Flash Fiction #535 -- The Long Way Home/34

 

Rory took one step forward. He could hear the wind growing now that Zorian turned his attention to it. There hadn't even been time to find something relevant.  

A book fell off a shelf and hit his foot.

"Ow!"

"I didn't do that," Zorian said. He looked at the book with more dread than hope.

"I didn't feel any magic," Rory replied and nudged the book with his foot.

"No human magic."

Rory looked back at him with a nod, then leaned over and swooped the book up.

"Old," he said. Thunder shook the shelves. "The title is worn off the cover."

"Huh."

People yelled as the wind grew louder. Rory sighed and flipped the book open. The title startled him.

"Yes? Zorian said with a touch of impatience.

"The Book of Aien and Eket."

"Of course, it is," Zorian mumbled and held out his hand. "Just give it to me. I can find what we need faster. I know this story."

Something in his look told Rory not to argue. He gave over the book. Zorian began scanning as they walked back toward the work tables. The others had gathered up all the papers before the wind and rain hit and were fighting with the shutters now.

Rory crossed to them and used a little magic to snap them shut and even put a seal over the leaks.

"Glad to see you are useful, Roridan," Ragkin said snidely.

Now Rory remembered why he'd gotten so tired of life at court. Even Zorian shook his head in disbelief.  

A guard came to herd them back down to the lower level where the queens waited and not sitting in state this time. The people hurrying in and out were not courtiers, either.

This trouble came from more than the strange storm.

"Ships crashing into the dock and things climbing off of them," Andora explained with a frantic glance at the door where more women came in, this time dragging a hissing creature wrapped in chains.

"That's not going to hold --" Zorian began and started that way.

Rory moved with him, and so did Andora, though she also shouted orders, and people listened to her. Rory still needed to learn her rank.

Now wasn't the time to ask.

The creature started to shed circles of chains as if they were no more than pieces of yarn. Some became dangerous weapons, knocking people down.

"What in all the hells --" Andora shouted over the creature's howling.

"That is a very annoyed young dragon," Zorian said as he walked toward the howling beast.

Rory wasn't sure why he went with his friend, except that Zorian had stood with him all through this madness. Andora did as well, though maybe that was more duty rather than insanity. He needed to figure out where he should draw the line. Wasn't he going to the dragon to help protect his own queen?

They were close enough that the tip of a chain caught Rory across the ankle, and he would have gone down except for Andora, who caught hold of him.

By then, though, Zorian had rushed ahead, dragged the last chain off the creature, tossed it aside, and grappled the beast barehanded.

Rory didn't see what exactly happened, but he knew it had nothing to do with magic. This was pure strength and ability. The dragon swiped a long-clawed hand at Zorian, but he caught the wrist. Then the dragon flipped over and landed on his back.

"Ugh -- ooff," the dragon snarled as Zorian landed on his stomach.

"What the hell are you doing, Greenal?" Zorian demanded.

Knew the dragon? Rory lowered his hand where magic had just begun to gather. Andora was slower to drop her sword. The dragon, though, had stopped fighting. It blinked huge green eyes, the same color as his scales, and focused on the man standing atop him.

"My -- my Lord Zorian," the creature whispered. "I -- make it stop! I hurt. My head. Take it away!"

"Rory, can you help?"

The dragon had started to twist and turn, his eyes gone wild, and his long jaws began to snap. The arms and legs had been held to the floor by Zorian's powers, but he was having trouble with the head. Rory understood and darted around so that he stood where he could grab the top of the head and use magic to seal the mouth.  

Zorian nodded approval, knelt on the stomach, and put both his hands on the sides of the dragon's head. The creature howled and tossed once and then went still.

Rory had never felt such magic as Zorian used just then. Powerful stuff, and it didn't seem to come from him, but instead used the man as a conduit. A sprinkling of wild rushing stars spread from Zorian's fingers and spread out over the dragon's head -- and then drew back until they formed a circle just above the eyes.

The dragon moaned as something needle-like began to pull up out of his head. It pulsed black and purple, more than a foot long and almost an inch in diameter. Something evil -- Rory could sense that from the moment it first appeared.

"Don't touch the spike," Zorian warned, breathless and shaking.

"I won't," he replied and held tighter to the head. The dragon had begun making soft sounds of pain but didn't react violently.

Everyone else had gone silent. They had even backed away without being told. In the silence, Rory could hear more trouble outside. He suspected this wasn't the only dragon, and there may have been more ships and other things --

They needed to focus on this problem first. The spike continued to lift upward but also began to emit a dark power.

"Aien help us," Zorian whispered.

"Aien and Eket help us," Rory added.

"Oh hell." Zorian frantically worked again. "I should have warned you about that!"

Something powerful was heading their way...