Thanks for getting me going on this again Mouse! :)

Dusted off and revised. More to come next week. Enjoy :)


THE DRAGON'S TOWER

by Andy Skuse

Part 1

Somewhere in the mystic East . . .

The bleak stone-strewn landscape spread out before the exhausted boy's
eyes. Fat gray and black clouds rolled overhead in silent turmoil,
threatening to burst at their seams and deluge the parched ground with much
needed rain. Wind-borne sand and dust blew across his cheek, the grit
causing his narrowed eyes to twitch in irritation. Brushing his long
jet-black hair out of his face, he looked up. An ebony cliff face filled
his vision, the distant rock appearing flat and shiny. Atop the ominous
natural formation a pure white spire pierced the sky, its peak shrouded by
low, shifting clouds. A single shaft of bright sunlight split the moisture
laden wreath around the tower, and illuminated a single wooden door at the
base. The boy regarded the tower for a moment longer before continuing his
journey across the brown lichen encrusted terrain towards the cliff wall in
the distance.

The  morning passed uneventfully and the rain remained aloft allowing the
boy to cross the gap between his previous survey point and the foot of the
massive black stone formation in good time. His pursuer had not appeared
for two days now and this fact had allowed him to relax somewhat. Besieged
by day for many weeks, the boy had finally managed to elude the tenacious
winged serpent. He knew not why the beast was following him, nor did he
intend to stand around long enough to ask if it found him again.

It was just before high-sun when the boy reached the foot of the cliff face
and placed a trembling hand on the cold black rock. The texture was as he
had estimated, smooth and glistening. Looking up, the cliff appeared to
rise and then bend back over him. Looking left and right at ground level he
could see no solid foothold for him to begin his ascent. Stepping back, the
boy scanned the ebony surface carefully until finally he spotted a tiny
piece of rock jutting out at shoulder height. Grasping the protrusion
firmly he looked upward and picked out a vertical trail of similar
protrusions leading up and to the right, the direction that would take him
directly to the east side of the tower. With a grunt the boy leapt up onto
the first "rung" of black rock, and began his ascent.

Moving like a tenacious spider, the boy climbed steadily higher, noting the
rising wind speed as he went. The bitterly cold wind whipped his clothes
against his legs and arms causing them to ache and sting. Late in the
afternoon, sweating profusely and out of breath, the boy paused to rest,
then looked down hesitantly to assess his progress.

Far below he could see the dull patches of gray and brown strewn across the
wide plain that stretched to the horizon. In the west, the river Katra
wound lazily through a shallow valley that branched into a wide delta and
eventually emptied into the shining blue-green sea. Far off to the east the
sun's rays broke through the shifting clouds and splashed about the tops of
a vast green forest. Just above edge of the treetops a small black spot
suddenly appeared, growing larger by the second. The boy turned away
suddenly from the panoramic view, and reached up for the next hand-hold.

The dragon had found him.

The boy continued climbing, increasing his pace. His hands were beginning
to sweat causing them to slip occasionally, producing a wave of adrenaline
each time it happened. The sheer cliff wall suddenly seemed to be fighting
him.

Looking up he could see tufts of wind-blown grass and lichen hanging over
the topmost edge approximately thirty feet above him. Looking back over his
shoulder he could now pick out two large bat-like wings pumping up and down
forcefully, propelling the dragon towards his location at incredible speed.
In its mouth was the limp, bloodied carcass of a deer. As the boy watched,
mesmerized by the ancient creature, the dragon's jaws opened slightly, and
the deer carcass plummeted to the ground far below. A distant bellow of
prehistoric rage followed, sending a shiver of dread through him. The boy
did not bother to watch the deer complete its descent.

Facing the black rock once again, the boy's hands and feet continued to
propel him upward, moving as fast as he could go without losing his grip.
The grassy overhang was now only ten feet away. His heart pounded in his
chest as his mind continued to project the image of the approaching dragon,
beating down his will and hindering his resolve. Hand over hand he neared
the ledge until he could touch the long strands of grass that reached down
invitingly like strands of green silk rope. As his left hand let go of its
hold to claw at the ledge, the wind suddenly picked up in velocity. The boy
retracted his hand quickly, and pressed himself into the cliff face to hold
on.

With squinting eyes the boy turned to see the dragon hovering slightly
behind and above him, pumping its expansive, black, leathery wings to keep
its massive body aloft. The down-draft from its efforts pulled hard at the
boy's aching limbs, his fingers clenching tighter and tighter, slowly
disintegrating the nubs of black rock that supported him into shale-like
flakes.

Before the beast had even made the sound, the young climber could feel a
low rumble begin deep within the creature's gullet. The rumble gathered
volume and depth as it followed the path through the creature's lengthy
esophagus. The boy cringed and closed his eyes, yearning to lift his hands
to shield his ears from the dragon's deafening roar. A blast of heated air
followed the dragon's agitated roar, the boy's stubbornness causing the
beast to shake its head in fury.

Finally the rocky protrusion under the boy's right hand broke into dusty
shards under his desperate grasp, swinging his body precariously to the
left until his right foot could no longer provide any support. For a
moment, the boy's will persisted against the reality of his fate, believing
with all of his heart that he couldn't die.

Then fate stepped in and embraced him.

The young climber fell away from the sheer cliff wall gracefully at first,
as reality dealt its crushing blow. As his descent gathered speed, his arms
began flailing instinctively at the rushing air, refusing to believe what
his mind was screaming at him; he was going to die before his quest had
even begun. The ground rushed up at him, objects and colors losing their
definition in his moistening eyes. His limbs continued their flailing,
refusing to listen to his spirit.

Then suddenly his muscles relaxed, the ground a few feet below coming into
sharp focus, and then becoming more and more distant as he reversed his
descent. A tight feeling around his chest and waist caused him to look
around. An enormous, scale-clad claw encircled his midsection, flowing
upwards into a similarly scaled leg and thigh. Jerking his gaze further
upward, the boy saw the blinding sun in his eyes until a massive,
membranous wing pumped downward and cloaked him in shadow. The rhythmic
rising and falling of the dragon's body unsettled the boy's stomach a bit,
forcing him to align his stare at the relatively motionless torso of the
beast.

Moments later, the dragon increased it's wing pumping motions as it
prepared to land atop the cliff. Dropping its human cargo unceremoniously
on the thick green grass, it landed with surprising grace to one side of
the boy. Once firmly on the ground, the beast flexed its sharply-curved
wings, twitched them once or twice, and then folded them back behind its
body.

The boy lay on the ground unmoving, afraid to provoke the beast into an
attack. A deep, raspy voice rumbled at him, speaking a language he could
understand but edged with an unfamiliar accent. "Who are you and why are
you here?"

The simplicity of the beast's questions surprised the boy. Shaking his head
in disbelief, due also in part to the fact that he was still alive, the boy
turned over onto his back slowly, then sat up. Still trembling from the
fall, he hesitantly looked up into the piercing glare of two yellow
cat-like eyes, heavily lidded with a ridge of black scale that gave much to
the creature's menacing appearance. Curved spikes of ivory-colored enamel
poked out from under the creature's upper lip, furthering the dragon's
vicious look, and causing the boy to think carefully about his answer. "I
am Kajagua, and I have come on a quest-"

A rumbling wheeze interrupted him. "Slowly boy. Your language is . . .
difficult. Full of. . . useless words. What is this. . . quest?"

The word 'useless' stuck in Kajagua's mind. Fiery pride overrode common
sense for a moment as he grew indignant at the dragon's implication that
his 'quest' was useless. Remembering where he was, Kajagua held his tongue
and answered slowly, adjusting his wording as he pointed to the tower
behind him. "I have come here to find a girl-- a princess. Local sages say
she is trapped within that tower."

A low rumble emanated from the beast's sides, the backs of its lips curling
ever so slightly. Kajagua paused, attempting to interpret the serpent's
reaction to his answer, then continued. "Let me pass wyrm. It is my destiny
to free her from-"

The dragon's lips curled back further and Kajagua thought he spotted a
gleam in the beast's eyes as it took a frighteningly quick step toward him,
shaking the ground beneath them both. "Destiny? What know you of destiny
boy? There is no such thing as desssssstiny for one such as you," the
creature hissed, the gleam still in its eyes.

Kajagua shot to his feet, his pride stabbed in the heart by the dragon's
shocking statement. His young voice cracked, then stabilized, buoyed by his
growing hurt. "You're wrong!" he cried, the defiance clearly visible in his
deep blue eyes. "Destiny has brought me here, and destiny saved me from
certain doom when I fell from-"

The dragon's sides rumbled again, overwhelming the boy's thin voice. "I
saved you- *boy*. "

Kajagua's eyes narrowed. He had forgotten completely who he was conversing
with, his pride inflaming him into a defensive posture. But that did not
deter him from continuing to fume. The serpent was trying to trick him, he
thought. His father had told him long ago that dragons were the wisest and
most cunning of creatures that had ever lived. It would be wise to think
twice about accepting the creature's words at face value.

Before Kajagua could press his point any further, the dragon rose up,
blocking the sun and casting a cold shadow on the would-be rescuer.
Reaching its peak in stature, the dragon spoke, its voice full of intent
this time. "I will grant you access to the tower boy, to search for this
princess that you seek. Under one condition."

Kajagua waited anxiously, holding his hand up to shield his eyes as shards
of bright sunlight peeked over the towering serpent's shoulders. "If you
find the princess, and you are able to exit this tower with her alive, then
you are free to go."

The dragon brought its massive body low to the ground once more, allowing
the sun to temporarily blind the boy at its feet. When the young adventurer
could see again, the dragon's snout was only a few feet away, steam venting
idly from its nostrils. Kajagua spoke, a tremble in his voice. "I will find
her. It is my--"

The dragon's ragged lips curled back deeply, revealing sharp daggers of
white and a thick black tongue beyond that froze the boy into silence.
"And... if you do not find her..." The dragon paused for effect. "Then you
shall replace the meal I dropped earlier."

A shiver of fear ran up Kajagua's spine as he contemplated the idea of
being eaten alive, and then digested in the gullet of the beast before him.
But he had come this far, and destiny had seen him through the perils of
this journey, including a fatal fall, no matter how the serpent interpreted
its meaning. Now it was time to finish his quest, and rescue the princess
that he had traveled so far to find.

"I accept your contract wyrm. Upon my honor as a dalesman and a volunteer
in my village's army, I give you my word that I shall not renege." Kajagua
stood proudly before the scaled beast, a mere fly to an albatross.

"Agreed then. " The dragon paused, "I shall return in the morning to see
how you have fared. The door is open."

No sooner had the serpent spoke, then a loud 'click' was heard and the
thick wooden door, that he had seen earlier this morning, swung open into
the tower revealing a dark room inside. Kajagua squinted in the setting
sun, attempting to pick out the room's detail when a light rustling of the
air made him turn back to the dragon. Seeing nothing, he looked up to spot
the dragon flying almost straight up into the clouds surrounding the tower.
In the blink of an eye the dragon plunged into the circling mists, and was
gone.

Kajagua closed his eyes for a moment in an attempt to relax, and listened
to the tall grass swishing in the wind at his feet, when a sudden thought
occurred to him; he could turn back now, and face no more than a dangerous
climb back down the cliff face to possibly escape the dragon. The wind
suddenly died, and the grass fell silent. He opened his eyes again and the
fleeting thought was gone, as the hands of his destiny gripped him tightly
again. There was no going back now. He must cross the few yards that lay
between him and the beckoning doorway, to face whatever lay within.

The tall grass swished about his feet once more as the wind picked up
again, sending dust and grit into his eyes and distracting him long enough
to forget why he had hesitated. He strode forward cautiously until he
reached the doorway and peered in to the dark room. Seeing little in the
way of detail, Kajagua entered the tower and disappeared into the
blackness, the door shutting slowly behind him with the wind.

End of Part 1


---
EVOLUTION!
"BG Cross" ~ http://www.execulink.com/~askuse/bgcross
Raven's Garage ~ http://www.execulink.com/~askuse/ravengar,html
"If humans don't want us, then why did they create us?" - Naomi Armitage