Dragon reinvention: The Dragon & the Jar

                                                                                The Dragon & the Jar


  Teucer Alatra awoke to the sounds of impending doom, a booming cry which shook his body like an earthquake and utterly filled his mind. The soldier groaned in agony and tried in vain to free his arms. What, what the hell... The naked prisoner was hog-tied in rusty irons, face down on the freezing floor.
 
  Smashed teeth clenched as the vibrations forced him across the glassy surface, broken ribs torturing him. Then, as quickly as it came, the call faded and stillness returned. The only sound that could be heard now was that of his laboured breathing, as if he were sprinting up a hill. He was as helpless as a de-winged fly. 

  Turning onto his shoulder, Teucer forced his swollen eyes open and blinked back the tears which threatened to spill. No. No. This cannot be! His jaw fell slack in disbelief as his vision focused in the flickering torch light. The prisoner squinted through the glass of the square jar that imprisoned him. ‘No!’ he wailed pitifully. The soldier forced himself to calm, fearful his thudding heart would explode from shock.

  The scale of his surroundings was breathtaking. The lidded jar that held him was as large as a silo and rested on a shelf some fifty feet off the ground. “My god, where am I?” Surrounding him, was the largest structure he had ever seen. The stone blocks were as large as houses, the pillars so lofty he could scarce see where they adjoined the vaulted, pure white ceiling above. An archway of incalculable height sat in the west wall with only darkness beyond.

His eye was drawn to the centre of the room, for here an alter of colossal proportions resided. The smooth top was eye level with the prisoner, and the flickering lights from the torches above illuminated its surface. “What, what is that?” He asked himself, straining his eyes. “No, No,” he stammered in revulsion. Piles of rotting human corpses were impaled on three giant iron spikes, the blood staining the marble alter below.

  Realisation dawned in an instant. There was only one place he could be. DragonSky. Suddenly, vibrations shook the jar and Teucer feared he would be dashed to pieces on the floor below.
 
  Through the stone archway a three-headed dragon entered, it was near two hundred feet in height. Each head was unique, with the tri-horned, central head dominating its vicious neighbours. A trio of silver, forked tongues tested the air in turn. The beast was jet black in colour with white markings which ran the length of its spine. Its vast wings were blood red with translucent frills edging them; they rested motionless together and pointed skyward. Each scale was as large as a warrior’s shield and battle wounds peppered its flanks. 

  Yet, the most striking feature was its tail; for here a fourth head resided at its tip, its jaw as vast as a cave, its white teeth as long as spears. Teucer’s heart skipped a beat. Two legs supported the body, with great claws slapping the ground like divine hammers. Its upper limbs were independent of the wings and its scaled belly bore a curious triangular symbol, blood red in colour. The beast hissed forcefully as it entered the vaulted room. Teucer’s bowels released and the stench of faeces filled the jar.

  The dragon was not alone. A lesser beast followed close behind. It was nearly half the size of the other, single headed, and as white as snow. Its scales were worn and scarred, but its red eyes shone like fire. Its jaw was firmly closed with great fangs protruding from beneath, in contrast to the four snapping heads of the other dragon.  A tail which forked in two dragged along the ground behind it. The beast's golden wings were damaged and in a fleeting moment of clarity, Teucer doubted if it could fly at all. It used a polished oak as a walking aide which shook the shelf every time it struck the ground.

  Only then, did Teucer notice a glinting object in the dragon’s ebony claw. Sparks shot high into the air as the white dragon stood over the alter, blocking Teucer’s view. The tail-head of the greater dragon snapped angrily as the white beast continued the ritual. Teucer choked back the bile which flooded his mouth when the dragon stepped aside. Human candles. Crimson flames emanated from the oil soaked corpses, dancing wildly. A sudden memory flashed through his mind like a darting arrow. The battle of Elnor, beast verses man...No. This cannot be. Victory was ours!

  The lesser beast flapped its tattered wings and scooted across the floor with such agile speed Teucer thought his eyes betrayed him. Reaching high above an adjacent shelf, the dragon produced a trio of iron spikes which it inspected keenly. I have to get out of here!
 
  Teucer fought his bonds in vain, rolling in his own filth when suddenly, darkness descended. He craned his neck upwards, eyes wide as plates. The black dragon neared. Its eyes shone like fire-bathed opals, each one fixated on his being. It loomed high above the mortal, who shook like a leaf in a storm. Its ebony claw moved towards the jar and lifted it clear off the shelf. A goliath, blazing black eye pressed up against the glass. Teucer screamed as he hurtled through the air and landed in the dragon’s claw.  Crippled by pain, Teucer’s cries were drowned out by the dragon's thudding steps.

A startling, low pitched growl flooded the room as Teucer violently spewed the contents of his gut. The dragon stopped and Teucer’s blurred vision focused. Where there was but stone before, a small red dragon now stood, growling from hunger and flapping its undeveloped wings. It stared up at the dangling human with bright green eyes and opened its jaws in anticipation of the meal to come. The sound of snapping iron filled the air. Teucer screamed.

1,000 Words