Life in a new Kingdom

"Move now!" Slapping the horses, they buck and pull everyone, causing them to react and hold on to them. Realizing that they had been frozen in fear, everyone followed my lead and hid in the small cave in the mountain face. I turned to look for Lukia, who had been running after us. She must have seen the dragon as well and hoofed it. "She's not going to make it before it gets too close!"

I jump onto my horse and race for Lukia. She was still a distance away, so I kicked the horse hard. Gale and the others were screaming to hurry; I felt the pain of my curse burning deep within. My vision began to fade briefly before I snapped back out of it and reached for Lukia. Our hands met, and I pulled her behind me and turned around quickly, racing back toward the small cave.

"RROOOAAHHHHHH!!!!" The blood-curdling roar of the dragon pierced my body. My entire body sweats all over because of the looming presence of such a powerful creature. Lukia held onto me tightly when the sudden blast of heat scorched the earth in front of us. The stream of fire was so powerful that the rocks quickly turned into molten magma. Blocking our way to everyone. The dragon had cut off our path forward with its breath weapon.

"Lukia! Caleb!" Gale tries to rush out, but Yann and Herk hold him back. Frantically searching for some way to cross, I quickly saw that the cliff edge wasn't a drop-off but an incline. The sounds of the gushing wings beat in the air; it was turning back to go for another strike. I had to make a decision before the dragon would vaporize us with its breath alone.

"Lucy, hold on! This might get bumpy!" Without speaking a word, she listened and clutched onto me like a frightened child. I turned the horse and forced it to cross the edge. Swept by the slope, I pulled hard on the reins to cause the horse to run down the edge. Nearing the end of the cliff near the bottom, the stream of magma hadn't reached it yet, giving us enough room to try to climb back up. However, it would take too long.

"Keep going! I'll fire an arrow with rope and have the others pull!" Lukia drew her bow and tried a rope to the shaft of the arrow. Despite the difficult terrain, she aimed it true, firing it toward the cave. After releasing the arrow, she quickly held onto the rope and tied it around the both of us.

Slipping on the edge, the horse buckled and neighed its stress. The looming shadow of the winged nightmare passed over us. A single eye loomed over us. The blazing red eye took an interest in me. It roared one last time before diving down, causing pressure in the air to push us upwards. If I hadn't thought about it, it was trying to help get up the edge. It was the push we needed to get close to the edge as the rope around our bodies started to strangle the life from us.

"I see them! Pull damn it! Don't let them go!" Gale led the team to pull. The four men held on tightly and wrapped the ropes around their hands. Skin ripped and torn from the friction soaked the brown rope in blood. Gale's entire might, he wrapped the rope around his whole arm and turned his back, kicking his feet on the ground; he yanks and yanks, putting his entire back into it. The rope rips away his arms, causing him to yell in a fit of pain; everyone joins him and, with the last of their strength, pulls us and the horse up into the cave.

"Keep going into the cave! We need to-" I smack Gale from speaking any further.

Despite nearly dying, my mind was clear in what kind of danger we faced. We could not fight this dragon. It would kill us without issue. Something this massive and powerful, even I would agree that I would barely scratch its scales with anything I could do.

"It will blast the caves with its fire! Get onto your horses! We must ride past the edge, get out of its sight, and hide the first chance we get! Follow me! Lucy, get on your horse; we need to move now!" Lukia kicks off the horse after cutting the rope. She lands and leaps onto her startled mount. I pat mine and calm it down with some words before riding it forward.

We were in the middle of this dance. The dragon played its tune, and we had to dance to it in order to survive. I can tell, it was bored from whatever it torched earlier. Old dragons like this one try to find enjoyment or any entertainment in their lonely and long lives. Something this ancient would likely toy with us until we all died one by one in its twisted humor. I would not allow it. I would make it dance to our tune if need be.

"Come on, boy! Let's go!" The horse neighs and rears up before kicking forward. The pending doom of the Dragon's wings echoes off the mountains. If it's this territorial, it must have claimed a home here some time ago. Even if we get away and hide from it, this creature will hunt us down day and night without sleep. Dragons can fly and move about for months before taking a moment to rest. Larger dragons can glide in the air for long periods without making a sound. The scales are curved outward, which catches the wind. Their bellies have many of them, and they use them appropriately to glide across the land for hours without flapping their wings a single time.

I rode as hard as I could. Nearly falling off the cliff a few times, I was trained forward, guiding my horse without second-guessing myself. Another roar in the distance startled the horse, but I quickly held onto its neck and said to him that it was okay. The pathways diverged into multiple paths. Seeing that I had to continue, I took out a piece of cloth and tied it to my dagger. I threw it into the dirt and let it be a marker as I took the left path. Gaining as many mountain passes as possible would increase the chances of the dragon losing us.

I hoped that everyone was following me without issue and that the dragon would have trouble trying to catch us. A small plateau opened up in the path. Leading to a dip into the mountain, I found a big enough spot for us to hold up for the time and conceal ourselves. I quickly led the horse back a bit and waited for everyone to show up.

Several minutes passed as I waited. My heartbeat traveled to my ears, beating hard from anxiety. Out from the pass, comes Lukia. Riding like the devil, she approaches and doesn't slow down. I look at her and wave, pointing to the spot I found. She waved back and shouted. I couldn't hear her voice at this far. However, the look in her eyes were filled with horror. Realizing what her face meant, I quickly grabbed my bow and knocked an arrow.

"It's approaching! Just keep going!" The remainder of the group arrives behind her. Gale and Ivian are directly behind her. As I look past them, my eyes widen as I see Herk attempt to guide Yann forward. His right arm had been burned badly. His horse was also in terrible shape. And just behind them was the embodiment of death. The intense heat and flames building inside the dragons' lungs lit the dark red scales. Sparking its tongue, flames burst forth in a straight beam of flames right behind the two lagging behind.

"Let my aim be true, let it be swift, let it strike with the might of the heavens!" Chanting a prayer that Herk had taught me some time ago, I bless the arrow before releasing it. Piercing through the air, it strikes the neck of the dragon. This caused it to tilt to the side and miss the two completely. It was a critical hit for such a small prick to something this large.

Upon realizing what it had been shot with, the dragon turns its attention to me. A frightful chill seared into my soul. Unfortunately for the dragon, the curse placed upon me was hotter than the cold fear it tried to intimidate me. I raised my bow and taunted the giant mystical beast. I shout to Lukia to go down and hide; she doesn't argue and heads down along with everyone else.

Now that I gained its attention, I split from the group; the burning feeling of the curse kept me fully aware and sensitive to everything else. Looking back, the gaze of the dragon never left me. It took my challenge and was giving me the chance to run ahead so it could have a good chase. My eyes were filled with determination. I stared back at the dragon and fired another shot that missed. At that moment, the dragon seemed to smile, like it had grown a liking to me from my actions. The four limbs sprouted in a long stretch by the creature. The wings on its back unfurled as it rose its head and channeled a large inhale. The sparks of sulfur coated its body as openings in its chest funneled the fumes of its flames. Streams of fire exited its body, and a massive roar came before it dived forward, intent on chasing me in this game of cat and mouse...