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The loose rock slowed the ape’s charge. Linder fired a warning shot and the apes halted. The leader roared again and the apes came on. In desperation, everyone now shot at the charging apes with guns or crossbows.
The apes retreated back to the trees and Linder led his companions on. The group was traversing the broken rock just under the cliff when the apes attacked a second time. Linder and the others took up defensive positions and shot at the first group of apes that raced toward them, but others kept coming. Finally, Linder led his friends to a shelf of rock right up against the cliff face. Dave realized it was only a matter of time before he and the others were over run. Some apes were climbing the cliff wall; others continued to press the frontal attack.
Dave heard a whooshing sound and a fountain of flame erupted on the cliff face, swallowing up several of the apes. Dave saw in amazement that a long green shape glided along the cliff face, periodically spitting out a stream fluid that burst into flame as it shot towards the apes. Dragons!
The flames scoured the apes from the cliff face. The apes in the rocks raced for the trees. There must have been a dozen dragons. They ignored Dave and the others but settled on the charred carcasses of the apes and fed greedily. Dave and the others huddled together, not moving, surrounded on all sides by dragons.
Finally, one of the dragons approached the group. Chartrand raised his rifle, but Linder put his hand on Chartrand’s rifle to lower it. The dragon had a long narrow body but was about the size of a horse. Its wings were folded in. It stopped about five meters away. It spoke in a raspy voice. “Who are you, and why are you here?” The words were Common Tongue, mixed with words from the Ancient Tongue, but the pronunciation was hard to understand.
Arlana stepped forward and spoke. “We are fleeing enemies from above. We were driven here and wish only to go to the end of the terrace and ascend to the Abaddon plain.”
“None who come here make it out. Do you not know that?”
“When death follows closely, a dangerous path must sometimes be chosen. Are you our enemies?”
The dragon seemed to consider this question and turned to face the other green dragons. Turning back, the green dragon said, “Green dragons have many enemies. Perhaps you number among them. We are outcasts, hunted by the brown, red, and black dragons. And so, we hide up here, where the brown rarely come, and the red and black are much too large to fly.
“We are hunted by the brown dragons too,” said Arlana. “If we have a common enemy, perhaps we can be friends?”
“We have no friends. If we were to be friends, I can see how we could help you, but I cannot see how you would help us.”
“Who can say what would happen if we fought by your side. Why are brown dragons your enemy? Are they not your kindred?”
“Because our color has turned from brown to green, we are marked for death by all the other dragons. We have given up our enmity with all things, and seek to return to the Creator. We are cursed by our designers, the ancient sorcerers, with this color change to green, which tells all other dragons that we must be killed because we are abandoning the great rebellion to return home. With dragons, all inward thoughts are manifested in outward appearance. Alas, not all evil can be undone. We can go no higher, and to descend lower is certain death. We are living on the front porch of death. Yet we are not sad that we have changed our thinking.”
“You said just now that you were designed. What do you mean?” asked Dave.
“Long ago the great sorcerers descended into Sheol to shape terrible creatures that could not live in the lighter air. They first turned men into dragons through their arts. Dragons are first hatched as brown dragons. As they grow and their wicked deeds increase they become red. Finally, they become huge and black, the most terrible dragons of all.
“The sorcerers knew that some might turn back and not follow through with this rebellion. They made us so that if any chose to go back, our color would turn green and so all other dragons hunt, kill, and eat green dragons as traitors, as escapees to the Great Enemy. I led my friends up here hoping to survive for a while. We are enemies of the great apes who steal our eggs and kill the very young hatchlings. That is why we destroyed them.”
“And in doing so, you have earned our gratitude and favor. Let us see if we can repay you in some small way?” answered Linder.
“Begging your pardon, sir,” said Tandor. “I have been living in the upper terraces most my life, and I have never heard of green dragons.”
“That may well be true little sir. We are a blemish to be destroyed, and so are rarely seen. Yet can you deny you see a green dragon before you—a green dragon which has not burned you to a cinder on the spot? Would any brown, red, or black dragon act the same?”
“Aye you are right, sir. No dragon I ever heard about ever talked before scorching us.”
“We are grateful,” said Arlana, “that you came to our aid unasked. Is there anything we can do for you?”
“What could weak, little things do for us? Could you save us from the black dragons? Could you give us safe homes?”
“We are weak and small,” said Dave, “but what we can do, we will do for you.” Here Dave gave a sweeping bow, which seemed to amuse the dragon. Changed as the dragon was, there was still a hint of humanity about him.
“I can’t help but sense a kinship with you. Is it our old human blood calling to us? Perhaps, someday you will help us in unexpected ways, but right now you need our help. These woods stretch for days’ walk for slow creatures like you. As soon as we leave, the apes will fall on you again. Walk now as fast as you can, and we will circle overhead. When night falls, climb well up the cliff. Tomorrow we will come again and lead you to our caves.”
For the rest of the day, the band skirted the edge of the forest. Dave saw the occasional ape watching them from high up in the trees, but none ventured down. When twilight began to fall, Linder led them on a climb to a ledge, about forty meters up the cliff. It turned out to be a shallow ledge so the band had to disperse to several small ledges in the vicinity. Dave, Arlana, and Hanomer took turns keeping watch. In the first watch, Dave saw the apes searching the rocks at the foot of the cliff, but none ventured up.
The next morning as the band climbed back down, the dragons returned. Within two hours the forest ended, and they crossed another stream that emptied into another lake. Ahead they saw rough terrain of hill-sized rocks with crevices in between. The green dragon, who had given his name as Hiszt on the second day, crouched on a rock waiting for them.
“Since the apes stole our eggs, we watch this approach to our caves constantly. You will be safe from the apes now,” rumbled Hiszt. “Keep walking down this cleft between the rocks and it will take you through.” Hiszt rose, unfolded his wings, labored to get into the air, and sped away northwest.
Two more hours brought them to a flat, rocky, open space. Up ahead the terrace narrowed to a point, ending at a sheer cliff, unbroken by terraces. The cliff was dizzying in its height. They crossed a stream and walked all the way to the end of the terrace. Looking down, Dave could see clouds far below them. Ahead of them, stretching kilometers into the distance, was a sheer cliff that would be an impossibly arduous technical climb. I guess this means we have to go back up. What happens if Bigelow is waiting for us? thought Dave.
Turning to look at the cliff just above the dwindling terrace, Dave saw a series of caves. Hiszt waddled out of one of them, came over to a pool and took a deep drink. After his drink, he waddled down to them and said, “You may use the cave on the far left. We have no need of it.”
The dragon sniffed the air and looked up. “I think it will rain tonight.”
Arlana bowed again and thanked him for the use of the cave. Everyone felt safer once they were in the cave. They built a small fire and prepared supper. There were numerous birds on the cliff above them and Hanomer brought them enough eggs to make a delicious meal.
They held a council among themselves and everyone agreed they needed to climb up to the Abaddon Plain as soon as possible before Bigelow cut them off. Since the trail ran very close to the edge here, they ought to be able to find it and head back to Seth.
The next morning, they bid farewell to Hiszt and started the arduous climb. This was much harder than the descent. Arlana and Hanomer took turns climbing up solo to fasten a rope to a rock. The others followed, using the rope as support. More than once, a loose rock came hurtling down, forcing everyone below to flatten against the cliff wall.
After two gruelling days of climbing in the rain they reached the first terrace and made camp. Dave had an uneasy feeling. His sense of foreboding had been growing since the climb started.
Hanomer approached him. “Friend Dave, my sense of danger has been growing. I feel an inner prompting that tells me that I must climb up tonight to see if we are walking into an ambush. If I am not back by morning, friend Arlana can help you climb up.
Hanomer started climbing the wall. For a while Dave watched him go until Hanomer disappeared over a ledge. The slope of the cliff kept him out of view. Dave told Arlana what Hanomer was doing, and then both told Al. They checked their gear and turned in with Linder taking the first watch.
Dave felt himself being shaken awake. Hanomer’s badger-like face hovered over him. Hanomer’s hand on his tail held a light gourd that cast a light about the cave. “Friend Dave, we must leave now. Bigelow is here. By morning light, he will send scouts down to the first terrace. He has out-thought us, guessed our every move, and is setting an ambush.”
Now Dave was wide awake. He and Hanomer soon roused everyone else. Hanomer had to explain everything twice, including exact details of what he had seen to convince everyone that they had to leave. Reluctantly, at Al’s insistence, they packed up and moved to the cliff edge leading to the second terrace.
“Bigelow may be a snake, but he’s smart. His scouts will find evidence of our campsite, you know,” said Linder. “They’ll follow us as far as Bigelow can drive them. We’ll have to go all the way down again.”
“I know,” said Al, concern edging his voice. “I don’t know where we go next.”