Dragon in Disguise

Sunlight filtered into the room, making Viren stir. As he slowly drifted back into consciousness, he became aware of a steady ache in every part of his body. It was especially bad in his stomach and his face. As he woke up, he tried to open his eyes, and had to try three more times before they finally complied “Nnng.” His room was bright with sunlight, and if he had to guess it was late morning, meaning Viren had been unconscious for an entire day and night. ‘Uhg. I feel terrible.’ He laid like that for several more seconds. ‘Alright, that’s enough of that, time to get moving.’ He tried to get up and got halfway there before he fell back with a groan. ‘Nevermind, I think I’ll stay lying down for a little while longer.’

He had almost drifted back to sleep without realizing it before he forced himself back awake. Even though Viren really didn’t want to think about what had happened, he still had to in order to decide what he would do next.

Wincing, Viren quickly ran through the events of the day before. But by the time he was done he had a much better idea of what was going on. Apparently, Kastra had decided to ‘punish’ Viren for his misdemeanors. A quick rage sparked through Viren, followed by determination. ‘He thinks he can make me cower? Make me bow to him? HA! He wishes he could control me.’

Viren’s head turned towards the window, his head so filled with ideas he barely even noticed the pain. If Kastra thought he could control Viren, then he had another think coming. He let out a chuckle, imagining Kastra’s reaction when he learned his only heir had disappeared. The only problem with his plan was that he wouldn’t be there to see it.

‘Soon I will escape. But first I need to rest.’

…

When Viren woke again it was night. He was tempted to go back to sleep, but even more tempting was the thought of freedom. He pushed himself out of his bed, and nearly collapsed back into it. He clung to the bed post for a few minutes, taking deep breaths and regaining his balance. After he was sure he wouldn’t faceplant he stumbled over to his desk and fished around for the painkiller he kept stashed for when he had a particularly nasty injury. ‘I think this probably counts,’ though Viren with a wry smile. He poured a small pile of powder into his hand, then tilted his head back and swallowed the bitter herbs. Immediately he felt better, and the throbbing in his body lowered to manageable. “Good enough,” he said, “now let’s get to it.” He spent a few minutes planning what he needed and ultimately decided to travel light.

He soon found a satchel in his room that was big enough to store what he needed but small enough not to be a bother. And the best part? When he morphed into dragon form it would disappear just like his clothes. He then thought about what he would need. Everything he would bring was already in his room… except for food. Viren sighed at the thought of running to the kitchen in this state, but nighttime was the ideal time to get what rations he needed, as there was not likely to be too many people in the kitchen, and the painkiller was most effective right now, just after he’d taken it. In other words, it was now or never. Viren groaned in annoyance and headed out the door.

He made no sound as he left his room and took extra care not to get seen. As far as Viren knew, no one had any idea he was awake, and he would like to keep it that way. He was in full sneaky mode, barely noticing as he made the shadows around a bit bigger and darker to better hide his presence. A small thrill raced through his heart. As much as he wanted and needed to rest, he loved using his skills like this, even if the circumstances were not ideal. It was what he had been born to do, after all.

Before he knew it, Viren had arrived at the kitchen. Now came the hard part. He would have to sneak through the kitchen and into the pantry, pilfer whatever food he could get, and get back out, all without being seen by any staff that happened to be in there.

He slowly opened the door, and slipped through as small as a space he could. Crouching in the shadows, he closed the door and looked around. There was only one person in the kitchen, a young servant cutting fruits. ‘Likely fetching a midnight snack for one of those greedy wizards.’ Viren snuck around the island counter with the uttermost care, stepping slowly and breathing steadily. His heart pounded. There was no doubt in his mind that if Kastra heard Viren had been sneaking around in the middle of the night he would immediately know what he was up to. Who knows what terrible punishment Kastra would come up with next.

Viren reached the pantry and waited for a few seconds. He waited until the servant was occupied washing another fruit, then quickly opened the pantry door and slipped in. He kept it open just a crack. Taking a breath, he straightened and stepped further into the pantry. It was large, about the size of a small room, though perhaps a bit longer. ‘Alright, just grab what you need and get out of here.’ He compiled a mental list of the ideal foods to bring with him.

After a few minutes he had gathered a decent pile of food and two full water skins. After a bit more searching, he found a small sack perfect for transporting his bounty. He slung the sack over his shoulder and took one last look around. He was just about to leave when something caught his eye. It was a jar of lighter oil, used to light the huge ovens. He lingered on it. ‘No, Viren, that is definitely not a good idea.’ But then again…

He grabbed the oil.

‘Alright, now to sneak back out and make my escape.’ He opened the door wider and poked his head out. The servant was gone. Viren stepped out from the pantry, closing the door behind him. He walked to the exit, keeping close to the walls. Suddenly, the door banged open! Viren darted to the corner, heart beating loud in his ears. He held his breath as the servant walked back into the kitchen muttering. He stalked over to the counter, grabbed something and stomped back out, never even glancing in Viren’s direction. He waited a good ten minutes before daring to move. With a shaky sigh he got back up and left the kitchen, making his way back to the room as quick as he dared.

By the time Viren got back to his room it was getting close to dawn. ‘I can only fly at night if I don’t want to get discovered, and I’ll need as many flying hours as possible.’ But what could he possibly do while he waited? Without a second thought he jumped back into bed.

…

Viren didn’t want to get up. He groaned into his pillow. “Why must escape be so exhausting?” He sat up with a wince. ‘A healing affinity would be pretty useful right now…’ With much effort he forced himself out of bed. He stood there for a few moments, gazing at it longingly. Then he turned away with a sigh.

Looking out the window it was pitch black outside. “Right, can’t forget the supplies,” Viren said, slinging his travel pack over his shoulder. He was about to jump out the window when something caught his eye. It was the jar of oil, sitting tantalizingly on his desk.

“Nuh uh, don’t even think about it, that is WAY too dangerous.” He stared at it, knowing he shouldn’t, that just once he should ignore his crazy idea and walk away.

“Oh, whatever, I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

…

It didn’t take long for Viren to sneak through the halls to Kastra’s sleeping room. If he was nervous he couldn’t tell over the adrenaline pumping through his veins. Even though it was late, Kastra was usually still in his office at this time of night, giving Viren the perfect opportunity to make him mad as heck.

He drifted through the halls, silent as a ghost, until he reached a bend. Just around the corner would be the door to Kastra’s room. Viren peeked around the edge, checking to make sure the coast was clear. ‘If I do this and get caught, he will kill me.’ There was no doubt in Viren’s head that this was true. Every instinct in him screamed not to risk it, to not anger him anymore than he already had. But dragons do not bow down so easily, not even to their own instincts. ‘I guess I better not get caught.’

With that thought he darted around the corner and down the hall quick as a shadow, feet hardly touching the floor. His heart thumped loudly with excitement and fear. He tested the doorknob. Locked, as expected. That was no problem, since Viren had brought some lock picks. In a few minutes he had the lock unlocked. He gently turned the knob and eased the door open, slipping inside. He closed and locked it behind him. If all went well, he would exit using the window, not the door.

Examining the room, Viren barely held back a laugh. In the center there was a large bed covered with blankets and pillows. The bedposts were high, and the mattress was fluffy. On the far wall there was a large bookshelf. Upon closer inspection, all the books were on various types of magic. There did seem to be a common theme though. Destructive magic. Next to the bookshelf on the wall was a very fancy sword, complete with gemstones and expensive metals. At the other end of the room there was a wardrobe. Opening it, Viren smiled to see it full of robes and other items of clothing. There was a large window next to it, only a bit smaller than Viren’s own. It was covered in heavy red drapes. Some of the floor was covered with a plush rug, and near the ceiling floated several light orbs giving off an eerie red glow. All in all, the room was very… Flammable.

With a grin Viren started pouring out the oil. He poured it one the carpet and bed first, then moved to the bookshelf. Finally, he started drenching the clothes in the wardrobe. He didn’t stop until he used up every drop of the oil. Then he ripped down the drapes and opened the window. The chilly night air filled the room. ‘Well, it won’t be chilly in here for long,’ he thought cheerfully as he looked over his masterpiece. He reached into his travel pack and grabbed the flint and steel.

His grin widened as he started hitting them together, producing sparks. Soon one of the sparks landed on the oil. With a ‘floomph’ the fire flared up, and Viren quickly jumped out the window, changing into his dragon form. As he flew away the rest of the room quickly caught fire, and within moments there was the smell of smoke. He could even hear some faint yelling behind him.

‘Wow, that was the most fun I had in ages!’

As fun as it was to set Kastra’s room on fire, it was sadly time to get serious. He would probably already be furious that Viren managed to escape, and his final act would only… stroke the flame.

Viren needed to fly as far and as fast as he could before dawn, and then once morning came, he would have to figure out what to do next.

He put all his focus into flying as fast as he could and settled in for a long night.

…

“Hey!” one of the Shadows said loudly. “Come look at this!”

He was looking through a spyglass at the Dark Lord’s castle and had apparently spotted something.

“What is it?” Dan walked to the Shadow, who offered his spyglass. Starla looked up. Only herself and a few others were awake. “Hmmm.”

“What is it?” Starla couldn’t resist asking. Dan motioned her forward.

“Why don’t you come take a look.” She smiled and joined them on the cliff. Their camp was currently on one of the nearby mountains, so they had a great viewpoint.

She peeked through the spyglass and was surprised to see a bright light. On closer inspection it appeared to be… “Fire?” Dan nodded solemnly.

“I think so.” The other Shadow raised his head. “It doesn’t match the descriptions of the fire he typically wields though. Could it be the normal kind?” Dan nodded again.

“Possibly.” He patted the one who first spotted the fire on the shoulder. “Good work. Keep an eye on the fortress, try to see how they react. I’ll confer with the other leaders.” Dan walked back to the main campsite and the Shadow returned to his spying. Starla sat down and looked at the castle, trying to work out what the fire meant. Suddenly, she caught a bit of movement from the corner of her eye. She frowned and searched the sky, trying to catch another glimpse, but couldn’t find it. ‘Huh,’ she thought, ‘wonder what that was.’

She didn’t get long to think on it, because after a few minutes some kind of electric charge filled the air. She jumped to her feet and took a few steps back. The others came rushing out of their tents, evidently having felt it as well.

“What was that?” Stephen asked urgently.

“I don’t know!” Starla got into a battle stance and prepared to use her magic. All of a sudden, an ear shattering noise burst from the sky. Blood-red lightning crackled, illuminating the dark night. It arched and raced, growing bigger and bigger, louder and louder. Panic started to grip the camp. Had they been discovered? Should then run? Fight? Would tonight be the night they died??

Then, with one last thundering boom, it stopped. Simply stopped. No one spoke for a few minutes, everyone trying to catch their breath and figure out what had just happened. Then Dan straightened and offered a wry smile.

“If you ask me, that had something to do with our mystery fire.” Everyone looked at him. Some didn’t know what mystery fire he was talking about, and those who did were still to disoriented to fully understand what he was saying. Everyone was confused. Seeing this he chuckled.

“In other words, the great Dark Lord, Scourge of Nations, just threw a tantrum.”