DDM Serial
Among Dragons, Chapter 1: Danger in the Storm
By Keven Newsome

Fear spread through Roth 

like cold water. He stared at the old councilman in disbelief.

“What are you waiting for?” asked the councilman. His eyes blazed with impatience.

With clenched fists, Roth flung open the stable door and rushed out. The light drizzle spattered against his face, and his bare feet slipped in the mud. He cursed under his breath for not having time to fetch his shoes. Alarm bells came alive throughout the city. Roth paused and looked around. What few people who braved the dreary weather were now scrambling to get to safety. Roth took a deep breath and thought about joining them.

“Go!” shouted the councilman.

Roth looked back to the old man's frustrated face. Then he turned for the city livestock gate behind the stables. Two hunters stood at their perches on either side preparing to open it. As Roth slowed to slip through the ever widening crack of the gate, he looked up and saw other hunters scrambling to positions along the walls. Why couldn't one of them go?

As Roth ran, the drizzle intensified to a steady rain. The patter of the falling water on the trees muffled the pounding of his feet on the muddy road. Roth tried to concentrate on the droning sound and nothing else. He forced his mind not to think about the news he carried. If he didn't make it in time…

Roth's heart hammered and his lungs labored when he came to the end of his half mile sprint. The trees gave way to open land and the road descended into a wide plain. At least fifty field workers were spread out in the valley…women leading teams of oxen pulling plows, and men in long lines sowing seed.

Roth bent over to catch his breath. The steady rain did not seem to bother the workers below. He bit his lip, wanting to be behind the safety of the city walls, but also knowing full well that he had friends down below.

Lightning flashed. Thunder boomed. And with it Roth thought he heard something…else. A chill coursed through his bones. Roth started running again. His feet slipped from beneath him and he half slid down the hill. Heads turned in his direction but no one spoke. Roth clenched his jaw to keep from calling out.

Silence saves lives. That's what they taught everyone who worked outside the city.

Roth reached the bottom of the hill, mostly covered in mud. The foreman waited for him, arms crossed and a scowl on his red face.

He leaned in. “What's the meaning of this?” he whispered.

Roth pointed back the way he had come. “Dragon.”

The foreman's face paled and his eyes widened. “How far?”

“Spotted dipping beneath the clouds west of the city. Flying north…this way.”

The foreman nodded. “How far, boy?”

Roth took a deep breath. “A league. At the most.”

If the foreman's face could have paled more, Roth thought that it might have. The older man jogged away to a small tent. A moment later he waved a large red banner. A murmur coursed across the Plain. Women ran to unhitch the plows. Men dropped their seed bags and spades, and rushed to help the women with the animals. Suddenly the choreographed order that Roth had seen from the top of the hill turned into chaos.

The foreman came back to Roth. “You should leave now.”

“I'm not going back alone.”

The foreman nodded. “Don't fall behind. And keep quiet.”

“Don't worry.”

Roth watched as the oxen were led across the Plain toward the road. Movement at the tree line on the opposite side of the Plain made Roth jump, but no one else seemed to notice. After a few moments of studying the movement, he recognized hunters gathering together and coming out of the trees to escort the laborers. He had forgotten they would be here too.

As the nearest of the workers and oxen reached the edge of the Plain, the rain began to fall in torrents. The opposite side of the Plain faded into obscurity and many workers disappeared in the haze. Thunder rolled again. And again Roth thought he heard something else in the sound.

Pure fear crossed the foreman's face, causing Roth to tremble. The foreman grabbed the small horn at his side and gave it a soft blow. The workers passing by sped up, some whimpering. Roth turned to follow, but stopped when he spotted a face he knew. He pushed through the workers.

“Elinora,” he said.

“Roth, what are you doing here?” Her voice shook. She brushed a wet strand of hair out of her face and tugged more fiercely at the ox she led.

Roth reached to help. “I came with the message.”

“So it's true?”

Roth nodded.

Thunder. Screech. This time Roth knew he heard it.

“It's too late. It's already here,” said Elinora. Roth looked back. Her face twisted with fear, then she let go of the ox. “Run, Roth.” Someone nearby screamed. Everyone surged forward. Elinora grabbed his arm. “RUN!”

“Silence!” shouted the foreman.

At the foreman's voice, the workers went silent and slowed to a walk again, heads tilted to the sky. Roth looked up, shielding his face from the onslaught of pounding water.

“What is everybody doing?” whispered Roth.

“Silence saves lives,” said Elinora. Roth could hear weeping in her voice.

“It's okay,” said Roth. “Don't panic. It's going to be okay.”

“How do you know?” asked Elinora.

Roth took a deep breath. “Just think about the way it used to be, before the dragons came.”

Elinora didn't respond. Roth thought that maybe he had gone too far…brought up the wrong memories.

The twilight of the storm haze deepened. The ground rumbled. An ox bellowed. Someone shoved Roth and he almost fell. Screams everywhere, from man and beast. Bodies rushed by.

“Come on!” said Elinora. She released her animal and started running.

A guttural snarl erupted from nearby. A woman screamed, but the scream was cut short. Adrenaline surged through Roth and he scrambled forward. His feet slipped again in the mud and he fell face first. A moment later, there were no more rushing bodies around him. All he could hear was the rain beating on his body.

“Grab my hand,” said Elinora.

Roth looked up, surprised that she had returned. He took her hand and gained traction, digging in his toes. They ran after the fleeing workers. Roth pulled ahead.

A roar. A scream. Roth turned to see Elinora fall to the ground with a loud slap in the mud. She sobbed and reached out to Roth. Roth forced himself to reach back for her hand. His legs gave way instead and he fell to his knees, frozen.

Treading out of the torrential haze came a creature black from head to toe and shimmering as if covered in oil.  Long bony legs supported a thin body that towered over the oxen. Wiry wings dragged the ground. It stretched out its scaly neck, reaching toward Elinora with its rawboned face. Water dripped from the horny protrusions covering its skull.

The dragon raised its head and made eye contact with Roth. The gaze pierced into his mind…searching, analyzing. Roth's vision tunneled until he could see only the red glow of the dragon's eyes. The sound of the rain died away, replaced by the thumping of his heart. The gaze reached deeper in, clawing at his soul. Shame and depression welled up to mingle with the fear. With them came memories…old memories. Memories of another dragon. The first dragon. Screams filled his mind. A child's screams. His screams.

The dragon looked away. It reached out and seized Elinora by the leg.

She cried out with a sound similar to that of the dragon's cry. Roth felt encased in ice, the cold rain running down his face. Elinora twisted and struck at the claw with her open hand. Then she looked back at Roth in terror as she stretched forth her fingers to leave tracks in the mud. The dragon crouched on its hind legs and pulled her upside down, her long hair brushing the ground.

“No,” Roth said with what little voice he could find. It was happening again…and again he sat helpless. Worthless. He tried to move forward, but the dragon flicked its eyes to him. Roth obediently sat still. Worthless. He let despair envelope within, and sagged forward to await his turn with the dragon.

The monster twisted its head sideways and opened its jaws. Jagged teeth dripped with fresh blood. With a final desperate cry, Elinora fell silent and limp. The dragon lowered its head and leaned in. Its jawbone dropped and its mouth stretched open wide enough to swallow Elinora whole.

A faint hiss preceded a slightly louder thump. The dragon roared and dropped Elinora. It clutched at the arrow protruding from its arm. Then it turned and faced the hunter standing several yards away.

The hunter drew back another arrow.

The dragon screeched and charged. Release. The arrow flew through the rain and struck the dragon in the shoulder. Draw. Release. Another arrow in the neck. The dragon crouched and fixed the hunter with the same red gaze that had pierced Roth. But the hunter drew another arrow, unafraid. With a final screech at the hunter, the dragon spread its leathery wings and launched into the air, quickly lost to the rainy haze.

The despair lifted immediately. Warmth filled Roth's arms and legs. He crawled to Elinora's side and patted her face. She moaned and her eyes fluttered. “Eli, wake up. We have to go.”

Boots appeared by her head. Roth looked up at the hunter who had saved them. “Corin…” Roth said. “It's you.”

Corin pursed his lips. “Who else would stay for you two?”

“I'm sorry. I couldn't move. I don't know…”

“That dragon shouldn't return today.”

“Are you sure?”

Corin knelt and lifted Elinora into his arms. “I'm sure. It looked inside of me…and it knew I wouldn't miss. Come on.” Corin started up the hill toward the forest.

Roth looked around one final time at what little he could see of the deserted Plain. Then he ran after Corin.