Dragon Essence: A Prequel to the Dark Age Trilogy by Niamh Murphy

Author:Niamh Murphy [Murphy, Niamh]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, romance, series
Publisher: NIM Publishing
Published: 2018-03-31T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven: The Ritual

Andra’s mind whirled.

A thousand thoughts screamed through her head at once, and she knew the dragon could hear them all. So close to the beast she would be almost shouting her intent in its face. She muttered a prayer of love, forcing herself to think of Olwen. She was helping Olwen. That was all and nothing more. Her actions were out of love not hate. Like a mantra, she repeated her thought over and over. But it was not enough: she knew deep in her heart that she was betraying the dragon. And because she knew, the dragon knew.

Suddenly it jerked back. A hiss emanated from its mouth and the chains upon its limbs rattled. The ancient creature turned to look at them, mystified, and she took her chance, clamping the rusted chain around the creature’s neck. It twisted as she tried to close the rusted metal, swinging her body this way and that. Her arms encircled its neck, her hands fumbled with the lock, and her legs gripped the beast as it let out a piercing shriek.

The lock clamped shut, she was thrown off the creature and slammed her back into the far side of the cavern. The dragon pulled the chain. She didn’t know if it would hold; she could only trust that it would.

She darted behind the beast as it tried to stand but fell back to the ground. Its limbs were too restrained. It wailed and huffed as she removed the bars, one by one, from across the two large, wooden doors that opened into the ditch directly under the palisade. Once opened, the doors were large enough to allow the dragon to come and go. But once closed, they were as impossible to break through as the main gates of the hill fort.

Andra pulled the door open and, waiting beyond, in the pitch blackness of the ditch, was Gilde. As she and her cart rolled through the open door she glanced at the white dragon and gasped in awe.

It was one thing to see the dragon sweeping over the city; it was quite another to walk into its inner sanctum and see the rise and fall of its chest as it squawked and choked, its throat constrained by the neck clamp.

“Dragon’s blood,” Gilde whispered, the hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth.

“Let’s be done with this.”

The dragon’s nostrils flared, and it strained against the chains.

“There is little time.” Gilde hurried about and began pouring a crimson powder from a pouch to form a circle on the ground. “Are all the doors sealed?”

Andra pulled her eyes away from the dragon and pushed closed the door, replacing the heavy, wooden bars. She glanced over to the entrance to the building above. Had she locked it when she came in?

“Place her here, Andra! Quickly.”

She hurried back to Gilde and lifted Olwen’s body carefully from the cart, then lay her gently in the centre of the circle of crimson powder. Gilde lit four candles and placed them around the circle.

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