The Dragon, the Boy, and the Shadow

The night was cold. Beady yellow eyes stared through the barren canopy, watching a tired, little boy shiver under his tattered cloak. To protect himself from their stares, the boy buried his head into his knees and screamed.

The boy's screams did little to protect him. If anything, it made the creatures staring want him even more. One by one the sets of eyes fell from the branches, licking their lips as they crept closer to the defenseless child.

Their pink, spindly arms dragged across the ground as their stubby legs pushed them forward. Wiggling behind their backs was a long tail with a hand on its end, and in that hand was a single spear poised to strike. The creature's frog-like heads gurgled and croaked with anticipation. It had been a long time since any of them had eaten a human.

When the leader was standing above the shivering bundle, it kicked the tiny lump and cackled. As the child's scream puttered out, his eyes widened. He tried to run, but tripped over his cloak and got a mouthful of dirt and leaves.

"Momma, please, I'll be a good boy," he sputtered, "I'm a good boy."

The leader of the creature stuck its spear into the child's cloak. The boy felt a warm fluid run down his breeches and he began to sob. Seeing the boy squirm brought a smile to the creature's face. Sharp teeth hung from that smile and it motioned to its friends to come closer.

When the rest of the pack surrounded the child, the leader slammed its long arms across its chest and cackled. Then the creature unhinged its jaw and bent down to take a bite. As its mouth started to clamp down, a pillar of flame incinerated the beast, covering the child's boots with ash. The other creatures howled in confusion and searched for their assailant.

A dark blur fell from the sky and snapped one of the creatures in half before returning to the clouds. The beasts started to throw their spears into the air but none hit their target. Another bought of flame disintegrated another monster, causing the remaining beasts to flee.

Once all the pink monsters were gone, the child peeked through his fingers to see what had happened. Standing before him was a giant, golden lizard, with bat-like wings protruding from its back. Its black mane flowed in the wind, and its scales glistened under the moonlight.

Seeing the dragon brought back the child's screams and he ran, only to trip over his cloak once more. The child sobbed and sobbed, hoping the dragon would just leave him alone. All he wanted was his momma, he wasn't a bad boy. He didn't deserve to die.

When the attack didn't come, the boy looked back and saw the dragon sitting on its hind legs wagging its tail like a dog. The boy wiped snot across his arm and giggled,

"Dragon Puppy," screamed the child as it ran into the giant lizard's chest. The child wrapped its slimy hands around the dragon, and the creature shivered.

She despised uncleanliness as much as she did humans. Out of all the beings in the world to need her help it had to be a human. Wrapping her teeth around the child's cloak, she placed the boy a few feet away and collected her thoughts. She knew humans liked dogs, but she had no idea the sight of her wagging her tail would make it so clingy. Should she leave the boy? She only intervened because she happened to be passing by. She felt the treasure in her claw and snuck a peak.

Inside her claw rested a tiny mirror encased in silver. She marveled at the rubies that were inlaid within the frame and wondered what secrets the mirror held. She flipped it over and saw some runes etched on its back, but before she got the chance to read what they said the boy was back, rubbing his filthy hands all over her.

Taking to the sky, the dragon hovered just out of reach and figured now was a good time to leave. As she rose higher she saw the child’s shoulders slump. His chest caught, and a stream of more tears fell down the boy’s naked face.

The dragon could feel the boy’s sorrow. Why did she care? His kind slaughtered hers but as the boy continued to sob she descended to the ground and placed the tip of her wing on his shoulder.

"Where is your pack, little one," asked the dragon.

The child didn't hear those words. To him, the simple question had been a collection of loud, and scary roars. The boy cowered under the lizard's might and screamed for his momma.

When the child didn't answer her, the dragon blew out a cloud of smoke, which frightened the child more. She had a new treasure to admire, and a load of reorganizing to do. She tried. Godtree himself would bless her for her attempt. She really ought to be on her way. As she expanded her wings to take flight, the boy began to cough. The dragon cocked her head and brought her nose up to the boy to take a whiff.

Hissing at what she smelled, she reared her head back cursing under her breath, and took flight. The boy had been tainted. If she stuck around too long, he’d infect her too. Why did you save the damned, thought the dragon, he would have suffered less if you had just let the Froglings eat him.

Once again the dragon tried to leave the boy behind, but found herself drawn to the dry heaving child. His sweat matted his chin-length hair to his face and his dark skin grew tiny bumps as he shivered.

Sighing, the dragon used her front teeth to grab hold of the boy’s clothes and took to the sky. Dangling from her jaws, the tiny human kicked and punched, but the only thing that hurt the dragon was when the little pest pulled the hairs off her nose. Desperate not to fall, the child pulled even harder and tears welled up in the corner of her eyes, but the dragon stayed true to her course. She needed answers and the only way to get those was by bringing the boy back to her den.

The dragon's den was a small cave in the center of the forest. Tiny rocks burned around the perimeter to keep unwanted guests out, but other than that it was your typical, boring cave.

The inside, however, was anything but. The cave was as wide as a lake and as tall as a house. Gold, diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, coins, and jewelry were separated into different piles that filled everything but a single patch of rock just big enough for the mighty lizard to curl up on.

Keeping the boy outside, the dragon pulled out her recent find and turned it over to look at the runes again. Her mighty claw rubbed against the risen symbols as she read,

Here be the Mirror of Glimor. Anyone who asks what it sees will get a chance to see the reflector’s immediate past and immediate future. Be wary though, each wielder only gets one chance to ask.

Curious, the dragon brought the mirror to the boy, pointed the glass at him, and said:

"Mirror of Glimor, who do you see."

The inside of the mirror twisted and turned until the image of a shadowy figure standing over a bed appeared. Laying on the bed was the very boy that slept at the dragon's feet. She watched in awe as the mirror showed the figure taking the boy from his home and running into the forest.

Once in the forest, the figure pulled out a vile, dipped some sort of green plant into it, and pressed the vile to the child's mouth. The child coughed and tried to spit the concoction out, but the figure clamped his finger over the child's nose. Forcing the poor boy to swallow. Satisfied, the man placed the child on the ground and vanished leaving behind a plume of smoke.

The dragon shook the mirror to stop the vision. She knew what happened after that, she had lived through it.

"Mirror of Glimor, what do you see?"

The inside of the mirror turned again, but this time it showed the dragon placing the child in front of an oak tree so large that its branches covered the sky. It then showed that tree giving the dragon a gift before the image faded and all that remained was the child's reflection.

The dragon stared at this reflection. The boy had black hair down to his chin. His nose was large and round, and it made his brown eyes look too small for his big head. The dragon sniffed the child and grimaced. The boy wreaked. She had no desire to carry this stinky human to the tree in the mirror.

Frustrated by her fate, the dragon went back into her den and tossed the mirror back into her stockpile. She then curled up on her slab and dosed off.

When morning came, the smelly child was nuzzled in the coil of her tail. It was almost cute. The dragon shook her head. The human wasn't cute, it was a nuisance. It couldn't even take care of itself. She should have let the Froglings eat him. The dragon sighed, why had she saved him?

Careful not to wake the child, the dragon got up from her bed and stretched the morning ache from her tired bones.

I must be losing my mind, she thought, humans hunt dragons yet here I am housing one. Why did I feel compelled to answer the boy's screams? The Froglings kill loads of creatures and I never intervened before.

Shaking her head, the dragon held her breath and nuzzled the child awake. His tired eyes slowly fluttered open, and he rubbed the sleep from them before rolling over. The dragon huffed and rolled the boy so that he would be facing her. When he still didn't wake, she formed a tiny spark and placed it on his butt.

The boy yelped and dragged his behind across the cool, rocky surface. He then raised a fist up at the dragon and said,

"Curse you, stupid dragon." He then got up to his feet and wiped the ash from his bum.

The dragon chuckled and thought about the gift Godtree would bestow her if she delivered the boy like the vision showed. She had never gotten a gift from a god before. A treasure like that would look very nice in her collection. placing the wriggling child onto her back, she ran outside and leaped into the air.

Once in the sky, the child cackled as the wind pulled his face back. Enjoying the sound, the dragon did all sorts of tricks in the air. She did loops, rolls, and drops. She even flew upside down for a time to try and give the boy a rush. She wasn't sure why she was doing it. Their kind hated her, but no matter how hard she tried the little pile of filth warmed her heart. Perhaps the journey wouldn't be so bad after all.

Little did she know, the shadowy figure she saw in the mirror was following her. slinking between the shadows, the figure watched as the dragon did its tricks in the sky. He then pulled out a vile from his coat and took a hit from the foul-smelling concoction. The liquid burned his throat but as the warm slush trickled into his stomach, the figure's shape changed. The shadow that engulfed him faded, leaving behind a man that looked like it could be the child's father. They had the same bulbous nose and tiny eyes, but the figure’s hair was slightly lighter.

When the dragon arrived at Godtree's Grotto, she found her path blocked by two giants holding clubs. When she tried to fly through, the giants crossed their clubs, blocking the dragon from entering.

"Halt!" bellowed the giant on the left, "Only those of pure heart may enter," exclaimed the giant on the right."

The dragon landed and said, "Destiny brings me to your door, oh mighty giants." She then placed the child on the ground before her and added, "I have been instructed to deliver this child to Godtree."

The giants scrunched their noses, "The human wreaks of dark magic," replied the giant on the left. "He shall not enter." remarked the giant on the right.

The dragon recalled the Mirror of Glimor's vision and remembered the vile that was forced to the boy’s lips. The dragon flapped her wings in fury, she didn’t travel all this way with the wretched human not to get her reward.

“The boy is pure of heart,” yelled the dragon, “He has been poisoned and seeks Godtree’s aid. He cannot help that life dealt him a bad hand. Now step aside so that he may be cured.”

The giant on the left stepped forward and scooped the small child into its large hand. As soon as the child made contact, the giant screamed and pulled its hand away. Shaking the burning hand, the giant yelled, "What sorcery is this?"

A voice from the woods answered, "It is the chaotic curse, Guardians of Life." Stepping out of the tree line stood the man who had been following the dragon. tears rolled down his face and he had both hands grasping a pendant on his chest, "My poor son was touched by Belar. His mother and I tried to cure him, but one of the demon’s agents snatched him before we got the chance." The man walked up to the dragon and placed a hand on her side, "Praise be to Godtree that you exist. Not only did you find my baby, but you brought him to the only one who can save him. Prayers really can be answered."

The dragon's chest swelled, but something tugged at the back of her mind. The man’s story didn’t make sense. She had seen the boy’s past, he hadn’t been poisoned until he was taken. If the man was truly who he claimed, he should smell similar to the child.

Bending closer to the man, the dragon took a whiff and gagged. The man smelled worse than the boy, but it wasn’t a human smell. No, this smell was something that sent a shiver down her spine.

The giants saw the dragon's disgust and said, "If what you speak is true, human, then you should be pure of heart. Come forward so that we may weigh you on the scales of justice."

The giant on the left placed its right hand on the ground and the giant on the right placed its left hand on top of the other giant’s and said, "Step onto my hand, so that justice may be served."

The man stepped forward, but when his boots met the giant's gray flesh, he burned through both hands and manifested a bow made of shadow. Two matching arrows were drawn to the man's cheek. When he released, the arrows plunged into each giant's chest and they both collapsed to the ground causing the whole world to shake.

Once the giants had fallen, the man's human form returned to its shadowy state. He walked over to the child and lifted him up by his hair. The boy screamed and flailed but the shadow didn't flinch.

"Release the child, Belar," demanded the dragon.

"Fine,” Belar released the child and the boy sprinted towards the dragon, wrapping his tiny arms around her massive leg,

“He won’t live long anyway,” added Belar.

“What are you talking about?”

“You saw it in the mirror. I gave the boy a drink. That drink happens to be a toxin that is slowly destroying the boy’s body from the inside out.”

On cue, the child doubled over and threw up. Aching sobs followed, and the dragon could feel the boy’s pain.

“Give me the cure, or I’ll burn you where you stand,” demanded the dragon.

Belar laughed, “You can’t harm me. As for the boy, the only way to cure him is to have Godtree do it. Too bad he won’t be around much longer.” Belar then rushed into the grotto and made a wall of fog to block the entrance.

Furious, the dragon spewed fire into the air. Her ignorance was getting Godtree and the boy killed. If she didn’t figure out a way to stop Belar, she’d never get her reward.

Channeling the fire within her stomach, the dragon shot a torrent of flame into the fog but it wouldn’t budge. She tried ramming into it, pushing the giants into it, and even flying around it but nothing worked. All out of ideas, she picked the kid up and brushed the hair out of his eye with her claw.

“I’m sorry little one, my intentions may not have been the best, but I really did try to help.”

While the dragon comforted the boy, Belar was starting his master plan in the Grotto. Pulling out his vile, he began dumping the liquid on the tree’s exposed roots. Vines started to grab and choke out everything in their path.

Cackling, Belar bowed before the mighty tree and said,

“Glorious, Godtree, your reign is over. It is time for chaos to bring order to the world.”

Outside the grotto, the world started to shake and loud snapping sounds could be heard from the sky above. Looking towards the sound, the dragon could see Godtree’s branches snapping and igniting as they descended toward the earth.

Worried they were going to get hit, the dragon carried the boy to the fog and tried pushing herself in. Anywhere she touched wouldn’t move, but for some reason every spot the boy touched, the fog would bend around him.

Sniffing the fog, and then sniffing the boy, the dragon realized that they had the same stench. “Perhaps your curse will help out after all,” exclaimed the dragon as she used the boy like a torch to clear a path for them.

Once inside the grotto, the unlikely duo got to see the chaos unfold. Green, thorny vines were coiled around fauna and the great oak tree. Belar stood nearby watching his work unfold.

Hoping to catch the demon off guard, the dragon shot a torrent of flame at the preoccupied figure but as the tip of the flame was about to make contact, the figure disappeared in a cloud of smoke. When he reappeared he was beside the dragon holding a curved sword. Shoving the sword into the dragon’s side, Belar vanished before the she could retaliate.

The dragon screamed in pain and tossed the boy under one of Godtree’s exposed roots. She knew the toss would frighten him, but you could heal from fright, you couldn’t heal from a pierced heart.

The sword jutting from the dragon’s side burned. When she looked at the wound she could see purple lines growing from it. Grabbing the hilt with her teeth, the dragon yanked the weapon from her body and tossed it. Gasping from the effort, the dragon limped towards Belar and sent her tail crashing towards him. The blow missed and Belar vanished and reappeared behind her. He brought up his arms and slammed them into the dragon’s wounded side. She screamed and whipped her tail but once again missed.

How was she going to kill something she couldn’t hit?

As the leaves descended around her she noticed one of them touched Belar and he winced. The tree can hurt him, declared the dragon.

Taking to the sky, the dragon flew up to one of the lower branches and snapped it off with her teeth. She then whittled one of the ends with her claws until it was sharp and flew back towards the shadowy figure chanting at the tree’s base.

Seeing her, Belar vanished before the dragon could shove the spear through his misty body. She cursed under her breath. How was she going to catch him long enough to drive this stick through his chest?

Bouncing across the grotto, Belar and the dragon exchanged blows. Sparks flew as shadow met sacred wood.

“I’m impressed, dragon,” shouted Belar, “I didn’t think you’d put up this much of a fight.”

The dragon shifted the spear in her mouth and lashed at Belar as he spoke, but the shadowy man evaporated before anything made contact.

Belar stood on top of an exposed root and added, “For being such a greedy creature, I’m surprised you haven’t fled.”

The dragon was surprised too. She had no reason to stay. She came for a reward, that’s it. She looked back at the boy and winced. Her wound was throbbing and the purple veins continued to grow even without the sword. If she was going to stop Belar it needed to be soon or there wouldn’t be anyone left to keep the boy safe.

Seeing the dragon in such pain frightened the boy. He was always taught to avoid dragons but this one had been kind to him. He needed to do something to help it but he didn’t know what. The scary man was getting closer and the dragon was having a hard time staying on its feet. He really wanted his Momma. She would know what to do.

“You really thought you’d win,“ asked Belar, “you have been nothing but a pawn from the start. I have been dropping hints for the Mirror of Glimor for months. I even etched the runes on the back to make you ask the right questions. I put the child in your path that night. Everything that has happened today would never happen without you. You should be proud, dragon, the beginning of the new world is on your shoulders!”

The dragon collapsed and stared and the spinning figure. This had been all her fault. If she had just left the boy none of this would have ever happened. Now he was practically dead anyway, she had nothing, and the world was going to die.

Belar kept gloating as he made his prepared to finish off the dragon. He manifested a new sword from the shadow and placed the blade on the dragon’s neck. Belar smiled, raised it over his head, and prepared to slice it through the dragon’s thick neck.

Focused on what he was doing, Belar failed to notice the dragon scooping her hand-made spear in her tail. As the blade sliced through the air, the dragon thrust her weapon through the demon’s chest causing the sword to topple to the ground.

Belar staggered, holding the shaft of his spear that was jutting from his chest. He coughed and fell to the ground. His shadowy form faded away leaving nothing but a pile of bones and a single spear.

Free to catch her breath, the dragon collapsed to the ground as the boy hobbled towards her. She could hear him struggling to breathe as the sickness settled in his lungs. When the child got to her, he wrapped his arms around her neck and his whole body relaxed.

The dragon wanted to lay there forever, but she could feel the boy’s pulse fading. Using what little strength she had left, she put the boy in her mouth and hobbled over to the tree. She then placed the child at the base and said,

“Mighty, Godtree, father of life, please heal this boy.”

A single branch lowered itself and presented the dragon with a green-colored acorn. The dragon took the seed, and asked,

“Thank you for this gift, Godtree, but I do not understand. What am I supposed to do with it?”

A thunderous voice boomed from the massive oak, “Belar has weakened me to the point where I cannot regenerate. Which means I lack the strength to heal the child. However, if he eats the acorn he and I will both survive.”

The dragon was hesitant. Would the boy still be the same after Godtree took over? The boy coughed and a trickle of blood dribbled down his cheek. Not wanting the boy to die, the dragon placed the acorn in the boy’s mouth and watched his neck bob as he swallowed.

Once the acorn was eaten, the oak tree shriveled into nothing. Smoke filled the air from the tree’s fallen branches, the green vines were no more, and all was still. The dragon took the time to use her fiery breath to cauterize her wound. The purple veins remained, but they had at least stopped growing. That would have to be a problem for another day.

Placing the child on her back, the dragon took to the sky and headed toward the village. She knew she couldn’t go in or they’d kill her but she needed to get the boy home, so when she arrived, she placed the child on the outskirts of town and roared louder than she had ever roared before.

Shouts came from the village as the whole town rushed towards the roar. When the people saw her they immediately started firing arrows at her, she shielded the attack with her wings and took off. They’d take care of the boy from there.

After a few days, she thought she could smell the boy. Certainly not, she thought, but she hobbled out of her den just to make sure.

Standing outside of the fiery ring of rocks stood a woman holding a sac. When she saw the dragon she squealed and dropped the sac before running away.

The dragon tilted her head in confusion and went to investigate the bag. Resting inside was a wooden toy in the shape of a lizard. The dragon could smell the boy’s dingy hands all over it and she smiled.

Once back in the den she placed the toy on the slab and said, “Only the best treasures get to lay with me.”