Page 27 of Henry & the Dragon
He pushed thoughts of the dragon from his head and turned to make his way inside the depths. His legs were like twigs as he took his first steps. He feared they’d snap under him, and send him back to the cave floor. He put a hand on the wall to steady himself as he pushed onward. As they wended down the darkened corridor, the stench of charred flesh made Henry wince and his stomach churn.
“Henry?” Dmitra whimpered, gripping his hand tighter.
“Stay with me,” he murmured. “We will be safe, I swear.”
He had only hope to lean on now, and he prayed it would be enough to see him through. The smell was getting stronger as they moved deeper, and Henry’s stomach churned at the thought of what it could be. The closer they got, the darker it became, until Henry could no longer see his hand before his face. He felt blindly, stumbling more than once, trying to get to Kai. He could not—would not—turn back.
When he saw a thin beam of light ahead, Henry worried they might have made it through the entire cave and not seen Kai. If that happened, he wasn’t sure what he would do. His entire body ached, and he didn’t have the strength to continue to climb any further. Even now, he wanted to collapse, to find solace in sleep, but he forced himself to move, step by step, until the light he’d seen spilled into the corridor they were walking in.
The opening led to a large cavern that glistened in the last rays of the sunlight above them. Henry shielded his eyes as he looked upward. A great hole opened up to the sky. This was how the dragon had gotten in, no doubt. In fact, Henry was surprised by the size of it. The mountain must be truly huge. Around thecave were the corpses of creatures unlike any Henry had ever seen before. He wondered if they’d been the inhabitants of the cave, and the dragon slaughtered them in order to make its lair.
His breath caught when he noticed a bed of sticks and hay in the center of the room. Atop that lay a solitary figure, covered by furs.
“Kai,” he breathed out, even as his feet propelled him forward. He dropped to his knees beside Kai, who looked scant moments from death. Henry put his hands on Kai’s face, then jerked them away. Kai was so hot, Henry was shocked he could still be alive. He grabbed his satchel and drew out some of his salve. When he pulled the skins down, he swallowed down the bile that threatened to choke him.
Kai’s chest was awash in dried blood. A hole was torn in the flesh, and it had yellowish fluid seeping from it. When Henry trailed his fingers over the injury, Kai cried out. Henry jerked his hand away, and put dabs of liniment on his fingers.
“I pray you will forgive me.” He placed his fingers on the wound again, but other than a louder groan, Kai did not move. Henry scrabbled for his bag, tossing vials hither and yon. None of them would work for what he needed.
“Dmitra….” he choked out. “This is Kai.”
She came to where Henry was toiling away, and took Kai’s hand. “It is good to meet my other father,” she whispered, bringing his fingers to her mouth and placing a soft kiss on them. “He won’t die, will he?”
“No,” Henry vowed. “I will chase him to the afterlife if I must, but he will be coming back with me.”
He lanced the infected skin, the pus draining from it in a yellow gush. He was about to reach for a cloth to wipe it away, when Dmitra did it for him. He flashed her a smile, then continued working. He took out the potion that Kai had used to tend Henry’s wounds after Neron beat him, and applied that tothe wound on his chest, then turned him slightly and saw the one on his back. How could he still be alive? The wound should have been mortal, but Kai clung to life. He repeated his ministrations to Kai’s back, again putting the ointment on the wound. When he finished, Henry turned his gaze heavenward and sent out a prayer to anyone who would listen. Then he lay beside Kai and put an arm around him, hoping to keep him warm. He was pleased when Dmitra did the same thing on the other side.
When Henry noticed the sun had moved off and it was now dark, he sat up and added more ointment. It would have to be enough, as his vial was almost empty, and he hadn’t the ingredients to mix more. He took the flask of water they’d brought and held it to Kai’s lips. At first, Henry didn’t think it was going to work, but then Kai swallowed. Hopefully he would be strong enough to move soon, but how would they get down? He’d had enough problems with Dmitra, and she was a quarter the size of Kai.
A gust of wind scattered the bodies, blowing them into the crevices within the cave, and a deep shadow fell over the area. It was too late. The dragon had returned.
“Dmitra, go into the shaft we found, and stay there until I call for you.”
“Henry, I—“
“Do it now!” he barked. She stood and ran to where he’d told her. He would apologize later, if he lived that long. He put his hands under Kai’s arms, and dragged him toward where Dmitra was, hoping that the narrow passage would keep the dragon out. Never mind that it could breathe in there, and they would all die anyway.
“Kai, I could use some help here,” he grunted through gritted teeth.
Kai didn’t move. Henry had him halfway to the passage when the earth rumbled as the dragon settled back inside thecave. Even in the darkness, Henry would see the blue-green scales glinting, as well as the thick, bony protrusions along the creature’s legs that looked as though they could cut through a tree trunk.
Henry was proud of Dmitra for not crying out, and he knew that feeling, because a terror he’d never known pressed down on his lungs, squeezing the air from them. At a distance, the dragon had been frightening, but this close, Henry was surprised he didn’t drop dead from the sheer terror it evoked.
He drew the sword at his side and held it aloft. “Father, I pray thee to guide my hand on this day.”
The sword flared the most brilliant blue for a moment, but then darkened to cold, lifeless steel once again. Now wasn’t the time for this. Henry needed his father’s help to protect Kai and Dmitra.
“Father, this is my love and my daughter. I need you to help me. Please!”
Nothing changed. The dragon’s gaze snapped around, coming to rest on Kai. It roared and Henry felt certain the wind would strip the flesh from his bones. He moved forward, placing himself between Kai and the dragon. Even if his father wouldn’t help, Henry needed to protect his family.
“I know not why you’ve taken Kai, great beast, but I will defend him unto my death.”
The dragon stamped its front feet, and the entire cave quaked. This time Dmitra did scream, and Henry couldn’t blame her. He wanted to run away, to hide, but he had vowed to protect Kai, and even if it cost him is life, he would do so.
He noted how his hand shook as he stalked closer to the great beast, who continued to bellow. Henry knew now was the time. He could plunge the sword into the great beasts’ chest, and hopefully through its heart. Or, perhaps, slice it across the dragon’s throat and cleave off its head.
If his father would guide his hand, Henry was certain he could accomplish the task, but the sword seemed nothing more than steel and gems now. No glow at all, as if it was an empty vessel. Still, one way or another, Henry would save Kai.
