Down on His Luck

Chapter 5

The tunnel was finally cleared enough for entry, and Mala took the lead with Heather and Sleuther, letting the dragon lead the way in hopes that he could retrace his steps taken with Dagur hours before.

Heather was the first to see the collapsed walkway, a pickaxe lying in the ice. Sleuther whined and nudged Mala, then flapped his wings a little and looked over the edge. Mala could see a lantern on its side and a spear, abandoned beside drag marks leading off into the dark- as well as large dragon claw marks.

"Odd- some are fresh, while others have stiffened, as if he was dragged a bit and it stopped, then started again later." A guard dragged her finger along the marks, turning back to Mala when she found blood. "It appears that either Dagur or the dragon has been injured."

Mala examined the blood and the tracks more closely, not liking what she was seeing. "It is most likely my husband, as a result of being dragged and falling from that cliff. We will follow this trail with all haste." Heather put a hand on Mala's arm for a brief moment of comfort before signaling the guards to head off along the trail, hoping despite the long odds that she could find her brother alive.

Dagur woke up in a stony cave, surprisingly warm- a quick glance showed the reason being the three dragons sleeping around him, puffing out tiny blue flames with each exhale. One's tail rested on top of Dagur's broken leg, and he cringed from the pressure, pain, and the building stiffness. The dragon shifted and Dagur felt a rush of panic- at some point after he had blacked out and the dragon pulled him here, bone was now sticking through his skin.

It was surrounded by dried and fresh blood, and Dagur looked away, sickened. "No chance of trying to walk on this I suppose." Dagur whispered to himself, thinking that he might have to try anyway. Then he saw light in the corridor outside, as well as human silhouettes. A face poked itself into the den, eyes widening when it saw Dagur in the middle of the three sleeping dragons. They motioned Dagur to walk to them, but Dagur shook his head and pointed to his leg, making a snapping motion with his hands.

The face disappeared, then Mala and Heather appeared, filling Dagur with happiness, despite everything else. Mala snuck further into the room, frowning concernedly when she saw the state of her husband's leg. She kissed him and whispered, "If I help, do you think you can walk? You would only have to get up to the cliffs where Sleuther can fly you out." Dagur nodded, sucking in a deep breath to prepare himself. Stifling a groan as he rose, the redhead limped slowly out of the room, gripping his wife's shoulder hard enough to bruise; not that she minded.

The group was almost to the cave entrance, when a chorus of shrieks sounded off behind them. Dagur was still walking with Mala, wanting to make a show of strength to his people. "Oh great, they woke up! And I'm not fast enough to outrun them. Mala, dearest, I need you to-" Mala cut him off with a glare and drew her sword. "Dagur, I love you more than anything in this world, so I would suggest not finishing that sentence."

Dagur laughed wildly, pulling out his knife with the hand not gripping his wife's shoulder. "I was hoping you'd say that!" Heather stepped past the pair, her eyebrows raised. "As cute as this is, we have enough guards to defend you two, no need for dramatic last stands here. Besides, brother, you may be a formidable fighter but even you can't do much with your bone sticking out."

The dragons ran up the walls of ice, skidding to a halt and blinking in the light streaming down from the cave entrance. The largest one, the one who had taken Dagur, pranced and whined, shaking it's head from side to side as if in confusion. Dagur's eyes narrowed, perplexed at it's behavior, before he suddenly had an idea.

"Stop! Don't attack it! Just trust me on this." Mala frowned but helped Dagur limp through the line of guards, closer to the dragon. Once he was only feet away, Dagur began to speak to it, his voice comforting and calm. Even though the dragon didn't understand the meaning, it understood the tone, and it began to relax.

With a high-pitched whistle, the dragon ducked it's head before turning tail and running back into the caves, quickly followed by the other two. "I think they thought I was a dragon. Without the heat of their cave, I would have died before you found me." Mala leaned close to her husband, a small smile on her face. "I am glad that they saved you, no matter what the cause may have been. Now, let's get that leg taken care of."

The group turned and walked out of the cave, greeted by relieved cheers by the assembled berserkers. It was a good day to be alive and above ground.