Flashes of blue and green caught the corner of my eye before I’d spun away from the end of the bridge. It was a blur of Murphy Mountain’s riders, panicked, as the dragon hovered fifty feet above them. They darted back and forth at the end of the bridge. Then, suddenly, the horses - all six of them - reared up and threw their riders off.

Freed of their burdens, the horses streaked away from the bridge, sprinting east. The maroon dragon, with what had to be a nearly hundred foot wingspan, flapped in great howling swoops and it watched the horses go. It made no attempt to stop them or harm them.

The six riders, laying bewildered at the end of the bridge, scrambled backward as the dragon descended, and landed on all fours twenty feet in front of them facing our village gate.

By this time, I’d retreated with the others near the gate’s opening. We watched the deputy mayor, and the others from Murphy Mountain freeze with fear. The dragon, with yellow slits for eyes, appeared to smile. Or, maybe that was my perception based on the shape of its mouth. It looked like an evil smile, and a forked tongue jut from between its rows of jagged teeth.

Standing on all fours, the thing was taller than a two story building. Probably twenty five feet, or a good two times taller than the T. Rex that’d chased me into the well.

The creature watched the people before it crawl and shuffle backward to the middle of the bridge. It tilted its head like a dog trying to understand. I got the idea it was entertained watching these small figures in retreat.

“It’s Darling,” Dillard said, in a half whisper.

“Where can we go?” I said.

“Stay put,” Kestrel said. “We’d best get them inside the gate.”

He pointed to the Murphy Mountain people.

“Yous best come here!” Dillard said, shouting to the deputy mayor, and his compatriots.

They waved us off.

The only thing I could think was maybe because we didn’t have any protection from aerial attack, they figured why bother retreating behind our gate?

But, then one of the dismounted riders stood up, and calmly extended his hands in front of him, and amazingly he began inching his way forward toward the dragon at the end of the bridge.

“What’s he doing, the fool?” Dillard said.

He’d made it about ten feet, when the dragon folded in its wings, and opened its mouth. I braced myself expecting to see a column of fire, but instead the dragon released these guttural expressions. It was speaking in what I could only describe as part grunt, and part slither. Whatever language this monster was using, it was foreign to me.

It’s voice was so penetrating, even sixty feet away my ears itched.

“What’s it saying?” I asked. No one responded.

The Murphy Mountain man who’d approached Darling spoke to the creature. His voice was barely audible from my vantage point, but his words - if you could call them that - sounded similar to those uttered by the dragon.

“What’s he doing?” Dillard hollered to the deputy mayor standing midway along the bridge.

Nevil, the deputy mayor, turned toward us. “Restin’s fluent in Akrin,” he said. “He will handle this.”

Gak, standing near me just outside the archway, shook his head.

“The beast seeks sleep,” Gak said. “I know but a little of Akrin, but I believe it wants rest.”

“‘Tis the dragon of sleep, ain’t it?” Dillard said. “Not a stretch.”

“The dragon of sleep?” I said.

“‘Tis an honor to be used for a bed,” Dillard said. “But, Darling’ll kill ya dead too. Any moment.”

“Great.”

The would be dragon whisperer from Murphy Mountain boldly stepped forward toward Darling again, speaking the strange foreign language to the creature.

Whatever he’d said, it caused Darling to tilt his head again. Then, the others from Murphy Mountain seemed to relax, and they walked up to join their friend near the end of the bridge.

When the dragon opened its mouth again, to me it looked like he was about to holler, but it drew back its long giraffe-like neck and then thrust its head forward violently. Before the men in front of the dragon could do anything, the monster had three of them in its teeth. It swallowed two of the men whole, and bit another clean in half. In their identical clothes, I couldn’t tell which one was Nevil.

I buried my head in my hands, wanting to vomit, but dry heaving instead. The men around me gasped.

When one man’s entire lower body fell in a bloody, pulpy mess before them, the other Murphy Mountain folks tried to run. The dragon scowled at this, and reached out with its fat front leg, and dagger claws emerged as if they were spring loaded. In one swipe the creature ripped the surviving riders off their feet. They fell at the end of the bridge, cut to ribbons. Then Darling bowed its head and chomped down the bloody remnants.

Someone in the watch tower nearest the gate obviously witnessed all of this. They panicked, obviously, was all I could think because the bell at the top of the tower began ringing with urgency.

As soon as the bell clanged to life, the dragon hissed in its direction. It crouched at the bridge’s end, hovering close above the blood splotches where the people from Murphy Mountain once stood.

The more the bell sounded, the lower Darling crouched. It hissed again, and unfurled its burgundy leather wings.

Whoever was on the bell kept going like a caffeinated child. The dragon stepped backward from the bridge, then quickly took to the sky.

With great blustery swishes, its wings propelled the dragon upward with brute force. In under a minute the thing was gone over the horizon.

I was amazed we’d made it, and without having had to retreat behind a closed gate. After another minute or so, the person on the bell at the top of the watch tower stopped yanking on its rope.

“It’s gone?” I said.

“Gone,” Gak responded.

No sooner had I said it, when a half dozen villagers in dark cloaks swished past us, and ran to the end of the bridge carrying clay pots, and linen cloths.

These anonymous Moonlighters, women and men, rushed around to where the dragon had stood and were pressing their linen rags into the frozen grass, as if sopping up a spill.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

“They’re cleaning up the blood?” I said. I didn’t understand it. Why would they do that?

Dillard shook his head. “Akrineas, ain’t it?” He said.

“Akri-... what?”

“Aye, Akrineas,” Gak said. “They’ll want to collect it. You should want to.”

“Rare to come by,” Kestrel said. “Important.”

“Given it when I was a child, weren’t I?” Dillard said. “Grew me an inch in a day.”

Still stunned from everything I’d just witnessed, I remember nodding as if I understood. Then I turned my attention to Kestrel.

“Protection,” I said. “Protection from the sky. We’re going to need it.”

Kestrel nodded. “Yes,” he said.

“Underground, I suppose,” Proctor piped up. “Is that what you’re thinking?”

We walked inside the gate, and watched more villagers run with collecting pots and linens, out to the area Darling had occupied.

Once inside the walls, I pointed at the ground.

“Bunkers for sure,” I said. “Underground dragon bunkers. Small openings.”

“Like vermin hiding from screechers,” Gak said.

I believe I understood what he meant, and really when it came to dragons, were we any different from mice ducking into holes from hawks?

“You want more caverns?” Kestrel asked me.

“Many,” I said. “Throughout the village. Places people can run to in a hurry, whenever these things might come. What other kind of chance would we have? You saw it. The thing killed those men, and ate them like it was nothing.”

“He wanted to sleep,” Gak said. “You don’t get in its way.”

“Where’s a dragon sleep?” Dillard said.

“Wherever it wants.”

“Thankful for the bell,” Kestrel said.

“Darling cannot endure music,” said Barkley, the merchant, who came strolling over, having heard us talking. “The bells cause him pain.”

“Every dragon has its weakness,” Kestrel said. Then he turned to walk away. He was not a fan of Barkley.

“Weaknesses,” Barkley said, and he watched the old man go. “Yes.”

“How are you?” I said, in that fake chit chatty kind of way to the greasy businessman.

“Better now, having shuffled the winged demon away,” Barkley said. “Those are my people up there, by the way.”

He motioned up at the top of the watch tower adjacent to the gate.

“My family,” Barkley said.

“Family,” Dillard muttered, and I could see the smirk on his face.

Barkley didn’t react to the comment.

“Probably the elite defenders of our fine village,” Barkley said. “Makes sense that we would be in charge of the main tower.”

“The main tower?” I said. “There are eight towers around the perimeter. I didn’t realize there was a main tower.”

Barkley smiled, it was the kind of condescending smile you gave to someone you deemed to be naive.

“And here the main tower’s saved all from the beast,” Barkley said. “Justice has been done. But, no need to thank us. Instead, I would suggest placing our humble tower in charge of all others.”

I had no idea how to respond to this. I threw a quizzical glance toward Proctor.

Proctor pressed his lips together. He appeared to have a moment of thoughtful contemplation before speaking.

“A conversation worth having,” Proctor said.

“‘Tis all I seek,” Barkley said.

He folded his hands inside his cloak, and he strode away to observe the villagers engaged in trying to soak up dragon remnants.

“What was that about?” I said to Proctor.

“Power,” Proctor said.

Hag and Mora found us among the crowds gathered in the common area. Mora gifted her son with a bit of oat loaf. He sat with his back against the base of the wall. Hag passed me a yellowed scroll.

“What’s this?”

“From the sky,” Hag said. “Fell upon us before we heard the bells.”

Bits of parchment broke from the corners, and sprinkled to the ground as I unfurled the scroll. Black ink calligraphy greeted me.

[HUMAN: NOTE:

Your team uniform has been approved, with the following caveat:

You must embroider a dragon, no greater than 3 inches by 3 inches upon the shirt near its base.

One dragon, and one dragon only. This is your starting level as a baseball franchise.

Maximum nine dragons embroidered. Minimum one.

The number of embroidered dragons is determined by your level as a team. You may only add dragons as you succeed, and certain benchmarks are achieved. You will be notified when this is to be done.

Only one team will be worthy of wearing nine dragons.

-Management]

Hag and Mora didn’t seem bothered by the order. They informed they were on their way to the ball park to gather the uniforms to make the necessary alterations.

“We should get back there too,” I said to Proctor, wanting to get back to the park. Really, I wanted to set up my new shipping container house.

Proctor agreed, and we let the others know we were planning to walk back. Kestrel said once the villagers were done with their mysterious collecting at the end of the bridge, he’d have the portcullis closed, and locked.

Then his son approached me just before we were go.

“A quick word,” he said.

Immediately, my pessimistic thoughts jumped to, ‘oh no - he’s going to try and quit the team’.

“About the towers,” Denton said. “We should think about attacks which may come in the spaces between.”

Definitely, a valid concern, and something I’d thought about too.

“What do you suggest?” I said.

“Bridges,” Denton said. “Walkways between. Several ladders along the way.”

I loved the idea.

“Quite an undertaking,” Proctor said. “You’re aware of the enormity of such a project?”

“That’s stopped us before?” I said.

Denton nodded gravely. “‘Tis a lot,” he agreed. “Thus I seek your help.”

“The soda,” I said.

“Whatever you can do.”

“Gather the wood,” I said. “All the materials you’ll need.”

“We’ll be cutting trees outside the walls for this project,” Denton said. “It won’t be easy.”

“You’re a player, too,” I said. “Don’t forget that. I can’t have you occupied in a huge construction project like that. We’re going to start practicing soon.”

“My father will take it on,” Denton said.

“Your poor father’s over run,” I said.

“His team of laborers then,” Denton said.

“That’d be better,” I said. “Will you mention it to him?”

“Of course.”

Proctor and I left the common area, and we began our walk west to the ball park. Denton opted to stay behind with his dad and his brothers for a while. Trevor, Gak, and Dillard followed us toward home.

“The Moonlight Magic, a one dragon team,” I said to Proctor as we walked.

“For now,” Proctor said.

“You think we’ll ever get to nine dragons?”

“Well, that’s the goal, isn’t it?” Proctor said.

[ATTENTION: HUMAN:]

We hadn’t made it a hundred yards when the System interrupted.

[Your 40-man roster is due.

You will fill out the rest of your team right away.

You have 48 hours to submit your list, or face punishment.

Thank you for your cooperation.]

I’d read it aloud for Proctor and the others.

“Alright, stop,” I said to the group. “Obviously, I need to organize a try out.”

“What is that?” Trevor asked.

“We’re going to take to the field, and play baseball, basically. We’re going to try people out,” I said. “Villagers. Whoever we can get to come. Then we’ll offer the best ones a contract. I need enough to get a 40-man team roster together. No choice, right?”

“How are we going to do that?” Trevor said.

“I know it’s annoying, and I hate to ask,” I said. “but, I need each of you to go back into the village proper. Walk among the common areas. The dwellings. Spread the word about a try out. Anyone who wants to play for Moonlight should come. Emphasize they’ll get paid in gold if picked for the team.”

“How many people are we talking about?” Gak said.

“As many as possible,” I said. “We need 40 players. I need 40 of the best the village has to offer. The more people we can get to come, the more choices I have.”

“That’s more cuts,” Proctor said. “More people, more families that you’ll be telling they aren’t good enough. They won’t be paid in gold for playing baseball for the village after all. Not all will take this well.”

“All part of the process,” I said. “There’s no other way to do it. Or, no better way. I don’t think. That’s why I need as many choices as possible.”

“You want us to gather ‘em now?” Dillard asked.

“Yes,” I said. “We’re already on the clock. I don’t want to find out what happens if we fail.”