Objects: Chapter 3: Attacked

Your Current Location is Chaos Keep : Stories : Miscellaneous : Objects: Chapter 3: Attacked

Frances sat perched on Renie's back, looking out over her neck into the great wide open. The air was flowing around his face, sending his hair flying, but he didn't mind.

The flight was amazing, though just another one for this day. To think, just three hours before he was searching some old mining caves for a mythical dragon, and for his own death. And now, after finding her, he was joining her on a desperate attempt to find himself a reason to keep on living.

He sat back on her body, bending over slightly to watch as the land passed in a flurry of color below them. He had spent years trying to find a reason for living, and had finally given up only days before. Somehow, he didn't expect that Renie would have any more luck.

He watched as below them the land turned into water, a light blue that grew darker with every passing second. "How fast are we going?" he asked in awe.

Renie gave a slight flick to the tips of her wings. He guessed it was her version of a shrug. "As fast as I can go without tiring quickly. We should reach our destination in an hour.

'An hour!' he thought to himself. It had only been minutes since they had left the skies above Westland, and now there was no land to be seen in any direction.

In fact, they seemed to be starting to pick up even more speed, the very tips of her wings leaving little swirling contrails of clouds behind them in the clear air.

Letting out a laugh he tried to lay as flat as he could on her back. She herself was laid out as straight as an arrow. Her body seemed almost motionless as they cut through the air.

Placing one of his hands on the side of her neck, he felt the warmth there. He wondered what it would be like to have her wings wrapped around him, holding him close to her.

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. 'What do you think you're doing,' he chastised himself, 'fantasizing about a dragon?'

Pushing the strange thoughts away, he sat back up, looking around the sky above and below him. He had always loved to fly, but this was a new experience altogether for him. It was fantastic.

In the distance he saw a large puffy cloud, moving ever closer with each passing second. He wondered what it would be like to fly through one, and was just about to ask, but stopped. Moving in front of the cloud he saw a black speck rising up from the sea, and it was growing larger.

"What is that?" he asked, pointing to it.

Renie turned her head slightly, focusing on the speck of darkness. Her eyes suddenly went wide and she seemed to skip in her flight. "Grab onto me!" she said, her voice echoing the panic her body was showing.

Frances nodded, but didn't move. He just starred at the black speck that was quickly resolving itself into the shape of another dragon. A large black dragon, long and sleek, almost oriental looking. It gyrated through the sky, its wings beating the air into submission to keep it aloft. Its long body bent and twisted as it forced it's way through the air.

The sheer brutality of the dragon's flight was almost hypnotic. He stared at it, as it got closer and closer. Each passing second made it much clearer to see. Finally he could make out the creatures eyes. Dark empty eyes, that saw nothing but death.

He suddenly remembered Renie's words, and scrambled to wrap his arms around her neck, but it was to no avail. Before he could get a firm grip he felt a massive weight slam against his side, sending him falling through the air towards the ocean thousands of feet below.

* * *

Surenian luxuriated in the cool air over the ocean, drifting from one current to another, letting the air embrace her wings. She felt a level of exhilaration that she hadn't felt in a century.

Her body was stretched out, letting the air roll over it as she moved. Always keeping a part of her mind attuned to her flight, she pushed herself past any normal physical limits. Each wing beat pushed them faster than sound itself. Yet she and her passenger felt nothing. That was just part of her magic.

She let a smile play over her muzzle. Flying had a very special magic of it's own, and she just now realized how much she had missed it during her self-imposed isolation.

It was in this state of semi-euphoria that Frances called her attention to a spot in the distance. She focused on it, her sight allowing her to see exactly what it was before the human could. Once she understood what she was seeing she felt her blood turn cold.

It was a Jaksarin.

The dark dragons! When she had gone to ground her kind though they had killed all of those monsters. This was clear proof otherwise. Pure evil, the Jaksarin would hunt other dragons, simply to kill them. Reveling in the destruction of the bodies and souls of the other dragons, they where true servants of the Dark One.

She snapped a quick warning to Frances, as she tried to think of a way to avoid the monster. She started to bank, moving higher into the air. The thing adjusted itself, keeping it's empty eyes focused on her.

Just as she knew there was no way to avoid it, she finally felt Frances wrap his arms around her neck. She knew it was too late, but kept trying to come up with some spell to protect him in the short time she had.

It was no use. The Jaksarin crashed into her, sending her tumbling in the air. The attack wasn't meant for her, though, it had been against Frances, throwing him from her back, and into the sky.

Pulling one wing close she quickly adjusted her flight, just in time to feel the slash of the dark dragons claws at her neck barely miss her by a scale's width. Flapping back she spun around, searching the sky for Frances.

The Jaksarin had other ideas. It was turning it's bulk in the air, coming back for another attack.

'I don't have time for this,' she thought, more concerned about Frances than her safety. Kicking back her wings she flew right towards the beast, closing the gap between them before it was ready.

Flipping onto her back, she dived under it's belly, her claws out and ripping at the soft scales there, leaving a long bloody gash in its black hide from tail to neck.

Pulling her wings close, she dived down from under the beast towards the water below. The Jaksarin let out a roar, following her, its pure white blood falling behind it as it descended.

She didn't care about her pursuit right now, her eyes were focused on Frances, just seconds from the water below. Pulling her wings closer she dropped faster, but as she grew closer she saw that she would reach him just under the water's surface. Far too late.

Pulling her wings right against her body, she cut all air resistance. With that gone she sped up even more, dangerously fast. In the few seconds left she cast a quick spell, hoping that it would take. Without it, they would both be dead once they hit the water.

* * *

Frances watched the water rising up to meet him. He knew that if he hit it at this speed it would be just like cement. There was no way he could survive. He pulled himself around in the air, into a spread eagle position, his face towards the water.

Crashing into water at terminal velocity was not exactly _how_ he had planned to die, but, hell, it was a death.

Watching the water get closer, he closed his eyes. He had been in water enough to know what landing gut first felt like. This was going to hurt!

Suddenly he felt something grip his shoulders, a tightness then surrounding his body as he crashed into the water. Whatever was protecting him was ripped away and he was pulled back into the water.

Kicking in the darkness, he felt incredible pressure on his chest and face. He didn't dare open his eyes for fear of what would happen.

He wasn't going to have much of a choice though; he didn't have very much air in his lungs. It was only by automatic responses that he even held his breath. It wasn't going to last very long; his body would rebel, and try to get in a fresh breath of air.

Before that could happen, he felt something clamp onto his shoulders, and he was being pulled through the water. Rising up quickly he was up and out of it just as his pained lungs forced him to take a breath.

Still he got himself a mouthful of salt water. Coughing it up he looked above him. He was being held in Renie's back claws, water falling from her wings as she forced herself back into the sky.

He tried to call a thanks to her, but was racked by another coughing fit. As it slowly faded away he finally found his voice. Now there was more important matters. The black dragon was coming up under him, and was getting closer.

"Renie!" he shouted.

She didn't responded, but started to work her wings faster. It wasn't enough. The dragon still was coming closer. Soon its head was moving up under Renie's tail. It opened its mouth, its long forked tongue snaking out and wrapping itself around his leg.

He cried out, smashing his other foot down onto the dragon's snout. His foot ripped right into the dragon's nose, catching inside of it. He grunted as it let go of his leg. Placing his foot on the side of it's jaw, he used it for leverage to free his other one.

The dragon fell back, white blood dripping from the wound. It was also all over Frances' foot, his shoe having been lost up the thing's nose.

"Renie!" he yelled again, as the dragon started once again to move closer.

She didn't respond, but started to flap her wings even harder, trying to get away.

* * *

Surenian pushed herself to the limit. It had been so long since she had been flying that her strength and speed were not what they once were.

She had barely managed to save Frances, the spell to soften the blow having taken just as they entered the water. Even then the force had tore him away, sweeping him deep under the water. The last remnants of the spell keep him alive from the pressure just long enough for her to save him, but it had been very close.

Now she was focused on keeping them both from the claws of the thing below them.

Frances had made a quick save for himself by smashing the Jaksarin's nose, but that had only slowed it down for a few seconds.

She knew that by herself it was hopeless; she could never get away from this beast.

In her mind she opened the lynkxs, the thoughts of a thousand dragons pouring inside her mind. Into the melee she forced a single thought, with such strength that any dragon listening within two thousand miles would hear it.

#Help!#

To Be Continued...

This story is copyright 1999 by Fox Cutter, hardcopy reprints limited to one a person, all other rights reserved. This story may not be distributed for a fee except by permission of the author, and this copyright notice may not be removed.

Your Current Location is Chaos Keep : Stories : Miscellaneous : Objects: Chapter 3: Attacked
Page last updated: 02/19/2012