DRAGONSLAYER
by Wyndewalker

"So, will you help us?"

Kellewyn Braveheart finished wiping her broadsword clean, ignoring the question for the moment, and placed it on her desk. Leaning back into her chair, Kellewyn perused with hooded eyes the young couple sitting across from her. Finally Kellewyn, her age roughened voice sounding harsh, said, "If I understand correctly there is a dragon nesting on the roof of your apartment building. Gold color, small wings and a chain with a large red crystal round its neck."

"Yes, that's it," the young man answered, nodding his head so vigorously his blonde hair fell into his eyes. Impatiently pushing it back he stated, "You can help us."

"Maybe," Kellewyn replied blandly, her predatory eyes missing nothing. The young woman chewed her lower lip, glancing nervously at her husband while her hands splayed protectively over her abdomen. The young man jumped to his feet, "But you must help us. You are Kellewyn Braveheart, the Legendary Dragon Slayer! How can you turn your back to us?"

"Quiet," she barked, startling the young man into sullen silence. Leaning forward, Kellewyn lifted her sword and leveled it at the young man, this time her voice intentionally harsh; "Maybe means I will come view this dragon and see if it is within my power to destroy it. It is, after all, a creature of magic as is evidenced by the crystal round its neck. I'm not as young as I used to be and dragon killing isn't exactly a walk in the park. After your insulting outburst the only reason I'm even willing to come see this dragon is for your wife and the sake of the babe she obviously carries. And for the Love of God don't call me that. I hate titles. Just call me Kelli."

Replacing the sword on the desk, Kelli smiled reassuringly at the young woman, receiving a tremulous smile in return.

"I'll come by tomorrow morning and take a look see at this dragon of yours," Kelli said, walking them out of her office. Watching the young couple leave, Kelli thought back to a time long gone: a time before she made her living hunting dragons. Kelli thought of a child also long gone, her child.

With frightening clarity Kelli could still remember dressing little Garin in his blue overalls, white shirt and sneakers that morning, his hand linked in hers as they chose the right spot by the river for their picnic. His unreal screams as the dragon carried him off still shredded Kelli's heart like the dragon's claws did Garin's flesh.

Kelli had gotten revenge from the dragon but her son's face continued to haunt her. Each day she wished to have been the one to die. With each dragon she slew Kelli tried to make up for what she'd been unable to do that day. In her heart she knew it would never be enough.

Leaning against the closed door, Kelli let her gaze wander over her spartan office. The only decorations were the few dragon trophies people expected her to have and a few articles she had cut out about dragons. Walking past her desk to another door, Kelli grabbed her broadsword.

Slipping through the door, she entered her three-room apartment. These rooms were even more utilitarian than her office. Her living room contained a couch, a coffee table and an entertainment center. Replacing her broadsword on the wall among the several other swords she owned, she did not regret there was no room for pictures.

Picking up last night's dinner plate from the table, she wondered what she'd eaten. Realizing she really didn't care, Kelli chucked the remains in the garbage. The setting sun filtered through the blinds on the kitchen window reflecting off the TV screen. The dancing rays of light caught her attention reminding her off something.

"That dragon sounds way too familiar," she muttered. Striding to the shelves containing her tapes, she glared thoughtfully at them. It took Kelli a few minutes of rummaging to find what she was looking for.

"Morthos' lab."

Popping the tape into the VCR, Kelli pressed play. Fast forwarding, her eyes searched ruthlessly through the passing images. Something caught her attention. Pausing the tape, she stared at the frozen picture. A giant painting filled the background. It was a gold colored dragon with small wings and a red crystal around its neck. In front of the painting was an open chest holding six red crystals: six crystals that Kelli knew she would see herself destroy if she advanced the tape.

There'd only been one dragon reported and she'd slain it along with Morthos. His dying words came back to her, taking on new meaning; "There's another crystal. It's not over."

She'd later assumed he was talking about the chest of crystals. Now she had to wonder. Sighing, she shut the tape off. Her joints popped in protest as she stretched. Her leg aching from past battles she limped into her bathroom. Undressing for the shower, she didn't have to look in the mirror to see the hundreds of white line scars that crisscrossed her body.

Turning the water on, Kelli didn't bother to wait for the water to warm up before getting in. Leaning against the shower wall, head bowed, shoulders slumped, she let the water and its soothing sound wash over her. With quick efficient movements Kelli finished her shower.

Slipping into her nightclothes, Kelli frowned deep in thought. She was forgetting something about the night at Morthos' lab. Taking in a deep breath, Kelli lay down on her bed. Pulling the covers up an image struck Kelli like a slap across the face. There had been a child in the lab. A child so like Garin she'd deliberately shut away the memory. The little boy had had an oddness about him, something not quite right. Again she'd made an assumption in believing the boy was simply scared from having been exposed to Morthos and his dragon.

Throwing off the covers, she hurried out of bed and into the living room. Trotting through the living room, she entered her office. Kneeling behind the desk, her knees creaking in protest, Kelli pulled open the large file drawer. Sliding it all the way open, she pushed the files forward to lift out a large leather bound decrepit looking book. Standing up, Kelli pushed the drawer closed with her hip. Moving back into her apartment, she started thumbing through the book.

"Good old Morthos," Kelli murmured, "Always had to write everything down."

Kelli had looked at the book before but she'd never actually read it. Laying it on the coffee table as she sat, Kelli continued to flip through it. A carefully done drawing caught her attention. It was the top of a child's head. Dotted lines were drawn across it at odd angles. Reading the notes surrounding the picture Kelli choked on bile. The lines indicated where to make incisions with a knife. The notes described how to make the incisions and how to insert one of the red crystals into the child's brain.

Somehow, she wasn't quite sure, the entire procedure didn't kill the child but it did destroy all traces of personality. As the poor child grew its body metamorphosed into a dragon. According to the book the child had to be handled carefully to be able to control it. Kelli groaned burying her face in her hands. She'd placed the child from Morthos' lab with a couple living near the site. Their four-year old son had disappeared six years before the dragon began terrorizing their farm. They'd wanted another son and had felt sorry for what appeared to be a child in severe shock. Kelli realized now that she'd probably sentenced those well-meaning people to death. All because she never took the time to read Morthos' damn book.

Closing the book, Kelli rose from the couch. Trembling with more than fatigue, Kelli returned to her bed. She lay awake long into the night: past events crowding into her mind, showing in brutal detail all her failures. Her sleep wracked with nightmares.

Early the next morning Kelli pulled up in front of the apartment building driving a large, decrepit looking grey van. Sliding out of the front, she moved to the back doors of the van. Taking her time, she began pulling out and setting up an odd assortment of electronic gear.

"Good morning, Mr. Davon, Ma'am," Kelli called to the young couple approaching her. Mrs. Davon smiled while Mr. Davon craned his neck trying to get a better view of Kelli's equipment.

"What is that thing?" Mr. Davon asked.

"This is my eyes and ears in places I'm not sure I want to be. My best air-probe," Kelli answered proudly, "I'll just fly him up and see what pops up on my screens."

Moving back to the van, Kelli picked up the control box. Manipulating the small levers, Kelli deftly maneuvered the probe until she could see the top of the building. Moving the probe around a bit Kelli got a fix on the nest. Its sensors sent back a glimpse of the dragon and the crystal around its neck when the screen went blank. A roar and a crunch were heard from the roof of the building.

"The damn dragon ate my best probe," Kelli cursed, turning to Davon she demanded, "How do I get up there? Any dragon that'd eat a probe would just as soon eat a child and probably has. It can't be allowed to live!"

No sooner had Mr. Davon uttered the directions then Kelli was dashing into the building; her sword unsheathed and grim determination set on her features. No matter that it had once been a human child, the dragon must die so that others would not suffer the same loss she had. Bursting onto the roof, Kelli located the dragon. Screaming her battle cry Kelli charged. When she was within ten feet the dragon spun, smashing her into the side of the wooden roof access with its tail. Kelli rose bleeding in numerous places, her ears ringing, clothing torn. Turning to the dragon Kelli took a challenging stance.

As Kelli faced the dragon on the apartment building's rooftop a death bell began to toll. A slow ponderous sound, it heralded the soon departure of a soul to the afterlife. Kelli knew it was for her it tolled. Grimly she faced the dragon; sword clutched in hand, and vowed to die fighting. Kelli rushed the dragon, sword swinging, and just avoided being toasted by a burst of flame. As she swung again Kelli looked into the dragon's eyes and saw the shadow of a child. Stumbling slightly, unable to kill the dragon in that moment Kelli managed to dance out of the way of another flame burst. Kelli's mind leaped into high gear; the next few minutes seemed to speed by. She felt the dragon's breath as it came down to devour her. She saw her sword swing forward; she heard the crystal chained to its neck break into pieces under the force of her sword.

Kelli waited, her eyes closed, to feel the pain as the dragon killed her. After a few moments nothing happened, Kelli cracked an eye open to peer cautiously about. She opened both her eyes spying a fragment of the red crystal on the ground before her. Kelli bent down to pick it up. The image of a child, of Garin, glittered in the depths of the crystal, frozen forever. As she stood the death bell ceased its tolling. Clothing torn, sword and crystal in hand, Kelli walked across the rooftop to disappear into the building.

The End