The Dragon of the Desert

"There weren't always Dragons in the Valley."

As I spoke I turned around to look at Shay, who only looked back at me, hands on her hips. Her fluffy and curly black hair sat atop her head like the body of a sheep. I'd told her I saw her hair that way once, and she set a curse on me where everyone I saw looked like I sheep. It only lasted for five minutes, but I wont ever forget it.

"Should I be worried about that?" she asked.

"Weren't" is the key word, love," I smirked then, "I find it highly unlikely that we'll run into a dragon in the Valley of Kings."

"Ah, don't be so sure grandson," said my grandfather Frederick, "dragons have been around since the age of the Vikings, maybe even before that if records are correct. Course that old wizard Gimond the Grey was two boots short of maniac..."

"So your telling me we might run into a dragon anyways?" Shay asked then.

"Does that scare ya'?" I turned my head to look at her.

"No," she answered quickly.

As I narrowed my eyes at her though, I could tell she was lying. Having never seen a dragon, however, I couldn't say with certainty that I myself was keen on meeting one.

Turning back around I reached up to scratch my head, feeling an itch. A part of me had an uncertain feeling to it now, like something was wrong. I only dropped my hand back down to my side though, and kept walking.

Ahead of the three of us, standing tall and ominous against the setting sun, was the temple of Hatshepsut. I had come here on the request of my grandfather Fredrick, who was convinced the temple held a key to uncovering some secret that could help him find the Ankh of Isis, a relic of Ancient Egypt. I had heard of the relic and done my own research into it before leaving for Egypt, and understood why my grandfather was looking for it.

"One of the many keys to immortal life," he told me after we had set off on our expedition.

"Why go after it now?" I had asked him.

"because of it's value to me as a collector," he said, "and because it's harder to find continuous fame than you think when your almost sixty.

As we kept walking and got closer to the temple I began to examine it, taking in the massive pillars and wide stairway that lead up to it's currently shut doors. It was an impressive place, especially to someone that had never left Ireland up until six days ago.

The sun was disappearing behind the temple by now, and we were close enough to where if I threw a baseball, it would hit the bottom most step of the stairs leading up.

"So what creature guards this place?" Shay asked then.

"Probably some kind of jackal," I said.

"Is that a guess or my answer?" she asked with a doubtful tone.

"A guess," I raised my hands some, looking at her, "jackals have been the guardians of ancient sites of Egypt for years. They're seen as sacred by their Gods. Like how the Egyptians loved cats."

"Everyone loves cats," Shay said with a smile.

"Aside from people who love dogs," I nodded with a smirk.

I turned my head back to the temple, but let my smile falter some as I heard a noise. Like the roar of a bear, coming from the distance, the sound rolling over one of the mountains that was on either side of us all.

"What was that?" Shay asked.

"Dunno, love, " I said, my hand reaching up to draw my sword.

"Patrick," my grandfather said, "do you know why the ancient Egyptians were so hard to study and why they have such mystery surrounding them?"

"Ah..." I paused as the roar came again, the sound much closer.

I was still looking at the temple stairs, but as I did a rising shadow made my look up. The shadow took shape in a few seconds as it rose of the top of the temple, then descend, heading down to the floor of the small valley we were in.

The shadow was a creature, and as it came to land on the ground and throw up a cloud of dust and sand I raised my hand, looking past my open fingers.

"What the fuck is that?!" I heard Shay shout.

I was about to answer her as the sand was settling back into the ground, but my answer would have been rhetorical as I lowered my hand to look at this creature that was craning its neck to look at the three of us. It was covered in scales of a bronze color, and had deep, penetrating yellow eyes that look a little to large for its face.

It was a dragon. More specifically a wyvern, but I was unconcerned of said specifics as the creature growled at the three of us, lowering its head.

"That's a fucking dragon, Patrick!" Shay shouted.

"I'm sorry, did I miss inform you?!" I yelled back.

My hand rose and drew my sword, the singing of silver coming from the smooth black leather sheath made the dragon turn its pupils, looking at me.

I swallowed as I held the blade and took up a fighting stance, my sword angled behind me and my free hand held out to my side, ready to think of any kind of defensive spell that would protect me against a dragon.

Behind me my grandfather was frozen in place, gazing at this dragon as if it was the greatest thing he'd ever seen. The dragon growled at us again, a warbling sound that came from deep in it's belly. Was it hungry? Was the guardian of this temple in front of Fredrick, his grandson and his grandsons wife?

"Shay," I said, "what spells can kill a dragon?"

My response was Shay laughing as she clapped her hands together once, drawing them apart as a shimmering white light appeared in front of her, spreading out to cover the three of us with a tall magic shield.

The dragon, still gazing at me, then moved its head back some to look down at us, and then shuffled his winged front feet some, settling into the sand as if to say,

"I shall not be moved."

"Who seeks entrance to the Temple of Gods?" spoke the dragon.

The skin that made up the creatures neck and belly looked a lighter color than its scales, but I only swallowed before speaking. My voice cracked, but I said,

"The three of us."

The dragon continued to look at us all, then asked me another question.

"Who are you, boy?"

"Patrick, from Ireland," I said before gesturing at Shay, "this is my wife, Shayan, and my grandfather, Fredrick."

"Mmmm... Patrick of Ireland. I have yet to see a man of your country come to me, seeking entrance to the Temple. What is it you seek within?"

Now I heard my grandfather step up, and before I could answer, he answered for me.

"We seek the Ankh of Isis," he spoke calmly, but his voice wavered slightly.

Now the dragons eyes widened some, and he moved his head forward, leaning down and closer to the three of us. He moved his head until there was about five meters between myself and his large head, and he asked a third question,

"Why would you need an object of such grand power? Do you seek to live forever?"

"No," I shook my head and answered for everyone.

"I only seek to take the object to a facility where it can be studied," my grandfather said, "it's powers are a mystery to Humans, and I want to know more about it. Where it came from, who created it."

"Mmmm," the dragon growled some then, eyes narrowing.

He moved his head upwards, looking down at us yet again. His winged front feet shuffled in the sand, and he asked us,

"Would you answer a riddle to be given access to the Temple?"

"Yes," Shay said.

"I would," I nodded.

"I accept," grandfather Fredrick said.

"Good," the dragon growled, "then Salaknur will ask you, Patrick of Ireland, the first riddle."

"Very well," I nodded, resting my sword in hand against the sand.

Salaknur gazed at me with his yellow eyes a moment, and I looked back at him, almost certain I could see my reflection in his eyes.

"The more you take of me, the more that you will leave behind. What am I?" Salaknur wasted little time in asking.

"Mmm... footsteps," I wasted little time in answering.

Salaknur growled some then, his head tiling to the side as he gazed at me with his deep yellow eyes.

"Very good, Patrick of Ireland. You may enter."

I let a breath out then, but didn't dare to let myself smile or feel relieved. I had no knowledge of dragons or wyverns, and was unsure of whether or not I would be allowed to leave the temple without some other kind of test.

Now Salaknur turned his head some to look at Shay, his figure wiggling just slightly past the magic shield that was still separating us from the creature.

"What is it that given one, you will have two more or none at all?"

Shay swallowed then, and I looked at her as she bit her bottom lip, thinking.

"A choice," she looked up from gazing at the sand on her shoes.

Salaknur tilted his head some, then growled.

"Very good, Shayan the witch. You may enter."

Shay let out a huff of relief, and lowered her outheld palms. The magic shield she had been focusing on started to dissipate, falling away into the dark night air around us.

Now Salaknur moved his eyes to look at my grandfather, who had his hands folded in front of him, eyes looking back at the dragon.

The dragon tilted his head some again however, as if he needed to preform the action before he asked each riddle.

"How far can you walk into a forest?" he asked my grandfather.

My grandfather Fredrick clicked his tongue then, moving one hand to tuck in into the a pocket on his pants.

"You can walk through it," he answered after a moment of silence.

I turned to look at him, something in my body telling me that wasn't the right answer. From the corner of my eye I saw Shay turn almost all the way around, her body language seeming to agree with mine.

"Mmmmm..." Salaknur moved his head back some.

"That is incorrect, Fredrick of Ireland."

Now I felt a pang of worry skirt through my body.

"The penalty for an incorrect answer is... death," said Salaknur then.

Now I turned back around, my sword snapping upwards as I resumed my fighting stance.

Next to me I heard Shay shouted an incantation word, and the magic shield was reforming in front of us, with a more solid opacity than it had the first time.

I looked at Salaknur as he moved his head upwards, then I felt my blood run a little colder as he chuckled. It was a hallow sound that had little empathy behind it, and the dragon gazed down at us all.

"Salaknur the Wise does not eat humans anymore," he said with his laughter still in his voice, "he has little time to waste his energies on such a menial meal. Not when horses and very large whales exist in this world."

Now I heard my grandfather spit out a laugh, but my stance or Shay's magic shield didn't falter.

"Be at ease, young humans. Salaknur does not break his word, for then he would not be wise, now would he? You Patrick and Shayan may enter this sacred temple, and return with you the Ankh of Isis. Though any befoulment you may come across within will be of your own doing. Salaknur does not fight anymore. Those days of conquest are long behind me."

I swallowed then, and turned to look at Shay.

"Is he lying?" I asked.

She only shook her head, eyes closed now. Within Shay were many abilities, one of the best ones was the ability to know of any person or creature was lying, no matter the circumstances.

"He's not lying," Shay said opening her eyes.

I let out a breath of air then, and Shay lowered her hands, the magic shield once again starting to fade, albeit slower than the first time.

Turning my head I looked at my grandfather, who only held up a hand, as if he knew what I was going to say.

"I'll be alright out here," he said to me, "maybe a dragon having a conversation with an old man will be good, hm?"

I scoffed then, my dislike for most monsters not stopping at the appearance of an actual dragon.

"Well be quick in there," I nodded to him.

Looking at Shay I nodded to her, but her eyes were looking at her hands. I looked at her hands myself, but didn't understand what she saw.

"Shay?" I spoke her name.

Now she took a breath and looked up at my voice, hands still hanging above her waist.

"Yeah," she said, "quick."

"You ok?" I asked.

"Fine," she replied quickly, nodding at me.

Now I wiggled my fingers over the hilt of my sword, raising it and putting it back into the sheath on my back, the silver scraping against the metal top of the sheath; it sharpened the blade every time I drew it.

I looked back at Salaknur now, and the dragon only moved his head down some, his wings posed in a way that I could have walked under one of them, like a living, archway.

A light wind came to blow through the valley now rusting the dress that Shay was wearing. I moved to the right, side stepping until I came up to Shay, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I heard..." she paused, "I don't know, like a voice. Coming from the temple."

"What did it say?" I asked her.

"Just my name, calling me into the Temple," she pointed to the steps, "like it knew why we were here."

I looked from Shay to the temple, then squeezed her shoulder. She looked at me, then offered me a weak smile before she nodded, putting her hand on top of mine.

"We'll be back," I turned to look at my grandfather.

He nodded to me, hands resting on front of him, like a pastor about to give a sermon at church.

"You know what your looking for?" he asked.

"I'll know it when I see it," I nodded.

"Good luck then, grandson," my grandfather offered me a smile, "not that you'll need it."