Hearts in High Places

Elder Drake

Tiberius

Why do the big ones always find me, and why are they always hungry? It was the third time this week I had to face a drake, but this one was bigger, stronger, and smarter than its kin. The trees passed by like tall blades of grass barely brushing my navel as I ran into the forest. Its huge cumbersome body thundered after me with astonishing speed. I glanced back to check its progress when the ground disappeared beneath me.

The cliff surprised us both as we free fell into the frigid lake below. The huge beast splashed in the water, its jaws snapping at my feet as I swam to the shore. It was large enough to walk along the floor of the lake and began gaining on me. I wrenched a tree from the ground and threw it at the angry lizard. It easily caught the tree and snapped the trunk in half with its mouth. I was at a disadvantage in the forest with the trees making movement more difficult. I looked for any kind of weapon, but it tackled me before I could find anything.

Its serrated teeth tore my flesh while the breaking trees bestowed my skin with thousands of splinters. Its thick hide unbothered by the shards of wood as we rolled down the hill. We crashed through the last line of trees onto a cobblestone path, making me cough from the complete and sudden stop. The scaled nightmare pinned my shoulder against the path, my head hanging over the cliff above the hungry waves. I held the bottom of its jaw away from me and searched for the strength to push the beast over the cliff. I didn't want to get spotted or the cities would be after me. My struggle came to a halt with the sound of a shrill feminine scream.

The elder drake and I snapped to attention at the sound, our eyes searching for its source. I spotted her a moment before the monster did, as it launched to snap her up. I sprung forward with speed that surprised me and held its jaws open inches from her struggling form. My wounds ached with the effort but I managed to wrestle the beast away from her. It fought to bite my hands, but I mustered every ounce of strength I possessed to roll the behemoth off the cliff. It registered the motion as I twisted its jaws, it released a panicked growl as its body weight dragged it off the edge. I heard its guttural hissing as it crashed on the sharp rocks, its lifeless body in the lapping waves. It was not a long fall, maybe a hundred and thirty feet but it was enough with the beast's weight to cause internal damage.

I scooted back from the edge, remembering the woman. I searched again for that splash of red that had alerted me to her location earlier. She now lay nearly motionless beneath a young pine, her hair a pool of vibrant fiery red against the earthy tones of the path and forest. I was about to bury my hope when a shine caught my attention. Leaning forward, I squinted, barely making out a necklace that was splayed out before her, simple with a shiny black pebble held in the woven fibers. My heart stopped. It was really her and she was injured because of me. I sat in the tree line and I began to gently lift the tree from her, little more than a twig to me. She wasn't bleeding and was still moving a little, her fingers clawing weakly at the path.

A large group of men wearing animal skins and rags began speaking loudly as they approached. Many voices rose in wariness at the chaotic scene, but it did not hinder their advance or their hideous smiles when they noticed her. They clearly didn't notice me in the treeline because they exuded confidence in spewing their vile plans. The rage built to a breaking point when they mentioned she would be fun for a while then they would just dump her off the cliff when she was used up. I didn't think twice before slamming my fist into their group. I had killed people before, mostly because they tried to kill me, they rarely spared me any kindness. My stomach turned at how easy such things had become.

She was entirely motionless now but her life sign still glowed a vibrant green, meaning she wasn't as severely injured as she could have been. I gently picked her up and placed her in my palm. Her arm sat at a weird angle compared to her body and her breathing was too shallow even for sleep.