Bryan Davis - Eye of the Oracle

“I am not concerned for my sake. Goliath was seen on that slope only yesterday, and if you have never fought a dragon, you’ll need ”

“The faster we get help, the faster we defeat the Saxons.” Edward halted and spun around. “Are you with me, or aren’t you?”

The knight’s thick mustache lifted as he spoke. “I am with you, Edward, to be sure, but you are not showing proper respect to an elder soldier.” He moved his shield to his other arm and peeled back his sleeve, revealing a tattoo on his hairy wrist. “And one of higher rank.” The black ink was bloodstained and crude, but clearly displayed the insignia of a captain.

Edward bowed. “I had no idea. I beg your pardon, Captain, uh. .”

“Barlow,” he replied, placing a hand on his chest. “Winston Barlow of Hickling Manor.”

“Captain Barlow. I apologize for my rudeness. Your manner of dress didn’t match what I normally see in an officer, nor did your. . uh. . your odor.”

“Completely understandable, young man.” Barlow strode forward through the underbrush, scaling the steepening slope with ease as Edward followed. “When I go to battle,” he continued, “I don’t stay back and shout at my men like a prissy schoolmarm. I charge with them on the front lines. As you might expect, that can be a messy business, and we have not had time for baths in almost a month.”

“I see, and again, I beg your forgiveness.” Edward had to hustle to keep up with the huge man who showed no signs of slowing down as he leapt from rock to rock like a big mountain goat. “Captain Barlow, I don’t mean to question your directional skills, but we just missed the path that goes around the summit of Bald Top.”

“You’re the one who wanted to get there quickly.” Barlow grabbed a sapling and hoisted himself up to a ledge, ripping out the tree and its roots in the process. “And the shortest way to the den of Makaidos is straight over the top.”

Edward scrambled up to the ledge, using his shield for leverage, and reached the Captain’s side. “But we would be exposed. If we skirt the top we could ”

Barlow halted and pressed a finger into Edward’s chest. “If you fear Goliath, then go around, and I’ll scale the top. If Goliath accosts me, then all the better for you. At the very least, I will distract him and clear your path to Makaidos.”

Edward clutched the hilt of his sword. “And lose my chance to slay Goliath and gain honor in the king’s eyes? Never!”

“Honor?” Barlow pushed him away. “This isn’t about honor.” He turned and marched up the slope.

Edward ran after him, his cheeks now blazing. What a fool he had been! He sounded like a self-serving mercenary, not a humble knight! Grabbing a fallen branch from the undergrowth, he pushed the end into the ground and hoisted himself up the hill. It was time for more action and fewer words.

When they neared the summit, the forest ended abruptly, revealing a huge, grassy field that served as Bald Top’s treeless dome. Flakes of snow mixed with stinging sleet, and the gusty breeze whipped the icy mix into their faces.

Barlow withdrew his sword. “Dragons can sense danger, so Goliath likely knows we’re in his territory. There is no reason to dawdle.” The hefty knight broke into a trot, his chain mail jingling as his feet pounded the grass.

Edward dropped his stick and slid out his own sword, balancing his body between his weapon and shield as he jogged stride for stride behind the captain. His eyes darted all around at the dreary skies, and his boots crunched a thin coat of ice pellets that salted the ankle-high grass. The clamor drowned out any hope of hearing the wings of an approaching dragon.

As the forest on the opposite edge drew nearer, Barlow stopped and raised his sword high. “Back to back!” he shouted.

Edward swung around and pressed his back against Barlow’s. He scanned the blanket of clouds but could find no dragon. “Where is he?”

“Shields up!” Barlow yelled, crouching low. “Now!”

Edward crouched with him, his heart pounding. “I don’t see him!”

“If you don’t raise your shield, you will never use it again!”

Edward thrust his shield up over his face and tucked his body into a ball. Suddenly a wave of fire splashed around the edges of his shield, so hot, it felt like his hair had caught fire.

“Flatten!” Barlow yelled. “The tail is next.”

“Flatten?” Edward repeated. “What do you mean?”

Barlow’s heavy body flattened Edward face down on the slushy grass. Then, the weight suddenly lifted. Edward flipped over. Barlow was flying away, the strap of his shield caught in the spiny tail of a dragon!

“Let go of me!” Barlow shouted. “Or I’ll feed your bones to my dog!”

Edward jumped to his feet, snatching up his sword and shield in one motion. With the dragon’s tail swinging violently, Barlow swung with it, his arm apparently stuck in the shield’s strap. The knight clawed viciously at the dragon’s tail with his free hand as he continued to shout, but the wind garbled his words.

With his sword at the ready, Edward pivoted in place, his gaze locked on Goliath. The dragon swooped low and tried to slap his rider against the ground, but he only managed to dredge a Barlow-sized divot.

As they zipped toward the edge of the hill, Barlow shouted, “Complete the mission! I will take care of this overgrown butterfly!” The dragon glided over the trees and disappeared from sight.

Edward gasped for breath, his heart pounding in his throat. Seeing Barlow’s fallen sword in the slush, he grabbed it and thrust his own sword into its scabbard. Pivoting again as he scanned the skies, he puffed clouds of vapor into the chilly air. What should he do? He couldn’t abandon his captain, nor could he defy his orders. Either choice seemed dishonorable.

Edward clenched the strap on his shield. This wasn’t about honor.

He ran toward the opposite edge of the hilltop and found a treeless slope. Dropping his shield to the deepening ice, he sat inside it and pushed against the ground until the shield began sliding on its own. He plunged down the hill, pushing Barlow’s sword on either side to dodge stumps and holes as he careened toward a narrow brook in the distance. When he came to a halt at the muddy bank, he jumped out, grabbed his shield, and waded across the water, exchanging swords in his scabbard, feeling much more comfortable with his lighter blade.

A muddy path on the other side led into dense forest, but, for the most part, the trail stayed clear of obstacles. He ran under the shelter of the forest canopy until he came upon a sheer cliff face, a wall of granite with mossy growth in its crevices. As he slowed to examine each dark recess in the cliff, he tried to calm himself. “Okay, the cave’s around here somewhere. Just take it slow and easy. You don’t want Makaidos thinking you’re a danger to him.”

“Are you?” a deep voice called from behind him.

Edward spun around and swung his sword, barely missing the snout of a huge red dragon. The dragon slapped the sword away with his tail. “Has a boy come to try to slay the king of the dragons?”

Edward backed away, trembling. “Ma. . Makaidos?”

Another voice answered from behind him. “Do not hurt him, my dear. He is harmless.”

Edward spun again. Another dragon, a beige one, sat in his path. He raised his shield, first toward Makaidos, then toward the female. “I. . I’m not here to slay you. I’m here to ask for help.” He cleared his throat and steadied his voice. “His Majesty, King Arthur, requests that you join him in our battle against the barbarians from the north.”

Makaidos twitched his ears, glancing at Thigocia as he replied to Edward. “With or without riders?”