Caldor the Brave stood at the foot of the mountain. His bronze armour gleamed in the pale morning. "The fire dragon is close. i can feel it." The knight pointed his sword up towards the mist at the top of the mountain. "For the sake of our kingdom, it must be stopped!"
"Good luck, sir," said Edward, his page. Caldor held out an armoured hand and placed it on Edward's shoulder. They both understood that they might never see each other again. The knight turned to climb the smooth, dark slope. His feet slipped and skidded on the rock. But he dragged himself up with determination, slowly climbing higher and higher. Soon the mist closed behind him and he was lost from sight.
All that was left was an eerie silence. Edward shivered. Suddenly the mountain started to shake.
Edward could feel the vibrations travelling through his feet and up his legs. He stumbled and his chin hit the ground as a huge judder threw him to the ground. There was a metallic taste in his mouth. Blood! What was happening?
"Caldor!" Edward yelled, scrambling to his feet as the rocks shifted beneath him. "Come back!" But his voice was lost in the grinding sounds that filled the air. The whole mountain shook violently. Was it about to come crashing down on him?
Edward was seized with panic. Heart pounding, he looked up and saw two over hanging rocks start to move. Their razor-sharp edges glinted in the sunlight as they edged out. Suddenly, they slashed through the air like giant axe-heads. Edward flinched. As the mist cleared, he glimpsed Caldor clinging to the side of the mountain. Then something reared up beyond the knight, and Edward saw the flash of an eye and the thick scales of leathery skin. It was spiked head of a huge dragon!
Suddenly everything made horrible sense. His master had been right. The Beast was close. This was not a mountain...it was the dragon itself! Glancing down with a rush of fear, Edward realised he was standing on the dragon's tail - and that Caldor was holding onto the monsters back! And those two overhanging rocks were the dragon's mighty wings. He wanted to run, but his legs were frozen with fear.
Now he could see the sides of the dragon moving in and out as it breathed heavily. Steam hissed out of the creatures nostrils.
"Caldor, come back" Edward yelled again. But a terrifying roar drowned out his words. The dragon's wings unfolded again, stretching out to beat the air in a deadly rhythm. "It's taking off" Edward shouted. "Caldor, quick"
"Get back!" Caldor's words carried faintly on the air. "Go to the city. Warn King Hugo. Run!" Before Edward could move, the dragon flicked its tail, sending him flying. he hit the ground hard, shaking and grasping for breath, as the terrifying Beast rose up into the air. Caldor's screams filled his head.
Edward struggled to his feet and tried to run after his master, but the dragon was already high above him. It let out a huge roar, and a jet of orange flame lit up the sky. As it disappeared into the distance, one of Caldor's gauntlets, scorched and smoking, clattered to the ground beside Edward. Clutched in its fingers was a golden key. The echoes of Caldor's cries hung in the air. Then, silence. The knight was gone.
And his mission to free the fire dragon from Marvel's curse had failed.
