Abased - The Exiled Warrior

Chapter 12.2 - Lord of the Dargu

Alam felt like throwing up. He looked in horror from the tip of the arrow where the arrowhead should have been to Clarisai's wide green eyes. He dropped his gaze in shame.

"I'm so sorry," he said. "I rushed it. I should've taken more care, and now it's stuck inside..."

Tajar stepped over to Alam and pulled him to his feet.

"She'll be fine," he lied as he shook Alam. "We have bigger problems." He pointed at Sapphire.

He lowered his voice to a fierce whisper. "We have have to kill her. Now!"

Alam looked into his friend's eyes.

Tajat grabbed Alam's uninjured shoulder and whispered again. "Alam, she's a dragon! Now is our only chance!"

Sapphire was rising to her feet with her back to them. There was no denying her form. The bone popping was continuing, with each sound accompanied by a section of her body growing, but each pop was deeper in pitch, and louder. The top of her head was taller than the height of the tent Alam grew up in; large wings lay folded against her back; the tips of her curved teeth protruded beyond her lower and upper lips; the claws on the end of her four feet were as daggers; the stinger on the end of her tail was almost as long as Tajar's sword; her blue scaled skin glinted like metal in the dim, flickering firelight. She was a creature of death. A creature of ruin.

And yet, her beauty and grace was undeniable.

Alam nodded. "I'll go for her neck. Shoot at her to distract her, I'll finish her."

Alam let the rage grow, as Chief Urlock had taught him. With Clarisai injured it was easy to channel his worry into fury. He lifted his axe in his left hand - his right was too weakened by the arrow wounds to hold the axe - and circled around her.

Tajar shot.

The arrow swished through the air and bounced off her back. The scales were too hard for it to penetrate.

She spun around to face him. Her roar echoed around the chamber and caused Alam's heart to pound.

With feet planted firmly Tajar unleashed a second arrow. It hit her shoulder and skittered away.

Alam sprinted around the other side of her.

"What are you doing?!" she demanded of Tajar.

Alam heard Tajar's bow twang in response but could not see its impact.

"You're here to protect, not attack me!" She roared as she reared onto her back legs.

Alam heard a fourth arrow hit her. Alam was behind her, but on her back legs she was too tall for Alam's axe to reach her neck.

"I am not your enemy! The grag are! The Lord of the Dargu is! If we fight, none of us will live! If we were enemies I would have killed you long ago!"

She seemed so sincere Alam lowered his axe.

"Alam! Now!" Tajar urged.

Alam was stopped by indecision.

"Lord of the Dargu? Who is that?" he asked. "Is it that fat dargu with Tajar's arrow in her gut?"

"No," a new, deep rumbling voice rolled out from the darkness behind him. "The dargu are my slaves. I am their Lord."

Alam spun around. A monstrous beast, a dragon the height of an oak tree, stepped into the flickering light. He was much taller than Sapphire, whose head only reached halfway up his neck. His limbs were thick and solid with muscle.

Damn!

Alam crouched defensively and took his axe in both hands. A stab of pain lanced up his wounded right hand. He ignored it, knowing that he would need all of his strength. His heart thudded in his chest.

It's face, and the little of its body that the light touched, was covered in black scales. But while Sapphire's scales were lustrous and bright, the black monster's scales were chipped, faded and scarred.

Sapphire slowly advanced towards it. She spread her wings and swayed her entire body, from neck to tail, side to side in long, slow 's' shapes. She no longer seemed to care about Alam, Tajar and Clarisai.

From her mouth a mixture of rumbles, hisses and growls came forth. It sounded like she was talking, though Alam did not understand her words. What he did understand was the wave of emotion that bloomed out from her: lust.

The black dragon lowered its head. An echoing rumble came from its throat and swayed in time with hers.

Alam backed slowly away until he had reached Tajar and Clarisai.

"Let's get out of here," he urged.

Sapphire must have overheard him for she turned her head to face them. "If you leave now the grags or the dargu will kill you. You will be nothing more than a pile of bones. Protect the cavern now and we will protect you once we are done."

She looked at the woman and man in white. "Come, stand before me," she commanded. Wordlessly, they walked towards her.

Sapphire turned towards the black dragon. "I have brought you a gift," she lowered her gaze submissively. The black dragon limped forward. A huge scar marred his front right leg.

A deep, slow rumble issued from the beast's throat. "I have not eaten manflesh for many, many years."

"No!" Alam shouted.

The woman and man in white did not even move, did not even flinch. The monstrous black jaws took the man first. He was bitten in two. Before the man was swallowed, while his legs still dangled from the beast's mouth, the woman was snapped up in its jaws. There was no cry of surprise of pain as the mouthful of sword-like teeth crushed both of them. Their blood dribbled out of its mouth.

Tajar swore in shock and pulled Alam backwards.

The black dragon groaned in delight as he chewed. Sapphire approached him and entwined her long neck with his.

"Come," she said. "Take me to your chamber so I can give you another gift."

The deep rumbling in his throat became a purr. She replied with her own, higher rumble. With necks rubbing against each other the two dragons walked away from the feeble torchlight. Even when they were out of sight their thunderous footfalls could be heard for a few more seconds. When the echo of them stopped the sound was replaced by low groans and purrs of pleasure.

"Come on," said Alam. "I'm not going to listen to that, and I'm certainly not going to protect her after she fed her servants to that thing." Alam turned back to Tajar and Clarisai.

"Clarisai!" Alam exclaimed. "You're standing?"

She had picked herself off of the floor and was standing unseadily on her feet.

"I am fine now," she said, but to Alam's ears her words seemed only half true.

"Your eyes" he said in shock. "Your eyes are red!"

She dipped her head so he couldn't see her eyes. But he had already seen enough. They were not merely bloodshot, they were solid red. There was no variation between the white of her eyes and her pupils, they were only red. Alam rushed to her side.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Umm... Alam? Clarisai? We have a problem," Tajar said.

Alam followed Tajar's gaze. Two grags were approaching the cavern. No living dargu were in sight to stop them. Small grey dargu bodies littered the cavern floor. The grag walked directly towards Alam, Tajar and Clarisai, the tentacles atop their heads waved, smelling the air. All along their backs, flanks and heads arrow and spear shafts protruded. Most creatures would be dead with such a quantity of injuries. The grag were far from dead.

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Y V Qualls