Volume Nine
Chapter
Three
Blood
and Ash
In which Dodger battles a fantastic
beast
“Dodger?” Boon said. “Is that you?”
Dodger
groaned and smacked his dry mouth. “Who else would it be?”
“I
suppose it is you then. Wake on up. We’ve got to move, fast.”
Dodger
cracked his eyelids, wincing at the unexpected invasion of bright light. He
blinked a few times, then stared at the halo of greenery above him. Glancing
left, then right, Dodger found a line of trees surrounding him as he laid spread
eagle on a patch of spongy grass.
Someone
tugged at his sleeve.
“Come
on,” Boon said. “Get on up. Our friend can’t hold it off alone.”
“I’m
coming,” Dodger said.
He
rolled onto his knees, pausing a moment to gather his wits before he got to his
feet. Brushing down his clothes, Dodger caught a glance of black fabric under
his hands. He looked down at himself, taking in the sight of an all black
wardrobe; black slacks, black silk shirt, black vest, black gloves, a black
bandana around his neck, even black leather boots. Once, eons ago it now
seemed, he sported a black wardrobe all of the time. But it had been a lifetime
since he dressed in such a manner. As he stood, the weight of guns settled at
his hips. Dodger ran his hands across the gun belt—black, of course—and down to
caress the weapons at his sides. The guns felt strange, but at the same time
familiar, as if he had handled them once before but neither owned nor fired them
himself.
“You
got your bearings?” Boon asked.
“I
think so,” Dodger said as he looked up to the spirit.
Only
the man wasn’t a spirit. Boon appeared in full sunlight, solid as the grass he
stood on, speaking aloud—all things the spirit couldn’t hope to accomplish.
“You’re
…” Dodger started, but wasn’t quite sure how to finish it.
“I
think this is yours,” Boon said as he held up a wide brimmed hat.
Black,
of course.
Dodger
ignored the hat and reached a hand out to Boon’s shoulder. Instead of the usual
crackle of light and the sensation of running his finger through molasses,
Dodger met with solid flesh. He tapped the man once, twice, three times,
unwilling to believe what his senses were telling him.
“You’re
…” Dodger started again.
Boon
grinned down at Dodger. “I know, but there ain’t time to go over such details
now.”
“Details?
Boon, you’re … you’re … you knew this would happen, didn’t you?”
“Maybe,
but it ain’t important-”
“It
sure as hell is!”
Boon
grabbed Dodger by the shoulder, and for the first time since Dodger met the
spirit, he gained a real sense of the power behind the usually gentle giant.
“Dodger! We can do this song and dance later. He needs our help.”
On
the heels of Boon’s words, there came a loud roar and crash from Dodger’s left.
The earth shook under their feet while thick, black smoke curled over the tops
of the trees in the distance.
“What
is that?” Dodger asked.
“Trouble,”
Boon said. He plopped the hat onto Dodger’s head and nodded to the noise rising
from the forest. “Come on. We have a ways to go. You showed up a good distance
from the fight.” The man took off in a run for the forest.
Dodger
could do nothing but swallow his curiosity and follow.
“What
are we up against?” Dodger shouted as they sprinted through the forest.
“I
told you!” Boon shouted over his shoulder.
“You
said a dragon. Certainly you didn’t mean-”
Another
roar sounded, drowning Dodger’s question as well as uncertainty. The ground
shook once more—bringing the men to a standstill in order to keep their
footing—followed by another loud roar.
“I
meant what I said!” Boon yelled just under the roar.
Something
drifted overhead, casting the men in a passing shadow. Between the gaps of pine
boughs, Dodger could just make out a huge and scaly form brushing against the
treetops. With it there came a cross breeze, bringing the scent of flames and
smoke and death.
“Where’s
Lelanea?” Dodger asked.
“I
don’t know,” Boon said. “We will have to look for her after we are done taking
care of this thing.”
A
high pitched shriek pierced the air.
“Sounds
like our friend landed a hit,” Boon said. With a smile, he took off again,
doubling his speed and pulling quickly away from Dodger.
It
was all Dodger could do to keep up with the long legged, not to mention
younger, man. He pushed himself, running as fast and hard as he could. The pair
ran and ran, dodging trees and jumping undergrowth and ducking low hanging
branches. Dodger tried to judge the distance they were covering but between his
legs screaming at him to slow down and his lungs struggling for each breath, he
lost track of just how far they had come. By the time they reached the end of
the trees, Dodger was left gasping for air. Boon, however, seemed barely
winded.
“It’s
through here,” Boon said, and pushed through the last bit of underbrush.
Dodger
followed, stepping out of the tree line and into a heated brawl.
Just
beyond the forest lay a burned and twisted swath of land, a ruined patch of
earth carved out of the forest proper by fire and claw. On one side of this
scorched valley sat a pile of human remains, stripped down to the charred
bones. The beast that Dodger assumed was responsible for this devastation stood
dead center in the gutted earth, howling in rage or pain or both. Dodger took
one glance at the thing, only to rub his eyes, just to make sure the smoke and
heat wasn’t blurring his vision.
“I’ll
be damned,” Dodger said, still blinking.
“I
know,” Boon said. “Isn’t it exciting? I’ve fought all manner of beast in the
doc’s service, but never a dragon.”
At
first, it struck Dodger as a cross between a lizard and a bird, seeing as how
it stood on all fours, was covered in crimson scales from head to toe, yet sprouted
a pair of enormous silver wings across its back. The thing was at least a good twenty
feet long, tail included, and stood at about three fourths that height. It bore
a diamond shaped head, in the spirit of a serpent, including enormous fangs and
a huge forked tongue that slithered and writhed between its scaly lips. Rather
than flapping up a breeze, the beast’s wings drooped on either side, dragging
the ground, either wounded or exhausted. This didn’t slow the beast down one
bit, for it thrashed its spiked tail and gnashed its huge teeth, snapping and
swatting at the man trying hard to get near it.
“Have
at you!” the man shouted, and waggled an enormous sword at the dragon.
The
man’s words had a metallic edge to them, much like Mr. Torque, thanks to the fellow
sporting a full suit of armor, head to toe, glinting bright enough to make
Dodger wince. Surely all of that armor was restricting the man’s movements? Not
to mention it had to be a thousand degrees under that plate mail and helmet,
even without the occasional burst of flame from the beast. What kind of fool
would wear a full suit of armor when coming up against a flying forge? That was
just asking for a roasting.
Without
warning, Boon broke out in an excited run, stumbling down the burned out gorge
and straight into the line of battle. Dodger breathed deep a few times, trying
to catch a much needed breath, before he raised the black bandana over his nose
and followed the foolish man down the ravine and into the smoky fray. They came
to rest behind the pile of skeletons, about two hundred feet from the fight. A
broadsword almost as tall as Dodger lay resting against the bones, as if
waiting for some gallant knight to snatch the blade up and jump into the fray.
Boon
took a moment to draw his gun, and that’s when Dodger noticed that Boon’s guns
were in fact Boon’s guns; the triple cylinder nine shots Dodger had grown to
love. The man checked that Florence
and Hortense were both loaded, before he returned each lady to her respective holster.
“What
can I do to help?” Dodger asked.
“You’re
armed,” Boon said as he yanked the blade from the soft, ashen earth. “Do what
you do best.” He winked at Dodger before he raised his blade and ran off to
join the fight.
Dodger
wasn’t interested in swords against such a formidable foe, but Boon’s weapon
check did bring up an interesting point. If Boon had the nine shooters, then
what in the world was Dodger armed with? Dodger yanked one of the pistols from
its holster intent on inspecting the thing. He didn’t get a chance, for the
moment he pulled the weapon, a sheet of flame blew past the boulder, almost
roasting Dodger alive with a back draft of heat. In a rush, he made sure the
gun—a familiar looking revolver, six shots total, shells, fully loaded—was ready
and then scooted around the mound of bones to make sure he had a clean shot.
“Come
at me, you beast!” the man in armor shouted as he waved his blade about in the
hot air.
The
knight had a good grip on his tactics, thrusting and dodging in a cool and
collected manner. Boon, on the other hand, darted in and out of the action,
swiping at the dragon in broad, uncontrolled movements. While the knight stood
a good chance of landing a strike or two, Boon simply stood the chance of
getting his fool head bitten off.
“Boon!”
Dodger shouted.
Boon
glanced up at Dodger.
“Get
yourselves out of the line of fire!” Dodger yelled.
After
nodding his understanding, Boon grabbed the mystery man by the arm and pulled
him aside, the pair of them retreating behind the relative safety of the
skeletal mound. The beast seemed confused by the sudden withdrawal. It howled,
snorting flames into the air as it shuffled forward, intent on following its
prey. Dodger lined up his weapon, taking a steady aim, then fired.
The
gun came alive in a shower of sparks followed by an ear splitting boom. An arc
of fire spewed forth from the barrel, tracing the path of the bullet as it
struck the beast in the face. The dragon’s head snapped to one side as it
shrieked aloud in pain. When it turned to look at the source of the shot,
Dodger could see he had taken one of the beast’s eyes.
“Nicely done!” Boon yelled from behind the
heap of bones.
“Well
played, good sir!” the stranger yelled.
The
roar of the wounded dragon spurred Dodger into action. He reset the hammer,
firing again and again. Each time the gun discharged, a line of flame followed
the bullet, as if the ammo set the air itself on fire during its speedy journey
to its target. Dodger kept on resetting and firing until he heard the telltale
click of an empty chamber.
The
beast—what was left of its head now thick with oozing gunshot wounds—stumbled
about, trying to keep on its feet. Dodger backed away from the thing, allowing
it plenty of room to give up the ghost. After a dancing about clumsily for a
few more moments, it came crashing down in a dramatic swoop, from rump to
chest, until the length of its long neck snapped up and down again in a final
rebound of pent up energy, slamming its head into the ground with a resounding clap.
The dragon’s nostrils fumed in a dying flame.
Once
the earth ceased rumbling, Boon peered out from behind the heap of bones. “Is
it dead?”
Dodger
yanked the bandana from his face as he returned his weapon to its holster. “I
think so. If not then it won’t be very long until it is.”
“Dear
sir,” the stranger said in a tinny echo from behind the helmet, “that was a
fantastic display of bravery.”
“Would’ve
been easier if I had a barrel of coffee.”
“Coffee?”
“I
understand that dragons are allergic to the stuff.”
“Really?
I’ve never heard such a thing.” The man held out his armored hand. “Either way,
allow me to commend you on your success in dispatching this awful beast. You
performed most admirably.”
Dodger
shook the man’s armored hand wincing at the heat of the gauntlet. “Aren’t you
hot under all that?”
“This?”
The man knocked his own breastplate, chuckling under the echo. “I am used to
it. Full battle armor is the way of the knight.”
“Knight
you say?”
“Of
course.” The stranger grabbed the edges of his helmet and wiggled the thing
from his head.
Dodger
was tempted to rub his eyes again at the sight of the young man.
Standing
before him was an exact duplicate of Dodger, only twenty years younger. Same
thick raven hair, same chiseled chin, same crooked nose. The man could’ve been
Dodger’s twin.
“What
in the hell-” Dodger started.
“Arnold,” Boon said over
him. “This is Sir Rodger Dodger.”
Dodger
nodded to the doppelganger. “I can see that.”
“Sir
Rodger here is part of Her Majesty’s Royal
Court. He is on a special assignment to find the missing
Princess Sarah.”
“Princess?”
Dodger asked.
Boon
smiled. In that smile came a plea to just go along with whatever Boon said.
Dodger
tried to send a thought out to Boon, via underspeak. I ain’t playing along until I know what’s really going on here.
Boon
didn’t say anything, underspeak or otherwise. He just kept grinning like a mad
man.
“And
who do I have the pleasure of meeting?” Sir Rodger asked.
“This
is Arnold Carpenter,” Boon said. “He is with me.”
“Well
met, Mr. Carpenter,” Sir Rodger said, and tucked his helmet under his arm as he
held out his hand again.
Ignoring
the knight, Dodger stared hard at Boon. Don’t
you ignore me. Tell me what this is about. Why does he look like me?
“Arnold,” Boon said.
“Don’t be rude.”
Dodger
took the hand of his clone and shook it with more force than needed, a reaction
to his pent up frustrations. Either Boon was just ignoring the underspeak or it
didn’t work dreamside. Dodger reckoned there was no way to really tell until he
could get the man alone. “I am sorry, I was miles away. My name is Arnold
Carpenter. It is a unique pleasure to meet you, Sir Rodger Dodger.” He didn’t
know what felt more strange on his tongue, calling someone else by his own
name, or speaking the Sir before it.
Sir
Rodger didn’t seem a bit bothered by Dodger’s enthusiastic handshake. If
anything, the knight bore into his grip harder, pumping Dodger’s hand with as
much gusto. “The pleasure is all mine, good-”
“Look
out!” a familiar voice yelled.
Dodger
turned to his left just in time to spy a wild wolf sprinting across the ashen
earth, heading right for him. Even if Dodger hadn’t emptied his guns, the wolf
was already too close to draw and fire upon in time. It was also too close for
Dodger to cut and run. The best he could do was dig in his heels, put up his
arms and prepare for the onrush of fur and fang.
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