Faring’s arm pointed at the sky.
Gareth twisted and looked to where Faring indicated.
The dragon was returning. Still far off, dark black wings beat a regular slow rhythm, the enormous swipes of movement that kept the beast in the air with minimal effort. As he spotted her, she spotted him and shrieked.
“Faring, hide!” Gareth shouted, but didn’t take the time to look to see if his friend obeyed. His last glimpse of the dragon showed her wings beating faster, her serpentine neck extended as if she could somehow reach him faster with that mouthful of jagged and sharp teeth. Her speed increased with each flap of powerful wings.
He scrambled down the side of the nest like a startled rat in a pantry. He leaped under the nest and onto the jagged rocks of the small ledge on the cliff. He hoped the dragon couldn’t reach him down there. A vague plan took shape. If he stayed under the nest, maybe she couldn’t find him. Maybe he would manage to live until dark, and then somehow escape down the face of the cliff on his rope. Maybe the dragon wouldn’t spit acid at him if she knew he had her egg with him. Or maybe, he gave the creature too much credit for intelligence, and it wouldn’t care about any of that, as it attacked and ripped him apart. He quit thinking about all the maybes and watched with terrified eyes.
The beat of the leather-like wings sounded close and then she folded them against her sides and dived to the nest. She landed like a house falling from the sky. Twigs and branches clattered down the cliff. A screech came from the nest above, so loud he wanted to cover his ears and run.
Then . . ., he saw the nest above jostle and shake.
The dragon was out of his sight as she searched the nest above. He heard her huff and sniff and felt her moving as she searched for the missing egg. Gareth frantically looked for a way out, up or down. He wished he could just climb back up there and hand the egg to her, and beg forgiveness like a boy returning a stolen cookie to his mother. No hard feelings. Please take your egg and let me go. I promise not to steal another.
The nest shook and shivered under her weight as she continued her frantic search. She tossed small branches over the side, and more than a few tree trunks followed them, as she searched everywhere, frantic as any mother missing a chick or baby. She roared in anger. Her bared teeth and red eyes suddenly appeared over the edge of the nest. Looking rapidly around at everything, her head turned and twisted. She spotted him. She froze, her eyes locked on him. Then she snorted.
A wad of black the size of his fist flew past his left shoulder.
She worked her mouth back and forth, obviously filling it with more dragon spit, probably a larger amount, as she maneuvered into position to get at him, or to have a clear line of sight for her next spit. Obviously, the egg he carried was not going to slow her. Her red eyes narrowed and darted. A deep rumble sounded from inside her chest.
Gareth looked for something to hide behind or under, and saw nothing. Backing a few steps, the rope that was still tied around his waist snaked along the rocks, getting hung up on something. He yanked it free, thinking his only hope was that he could perhaps lower himself faster than she could chase him down the rocks. He still wore the heavy leather gloves, so he could slide down the rope without getting a burn on his hands.
When he pulled on the rope again to free it, her attention shifted from him. She snatched it in her mouth, like a robin catching a worm.
Gareth pulled back, hoping to free it from her jaws.
She didn’t let go. Sensing he wanted the rope, she refused to give it. Then she yanked, harder. The rope came free from the cliff above, snapping part way up. She now held the other end of the rope tied around his waist. She jerked again, harder.
The rope pulled Gareth out from under the nest. He slipped over the edge of the cliff and came to an abrupt stop. Dangling at the end of the rope, twisting and turning, he looked up at her. She snarled but held the rope in her teeth as she watched him swing like a pendulum. The dragon leaned farther out and examined him as if trying to think of how to get at him.
When she lowered her head, he sunk lower. She pulled her head back up, and he rose. The dragon growled deep in her chest, her eyes locked on Gareth and still she refused to let go of the rope. Gareth dangled and looked up at her, too scared to move.
Frustrated that she couldn’t reach him, she shook her head. Gareth shook and swung from side to side, turning and spinning wildly. She lifted her head quickly, and when he rose nearly to her chest height, she swiped a claw at him. She missed but kept the rope securely in her mouth. He fell again, his breath catching at the sudden jar when he reached the end of the rope.
Gareth screamed out in pain, then shouted at her, hoping to startle the dragon into releasing him. He spun around and saw the bottom of the cliff far below and realized if she did let go of the rope, he’d fall to his death onto the rocky depths that were so far down the trees looked as small as sprigs of grass. He didn’t want her to let go and felt relieved his shouting hadn’t startled her into opening her mouth.
The dragon snorted and turned her head sideways to peer at him with one red eye. She snapped her head forward, baring her lips and exposing more jagged teeth.
Gareth looked up, past her, and saw Faring standing at the top of the cliff watching him, as if in a trance, mouth hanging open and eyes wide.
Then the dragon swung her head to and fro several times, and he was swinging in a wide arc, striking the rock face painfully at the end of each cycle. He shielded his head with his arms and fought for breath against the tightening rope around his middle. He lost sight of Faring. But his attention was centered on the dragon.
The beast edged forward, perching on the edge of her nest. She lifted her head as high as possible. Gareth lifted higher, too, but remained just out of her reach.
She paused as if considering options. She locked her eyes on him and leaped from the nest with the rope still locked in her jaws. Gareth was pulled into the air along with her, feeling the pulsating power of her wings as she flew, gaining altitude with each stroke. The rope tightened more around him with each beat, threatening to cut him in half. The ground pulled away. Gareth held on, knowing his fate was to die this day. He knew all but the details.
But she didn’t drop him. She flew higher and higher. She twisted her head to one side and then the other to see him, and she almost lost her grip on the rope when attempting to bite him when he swung too close.
The rope around his waist cut deeper into his stomach, so tight he couldn’t breathe. Gareth considered using his knife to cut the loop, allowing him to gasp for breaths once or twice while falling to the ground. The bag with the egg hung heavy from his neck, weighing him down even more. The idea of cutting the heavy bag free occurred, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. The fall would certainly kill the chick in the egg, making his own death more senseless.
Trying and failing is better than never having tried at all. The teachers often repeated that phrase. The teachers had never been in this situation, and he briefly wondered if they would repeat that mantra if they faced his bleak future. His vision blurred from lack of oxygen.
He gripped the rope with one hand enough to lift his body the barest amount, the rope relaxing enough to let him draw a sip of air into his lungs. He looked up and saw the dragon tilt her head again, peering down at him with red, hateful eyes.
She flew on, shaking him occasionally, still trying to reach him with her teeth when he swung too close. Then, she folded her wings and started a dive, while grabbing at his flailing body with her snapping mouth, as both fell from the sky.