A Myth's Revenge

Treasure

Void
Dragons aren't real. Everyone knows that. Just as they know magic is not real, and even if it was real, it would be evil. It's that simple. Some races, those lesser beings that were spoken of in fairy tales but likely did not exist, they have magic, but they keep it to themselves. Humans are blessed to never be touched by the foul stuff. Any human caught baring even a hint of magic leanings was to be scourged from any village or city where they were found before the demonic plague of magic could spread!

But it was not real. Not really. Just like dragons were not real. Still, it was good to bear in mind the warning. Just in case. And to keep an eye out for suspicious goings-on. Just in case. And stay out of the woods on the hill that was rumored to be the dragon's hunting grounds. Just in case. It was probably a bear or similar predator that spooked the horses and scared the dogs silly, but one never knew...

The ancient stories clung on and on... and perhaps there was a grain of truth... just a grain... for sometimes a woman was accused of witchcraft and rightfully brought to justice. Sometimes there were grand, ornate trials with these women, and now and then one was freed, but it was better to er on the side of caution than to fall to the foul tangles of the devil! Just in case.

Well, magic might be real, but it was easily burnt out. Dragons, dragons were definitely not real.

Still, it was best to avoid the hill.

Just in case.
 
Adriana was going to die today. She knew it. There was no avoiding it. Trussed up like a pig, laying in the back of a rickety wagon, she watched the view behind her as the entire town followed her to "the hill." Today the town would be rid of the "witch."

Not that Adriana was actually a witch, of course. But it was a very convenient excuse to get her out of the way. In the tiny town near the coast, a town called Silverdale, her father had owned a jewelry shop as well as a large piece of land outside of town that he planned to retire to the farm. He never got the chance. One month ago he had finally succumbed to the sickness that had kept him in bed for the last six months, slowly wasting away. He loved his daughter dearly, and hated to leave her alone, as her mother had died at her birth. But he had no choice in the matter, and had slipped away in his sleep, his daughter holding his hand.

As if it weren't bad enough to lose the only parent she had ever known, everything went to hell in a handbasket after that. She suddenly found herself with all of the wealth of her family, and all of the envy of the town. One woman in particular, along with her two daughters and aging husband, was very dangerous. Amelia Rich had always coveted the piece of land that Adriana's family had owned. And with the father finally out of the way (and it had taken long enough for that poison to work, dammit), it was an easy matter to get rid of the girl. Amelia and her family only had to prove that Adriana was a witch, and in a very superstitious town, that was not a problem.

It had started with the voodoo doll. One of Amelia's daughters pretended to be in a great deal of pain and agony for several days. During which, Amelia had conveniently "found" a doll, which looked remarkably like her daughter, with pins sticking out of it. She had "found" this object in the jewelry shop above which Adriana lived.

There was nothing Adriana could do to convince the town otherwise. Amelia got all sorts of people into it, and people confessed that they had "seen" Adriana dancing naked in the full moonlight in her father's fields, obviously some kind of dangerous cult activities. It had to be stamped out.

With many more "confessions" such as these, the town Prior and Prioress had found it easy to convict her of witchcraft and sentence her to die. Which is why she was in this wagon, headed to the hill. There was a long pole, a stake, embedded in the top of the hill and she would be tied to it and left behind just as night fell. Most likely the wolves would get to her… Or perhaps something worse…
 
Erbrow soared effortlessly through the skies. The wind caressed his wings as they held him aloft, and the sunlight glinted on his impossibly red scales. Normally, he did not come this close to the local village - not from fear, mind you! He just didn't want to be bothered with the drama - but he was bored, and village grown cows were really tasty! He spiraled lazily through the late evening sky as he drew closer to the village to a hill where he often found a few tasty treats. Ah-ha! Cow! Three cows wandering in the wilderness. They must have wandered free of the village to find greener grass.

His jaws parted in a soft hiss as he turned to track the cow. He angled his wings, preparing to dive. Movement caught his eye, and he stalled his dive, instead turning an awkward somersault in midair. He growled softly as he turned to get a better look. Humans? This far outside of town? What were they doing on his hill? With a cart of some kind? How annoying! He'd had his heart set on a cow. Growling, he glided in a lazy circle to go back home.

But... wait. What were they doing with that stake? And that other human?

It is said that curiosity killed a cat. This is not entirely true. Yes, cats were notoriously curious, but there was one creature that topped even their curiosity: dragons. He hung back, watching the human pack. He would be nothing but a speck in the sky to those below, nothing to raise concern even if they did look up, but his telescopic vision awarded him a fine view from up here. So he stayed, circling slowly, watching.
 
Adriana stood resolutely, her chin high, glaring at the assembled crowd before her at the base of the hill, as two men tied her hands and feet tightly to the post at the top of the hill. When the two men began to go back down the hill, the Prior began to speak in ringing tones about damnation and witches, and how they all deserved to die for offending the Lord. Before he could finish, Adriana spoke, in even louder tones, and the entire crowd turned toward her.

"You will all regret this. You all have known me my whole life. You knew my father his whole life. You know that as his daughter I am incapable of such devious actions, yet you are all looking the other way, ignoring that fact, and allowing me to die." She fixed her gaze on Amelia Rich. "But I will not die here today. And I will come back for you Amelia, and just as you have done to me, I will take everything that you love." The crowd gasped, and Amelia blanched slightly before looking furious. "She's a witch! Don't believe anything she says! It's all lies!" The woman shrieked at the top of her lungs. The crowd began to murmur and surge uncertainly, and the Prior quickly wrapped up his sermon, glaring around him, and particularly glaring back at Adriana, before he led them all away, back down the hill and out of sight.

As the light began to fade, Adriana watched the crowd of people she had considered friends, people she had known her whole life, who had suddenly turned against her. As they passed out of sight, she turned her head toward the sea, seen just over the hills and forest, where the sun was setting in a blaze of glorious fire. She couldn't help but stare in awe as the great orb disappeared, swallowed by the ocean. And then darkness crept on, she began to be afraid.
 
The humans scurried away, leaving the female to be eaten by the wolves. Oh, well. Thus was the way of things. He did wonder... what could she have possibly done to get herself into such a situation? Darkness fell over the land, though here up in the sky, Erbrow had light for much longer than those down below. It gave him the chance to circle twice more and spot a new group of cows. Three of them, one of them the original cow he'd spotted from earlier. The human and her puzzle could wait. Maybe he would get cow after all!

The dragon hissed softly then dove down. His talons gleamed as he bore down on the cows. His wings folded back against his body and the wind rushed around his head. He could almost taste it!

"Moo!" One of the cows lumbered off into the trees, the other cows following. None of them had seen him, but something seemed to have caught their attention. They disappeared under the protective branches of the trees. Erbrow's wings snapped out with a thunderous WHOOMP! as he brought himself up short. He hit the ground harder than he intended, and his claws caught only dirt. He snapped his jaws with an angry click of fangs as he cursed the easily distracted nature of cows. He picked himself up and shook off the dirt clods and grass. Ugh! So close! Where had they gone off to? He turned to see they had decided to amble toward the human. Stupid humans. Even when they were tied to a stake, they were still a pain in his tail! Crouching low, he gathered his mighty leg muscles under him, then launched himself into the sky, his wings letting out a thunderous clap. Then he was airborne once more to study the situation.

The three cows had spotted a person. People meant food! They wandered over to the girl with interest and looked her over. No food buckets. So they investigated her clothing. One got bored and started eating the grass while one shoved its nose into her side and the other tried to eat her hair. If cows were smart, they might have wondered why she was tied up, but they were cows who were used to being tied up and people being dominant. All they thought was, "Moo!"

Erbrow hung in the night sky, just out of a human's visible range, and watched curiously. Entertainment was better than cow meat.
 
Adriana was shocked when three cows appeared over the hill and approached her, lowing quietly. She was sure they were coming to investigate her because humans usually meant food. She rolled her eyes slightly. The last thing she needed right now was trouble with cows… Though perhaps the company might actually be nice. She was already less afraid than she had been.

One of the cows nudged her ribs, and she couldn't help but laugh. It came out a little hysterically, considering her situation, but it was a laugh nonetheless. Another one began nibbling on her hair, and she pushed him away gently with her head. She was actually enjoying their company. At least until the wolves came.

There was a howl from the woods nearby, and an answering one not far away. Adriana and all three cows looked up abruptly toward the woods. Adriana felt her stomach drop, as the cows begin to mill around her nervously. Suddenly a pack of wolves burst from the trees, spread out, running low to the ground. Two of them were sprinting to get to the far side of the clearing and block in the cows. Adriana counted seven in all.

The cows, terrified, bolted in different directions. Two of them escaped back toward town… But the third was cornered by the wolves and quickly took it down. Adriana turned her head away from the horrible sight of the cow, as it cried out in pain, as the wolves began to feast.

Terrified, Adriana tore at her bonds, but to no avail. The ropes were tight, and she could not move. Inadvertently, unintentionally, she gave a small cry of distress, and heard sudden silence from where the wolves were eating. Oh no… They had noticed her, and had begun to approach slowly, snarling, their mouths bloody. Adriana screamed.
 
Oh, fine. Time to make a grand entrance. Erbrow flapped his wings, circled around to the right position, and dove down. He landed claws-first on two of the wolves, killing them instantly. His tail whipped, casually swatting aside two more wolves like they were mere dust mites. His mouth opened, and he roared, the sound echoing and reverberating off the mountains. He was the top predator of this mountain, and this pathetic little human was his! He'd been enjoying watching the cows mess with her, and now these nasty little dogs had interrupted his entertainment!
 
And Adriana had thought the wolves were bad! After she screamed as they began to approach her, there was a sudden blast of air from above, a whoosh of air that flattened all the grass nearby, and nearly flattened the wolves. Adriana looked up, and her eyes became enormous. A dragon, a great, massive, red dragon was about to land. This time, Adriana was too terrified to even make a sound.

The great beast landed on two of the wolves, and Adriana watched as they disappeared, squashed into the ground under the dragon's massive weight. He swung his tail (somehow she knew it was a he), taking out two more wolves. The remainder sprinted away to the cover of the trees as the dragon roared. Then he turned toward her.

Adriana had never been more terrified in her life. She was shaking all over, but didn't make a sound. In spite of her fear, she stared back into the great eyes of the beast, not blinking. She might be afraid, but she was also strong, and ready to face her death.
 
Erbrow snorted as the wolves scattered then took a moment to shake his front claws free of the ones he'd landed on. Ugh. Such a nuisance! Annoying little scavengers. Why did they have to ruin his fun? He prowled toward the captured human, powerful muscles rippling under gleaming scales.

His head towered over the stake as he glared down at her as if this was all his fault. Slowly, his head lowered, neck curving in a serpentine manner as he peered at her. He took in a deep breath of her scent then snorted, the hot air blowing back her hair and clothing. Just a human girl. Not even that interesting anymore. Was it worth trying to get her out of the ropes so he could eat her? He didn't usually bother with humans. Not enough meat for the effort and the clothing stuck in his teeth.
 
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