The Beast Beneath Page #3

I was inspired by my dad who wrote a short story that got published last year. He got diagnosed with MS after being sick all last year.

• Fantasy
• Religion
• Spirituality & New Age
• Action and Adventure

								

The four of us arrived at the campsite in the afternoon. Our supplies were scattered. Our food was gone. But surprisingly they left our weapons and armor alone, and we found our horses unscathed.
Hastily, we grabbed our stuff. We left the memories of that dark place behind as fast as we could.
We rode out of the forest and made it to a lush green valley and on to tall cliffs looking over a vast foamy ocean. The setting sun shimmered on the sparkly water. We stared at the beauty of the brilliant scene. The waves hit the cliff as specks of water misted us.  The soothing and melodious sounds of waves and wind enchanted us.This is the most beautiful thing I've seen since I left home.
We set up camp on the cliff, scrounging for various berries and game in what was left of our packs. I sat on the ground with the others eating, I’m a little embarrassed to admit, ravenously. 
Before I fell asleep I saw dim lights from what was probably a town in the distance. 
Maybe they will be friendly and we can ask for directions! 
I stood up and shoved Orvyn.
“Wha?” He grumbled.
“I think I see a town! Let’s go!”
“Hmmm. In the morning. Let me sleep or I won’t let you sleep tomorrow night!” He threatened drowsy but not without sarcasm.
“Get up!-” I shoved him multiple times as he tried to swat me away. “We might get information that might lead us to the whereabouts of the dragon! We wouldn't have to guess anymore!” 
He sat up and glared at me.
“Fine, I'll go alone.”
“Okaaay! I’ll go. You would've gotten yourself killed.”
I grinned mischievously. 
“Go wake up Crispin too.” He said after a moment's thought.
“Why? We’re just gonna scope the place out and get info.”
“I want someone else around to talk you out of doing anything stupid.”
“That's what you’re for.”
“Chances are I’ll go along with it.” 
I laughed as I woke up Crispin who had the same reaction as Orvyn. 
We left Bard. Then we trekked across the cliff and rode on the outline of the forest and quickly came to a small village.
 All sources of light inside the nice stone huts were gone but torches lit the shadowed streets. With a quick glance to my companions, we rode down to the last house, which was the biggest and must belong to someone important.
We quietly got off our horses and knocked on the dark stone door.
A bright light appeared behind the door after a minute and then it opened cautiously.
“Hello, We are knights on a journey for His Majesty and are searching for the dragon who kidnapped his daughter.  Would you be able to give us any information?” Crispin asked with authority.
A frazzled and nervous looking older man stepped out and stared at us for a second before responding.
“Yes, actually we’ve seen the dragon.”
“Really! Where is it?” I said excitedly.
“You just keep following the forest line past this town until you come to a pond just inside, among the trees, that’s where the dragon has been holed up. But you would do best to stay clear of it. Getting the monster riled up will just cause us trouble!”
“Don’t worry we’ll take care of-” 
“No! You will all die if you go after the beast! The thing stalks our animals at night and devours them whole! Our children are horrified to go outside now, and for good reason. Now the men will do nothing to stop it! All the young men in the village went to kill it and most didn’t come home. What can you do that they didn't do?” The man growled, interrupting me.
“We may be small in number but we were sent by our King to do this job and God is with us wherever we go” I responded honestly.
The man grunted and shut the door in my face. 
But I left excited that we could finally finish what we started.
We were talking enthusiastically about our victory all the way back to our camp on the cliff.
Orvyn, Bard and I settled back down for the night in our makeshift beds to prepare for the suffering the next day would undoubtedly bring. 
I gazed up at the cloudy sky obscuring millions of stars. I looked down at the water rippling and waving one hundred feet below my head.
Is this the last night I’ll spend underneath these stars? Will we survive tomorrow?
Unanswerable questions continued floating through my head but I took comfort knowing there was one who knew the answers. Should I die, death was only a passing shadow.
Is this how Lothar felt before he died? This calm that goes beyond understanding?
Lothar had seemed content.
Could I look death in the face with the same peace? 
When I awoke I felt where the sun had warmed my face like a blanket Soon the others sprung up and we hastily told Bard what he missed the night before. 
 We grabbed our weapons and our armor and galloped to the perilous lair of the dragon.
The road to the cave was as normal as any other; we quietly rode as the gravity of the upcoming events weighed on us. The birds were silent and animals hid away as if aware of the wrath that would ensue if we disturbed the dragon.
We came to the end of the forest and hadn’t come across the lair yet and decided to retrace our steps. When we'd gone about halfway back past the forest line we found lots of trampled grass and some blackened trees amongst the green, living ones.
Our quarry is around here, somewhere.
“Let’s split up.” Bard proposed.
So we split up and I went straight on into the forest .Whereas the others stumbled among the brush and forest debris.
I blundered about for what felt like an eternity.
But finally I found an old beat up path with giant talon prints but no small princess tracks. I decided to follow it. The farther I followed the more blackened undergrowth I noticed. I spotted the cave at the end of the path.
Not a living thing could be seen or heard. The cave was warm and humid.
I thought about going back for the others but I was worried I wouldn’t be able to find this place again. So I went in on my own. 
I walked cautiously through the cavern next to stony dripping spikes jutting from the floor. The fiery dank air sapped my strength but an intermittent breeze from the entrance was my only relief. 
I went deeper and deeper and time crawled by, my heart pounding in my ears. 
The tunnel grew wider and flaming torches lined the walls. 
I turned the corner and I stifled a gasp. I beheld the dragon. It was massive; many times my size and it was only laying down. It occurred to me that it would have been impossible for it to get in here due to its size and the passage I’d just managed to squeeze through. Its scales were like a living fire and its breath as grotesque and unbearably warm as ever. The claws were like long, dirty swords, the tail a poisoned arrow ready to strike and its teeth, spears. Its eyes were like bright emeralds and obsidian pits which stared back at me, maliciously.
I gazed back, petrified.
Where is the princess?
I prepared myself to strike.
It opened its mouth and an unnatural sounding voice spoke.

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