ICE (sequel to Horror)

Dragon?☠️

    "I don't know," said Elena. "Badger maybe?"

         Elena stooped down again and moved some more of the stones, partially revealing the torso of the skeleton. It was then that they saw the metal spike.

         Jabbed between the creature's ribs and clearly going straight through the animal's body, was a spear about four feet long. It must have been made of cooper, or something like it, because it was now green with verdigris. Elena went to grab it.

         "No!" Hissed Martin. "We shouldn't. It's wrong."

          "Don't be such a baby," Elena said. "He's hardly going to complain, is he? Anyway, I only want to have a look."

           Martin clutched his sister's arm.

           "Leave it alone, Elena," he said. "It doesn't belong to us."

            "It doesn't belong to anyone," Elena said. "Or at least, no one who's alive. Whoever speared this creature must have died a long time ago."

            "But why?" Said Martin.

            "Why what?" Said Elena with an exasperated sigh.

            "Why spear this animal and then build this place over the top?"

            "Who knows?" Said Elena. "It was probably a religious thing. You know pagans and all that."

            Martin suddenly clapped his hands.

           "I know what this place must be," he said, casting a glance at the animal bones. "It's a burial mound. You know a barrow. Like in the book father gave us. Remember?"

          Elena nodded. Martin was right. There had been an illustration of a burial mound, showing different views: one from the outside, a diagram as if it had been sliced open and an imaginary illustration of what the dead man might have looked like inside with all his grave goods. This one appeared to be a similar construction.

       "But barrows have warriors and kings in them," said Elena. "This one has a dead animal. Any idea what sort of animal it is yet?"

       "I don't know," Martin said. "I still think we should leave things be."

       But Elena was on her haunches again, moving stones from around the skeleton to see if there was anything else of interest.

        "We ought to fetch Father," Martin said, trying to restrain his sister. "Or the farmer."

         Elena shrugged him away.

         "Aren't you just a bit curious?" She said.

         "Of course I am," Martin replied. "But we don't know anything about archaeology. Let's go and get Father."

         "We will," said Elena. "We will. All I'm saying is, let's see if we can't find out a little for ourselves and then tell them. This could be big news. Why should they take the credit? After all, it was you that found it."

       "I suppose so..." Martin said hesitantly.

Elena had already moved enough debris to see the skeleton of the animal more clearly. The head was missing. She crouched down to have a better look; Martin did the same.

          "Some sort of dog maybe?" Said Martin in a voice that made it more question than statement.

        Elena frowned. If it was a dog, it must have been a strange looking one but then, thought Elena, it was a long time ago and they must have had different kinds of dogs then. It stood to reason. It was Martin who noticed the claws.