Here are this weeks entries. Great week, seven fantastic stories!
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| I love this photo! Thanks Jen! |
Blind Challenge
The Dragon and the Girl
By Robert Hilliard @redshirt6
Dragon
The bird transformed, its wings becoming fibrous and long as it took the shape of a dragon.
Arthur’s arms trembled with fatigue as he drew back the great sword preparing to strike. The movement felt natural and practiced. His calloused hands matched perfectly to the leather of the sword’s handle, worn familiar from long and constant use.
And then it was just a pigeon flying overhead.
Arthur paused, bewildered. On his hands was a scent. Leather.
Lurker
Arthur leaned against the brick wall he struggled to comprehend what had just happened. The hair on his arms stood on end and his hands shook. Strangely, the muscles in his back and shoulders ached as if from some strenuous activity.
“Damn,” he swore quietly. “I haven’t even been drinking!”
Pushing off the wall he started down the sidewalk, the vision still vibrant and visceral in his mind. The sun was low in the sky as the end of the day approached.
Passing by an alley, he heard a sound. From the shadows lurked a small girl.
She wore chainmail.
A Woman Full Grown
As Arthur approached her, she stepped out from the shadows.
“Halt!” she said in a commanding voice, her hand raised over her right shoulder and grasping the pommel of what appeared to be a sword as tall as she was.
Arthur froze in his tracks, raising his hands in a surrendering fashion. And then his heart skipped.
In the late afternoon sun he could see that he had been mistaken. She was no child. She was obviously a woman full grown. And beautiful.
“Are you the one called Arthur?” she demanded.
“I am.”
“Then you must come with me, now.”
As Arthur approached her, she stepped out from the shadows.
“Halt!” she said in a commanding voice, her hand raised over her right shoulder and grasping the pommel of what appeared to be a sword as tall as she was.
Arthur froze in his tracks, raising his hands in a surrendering fashion. And then his heart skipped.
In the late afternoon sun he could see that he had been mistaken. She was no child. She was obviously a woman full grown. And beautiful.
“Are you the one called Arthur?” she demanded.
“I am.”
“Then you must come with me, now.”
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═══Speed Challenge
Morning Break
Morning Break
By Robert Hilliard @redshirt6
The dragon soared into the air, the infant prince clutched in its talons and Kronan the All Conquering knew he had only one chance. Should he injure the child or cause the dragon to harm the child in any way, it would cost Kronan his life.
Without hesitation he drew back the great two-handed sword, and heaved the glorious blade skyward as the terrible beast’s wings beat the air, climbing.
Sunlight glinted off the blade…
The shift bell sounded interrupting Raymond’s daydream. With a sigh he shuffled back into the plant with his co-workers as the pigeons reclaimed the sidewalk.
The dragon soared into the air, the infant prince clutched in its talons and Kronan the All Conquering knew he had only one chance. Should he injure the child or cause the dragon to harm the child in any way, it would cost Kronan his life.
Without hesitation he drew back the great two-handed sword, and heaved the glorious blade skyward as the terrible beast’s wings beat the air, climbing.
Sunlight glinted off the blade…
The shift bell sounded interrupting Raymond’s daydream. With a sigh he shuffled back into the plant with his co-workers as the pigeons reclaimed the sidewalk.
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By Robert Hilliard @redshirt6
As she finished the spell, she listened intently in the night. The only thing she noticed was her own beating heart as it pounded.
“Damn it,” she said out loud. “That should have worked.”
She sat for a few more minutes, waiting. Finally she decided to call it a night.
As she moved to stand up, an odor invaded her room. It reeked of sulfur and rot.
The hairs on her arms stood up and her pulse quickened.
A voice like bones scraping from the shadows lurked and shuffled.
“I am here,” it said as it moved into the light.
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By Robert Hilliard @redshirt6
Leigh al Boros grasped the pommel of her saddle with both hands, straining as the drake raced down the valley, rolling and twisting with joy.
Leigh laughed out loud, encouraging the dragon.
“On Tarron, on!”
He was one of the smaller ones but his speed rivaled even the largest war beast. Leigh’s raven hair whipped across her face, stinging, and in the cool autumn air, her teeth began to chatter.
Suddenly she was in shadow. Turning to see the cause, her breath caught.
War dragons, their giant wings blocking the sun as they made their return to the castle.
Classic Challenge
Regulus, Slayer of Dragons
Leigh al Boros grasped the pommel of her saddle with both hands, straining as the drake raced down the valley, rolling and twisting with joy.
Leigh laughed out loud, encouraging the dragon.
“On Tarron, on!”
He was one of the smaller ones but his speed rivaled even the largest war beast. Leigh’s raven hair whipped across her face, stinging, and in the cool autumn air, her teeth began to chatter.
Suddenly she was in shadow. Turning to see the cause, her breath caught.
War dragons, their giant wings blocking the sun as they made their return to the castle.
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Classic Challenge
By Sheilagh Lee @SweetSheil
I couldn’t believe my eyes on the opposite side of the street I saw a sight to behold. Most people seeing him saw a nerdy man with glasses in a blue checked shirt and loafers; I with the gift of my third eyes sight saw him for what he really was a slayer of dragons. As I watched from the shadows lurked a dragon. I continued to watch; even with my third eye the sight before me was unbelievable for the man seemed to hide all of this from human sight. People walking by would see him strolling and a bird flying overhead not a man fighting a dragon. The man however raised his sword holding tight to the pommel he struck out at the dragon. The dragon gave great fight as I watched in horror the dragon struck at him producing his own sword. Who knew that dragons too fought with swords? The swords clanged the sound resonating in my ears yet no one on the street but me stopped and stared. The dragon yelled
“I am Odysseus. I am the oldest dragon alive. Do you think to slay me mortal?”
“Know me well Dragon .I am Regulus and I will send thee to thy doom Odysseus. Have you not wondered why your number has dwindled?”
The fight continued the swords tips cutting flesh in both dragon and foe. I grew frightened who would defend us from these unseen foe if not for this hereto unknown Regulus?
With a breath the dragon blew fire .Regulus produced a shield and with a movement not unlike a tango, Regulus danced across and deftly found his target piercing Odysseus’ heart ending the dragon’s life. Regulus turned to me finger to his lips and disappeared never to be seen by me again.
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