Fire and Music Part 1

Written and as told by Jarkheld Desmoulins

Fire and Music, Part 1

DING, the crystal melody spiraled to the ceiling, the music swirling around the many stalagmites. Ivory or so she was known to be called smiled in contentment. She had been carefully sculpting the stone for centuries trying to get the melody perfect. Finally she was nearing that perfection.

Tired but content to let the water play its heavenly music as it dripped she picked up her considerable form and withdrew into the recesses of her cave.

Meanwhile outside the cave…

The clop clop of iron shod shoes could be heard ringing off of the stone of the marble cliffs surrounding Ivory's cave. Around the bend of the path a man in not so shining armor came riding. The armor was dented and pocked, burn marks marred its once shining surface.

The dragonhunter nodded as he sighted the cave, this was where the villagers had told him the dragon was. The villagers didn't mention the dragon terrorizing the land but the man did not care, the spearlike teeth adorning his shield were enough for him. He pitched his horse a good ways off and dismounted unpacking his weapons and slowly made is way to the mouth of the cave.

The cave mouth was a black maw, a black pit of despair was all the hunter saw, he took a deep breath and silently slipped into the darkness. The stones in the cave gave off an eerie tickling, almost music, it made the man shudder.

Meanwhile deep inside the cave…

Ivory was just laying down. She sighed with contentment and took a deep breath and almost choked. Something didn't smell right she knew her cave something was wrong.

She moved a boulder out of the way and crawled down a once hidden side passage. She emerged into the daylight on the side of the cliffs surrounding her cave, smelling again she knew what it was, she smelled horse. She crawled along the side until she spotted the stallion, making sure not to spook it she hide at the side of the cave mouth and waited.

The knight crept through the darkness, making sure to check the shadows as he finally made it to the main chambers. Breathing deeply and hefting his iron spear he leapt into the room giving a screaming battlecry only to stumble and fall silent.

Nothing was here....was this the wrong cave...did the villagers cheat him out of the money he had paid them. Growling to himself he holstered his spear along his back once more and made his way out among the crystals.

He walked out into the sun light and spotted a shadow on the cliff face that hadn't been there before he raised his shield in a panic. Ivory piled into the small human with all her weight sending him flying toward his horse she winced as dragon teeth from the shield cut gaps in her scales.

The dragonhunter flew through the air but landed on his feet, his shield had done its work; he quickly pulled out his spear. His eyes widened as he saw the dragon open its hideous maw and firelight glow from within.

Ivory pumped her bellows and spewed forth an intense wave of fire intent on killing this man before he could fight back. The knight, with experience born of many past fights ducked under his shield angling it as a ramp. The liquid fire poured over the shield and flying up and away, at the same time the knight rammed his spear forward, blinded by the light.

The dragonfire cut short as the iron parted scale and muscle through Ivory's shoulder, she cried out and ripped herself away, too hurt to do anything but back away into the cave. If this small man was going to win she was going to die among her music. The spear was ripped away from the hunter's gloved hands splintering into them; he winced but immediately drew his sword stalking after the retreating dragon.

Ivory backed up into her scintillating garden and prepared to make her stand. She watched as the cave mouth darkened slightly as the intruder made his way into the gloom. She panted slightly at her hurt the blood running down into the pools at her feet tinting them red.

The hunter spotted the wounded dragon ad narrowed his eyes, sweat dripping from under his dented helmet. He cautiously made his made toward her, tapping his sword on the crystals as he came, making chiming noises.

~To Be Continued ~