Dragon Hunter

I'll find a way out of the flames

"Roman, your horse is foaming at the mouth! You need to slow down!" someone yelled at him.

He didn't listen.

He could see the village now, could see the dragons all around it and the thick black smoke coming from the school.

With one swift movement he jumped off Maximus' back and ran towards the building.

The other knights that arrived from somewhere else just after them didn't matter.

Whatever strategy or formation they came up with didn't matter.

The net catapult they were building up to shoot down dragons and riders didn't matter.

Roman burst through the door of the school.

Inside the air was thick with smoke and heat and it stung in his eyes but he didn't care.

He broke down one door after the other, finding empty, burning classroom after empty, burning classroom, terrified there might be just one not empty.

Just as he turned to go on a support beam crashed down right in front of him, blocking his path and sparks flew up.

He still had one more room to check, he realised and felt panic claw at his heart.

Flames liked at his armour, heating the metal to the point of agony as he climbed over the fallen beam and nearly ripped the last door out of its hinges.

The entire room was engulfed in flames but not a single body in sight. Empty like all the others.

Roman tried to breathe but choked on the thick air. He had to get out of here. He had to get out of here now.

A window shattered in the heat and Roman stumbled towards it through the fire.

He punched out the biggest shards and forced his body through the opening.
Glass scratched against his armour and suddenly there was more of his weight outside than inside and he fell forward, landing on the ground with a crash.

Still coughing he gasped in fresh air and got to his feet to get away from the flames, ignoring the searing heat around his feet and the pounding in his head.

He still had to check at home.

He had to make sure Patton, Logan and Virgil had gotten out of here.

They had to be safe.

He could hear the sounds of fighting but didn't pay it any mind, avoiding the main street because he couldn't risk getting caught up in the fight now.

He had to make sure they were safe.
The other knights could hold their own. They knew how to fight dragons.
His lovers didn't.

He kept his eyes glued on the swaying ground to avoid stumbling over rubble, tools that had fallen over or even just his own feet.

Roman only looked up when he heard a scream directly above him, just in time to see a dragon, caught in a net, crash into the house he was standing next to and a smaller body colliding with him.

The air was knocked out of him by the impact, his head slammed against the ground and his ears rang as he opened his eyes again.

The rider that had crashed into him sat up slowly, clearly in pain, noticed him and scrambled backwards.

For a moment both of them stared at each other.

Then the rider slowly got to his feet and hesitantly offered Roman a hand.

He took it and pulled himself up. The rider nodded at him once and hurried towards the dragon trashing in its net.

Roman stared for a moment longer, flabbergasted, before nodding once, even if they couldn't see it and it made his head swim, and ran on.