The Nine Dragons The Serpent Dragon Part Four

 The Journey To The Castle

Loc woke up at an early hour. Kan was also awake. She walked up to him.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning Loc. Tell me, what is it that you want?”

“To put an end to those snake creatures.”

“Well, in that case, you will need this.” He said, passing her a piece of paper.

She looked at it and saw an island the shape of a spiral with a single river running from in the centre to the edge of the spiral cutting two halves of the spiral, where there was a castle.

“Is this the map of this land?”

“Yes. More specifically, Serpus. Surpenti’s dominion.”

She nodded.

“Then where are we?”

He pointed to a village close to the centre.

“So I should go to the castle?”

“Yes. However, I will have to warn you, if you kill Surpenti, do not return. After all, if you do, then Pendragon will wipe us all out. Although, before you leave, I would like you to remember to have quiet moments and enjoy them. You should not allow too much noise to prevent you from thinking.”

She nodded.

“Here. This is a little something to take on the road.” He said as he gave her a rucksack and a sword.

The sword was silver with a dragon in the centre and a purple leather strap wrapped around the handle. It had a weight in the shape of a rose made of white and black stone, making rings of black and white. In the centre of the guards was a snow white pearl with black diamonds surrounding it.

“It’s called Peble. It was given to my ancestors to give to a woman from another world. He told me it's short for Past Evil Beyond Light Evermore. He added that she would know what it means.”

She nodded.

“I do. And thank you Mr Tengo.”

He smiled.

“You are welcome. Now goodbye and may the fortune of the mad be with you.”

“Thank you.”

She then moved on and left the village. She found herself smiling as she felt excited about finally getting onto something that she knew. She knew that she was going to feel pain but she did not care. She then felt like she was returning to her path in life.

She also liked this walk and listened to the birds whistling. She had not noticed until now that she missed that sound. She looked at the hills and realised just how much she missed their beauty and the smell of fresh air. She heard the sound of water running and soon spotted the river. She walked up to it and saw how many fish there were. They hand many colours with scales that looked  like they were made of pearls. She looked up at the sky and appreciated that it was not red.

She then walked on to see that she was so lost in her own thoughts and entranced in the beauty of the landscape that, before she knew it, it was evening. She sat down and opened the rucksack and spotted that there were several sandwiches.

Thank you Kan. She thought as she took out a sandwich and started eating. She tasted the meat that tasted like chicken with lettuce and cucumber. Tasting this she decided that she liked this. Because of this, she ate this slowly to enjoy the taste to the last bite. So, by the time she finished, the sun was down.

She looked up to see lights dotted on the horizon. She climbed to her feet and put on her rucksack and walked to where they were. There she saw twenty boa snake creatures and ten from the snake creatures from the night that she arrived. She took out Peble and put down her rucksack and ran to them as silently as she could. She hid behind a large rock.

“You know, I hope to fill my belly soon.”

“Yeah! I’m starving!”

She looked at the fire.

Wonder if I can control that!

So to see if she could she willed the fire to blast up. They all looked at it and jumped back.

“Oi! Fourty! I know that you like your fire but that’s pushing it!”

“I didn’t do it this time!”

She then dived in and slit the head off one of the boas. Yet they were too confused to defend themselves from another strike. She was able to.use this to take out three before one brought out their swords. She picked up a log of fire and there it at the closest boa and as it struck.to the left and she dived in and struck to the right. Soon another head rolled. 

She ran.on and her sword met the sword of one of the first snake creatures. She kicked him in his stomach as another came from behind. She kicked that one in the stomach. She then felt a slash in the cheek.

She looked to the side and then spotted the snake head in the corner of her eye. She flicked her blade to it and got the head off that and then she saw a blade coming at her. She blocked it and backed away near the fire. She picked up another log and threw it. She willed it to increase the flames and the heads were on fire. She then ran to the next group as it charged at her.

She jumped and drove her blade across. Soon more heads rolled. She then ran on and to another group. Before she could allow them to think she flicked their heads off. She did this again and again until they were all dead.

That was tiring.

She slept well after that.

The following day she arrived at the castle’s gate house. She looked up at the gate house. She saw two snakes in them. She slammed against the door. She raced up as she collected two stones and struck them together. Nothing happened. She struck them again. Then she saw the spark. She willed the fire to spread to the door. Once the inside was on fire, she moved onto the next gatehouse.

“Is that a fire?”

“Oh! Did Forty set another thing in fire!”

Soon the snake creature raced out. She dived at them and quickly dived to the other two. She soon raced over the bridge and to the doors.