Running his chapped hands through his long, matted, dark hair, George considered everything his friend had told him.
"It just feels so permanent, Axus. I understand the need to punish Troydenn and his followers for what they've done. I do. I really do. But I also hope it doesn't come to that and that the Council can find a more...” (he nearly said humane... that would have been ironic) “...suitable solution."
"Aye, I know what you mean son, but these are undoubtedly the darkest times we've ever faced as a race. Even all that trouble that went on in South America, pre Balfor, pales in comparison. None of this sits very comfortably with me George, but I trust in the wisdom of the Council, and so should you. Once they've made their decision, whatever that may be, we can be confident that the hard work of so many has left us well prepared. Should it be needed, the cavern is stocked with everything required to survive well into the future. It won't be easy, but it will be achievable. Starting at the exit of the cavern, going ten miles back into the channel at quarter mile intervals, the individual shaped charges have been laid and have been carefully tested so that they only bring the roof of the channel down and do not disturb the ocean above. If it's decided that Troydenn and his followers should be incarcerated then they will be, well and truly, in that cavern."
"I appreciate you filling me in on some of the details," George whispered to Axus. "Let's trust in the Council's judgement and wait to see what they decide."
With that the two parted company, George slipping off to guard duty, while his engineering friend headed for some well needed sleep.
As the bright morning sun cut through the early morning mist of the camp, those sleeping were woken, bread and cheese passed out, horses watered and fed, ready for the next stage of their unusual journey.
The next two days proved uneventful. Many people were passed as they made their way along the prescribed route, all shocked to come across the corpse of the massive ferocious dragon being dragged along by the giant sleighs. On occasion, sly hand signals or the briefest of telepathic touches were exchanged with passersby, those who were more than they seemed, anyway. All the cloak and dagger business showed that the way ahead was clear, something of a relief to those in the convoy.
In the middle of the afternoon on the third day, the convoy left the poor excuse for a muddy main road at the point where a purple trident had been inconspicuously painted onto a large boulder, and headed across an open field in the exact direction in which the trident pointed. Once through the field, they came to a coppice and noted the same trident carved into a tree, and adjusted their heading accordingly. This continued for four more hours, until they came over a rise and into a beautiful meadow full of tall green swaying grass, punctuated with gorgeous wild flowers. A large rocky outcrop could just be seen in the distance.
As the troop entered the meadow, hundreds of warriors and archers silently appeared from atop the outcrop and within the surrounding grass. Bows and swords appeared from nowhere in the hands of George's companions as they formed a defensive perimeter around the captured dragon. Those without weapons readied their magic. A tense silence enveloped the entire meadow; the only movement was that of the long grass rippling in the wind. George stood up from his kneeling position in front of Troydenn and sheathed his trusty sword. As he did so, a loud horn echoed across the surrounding countryside. One of the foremost warriors stepped forward from the long grass, stowed his sword and clasped George's proffered hand. Greetings were exchanged, magic dispelled and weapons lowered. Warriors in front of the convoy parted swiftly, forming a huge path straight to the rocky outcrop. At a snail’s pace, the convoy crawled along the corridor that had been laid out for them, the soldiers in the meadow closing in behind them, forming a giant impenetrable ring.
As everyone gathered at the cave's entrance, the exhausted horses were untethered and led off into the meadow to graze. Meanwhile ropes appeared from the well-illuminated cave entrance and were threaded through a series of pulleys on either side of the sleighs.
After Axus was satisfied, the warriors in the meadow picked up the slack on the ropes in two lines as a large horn echoed deep within the cave. Slowly the rope in and around the pulleys began to go taut, pulling the sleighs and their giant burden forward through the cave's entrance and into the massive interior. All this happened at a funereal pace, with the daylight from outside gradually fading, being replaced by dull yellow lights from stony protrusions both on the cave's floor and in the surrounding walls that carried on down the winding slope, as far as the eye could see. Occasionally a hairpin bend would have to be negotiated, which meant that distance became measured more in inches, rather than miles per hour.
After what seemed like an eternity, but was actually just over eighteen hours, the weary travellers reached their destination. Opening out into a colossal grotto, filled with dragons in both their natural and human forms, the same light producing protrusions lined the walls and the floor, fading up above, the ceiling some way off in the distance, shrouded in darkness. Far from being damp and cold, the chamber was filled with toasty warm air that tickled and prodded, washed and wavered, all the time carried on a subtle breeze. Brilliant red lava oozed down mineral laden walls sporadically throughout, in complete contrast to the countryside through which the convoy had travelled.
Shuffling feet could be heard in the dimly lit arena as the beings let the sleighs through. Those who had accompanied the sleighs drifted off to join the already gathered crowd, with the exception of George who stayed where he was. Little shapes scurried out of the shadows, surrounding and inspecting the sleighs purposefully.
After much whispering, George was asked to step back, which he duly did, while others surrounded the prehistoric arrival, chanting in hushed tones. Starting low, it didn't take long to reach a crescendo of raised voices, all in unison. Abruptly there was an almighty BANG, startling all of those not paying attention.
In the subsequent near silence, it would appear that instead of a scene of utter devastation and carnage which they nearly all expected, all that had happened was that the double sleigh on which Troydenn had been resting completely disappeared, leaving him lying on the cold stone floor.
Unexpectedly, huge stone doors swung in on themselves right in front of George and the captured dragon. Through them walked a tall, lean man leading twenty four other men. I say “men”... they were of course dragons in their human guises. As one, the crowd started to kneel and bow their heads, realising it was the king and his councillors.
In his mutatio form, the king looked nothing short of magnificent. Standing seven feet tall with long golden hair flowing down past his shoulders, rippling muscles threatening to burst through his clothing, which was all white with a bright purple trident running across the tunic. Most stunning of all though was the real trident the king carried by his side. It was as tall as he was and appeared to be made of a bright purple metal that seemed to be constantly moving within the form of the trident. An eye-catching ring that seemed to be visible one moment and then gone the next, constantly phasing in and out of existence, decorated the king's left hand.
Abruptly the monarch thumped the trident's base onto the stone floor, the resulting sound hurting everyone's ears.
"Be upstanding," he declared. "You should know why we are all here. Let the proceedings begin."
One of the councillors strode over to Troydenn, pulled some parchment from beneath his robes, and began reciting the words from it. The purple glow on the dragon's body receded. Finishing the mantra and slipping the parchment back in his robes, the councillor addressed Troydenn for everyone to hear.