The Beast Beneath Page #4

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

								

“How dare you enter my cave! You are a small, pathetic, weak human! I could burn you alive and throw your body to the crows! Your death is imminent.”
I stood shocked for a moment, I hadn’t realized it would be smart enough to speak.
“My name is Lord Jeramiah Paxton and I am going to rescue princess Anastasia, whom you kidnapped!”
Suddenly the twisted beast sat up and lunged at me in a fiery fury. I nimbly stepped to the side but not fast enough to escape a few claws. Pain tingled down my arm but I clung desperately to my weapon. The dragon reared back for another strike and I ran at it, slicing part of its wing. 
It screamed in pain and the glow of embers boiled up its throat. I slid behind a giant rock a few feet away as heat and flames surrounded me. 
Then I sped toward the creature, in the perfect position to deal a fatal blow.
“If you kill me you’ll kill your princess too!”
I stopped mid stride poised to strike. 
“Where is she?”
The dragon's eyes blazed with satisfaction as it said. “I am your princess! I am a demon who has possessed her and transformed her.”
I stood shocked for a moment. 
	“Release her!”
	“Never! Your only options are to kill us both or die!”
	This is it. I've failed. I'm going to die for nothing. I can’t do that.
	I stood there for a moment thinking about my journey, my friends and my family back home. And I thought about how hard the path to this awful place had been and how Lothar had sacrificed himself to get us here. I couldn’t let it all be in vain.
	“I would give myself up willingly and let you kill me rather than kill the princess. I only ask that you release Anastasia and take me instead.”
It laughed loudly at me and soared towards me with its claws extended.
“Your sacrifice will be in vain! Everyone will die in my claws!”
I cast down my sword and accepted my death.
But it never came.
The serpent stopped in mid air and curled up in pain, screaming.Then it vanished in a puff of flame and smoke.All that was left was a dirty young woman in the demon's place.
Anastasia.
She bolted at me, her long red locks streaming behind her, and wept in my arms. I hesitantly walked over to where it had stood and found only dust. I then helped her out of the cave. 
I looked back at her, perplexed and asked. “What happened back there? I didn’t lift a finger to the beast and it died.”
“The dragon was keeping me prisoner inside it and the key to my escape was for someone to be willing to sacrifice themselves for me. To show sacrificial love. Once you let go of the sword and were going to die for my sake the beast lost its grip.”
We met back with the other’s after I retraced my steps for what felt like an eternity.
I told of my heroic bravery and what had happened to them and we started our ride back to the castle that night.
 It took us a week to get back to the castle and as soon as the princess saw her father they ran to one another and hugged, many tears were shed. The kingdom celebrated for two weeks, and we got to stay in the castle. But then things started calming down and going back to normal. 
Crispin and Bard had gone back to their homes after the first week and then I didn’t see them again. We parted ways with fond memories and it was a sad goodbye but we would all think of each other as brothers and good friends. After the two weeks of celebrations ended Orvyn and I parted ways and we also went home but promised we would visit one another sometime and get into mischief together. 
The quest had come to an end and our mission was completed but our journeys through our wondrous world would never be finished.
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