Strena Dog Days Part One

 Theft Of Dragon

Strena was eight now. She knew that she not only possessed the education of someone who was perhaps fourteen or fifteen but the skills of one too. She could even hunt and fend for herself and word got out that she was not only the youngest bounty hunter but also the youngest assassin. These things she had written all about in her journal.

She then heard a knock on the door.

"Decent?" Zaryb shouted

"Yeah!" She called back.

He walked in and looked at her journal and gave it back to her with a proud smile.

"It seems that your handwriting has become better by far." He complimented. "You have done well!"

"I have a good teacher." She said as she thought about all the lessons that he had given her over the years. The man that had killed her parents and seems to be trying to turn her into him, yet one thing seemed to elude her; why? She wanted to ask but was far too afraid to and had learnt a long time ago not to.

"Well, teacher wants you to start packing your bags. We're leaving."

She nodded.

"Where are we going this time?"

"On a journey."

She nodded, though she was not satisfied by the answer.

She got out of the bed that she was using for the past year and gathered all her things. She packed as quickly as she possibly could. She then went onto double checking everything to see if she had left anything behind like that old sword she won ages ago. She knew that there might just be a possibility that she would never return here. Which was good. She was sick and tired waking up to that noise.

She joined Zaryb at the door. He opened the door for her and they went on their way without one goodbye. She carried both her and his bags, a feat that she had learnt to do a long time ago.

"So, where are we going and what god or goddess will I have to pledge myself to now?"

"None just yet. No, on this journey you will be like a dog. You will be helping me from time to time and that should be all."

She nodded as she bit her lip. Though she did not like being compared to a dog, she did not want to get a beating over her pride.

"Alright, will I be ready for this role?"

"Yes, I have been preparing you all this time."

"Oh."

She wondered if she should dare to go on with this conversation. Seeing that it would be pointless she decided against it. They continued in nothing but silence. They soon came to a small hut with whitewashed walls and a blackwood thatched roof in the shape of a cone. Zaryb knocked on the blackwood door with a crimson crescent moon carved into the top.

The door opened to reveal a small bald man with white grey eyes with a mad look about them with a strange kind look that made them look even more strange and piercing. He was so thin that it was like the skin was clinging to his bones and he was so pale that one would think that he was looking at the bones themselves. He was hunched over and wore a black robe with silver chains around his hips and a purple pendant around his neck.

"Who are you?"

"The one you called." Zaryb replied with a hint of contemptment in his voice.

He frowned and then looked at him in his eyes. He then took off his pendent and then brought it close to him. Seeing that it was glowing brightly he looked at him and seemed to recognise him.

"There you are! I heard the rumours but I never imagined them to be true!"

"Zip it old man! Tell me why have you called me here!"

"Oh. Oh!" He said as if he remembered and ushered them in. "Come, come in! Shall I get something for your child?"

"I think you ought to cut to the chase before I kill you. And I hardly think that we will be staying long enough for us to have anything and she's not my child."

The old man looked for a moment afraid but quickly covered it up.

"Right, but please, take a seat. I have a great deal to talk about."

"Tell me, what use is a speech when you can tell me within a few sentences?"

"Good point. There is a dragon that plagues this road that I live on and I want him gone."

"Why, can you not take him on your own? I can tell you that a dark lord of your caliber would be able to eliminate it or I would not have been compelled to come here." He said with a tone of fearful ice.

"The first thing that he took was my daughter. He also told me that should I try to kill him then he will kill her!"

"And you chose to summon something like me? You do know the price, do you not?"

"Yes, yes I do. And I would pay it all over again if that meant my Penelé would live freely."

"Then when this job is over then you will pay up."

"Yes."

He smiled that chilling and twisted smile that always haunted her nightmares. He then burst out cackling a cackle that was filled with insanity and arrogance. It was always chilling to see him take joy out of this. Yet she was always far too afraid to stop him or do anything for that matter!

"Well you are desperate! Alright, I will take this job of yours and I will return for my payment. Come Strena! We have a job to do."

"Wait, you are taking the child into that!"

That was when a small knife buried itself inside his shoulder.

"Never question my methods. Only my results."

"Just keep her safe."

"A dark lord who cares for children? How interesting!" He said as they left.

"What was that all about?"

"As he doesn't want you to know, I will not tell." He said as they left the hut behind.

'He'? Who's 'he'?

"Ah ha! Here." He said as they turned the small mouth of a cave that was in the far distance.

"Why would he be here?"

"Dragons love caves. I don't know why, but they do. And I can tell you that even though the cave looks small, it is a larger cave than you think." He explained.

She nodded. They then went on the path that led to the cave. It was soon night and they ate a quick meal and hour-long nap before they walked on. By the time the sun came up they were at the mouth of the cave. They had a fair few naps throughout the night so they were well rested.

"What's the plan?" She whispered.

"You get the girl and I will fight the dragon. If all goes well then father and daughter should be reunited before the sunsets."

She smiled and nodded.

"Then let's get this over and done with."

He smiled at her like she was a cute animal.

"Alright."

They walked in. Zaryb was right, it was bigger than it appeared to be. She looked around and saw the claw marks in the walls. This told her that there were sections of the cave that were dug out by the dragon to make the cave bigger. She also saw that even though they were barely in the cave and she already saw that there were a few coins of gold and silver.

"Will it be like the last one?"

"Probably, if it is a wyvren then yes." 

She tried to suppress the dread. She wondered if Zaryb thought about her age. Then again she knew that he did not. He never seemed to. She soon walked into a treasure room. She saw the great dragon in front of her. Her eyes met those of that of the dragon. He sniffed up as she backed away. She felt chills run down her spine. That was when the mouth opened and she saw the back of the mouth of the dragon right into his throat. She froze in place as the shock and fear sank in. She tried to move but she could not.

Move! Move! Please move! Just move! Why won't I move?

Soon her fear rose up within her and something else rose within her too. She felt the rose up and it released as the fire engulfed her and she closed her eyes. She waited for death but it did not come and all she felt was the heat. No pain, no burning, just heat. Death did not even come after the heatwave passed.

She opened her eyes in confusion. She looked around her and she saw the gold and silver had melted around her and the back of the cave was blackened in soot. She looked down to see that the gold and silver beneath her were all untouched and showed no melting at all. She looked at herself and noticed that she was untouched by the fire. 

She looked at Zaryb, who looked at her with that nasty smile.

"So you're the one they want me and all their servants and followers to kill." Spoke a creepy and growly voice.

She looked back and would have stepped back if the metal had not melted. She looked back at Zaryb but by the look on his face it was all too clear that he was not going to help her whatsoever. She then picked up some of the unmelted coins. She then looked at the dragon and waited. He opened his mouth, she then spotted the spark of fire and then she threw some of the coins into the throat. The dragon closed its mouth and started coughing. He then looked at her and growled. He looked very young and knew that this was not an adult dragon. He opened his mouth and she threw some more into his throat. This caused more metal melting and burning the back of the throat. He stepped back and flapped back the threw more at the fleshy arias of the wings however this did nothing. She then took out some small daggers and threw then at the wings, this tour holes in the wings. This caused the dragon to start to fall and then fell into the molten metal. He roared out in pain as he sank into the molten silver and gold. 

Seeing that this was her only chance, she jumped on the sinking head of the dragon and hat to jump again to the body and ran along the body. She jumped again over to Zaryb feeling greatly exhausted. 

"Where's the girl?" She asked feeling breathless and tried to focus on getting her out and not on the tiredness that she was feeling.

"When were you going to tell me that you have magic?"

Suddenly all her hair stood on end. She looked back as it suddenly made sense though it did nothing to dull her shock.

"Ohh! You didn't know!" He cooed.

She pushed through the shock.

"The girl, where is she?"

"Over there!"

She looked up at a child that looked only a year older that she was and just as pale as her father. She was in a glass cage. She walked up to her. She reached her hand out. She looked at her, her eyes exactly like her fathers'. 

Strena soon picked the lock and opened the door.

"Are you going to take me back to daddy?"

She nodded and smiled.

"Yes, yes we will." She said as she pulled her up.

They were soon back on the road and the journey was shorter and smoother so by sunset they had arrived back at the hut.

"There the girl has been returned."

He nodded as he somehow became paler.

"Relax. It was the girl that did all of this so the payment belongs to her."

"And what would the girl want?"

"Give her some books on self defence and killing magic."

He nodded and looked at her shocked.

"Oh, okay." He said as he rushed over to his trunk and took out a few black books. All with a crimson crescent moon on it. He then put them all in her arms. Yet it was all too clear that he was surprised that she could carry them. 

"Strena, I want you to read those books on the road."

"Alright." She said as she put them in her backpack. Then they left.