Cedar

Chapter 7- Land Dragon

  Carter followed his group after breakfast, his eyes following Cedar in a longing gaze. He silently prayed to himself that she would survive the dragons. He wondered if anyone else realized how messed up it was that the people of Tarsis- that Sarr, their protector, would let them go on what seemed like a suicide mission.

  Was Sarr seriously willing to let everyone die in order to get a treasure chest? And Sarr would make guests participate as well?

  Carter shook his head as he made his way to the group of boys and men. There were more men there than the group of women. He looked back at the front of the dining hall, realizing Sarr had disappeared without a trace. His attention was brought back to his mission when Pax began to speak.

  "Yet another year has passed, which means we must face the dragons. The Day of the Dragon has been a particularly lethal mission for the past few years, which means we must be very careful not to lose anyone this year. We have been told our guests are to join us, so we must be careful not to injure them during battle. We may begin our journey up the mountain."

Without another word, the group left the building, passing through the center of town. Carter watched the giant block of stone in front of the dining hall as they passed, remembering the first time he and Cedar saw it. He wondered what was inside it, and ran his finger along the rough edge.

Carter suddenly remembered their mission. Cedar and Carter needed to find the key and get out as soon as they could. Carter wasn't sure if anyone else could feel it, but something was definitely odd about Tarsis, especially the fact that everyone exactly resembled someone they knew.

He followed closely behind the group, hiking up the spirals of the mountain for what seemed like hours. Finally, they made it to a clearing with trees surrounding it. There was a giant boulder, a mass of lands, taking up meters of space, with a treasure chest on the very top. Carter wondered where the dragon was.

Pax gathered everyone around him, speaking softly. "The dragon is supposed to die today. However much I do not want to kill, it has taken many of our people. Sarr wants the chest from inside, so if we may retrieve it, we may go quickly. I will not force our guest to fight, unless he wants to?"

Carter didn't move. He was willing to fight the dragon if it meant no one else would die, but Carter had obviously never fought a dragon, either.

"Would any brave soul volunteer to retrieve the chest first?"

Immediately, a very large, very strong man leapt up. He took a long, double-edged sword from a basket of weapons they carried up with them, and began running up the mound of land that lay far before them.

He made it to the top of the large landmass, putting a foot on top of the chest triumphantly. He raised the sword in the air, celebrating his victory.

Unfortunately, his victory was short-lived. The ground began to rumble, rocks bouncing on the ground. The gray-brown dirt on the ground began separating as tremors shook the ground beneath them. Carter looked up to see the man being swept off his feet. The landmass began to move. With a horrifying realization, Carter saw that the mound of dirt and stone was not land.

It was a horrible dragon.

The dragon uncoiled itself around the man, seeming to stretch as its scales rippled across its body. Its eyes were iridescent and pearly, while its scales were dull and not at all shiny. The most terrifying thing about it was not only its rows of massive teeth, but its giant claws, sharper than a knife.

Carter clenched his fists, watching in a dazed horror as the dragon roared loud enough to wake the dead. It turned to face the man standing on the boulder, his face white with terror. Without even a hiss, it swooped around and swung a giant sharp claw at him, throwing him hundreds of feet over to the group of men.