The Bard: A Story Read online

-3-

  They came down side by side with Silliane’s blade before them and Glorianna chanting the beginning of another spell. They were in an underground room with a few pillars against the wall to help hold its shape. It seemed to have only one exit in front of Silliane. A light flared from behind him and he turned to find his lover standing with the tip of her staff aglow.

  “That looks like the way to go,” Glorianna said pointing with her staff.

  “Then lets go,” Silliane replied.

  They crept down a natural cut hallway with Silliane in the lead, Glorianna shining her light over his shoulder so that he wouldn’t be taken unawares. The hallway ended almost twenty feet from their entry and turned right. A heavy, throaty breathing came from somewhere ahead of them beyond the limits of Glorianna’s light.

  “I really don’t like the sounds of that,” Silliane said wearily.

  “Neither do I,” Glorianna replied, “but it’s the only way forward.”

  They began a slow, silent creep forward towards the heavy breathing. They stopped suddenly when a low growl replaced the noise.

  “Who is there?” growled out a deep voice that neither of them expected.

  They stood quietly as Glorianna doused her light.

  “You needn’t have shut off your light,” the voice said. “I can smell you just the same.” A short snuffling sound followed. “Elves,” the voice rang out in surprise. “I haven’t smelled or tasted Elf flesh in centuries.”

  “Your name, beast!” Silliane demanded with haughtiness that he truly didn’t feel.

  “My, such impertinence from one of the ancient races,” the voice growled out. “I was old before you were born. My name, as the humans are want to call me, is Snag.”

  A large, draconic face thrust into their sight as their eyes finally adjusted to the lack of light. It was huge, its muzzle probably as big as three quarter horses, and sneering and only one of its long teeth were evident. The other looked to have been broken some time ago. The dragon’s scales were a deep, shiny black that seemed as if you could fall into them.

  Silliane and Glorianna jumped back in reaction. His sword seemed nothing compared to the many sharp teeth in the creature’s maw but he knew he’d give a fair showing if it came to that.

  Glorianna’s spells came to life quickly as the light on her staff flared back into being. Then five little balls of light came forth from her hand and pummeled into the dragon’s side. It howled out in anger and let one of its great feet come crashing down much like a cat playing with a toy. Silliane jumped to the side just in time and rolled away from the attack. He was on his feet and noticed Glorianna weaving another spell quickly to put up a defensive shield around herself. Then her staff tapped the floor forcefully and a great ball of flame erupted from the staff and into the dragon’s face causing another bellow of anger.

  Silliane crept forward knowing that none of his paltry magics could do anything to this creature. He slipped under a wing and made his way towards its body while the dragon had his attention on the sorcerer, snapping at his dodging lover. He shuffled around feet and wings as he made his way closer until he was just under the beast’s belly. He heard the beginnings of a great intake of breath so, point forward, he began to search for a simple break in the dragon’s belly scales.

  The dragon breathed out and from the corner of his eye Silliane witnessed Glorianna being engulfed in a gout of flame that shot from the creature’s mouth. He prayed to the One God that her shield held up but had little time as his eyes quickly found what he thought was a part in the scales above him. He pushed his blade forward and watched it bite between the two broken scales he had found. The dragon jumped, its breath exploding across the ceiling and lighting up the room as it bellowed and screamed in pain simultaneously. It began to scramble around frantically which wrenched the sword from Silliane’s hand. The creature burst across the floor and ducked back into another tunnel off to the side in haste, its tail lashing out in disregard and dislodging a few stones from the ceiling of the room.

  Silliane heard the howling dragon retreating further back the tunnel so he took a moment and looked around. He found Glorianna slowly rising on to her elbows and shaking her head in exhaustion.

  “Are you okay?” Silliane called out as he ran over to her.

  “Yes,” Glorianna replied. “My shields held but I’m still a little singed. How are you?”

  “Fine,” he replied. “The dragon kept his attention on you so I could creep in. I lost my sword in the transaction, though.”

  “We’ll do,” Glorianna said. “Let’s get going.”

  They walked over to where the dragon had escaped to and found a small treasure hoard laid out on the ground. It looked as if it had been rolled in by a gigantic animal to make its bed. Silliane looked over the treasure sprawled everywhere with wonder and joy on his face. Glorianna just laughed a little and shook her head.

  “Still a thief,” she said sarcastically. Then she started chanting.

  Silliane stood back wondering what she was doing when suddenly a few things started glowing. He pulled three items from the treasure and laid them out for them. One was a long, thin bladed sword with a scabbard. The other two were rings that Glorianna took up. Silliane laced the scabbard on his belt and withdrew the sword, swinging it a few times.

  “Much lighter than my last one,” he said with a smile. It was much more elaborate also. There were a few markings that he could read on it and one in particular came up again and again. The glyph for either flame or fire was there etched in the blade.

  “Some kind of magic has been entrenched in it,” Glorianna replied while looking closely at the two rings she had picked up. “We’ll take a closer look at it when we get back to town.”

  “What about those?” Silliane asked her as he sheathed his new sword and walked over to stand beside her.

  “Can’t tell right now,” Glorianna replied with a smile as she pocketed the trinkets into a pouch at her waist. “Right now, let’s get going. I don’t think the wizard is deaf enough not to have heard that dragon’s growls.”