by Gold Baron
I plopped down into the rocker, the wicker biting into my sunburned skin, but I was too drunk to care. I watched the sunset with passing interest, but my type-A personality quickly focused my attention on a beautiful young woman carrying a small child across the dusty street, if it could even be called that. It sparked something in me, but the notion quickly faded. Who was she, I wondered, to be out at nightfall in a town that was deserted? She seemed so delicate, so sweet, so close.
I hardly noticed the dark shadow loom over her. Even without my occupied state I probably wouldn't have noticed it, coming from the west, out of the sun it would seem. I'd never seen anything like it, as if nightmares were real, fantasy come to life. It moved with such unearthly grace, such drive, seeming to be bent on one thought and one thought alone: to feed.
My eyes could barely follow the mass as it touched down near the end of the town and in the same motion carried its momentum on all fours toward the unaware woman and her keep. My mind desperately tried to register what was happening; under the effects of the old man's poison, I never saw the lances coming, either. The fading light glinted off their armor, their masks like the open maw of a dragon, their bold red capes like the wings of a dragon, and their deadly spears bit through the scales like a knife passing through butter.
I was already in motion. I don't remember much of what happened next, but the creature seemed to recoil in pain, its perceived invulnerability broken in an instant; how could these tiny, lesser beings even begin to hurt it? Its mouth opened in horror at the realization, at the anger it felt, and flame spilled forth like water from a fountain.
I felt myself falling, carrying something with me, the flames searing my back, and the same image flashed through my mind into the blackness: the screaming woman holding a likewise screaming baby and the vase exploding on the corner table.
"It's a dragon." The words echoed through my consciousness and brought me back to the waking world.
"A what?"
A tall black man, apparently the leader of the outfit, turned to face me. "Well, good morning, sleeping beauty. Quite a night you had."
I tried to move, but my head swam and spun like a bad hangover and persuaded me to stay on the ground. I groggily asked, "What happened?"
The tall man's face seemed to light up, and he hefted the large sword he had been leaning on his shoulder into a scabbard on his back. "Putting it simply, you tried to commit suicide. I've never seen someone step in front of a dragon just to save a girl. It defies rationale." The words, while light hearted, carried a coldness that chilled me down to my very heart.
I was sitting now, waiting for my head to settle, and I heard that familiar scratchy voice that had woken me the last time say, "Don't listen to them; they're not like you! They're mercenaries. Don't believe their lies; you're not foolish enough for them!"
The black man laughed heartily, as if amused at the old man as a pair of lancers dragged him from his home by the arms. Full consciousness came back to me all too quickly as I realized what was happening. The townsfolk were being herded into a small circle in the middle of the street, and I saw for a moment her, those beautiful green eyes as she looked back sorrowfully at me, and then she was lost in the crowd.
One of the lancers came up to the tall man and saluted formally. "Captain, it's all women--"
Somewhere in the crowd an old man cried, "Not all women, you ape!" I flinched as I heard a tearing sound.
"As I was saying, they're all women. They claim their husbands were all killed during the last attack, or recruited to fight in the war."
The captain pushed the man aside and strode toward the frightened townsfolk boldly. "This is why you need us. What would happen if we were not here? What if we hadn't been here in time? Do you not understand what is going on? Would you rather your... village was destroyed? You pay us, we protect you, simple as that. But now, I hear you don't want to pay us anymore."
An older woman seemed to bark up a response. "We haven't any money! Our men have all gone off to war or been killed. We're nothing but woman and children. We have nothing." I closed my eyes as another tearing sound broke the air. A few screamed in horror but were quickly silenced.
"Now, I see some sort of misunderstanding here. Obviously, we're not getting through to you. We take what we want, we take what we need."
The captain snapped his fingers, and several of the lancers who had been watching the captives stormed off to the neighboring buildings and began to light them on fire. They tore out the furniture, ripped down the curtains, broke windows, and all the while the flames spread.
"Apparently, you don't care if this happens to your homes. Apparently, you would rather this happen than pay us. Well, there is a heavier price to pay for being late. You've been told, you were given a final chance, and now you've lost it. I leave you to your own decisions, and mine to my own. We're leaving. Single column, move out!"
A lancer seemed to hesitate. "Sir... what about them?" He seemed to motion toward the helpless people, but the captain simply ignored him and continued on. "Sir, what about him?"
The captain stopped and turned slowly. "Bring him with us. We might be able to use him."
I lapsed back into unconsciousness.