An echoing roar was the only warning the castle had of the dragon’s second attack. The thing dropped out of the sky like a rock. Kathryn looked up in terror as the great, black beast landed on the castle wall. When the dragon had come earlier that day, it had seemed smaller from the village. It looked so much bigger now that it was close. The solid stone wall swayed dangerously under the thing’s massive weight. Or it could have been the way the beast kept flapping its wings as it held on to its perch. Either way, the wall was not going to stand up to the onslaught for long.
“Move, girl!”
Some man in armor grabbed Kathryn’s arm and shoved her towards the open door of the castle. All the women were running inside. The men, on the other hand, had turned to face the creature. Arrows were already in the air as Kathryn ran up the steps and into the main hall. Rushing past the long tables, the women huddled against the inside walls, as far away from the danger as they could get. A horrifying rumble and screams rattled through the castle as the outer wall finally gave way under the dragon’s persistence.
Kathryn cringed as the dragon roared. Flames washed over the open door, making the women scream. Thankfully, the fire passed too quickly to catch on anything. More screams of rage and pain mixed with the roar of the dragon as all hell broke out in the bailey. Kathryn closed her eyes and plugged her ears. There was nothing the ladies could do at this moment but wait for the dragon to leave.
After what seemed like forever, a man stumbled in from the courtyard. “It’s gone,” he said as he dropped to the floor just inside the doorway.
The women rushed to his aid, but Kathryn passed him and went to the open door.
Her feet stopped in pure shock, and tears sprang to her eyes as she surveyed the scene. The outer wall had been knocked over into the bailey, and all the outbuildings were ablaze. The men who were still on their feet were doing their best to pull the injured away from the flames.
Kathryn sniffed back her grief and rushed out to see what she could do. It was hard to turn off the emotions surging through her. She knew these men. They were friends. But right now, they would benefit more from her steady hands than her tears. There would be time enough for tears when the wounded were safe.
A gentle hand settled on Kathryn’s shoulder. She looked up to find Eustace standing over her. The town elder’s eyes were as red as hers, but his tears were nowhere to be seen.
“Come on, girl.” Stooping down, he caught Kathryn under the elbow and urged her up from the dirt. “You need to get some rest.”
Kathryn would have laughed in irony if she’d had the heart, but so many had died in the last few days. Her father and brother were both listed among the dead—her father had been crushed when the wall fell in the dragon’s second attack, and her brother had been foolish enough to go with Lord Dunham’s son to hunt the dragon down. Word had just come back that most of those men had been killed. Shock had stolen the strength from her limbs, and she had collapsed to the ground where she stood. Under Eustace’s gentle hands, Kathryn staggered to her feet and let the old man help her into the town hall.
“Why don’t you rest here for now?” he said as he laid her on one of the many pallets that had been made up for injured survivors. Sadly, more than one held a girl who had lost her family this week.
Even though she had a nice home on the edge of town, Kathryn lay down without a word. Just like the other girls here, her world had been ripped apart. Again. She lay there, listening to the others cry out their grief, while tears slipped down her face quietly. Turning her face into the bedding, Kathryn let out the sobs she had been working to hold in. She would allow herself this one night to cry, but with the loss of so many, she would have to pull herself together fast. Falling apart was not a luxury she could give herself in this time of tragedy. She knew this pain, but many others did not. Tonight, she would give into her grief. Tomorrow, she would help those who knew nothing of loss.
The roar of the dragon echoed through the town once more. Kathryn rushed out to watch the creature attacking the castle. It was not surprising that the enraged thing came back to finish what it had started. The lord’s son had made a terrible mistake in chasing after the creature when his father had been killed. Now they all would pay for it.
Villagers ran for cover as the dragon bathed the castle in fire. The stones blackened under the unrelenting flame, but the inferno was not hot enough to damage them permanently. The heat, however, was enough to drive several from the castle. Ending the fiery onslaught, the creature dropped down into the bailey. Kathryn couldn’t believe her eyes when it took to the skies again—dangling in its claws was what could only be a human. The relentless shrieks were those of a young woman. Maybe one of the maids from the castle.
Turning in the air, the dragon dropped and flew low over the village. It let out a roar, shaking everyone to their souls. The poor young woman screamed in fear as the creature carried her away across the field to the southern forest.
Kathryn stared after them in shock. What could a dragon want with a young girl? If he were going to kill the girl, why carry her away? Noise behind her made her turn around.
“This creature has to be stopped!” one of the village men yelled. His arm, badly burned in the dragon’s second attack, hung in a sling.
“And how do you purpose that we do that?” Eustace asked. “We have no men to fight it.” It was obvious the village elder was as upset by the dragon's new behavior as the injured man was.
“There has to be something we can do.” There was a note of pleading in the man’s voice. The hopelessness of their situation was starting to settle in on everyone. So far, the dragon had only attacked the castle, but they were all sure it would not be long before it turned its attention to the town.
Eustace stood, staring off in the direction the dragon had gone. “Maybe there is something we can do.” He turned to the injured man. “We can send a message to the king, asking for help, but it will take a few days of hard riding to get to his castle.” The village elder raised his voice. “Is anyone up for the trip?”
A few stepped forward, and the healthiest was chosen to take the message to the king. It took no time for the village to pack rations and send the young man off on the best horse that could be found.
Kathryn looked back towards the south. Was it really a good idea to call in help from some unknown king? True, they did need help, but what type of person could stand against a dragon? Hadn’t Lord Dunham’s attempt proven the creature was unbeatable? Most likely, whomever the king sent would just rile up the beast and get them all killed.
2
“You summoned me, My Prince?” Patrick dropped to one knee and bowed his head.
Kyle Mylan, the dragon prince, looked over his oaken desk to the young dragon kneeling on his rug. “Yes.” Kyle shuffled through his paperwork, looking for his map. “I have a mission for you.”
“Truly?” Patrick looked up at his friend. Finding a way to prove himself had turned into a real challenge since he had risen to the rank of Elite. He had worked hard to gain his status in Eternity, but the world of dragons had been quiet recently. How could one gain a name when there was nothing to do? No wars to fight. No maidens to save. Other than a few territorial arguments, the dragons of the world had done a decent job of keeping their heads down and out of trouble. And no one gained fame for deciding whose sheep had wandered onto neutral ground.