Dragon Queen: Book One-Scarlet Reign

Chapter Six- Rage

Aelwen kept her eyes focused on Gerel, hoping her expression could convey the kind of deep trouble she was in. He nodded slightly, his face darkening. He ducked, slipping into the crowd and out of sight.

Aelwen breathed a sigh of relief. At least there was some hope she'd get out of here.

After the crowd had gotten over its initial shock, several members of the throng of terrified people screamed at the circus members, telling them that this was a horrible, risky idea.\

"That thing will escape and slaughter us! Or it'll call on its brethren to attack the village! What were you thinking!?" One particularly loud voice called.

A few of the village guards rose from the benches, drawing their swords and approaching the cage. Their eyes plainly displayed their intent to kill. But before they could reach the cage, a magical green barrier appeared, cutting off the performance area from the audience. The guards pounded at it, demanding to be let through. Their demands were not answered.

The magician swept between the crowd and the cage, his staff glowing brightly with the same sickly green. He bowed, the light mustache on his face twisting upwards along his smiling lip. "Calm down, dear audience! I, the great Kriem, will again show you wonders beyond your imagination, as I do to this dragon what many of you would have loved to do to the ones that attacked your homes and cities!"

The shadows of several dragons passed over the performance ring. The crowd waited in silence for them to get out of hearing distance, and then continued their protesting.

Kriem stepped to the side, waving his glorious cape. "I have protected this village by casting an invisibility spell over it. Thus, I would ask in exchange for you to allow me to continue with my performance." He eyed the drawn swords the guards held. They continued to stand defiantly. Kriem sighed.

"Well, I'll continue anyway, even if I am being treated quite rudely." He turned his back to the audience, facing Aelwen with squared shoulders and not a trace of fear on his face. "Over the past week, dragons like this one have been terrorizing the countryside after mysteriously appearing on the eastern edge of the land. Now they have traveled all the way across the continent to kill our queen and slaughter our people. I think it is time for us to fight back, even in a small way, no?"

The crowd members murmured among themselves.

Kriem flung his staff above his head, the jeweled wood spinning dramatically through the air before planting itself in the ground. The painted eyes blinked absurdly quickly, short beams of light shooting out of them as they opened. One of them hit the giant lock on the cage, melting it instantly. The door creaked open slowly. Aelwen froze.

The crowd held its collective breath. Aelwen spotted Gerel slinking silently around the edge of the circus.

With a thunderous crack, the wand sent a bolt of lightning directly at Aelwen's tail. She screamed and leapt out of the cage. However, to the audience her altered scream came out as a terrifying roar, the crowd lurching back in response like a wave over shore.

Aelwen stumbled over her chains, smashing to the ground and giving another "roar." Dust rose into the air, moved by the young dragon's twisting form. The staff flashed again, blinking eyes syncing with the magic words leaking from Kriem's mouth. The chains dissolved, turning into silver dust and mixing with the dirt in the air. As soon as they did, Aelwen rushed for the forest, which was only past a few buildings. But she was stopped by the greenish magical shield surrounding the performance area. She slammed into it, even clawing at it with all of her strength, but it would not break or even crack.