It was someone crying. Though he heard this sound all around, this one was different. It was a little child, and she didn't sound hurt, but rather scared. He couldn't tell where it came from at first, and he was afraid to stop his course. Still, this child was alive and perhaps he could save her. He dared not yell out, but stopped and listened. A small and burning shack behind him and to his right seemed to be the origin of the sound. The roof looked to be on the verge of collapsing. He ran to the shack and ripped opened the door. A little girl, about six years of age, was crouched and huddled on the ground. He could not see any others inside. The child was wearing nothing but a white night gown, and held a little doll. She looked his way as he opened the door. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.
"Is ye alone?" he shouted.
She nodded, and continued to cry.
"Shush and get ye here," said Jashion.
The child did not move, but continued to sniffle and gaze up at him. Jashion ran towards her, and she shrieked in fear. He picked her up; she did not resist. The roof would collapse at any moment. He took her and ran towards the door. As they exited the door, the roof did collapse, and he felt the heat on his backside. The child cuddled up to him then, as stiff as could be. In the distance, he could hear Dromreign shriek. The dragon was heading his way. He looked to his right and his left, but did not see anything that could hide him and provide him shelter. He ran on, hoping to find his way out of the city before Dromreign was upon them.
Again, a boulder emerged, and again Jashion hid behind it. The backside of the boulder provided a small caved-in area and Jashion place the girl on the ground in the cavity. She looked up at him with fright, but he shushed her again, and looked up to catch a view. Dromreign could not be far from them.
Indeed, it was not. The beast's red eyes could be seen in the dark, and the dragon was heading his way. He ducked behind the boulder and pushed into the cavity as best he could, pinning the child between him and the rock. His head was down, so that he could not see the dragon fly directly overhead, mere feet from the top of the boulder. But what he did not see he could smell. It was even fowler this time as the scent wafted down upon them. The little girl couldn't take anymore. Between the fear, and the terror she was experiencing, that scent sent her over the edge and she vomited on the spot. Jashion backed away, in part from the vomiting, but also because he wanted to see if Dromreign was returning to where they hid. They would not be protected from its gaze if it came at them from the other direction.
The dragon was nowhere to be seen, but that was even less comforting. The smell of the vomit could not penetrate the foulness of Dromreign. The little girl was finished heaving, and looked at him as though he would punish her.
"Come ye here, is ye done?" he said gently.
She looked at him carefully, and nodded slightly. As she approached he wiped her mouth with the bottom of his shirt. He picked her up and after scanning the area again, took off running. The dragon's screech could be heard some ways off in the distance. He felt a hint of hope that they may make it to the edge of Dargaer.
They reached the edge of the dwellings and began to make the climb up the rocks to where the guards should have been. Sure enough, the guards were there sleeping in a drunken slumber.
"Wake ye, ye fools!" he said as he kicked a guard in the back. His arm muscles were burning with the weight of the girl, and his anger knew no bounds. He continued to scream and kick the bodies that he saw, but there was no hope of arousal.
"Can ye walk, me arms tired?" he asked the girl.
She nodded and he began to lighten her to the ground when he noticed her feet—they were bare.
"Aye, ye got no shoes, do ye. Ye can't walk bare-shodden, can ye?"
Thebrave little girl nodded and he let her go. They walked away in the darknesstowards the east. Jashion had no understanding of the land, nor did he have anyplan except that he was heading away from Dargaer.drmpf�L���
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Aiden's Quest
FantasyA gifted young man, born into an obscure tribe, quickly becomes the leader of his people. His unparalleled skills, keen intellect, and extraordinary senses, along with his tireless work ethic turn him into the greatest hunter of all time. In his par...
