The city of Mithir greeted the new day plunged in deep, heavy, ominous silence. Seven days had passed since the departure of the Crown Prince, on his quest to find help in the Ice Mountains. And now that all evacuations had been successfully completed, more than half the population had left the city in search of refuge in the south, towards the Kingdom of Leips, leaving behind empty houses and depopulated streets.
The city gates had been closed at dawn and reinforced with wood, stone and iron. And all the walls were patrolled by Knights with serious and alert countenances, their eyes fixed on the threatening horizon. They wore their armor, especially cleaned and polished as if the occasion were a honorable ceremony, and the atmosphere among the men was one of nervousness and high tension.
The third outer wall had been equipped with various devices especially created to destroy the enemy’s catapults and siege towers. It was up there, on top of one of the high watchtowers, that Lord Heric Sáwiel had been stationed.
Taking a deep breath he looked once more towards the shadowy tangled trees that stretched as far as the eye could see. Never before in his entire life had he felt such hatred towards mere trees! The waiting seemed to be eroding his stomach, and although he was armed like any other Knight and kept his head proudly held high, he couldn’t stop asking himself what manner of madness had possessed him to refuse to be exiled to Leips with the other members of the Court, opting to remain in a city that was most certainly doomed.
Still his expression remained cold and impenetrable, his face a mask of bravery and self-confidence. He’d been placed in charge of a group of young Everlyn Knights that kept looking up at him, searching for a sign of fear that would match their terrified expressions. And so, no matter what, he couldn’t allow his true feelings to show ... He had to remain firm and unwavering like the stone beneath his feet!
Suddenly the moment they had all been waiting and dreading arrived. From the forest in front of him hundreds of men appeared, running on foot, covering the greenery like a dark wave, bringing with them catapults pulled by large black beasts he’d never seen before. Once the initial shock had passed, Heric easily recognized the invading forces by the heavy weapons and black metal armor that bore; the night of the attack on Everlyn still fresh in his memory.
The sound of trumpets filled the air, coming from the other side of the wall, the side facing the Sunny Hills. Heric nodded and the boy beside him sounded his trumpet as well ... As expected the Armies of North were attacking simultaneously from all sides, slowly surrounding them.
“Attention! Ready yourselves! The moment that damn thing gets within reach we’ll fire at my command!” he said, pointing towards the wooden structure slowly approaching the outer wall, his men rushing to take their posts, when suddenly his gaze detected a massive movement from within the forest, as if the large trees were nothing but thin blades of grass bent by the wind.
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The men at his side seemed to notice it as well, because they all took a step back, as if that could grant them extra security. And then, as if it had been released by some gigantic bow, a huge flaming arrow crossed the skies, causing astonishment and cries of fear everywhere.
For a moment all activities, be it attacking or defending, were halted, and everyone turned their attention towards the sky. Even the men attacking their walls down below seemed to hold their breath in dreading anticipation. But what seemed to have been huge a ray of fire was lost, hidden in the glow of the bright sun ... The tension amongst the Knights defending the walls reached its peak. They kept their trembling hands closed around the handles of their weapons; their eyes fixed on the clouds, looking for traces of the bright lightening that had just crossed their line of sight; their expressions a mix of fear and contained curiosity. And then the fiery arrow came back down as fast as lightning, as if it had been fired against the castle, and opened its wings in all its amplitude at the last moment, flying over the walls, almost hitting them with its long tail, the blare of its wings filling air, echoing throughout the entire city. Screams of panic and horror echoed from everywhere and Heric threw himself onto the ground, noticing at a glance, and to his relief, that he hadn’t been the only one to throw away his pride and cower as close as he could to the stone floor.
Still trembling he raised his head and looked at the enormous creature that flew just a few feet from his watchtower. Its wings were huge and bright, taking on various hues of fire as it flew, a shrieking sound echoing in his ears every time they cut through the air. Its body was covered in small reddish scales and its eyes were large and yellow, glowing with morbid amusement and a profound contempt for all they saw.
“It’s … a Dragon!” he shouted, hiding his head between his arms, and the Dragon rose into the air again, to circle around and fly once again over the walls.
Somewhere from another area of the third outer wall arrows were fired against the beast, certainly more as an act of desperation than carrying any hope to cause it any damage. But the creature avoided them with ease, moving with astounding agility and elegance, almost like a fish in a pound. And the deep sound of a woman’s laughter filled the air.
“Pathetic,” it said, and the creature stopped midair, almost as if it could float, defying all common laws. Its eyes glowed and none of the watchtowers simply collapsed, the battlements crumbing with a loud noise, dragging part of the wall with them. The men standing nearby ran, trying to escape the deadly downfall, while other’s lost their lives, unable to escape in time. And the Dragon laughed again.
And yet, suddenly, something seemed to capture its attention, interrupting its obvious amusement, and its fiery gaze turned east. It gave one last look at the small city down bellow, seeming disappointed, and, like an obedient child forced to cut short its playtime, it flapped its majestic wings a flew back towards the forest. The men on the walls all followed the terrifying beast with dreading gazes, wondering what new attack would follow. But the red monster kept on flying, going further and further away.
Heric raised his head in disbelief and stood up, his legs still shaking. He carefully scanned the sky in front of him, and above, and behind, but there was no sign of the terrifying beast.
“It’s gone …! It’s gone!!” he shouted and everyone around him slowly scrambled to their feet, still stunned with terror. But as those words were eventually confirmed, a loud shout of victory and renewed hope was heard throughout all the walls of Mithir.