Ancestral Dragon

Chapter 7

Why do I recognize you? A green glow pulsed from the crystal at Jak's mental prod. His eyes widened as he rolled to get closer.

"What are you looking at boy?" Chiemer deepened his tone. "I'm about to finish you and you're enticed by something in the grass..." Chiemer stopped talking as his eyes fell upon the crystal orb as well.

Jak's body shook uncontrollably as the knight came closer but he couldn't pull his attention away from the somehow familiar.

"What is that?" Chiemer paused for a moment. Then said, "I'll just take it back to the castle once you're dealt with." Chiemer kicked Jak onto his back and positioned the point of his sword over Jak's chest. "It's only proper that I grant you your last words. So, what are they?"

Only one word came to Jak's mind, "Salcareo."

The crystal's glow intensified and blinded Jak. A white light poured from his body, guiding a flowing green light from the orb to an open space behind Von Chiemer. The lights merged together to take shape in the form of a creature as tall as a house. As the light faded away, its appearance became clear. It had four limbs with reptilian claws. The large, emerald green body ended in a muscular tail, swinging from side to side. Giant webbed wings grew out of its back. The long neck ended with an elongated head, which two horns grew from the back. Small fins that lined the vertebrae flowed from head to tail.

Jak's stomach clenched as his thoughts scrambled to understand what stood in front of his eyes. Could this really be a dragon? It was the only word that could describe such a creature. The dragon let out a deafening roar and focused on Chiemer with its large, golden eyes. Jak felt rooted to the spot with fear but was grateful the dragon only seemed to have noticed Chiemer. The knight removed his sword from Jak's chest and turned to face the giant beast.

Move! Jak told himself. If he didn't, then he would be killed by either the knight or dragon.

Jak grabbed his sword and slid it into the sheath on his back. Rory lay in the grass a few feet away, so, Jak ran over and pulled her away from Von Chiemer. The movement didn't draw any attention from the knight or the dragon as they were consumed with one another. Jak dragged her body, while his muscles screamed at him to stop, through the field while keeping an eye on the imminent battle.

The dragon roared and charged Von Chiemer. The ground shook from the dragon's heavy weight. The knight held up his sword to the beast and before impaling itself, the dragon stopped and hissed. It feinted again and the knight slashed at the air in front of the dragon. It seemed to be a pathetic attempt on the knight's part to even try and fight the dragon with such a comparatively small weapon but it must have been a threat if the dragon showed caution.

Jak reached the edge of the field with Rory and hid in the bushes. Whatever happened with the light that poured from his body left him more exhausted than he was before the fight with Von Chiemer. His muscles ached as if he had just pushed himself to the limits on a hard run. Jak refused to take his eyes away from the battle though. He had to be ready to protect the unconscious woman that lay beside him no matter how outmatched he was with the knight or dragon.

Von Chiemer raised his sword ready to fight with the dragon again. The scene was something out of a fantasy book; a knight slaying a dragon. Of course, in this situation, Jak cheered for the dragon. It was guaranteed that Von Chiemer would continue his hunt for Jak if he slayed the dragon but the dragon might just leave if it defeated Von Chiemer. Jak hoped the latter to be the outcome.

Von Chiemer slashed at the air between him and the dragon again. The dragon's advances were slowed but not stopped entirely as it forced the knight to back up, closer to the edge of the forest. Von Chiemer quickly glanced from side to side at the closeness to the forest edge. Jak feared that the knight would find a way to escape if the dragon didn't take care of him soon. His heart raced as he anticipated the result of this stalemate.