my teeth, waiting for the fire to stop. After what felt like hours, it finally did and I broke cover, unleashing a stream of fire of my own.

The beam hit Shelano in the side of her head, destroying it. She reared up and screamed in pain before falling to the ground. As she fell I saw the handle of a sword wedged between the scales on her neck.

I pulled the sword out and stood beside her head. Shelano continued to roar in pain, threshing her head from side to side. The smell of burn flesh arose from the wound. I drove my sword into the base of her skull, severing her brain steam just as I had with Draconte.

I collapsed to my knees, exhausted. As I looked at Shelano’s motionless body, something caught my eye; an emblem on the hilt of the sword I had used to kill her. I drew the sword, yellow blood flowing from the wound. This was my brother’s sword.
The magnitude of this discovery sent me to my knees. It hadn’t been Draconte that killed Jacob. It had been Shelano. All the damage that had been done, all the people who had died as she searched for Draconte’s killer. It had been my fault. I had killed the wrong dragon.

Guilt overwhelmed me and I wept bitter tears, as Shelano’s body smoked beside me.