Casey and The Dragon

Chapter 11

The bridge spanned across a great fall. I would have looked over the side to the ocean if I were more brave or more foolish. Instead, I kept my eyes locked ahead and looked at the enormous red cliffs that erupted from the water. It was as if some giant long ago tore the continent in half. The bridge was the only sign of people.

When I finished crossing, Diogenes and Khogov were waiting for me. The ground on the other side was dry and cracked. A few strange plants dotted the ground. They were nothing like the ones I knew back home. They were covered with spines and had no leaves.

"Let us go. We should spend as little time here as possible" Diogenes led the way. The ground coughed up red dust with every step. The monotonous landscape of the wasteland made me wish for anything to break it up; a wish I would soon come to regret.

"Dio, how did this place get like this?" I secretly hoped he had as little idea as I.

"The dragon has reigned here for many long years. This is the devastation that endless greed brings. The dragon takes all that it needs and more. Given enough time even the elements become starved."

"Why? All this destruction for what?"

"Dragons remember the story of their creation." Khogov spoke up. "All their Mother knew was war and greed. Once the Seven Elder Dragons were born, several of them swore vengeance on the evil world."

"Remind me, orc, who was it that created the first dragon?" Diogenes said.

"Tell the story if you know it, elf." Khogov snarled. He looked away from me but I could see the pain in his grimace. Diogenese must have seen it too.

"Another day, perhaps." Diogenes said. I wanted to press either of them for this story but thought better of it.

We continued moving south. The goal was simple: avoid the mountains by all means. If we ran into the dragon now it would mean certain death. After several days of walking in the wastes, we were exhausted. Any good will between Khogov and Diogenese that was earned in the woods was lost as the wasteland stole our energy.

By the third day, we saw some hope on the horizon. The symmetrical landscape finally broke as a city began to poke its head over the red dirt. Any sign of civilization was welcome. I wondered how many people actually lived there or if it were just a ruin or an illusion. There was no way that a whole city could survive in that barren land. We continued toward the city until the sun went down. Diogenes refused to walk alongside Khogov.

That night I needed to assure myself that my exhaustion was simply from travel. But as I tried to rest, a thought bubbled to the surface of my mind. A melodic voice whispered: Do not rest here. Corruption permeates the ground you walk on. It will sap your strength from you. Do not rest here. I told my friends the warning.

"We have to get out of here. Or at the very least we have to keep moving."

"Did this thought come to you in your own voice?" Diogenes narrowed his eyes and they became sharper and inquisitive. "Was it the river spirit?" I lied to him. I said the voice was my own. "Foolish human...still, we ought to listen to it. Be it intuition or something else." His tone of voice gated me to my core. Am I a fool for not knowing every legend? I made a mistake. Have you ever made a mistake in your life O Wise Shit-Flinger? Sorry, I didn't want to drown. With those choices, who would simply die?

It wasn't the first time he had told me I was an idiot for the deal I made, nor was it the second. I can still hear his condescending voice scolding me. 'Leave it to a young fool to get distracted by beauty and act without thinking like a child wandering in a bazaar.'

"Casey? Can you hear me? Casey! You're in your head. Did you hear me?" Diogenes had his hand on my shoulder and shook me slightly.

"Hmm...What? Leave me alone of course I heard you..." I shook my head, everything felt foggy. "Sorry. What did you say?"