Anthology of Contests

Golden Malintent

The sight was a marvel to behold. Standing on four enormous, muscled legs was what could only be described as a dragon. A real-life, scaly, reptilian-like, probably fire-breathing dragon. Oliver Jones looked at his sister, Thea, and wondered if she was seeing the same sight as he was. She stood mouth agape, gazing at the beast before them. The dragon's golden scales shimmered and sparkled as fire light gleamed off it. Two enormous wings spread out from its sides, making it look like a golden cormorant basking in the sun.
"When I said time traveling should be exciting, I didn't mean life-threatening," Oliver screamed above the crackling of the fire surrounding them. The inferno raged behind them as well as to their sides. In front of them stood the mighty beast. There were only two ways out of this and both ended in death. The question was whether it would be them or the dragon. 
"Well, you wanted adventure. This is what you get," Thea yelled back. The dragon stretched its mighty limbs, much like a cat does after a long nap. Its long, black claws reached forward and the two humans scampered back, out of reach. In his haste to get away, Oliver fell backward over a smoldering log and felt the air above him ripple as the beast's claw made a lazy swipe in his direction. His sister stood a couple of meters away, searching through her trouser pockets. 
"Any ideas?" Oliver asked hurriedly. He was still lying on the ground, his back covered in ash and dirt. The intimidating monster heaved up upon its hind legs and let out a ferocious roar. Oliver slammed his hands against his ears, trying to dull the sound, but only succeeding in smearing his head with filth. Thea was on her knees also clutching at her head, throwing side glances at the dragon as it spread its majestic wings to a full fourteen meters in length. The dragon stopped mid-roar and brought its wings forward in a slow, lazy motion, as though it was still sleepy. 
"I've got nothing. Guess we'll have to run," Thea answered her brother as she made her way over to him. Oliver looked around at the surroundings. Flames licked away at wooden structures from all sides. The small medieval town was burning to the ground with the golden dragon standing triumphant over it. 
"Where? Do you prefer to burn alive or get eaten?" Oliver asked sarcastically, waving a hand in turn to the fires around them and the menacing dragon before them. His sister pulled out what looked like the handle of a lightsaber with a big red button on the top and took her brother's hand. Oliver heaved a heavy sigh. There was still so much he wanted to see in 500 CE. So much he wanted to know and experience before going back to the 21st century. Before them, the dragon's wings picked up their pace and soon they could feel wind created by the movement flutter against their skin.
"Guess I won't become a knight then," Oliver mumbled and reluctantly gave his sister the nod of approval. Thea's thumb hesitantly hovered over the protruding knob, dreading what came next, but also knowing that it was their only chance of survival. Both of them took a big breath and closed their eyes. The dragon's golden hindquarters were slowly raised from the ground, as its wings' velocity reached maximum beat. She flattened the button. Immediately a high-pitched humming sound filled their ears and all other sounds were drowned out. Butterflies filled their stomachs. Oliver could feel his lunch making a reappearance and struggled to keep it down. They could feel themselves flatten, expand, and curve. Their every molecule was on fire. And then just as suddenly, it was all over and gone. 
The humming that filled their ears came to a halt, only to be filled once again with the crackling of fire. They opened their eyes and realized that the device failed. Oliver hunched forward and his lunch left him. 
"No," Thea whispered beside her spluttering brother. Before them hovered the deadly dragon, its cat eyes fixed on their tiny forms. Its golden wings had slowed their pace and only a whisper of wind could be felt. They watched, horrified as its maw opened wide, a spark glowing ever brighter in its throat. Oliver turned to his sister, despair etched on his face. 
"I love you, sister," he whispered and pulled her into a protective embrace, covering most of her tiny frame with his. She clutched at his shirt, tears streaming down her face. This is it, she thought. 
A short whistle followed by a thump rang through the air. The dragon roared and the ground quaked. A powerful gust of wind blasted against them. Dust and ash covered everything in a thick blanket. After what felt like hours, the grime settled leaving a fine film of particles in the air.
The siblings opened their eyes to see the once majestic form of the great golden dragon lying lifeless a short distance from them. There was no death rattle. No last twitch of escaping life. Just a solid mass of muscles and scales. The flames started to lick their way across the golden body and as the siblings' eyes followed the trail of fire, they saw a wooden spear, now ablaze, protruding from the dead dragon's neck. 
"Is it dead?" Thea asked, her voice barely a whisper. Oliver let go of her and approached the motionless form, his guard up. From beyond the flames, a noise could be heard. At first, it was muffled, but gradually grew in volume. Soon enough they could distinguish voices cheering and as the dust cleared they saw before them an army clad in iron. Oliver could feel his sister's hand on his shoulder. Tears filled his eyes at the sight before him.
"Guess you still have a chance at knighthood, brother," she said, smiling through the soot on her face.