Valley of Dragons

There weren't always Dragons in the valley. But there were always monsters. Shae crouched low as a screech overhead decimated the peaceful birdsong of the late afternoon. Almost deafening, the large firebreather scanned the ground below searching for the small human who had angered him so, flying close enough to the ground to enflame the grasses in several places along the plain.

Shae nocked an arrow and took aim from her hiding place beneath a bridge. She took a breath in, held, and released, allowing the arrow to take flight. The shot flew true and hit the dragon in his great eye, the only weak point on the animal. He screamed in pain and Shae bent in half, covering her ears with her hands. The Dragon wouldn’t find her hiding beneath a bridge, in a dry creek bed, especially not now, when he was beyond furious.

"Gods of fire," Shae sighed as she shrank back farther under the bridge, awaiting the right moment.

There was no easy way to kill a dragon. Other creatures could do the work in much quicker fashion but for humans, the job was arduous and often their last. Shae had become quite skilled in the art of dragon slaying. As the need for more skilled slayers increased, Shae took jobs as often as possible to cut back the increasing numbers of beasts in the air, as well as helping to pay for her family's wellbeing. They couldn't last without her.

Shae took out her long-fixed blade knife and felt for the small glass bottle strapped around her neck. She would only get one chance to get this right. Strapping her bow to her back, Shae took advantage of the Dragon's lost sight on his right side and crept from the bridge, low and slow--waiting. The Dragon landed on the ground in a huff, scratching at the wounded eye with a giant claw.

Hunched, Shae stepped up out of the dry creek bed, avoiding the lasting embers dying in the long green grass, and hurried close to the Dragon’s side. Distracted, the Dragon wouldn’t feel the small human climb up his shoulder and alight onto his back. This was a great beast, well into his years and overconfident in his place at the top of the food chain.

Selecting particularly large scales as handholds, Shae climbed up the beast’s right side, with grace and speed. Dragon skin is thick, with even thicker scales to match, which meant he would have a difficult time distinguishing the weight of a human upon his heavily armored body and with an arrow in the eye, the Dragon’s focus was elsewhere.

Sitting astride the beast, Shae took the strap off her neck, she uncorked the glass bottle and poured the liquid along the side of the Dragon's neck, between the scales. Instantly the liquid fizzed and boiled as it began to burn away the skin underneath. Before the Dragon could react, she sliced deeply through his skin where the liquid had made a way.

The Dragon cried out, stretching his head and long neck toward the sky, attempting to escape into the air, great wings straining, as copious amounts of blood flowed freely from the wound made precisely at the location of a major artery. Shae held on tight to his scales, as the animal took one, two wing lengths before falling back to the ground, and never leaving it again.

Placing a hand on the Dragon's neck and leaning close, Shae whispered, "Peace cousin. Thank you for the honor of this battle." Sliding off the great beast she cleaned her knife and placed it in the scabbard. The glass bottle had been lost in the struggle but would be easily replaced in town. Looking towards sunset, Shae began to turn towards home but a masculine voice from the left, behind the Dragon, hailed her.

“You’re quite the talent, Shae’Calla,” the stranger said, clapping slowly and walking in her direction.

“That’s what they say,” Shae squinted unable to discern the individual’s face in the low light but deciding to hold her ground.

“That must be some mighty blade to slice through Dragon skin, unless there’s some other secret I missed?” As the man advanced, Shae could see he was dressed in the clothes of royalty, with a deep mahogany tunic, belted in soft leather over breaches designed for riding.

Shae’s gaze became hard, and her body tensed as the stranger’s identity and objective became clear. “Why are you here?” she stated in a level voice, “I responded to the court weeks ago.”

The man shook his head, looked at the ground and with a shrug of his shoulders stated, “I’ve been sent to try and change your mind.” The stranger gave her a generous, wide, smile that reached his eyes and Shae suddenly understood the rumors of this man to be true but instantly dismissed them as treasonous against her own heart.

She sighed, turned toward sunset and began walking in the direction of home, stating almost as an afterthought, “You have no chance of changing my mind but you might as well follow me to the safety of our walls so you will have a chance of surviving the night, Your Majesty.”