DRAGON'S CHEST
                          Volume Two from the Archives of Tides of War

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        With a shocking force, the black dragon landed, shaking the ground between the party and the field of sunflowers. Sod flew into the air as talons dug deep gouts into the damp ground. Letting loose a triumphant roar that it had found its prey, the dragon swished its tail, snapping it back and forth like a knife. Rising onto its haunches, the dragon clawed the air in front of itself. Letting its wings buffet the sky too add to its dimension of terror.

Without command, the party turned to run for the trees. The terror of seeing the dragon so close gave everyone the extra boost that they needed to push themselves just a bit harder. None wanted to be struck down by the monstrous claws that ached for their bones to crush.

Holding onto the backpack, Tyree tried to keep up. But the burden was awkward to hold in his arms. He had no time to stop and sling it over to his back. So the straps hung free, and dragged on the ground, which quickly tangled in the halfling’s feet.

Tyree tried to step out of the loops without stopping. But the loose straps wrapped themselves tight around his ankle, propelling him to the ground. Tyree sprawled forward. The pack bounced hard on the ground, pulling his ankle backward. With a shout of pain, he hit the grass and slid a foot. Rolling over, Tyree sat up and grabbed the strap, but stopped as the shadow of the dragon loomed overhead.

Even though his body told him not to, Tyree looked up. As a massive paw rushed down, driving itself into the ground just behind Tyree’s body, Tyree collapsed onto his back, fainting momentarily. Dirt showered down on him as the dragon pulled its paw free of the soft nutrient rich ground.

Tyree’s body cried to move. But his muscles would not react. He looked up into the huge maw of the dragon as its red eyes blazed down at him. Immobilized with fear, Tyree watched, as the dragon made a fist out of its huge taloned paw. Extending an elongated tree thick finger, the dragon jabbed its razor sharp sword point of a nail back into the ground behind the halfling.

Like a spade running through a garden, dirt folded away from the dragon’s claw. As if playing with a toy, the dragon slowly moved its talon towards Tyree’s petrified body. The force of the moving earth easily flipped Tyree over onto his stomach. Willing his eyes to close, Tyree strained to make them to do so, but they would not respond. Nor would anything else. He could feel the dragon’s body radiate heat; sweat broke out on his skin, making him feel as if he were being put into the fire, like a duck to roast.

Looking down, the point of its slavering tongue sticking out of its closed maw, the dragon looked like a complacent dog with a bone. Pulling its nail away from the ground, the dragon moved its talon over Tyree’s body, and hung it there poised over the halfling’s back. If it wanted to, it could have rendered Tyree in half with just a drop of the tip of its nail.

Dropping its head low, large nostrils breathed in taking in Tyree’s scent and matching it to the track that he had been following. A low growl poured out of the dragon’s massively muscled neck. Curling its maw into what looked to be a demonic grin, the dragon breathed outward. Brimstone-filled breath coursed over the halfling. Making Tyree cringe as saliva dripped down on him from between razor sharp teeth.

Giving up all hope that he would see another day, Tyree wished to the gods that he would be given more time. His family, not knowing the quest he was on and what an honorable purpose it had, would never be able to mourn his death. Just left to wonder whatever happened to a middle born son.

Reaching the line of trees in a mad rush for safety, Sayler was the first to cross into the silence within. No sound followed to penetrate the thick foliage of trees, reminding the hunter of what an eerie place the forest was. May and Elizha followed suit, breathing hard, not stopping till they were yards within the forest’s dimness.

“My god,” May said, turning around.

“No god, milady,” Elizha said, following.

May looked around herself. Their notable companion of three feet was not with them. She turned around to check behind her, as if doing so would make the halfling suddenly appear.

“Where’s Tyree?” May said, stepping towards where Sayler stood, a few feet in from the forest edge.

Sayler pointed towards the field where the dragon crouched, and said, “There.”

May took another step forward. Gasping, she grabbed a tree for support. On the ground, just a small spot compared to the huge dragon that towered over him, Tyree lay dead still.

Roaring in victory, the dragon rose on its haunches. Wings beat the air spreading wide to block out the sky. As the dragon’s spiked tail stroked back and forth sharply, making the rows of sunflowers bend in supplication to the force that plowed over them.

“Is he alive?” May said, wanting to take her eyes from the horrid scene. But she found that she could not. The spell of the dragon had caught her.

“No. He’s dead by now,” Elizha said, from his safe place in the woods behind them.

“He’s alive,” Sayler cut in, not appreciating his friend’s quickness in response. “But not for long if we don’t help him.”

“How do we help him?” May said.

Sayler did not respond. He had no idea of what to do. A dragon was one creature that he had never encountered close up before.

“Here,” Elizha said, responding to the hunter’s silence.

Stepping from his safe spot, the regal elf walked up to May and put a hand onto her wrapped bow. She relinquished it without a fight. In a dumb struck state, May watched as Elizha pulled the short bow free of its burlap casing. Dropping the burlap bag on the ground, Elizha grabbed an arrow from out of the smaller casing tied to her hip.

“That will not hurt a dragon,” May said, “Not through a hide as thick as a wall.”

“Its hide is not what I am aiming for,” Elizha said.

Notching an ash blonde arrow, set with bright blue fletching at the end, Elizha held the bow as if it were second nature. He tested the catgut string. It was smooth and tight. Pausing for a second, Elizha tilted his head up to catch the direction of the wind. Settling on his latitude, Elizha set the bow straight. Keeping his thumb aloft for balance, he slowly pulled the string back with his index and middle finger. The arms of the bow bent smoothly, and the weight of pulling the string became less the further back he pulled. The bow’s elfin craftsmanship showed. When the knock of the arrow reached the corner of his mouth, he let it rest there for a moment. Elizha sighted down the arrows length, settling in for his best target. Even though it was some distance away, Elizha knew he could hit his mark.

Then with a snap, he let the string go. Like a spark, the arrow shot away, cutting the sky at lightning speed. The string let out a deep twang that settled over them in the silence of the woods.

In a second the fletched missile met its mark, just as the dragon was going in for the kill. Exploding pain raced through the dragon’s head, as the force of the sharp arrowhead caved in its eye. Driving deep, the arrow continued its path through the dragon’s orbital socket, till it hit bone.

Blood and gel shot out of the mashed eye, turning its flaming red cornea, black. Forgetting about its prey on the ground below, the dragon reared back up on its haunches bellowing in pain. Shakings its head back and forth, the dragon tried to dislodge the arrow. But only ooze splattered out from the eye that the shaft was stuck in.

With arms not long enough to reach its massive head, the dragon bent its head down so that it could try to grasp the tiny shaft. Paws too large, swatted past the wooden stick. A talon hit the feathered end, sending another wave of pain to starburst through its ruined eye.

Staggering back step, the dragon let its tail drop low to keep its balance as it stood. The tail slashed back and forth, ripping a swath through the sunflowers. As roots ripped free from the soil, stalks flew from the ground.

Totems that had their entire attention on the party now sensed the new invader that was destroying their field. The little demons turned their attack on their new prey. It did not matter that the dragon was a hundred times larger than all of them combined. Like locust, they swarmed towards the dragon’s passing tail. Jumping, they grabbed hold of its scales. Upward they climbed, striking, biting and clawing at the dragon. But it showed no effect upon the dragon’s iron-like hide.

Ignoring the new assault upon its body, the dragon wrapped a finger around the shaft of the arrow. Pain arced anew through his head, as if a fire was racing through every nerve. With a growl of anguish, it pulled the shaft free. Popping like a bubble, the ruined eye splashed its gel like contents down its snout. The totems that scrabbled across its body were now an aggravation to take its painful frustrations out on.

From their vantage spot in the tree line, the little totems looked like ants crawling over the dragon. It swiped at them, knocking a few free. But more took their place as the totems swelling mass lept from the damaged rows of sunflowers. Blind in one eye, the dragon bellowed to the sky, as it waved its head back and forth, smoke billowing out from its nostrils.

Reaching the dragon’s jaw, one of the leathery seeded demons entered its open maw. Tasting the vile dirty being within, the dragon rolled its tongue. But it could not dislodge the little totem, as it started to feel claws and teeth striking at the tender parts inside its mouth. The dragon snapped its jaw shut, breaking the hard body of the totem in two, and cracking a few teeth upon the petrified body.

Beating its wings the dragon caused a gust of wind to careen through the field. Caught in the windstorm, a few of the unlucky totems were dislodged from their positions on its scales. Screaming, they flew through the air, only to smash upon the ground, shattering into brittle pieces as they impacted into the soil.

“How can we get him?" May said.

She cringed slightly as the buffeting wind from the dragons wings hit the trees, making the branches sway. From the dragons standing position, they knew that if it dropped back down to the ground, it would surely smash Tyree’s little form, as he lay there terrified, unable to move.

“I don’t know,” Sayler said, wanting to charge out and try to rescue the little man. But if he did, he would not only be putting himself in danger, but the others as well.

Row upon row of the sunflowers were smashed into the ground, as the massive spiked tail dismantled the field, only to gain more and more attackers, who easily climbed the dragon’s body, taking hold of its scales. Escape from the pain was all the dragon could think of at the moment. Not a normal thing for one of its race to do. For pain was never factor. It was the one who inflicted the pain. Not received it.

Leaving Tyree laying on the ground and the package it sought so heartily for, the black dragon pounded its wings on the air, giving itself lift and blasting more of the little insects off of its hide. Like glass, the totems shattered everywhere as they struck the ground.

With a smooth motion the dragon lifted itself into the air. Pounding its wings against the invisible air currents, the dragon felt its tonnage pulled by gravity back towards the ground. But as it flapped its wings harder, gravity suddenly release its grip upon the dragon’s massive body.

Gaining distance from the soil below, the dragon could sense that totems still hung onto its scales, trying to do damage to a skin that was impenetrable too most weapons and fire. As the dragon flew higher from the field of sunflowers, the totems started to disintegrate; sending particles to scatter into the air and rain back down upon the ground, driving them into the soil where they came from.

Smoke flowed from its nostrils in thick streamers as the dragon roared. Turning its body in mid air, the dragon hovered for a moment and then flapped its wings hard, sending a gust of wind that propelled it over the forest.