Hamilton Swoop, Wizard of Green Ridge (28 page)

"You all know why I am here. To kill the dragon.” This received more cheers than anything else. “In order to do this,” boomed his voice, “I need you all to move at least fifty feet back from the house. It's for your own protection.” Some of the people moved away from the house, but most stood fast.

"What's the matter with you people? This dragon could kill you."

"It's your dragon.” shouted back one of the villagers. “You made the damn thing."

"What are you talking about? Why would I make a dragon?” boomed Hamilton's reply.

"Not you, but your damned Guild."

Various members of the crowd shouted their agreement. A tomato soared over the top of those who hadn't moved. It hit Hamilton in the chest.

He looked down at the dripping smear on his clothing. Those who saw the impact laughed.

Hamilton's anger grew. His immediate temptation was to strike back, but he stayed his hand. There were too many people about to fight. He wiped the remains of the tomato from his shirt, took a deep breath, and intoned, “Ablus Ignium” in is mind. Then, aloud, “This is not a request. Fifty feet or you will suffer.” He pivoted his body with his right arm outstretched in a circle. Heat emanated from his finger tips. The heat passed over the house and down the other side. It was not hot enough to start fires, but it was hot enough to startle the crowd. He added a few more degrees and made a second pass. The remainder of the crowd backed from the house.

Through much pushing and shoving, the throng managed to get back the required distance. Hamilton performed another spell and a ring of malevolent red light edged the fifty foot circle surrounding the house. “Anyone who breaks the ring will suffer the consequences!” his voice boomed.

Satisfied with the results, and in a normal voice, he called Shelly. Together they walked to the ring. Hamilton caused it to open for them. Once they passed through it, he restored it. Then he headed for where Will and Thalia were making final adjustments to the bow. The crowd parted before him. Still, the catcalls persisted.

Arriving behind the waist high wall where Will and Thalia stood by the crossbow, Hamilton was relieved to find that the weapon was ready and that Thalia had managed a protect ring around them to keep the crowd back.

"Excellent,” complimented Hamilton after entering the ring. Thalia was all smiles, but Will did not look happy. “What's the matter, William?"

"This is madness. The odds that the bow can even hit the dragon are low. You know that. Chances are these people are going to get a better look at the dragon than they ever intended. Chances are, for some, it will be the last thing they ever see."

"It can't be helped. I agree that this would be a whole lot better if we didn't have the audience, but what else can we do now? They're here and they aren't going to leave. Who knows? Maybe the dragon won't show up."

Will looked at Hamilton, frowned and shook his head. “That wouldn't be real helpful either, would it? Do you believe that all these people would just pack up and go home? Hell, half of them are so drunk, they can barely walk."

"Well I think that it will show up and you'll be successful,” Thalia said from her seat on a wall by the bow.

"Maybe you're right.” Hamilton sat down beside her.

"So, if the dragon does come, just where do you think it will come from? And, more importantly, where do you think it will strike?” asked the baker.

"I put the lure on this side of the house. Aim your bow where the roof meets the wall. Guessing, I'd say that it will be coming from the direction of the swamp—from the West. Assuming that the dragon will crush this place as it's done to others in the past; I figure that's where it will be slowest and therefore most vulnerable."

"Bottom of the roof, huh?” Will had little conviction in his voice. He made some adjustments to the bow and then rotated its base a few degrees so as to line up the weapon on the center of the house. Then he turned back to Hamilton. “Well, I've done all I can do for now. Want some coffee?"

"Absolutely. You brought coffee with you?"

"No. One of the vendor's was selling it. I don't know how hot it is now.” Will retrieved a waxed paper cup from beneath the bow and offered it to Hamilton.

He took a sip. It was lukewarm, but better than nothing. “Thanks. Are any of the vendors selling food?"

"One or two, but most are selling beer and ale. A few of them are even pushing rum. How's the coffee?"

"Not as hot or good as yours but, considering the circumstances, it'll do."

Hamilton put his cup down, stood, and then climbed up on the base of the bow. He looked out at the people that filled the field to overflowing. After several minutes, he frowned and climbed back down.

"What's the matter?” asked Thalia.

Hamilton sat back down beside her. “I'm surprised that no one from the Guild is here. After all, this
is
the reason they summoned me."

"Maybe no one told them. You did want to keep this a secret, didn't you?” asked Thalia.

"Yes, but look around. This has got to be the worst kept secret ever in history."

"I can venture a guess,” offered Will. “The last time they tried to take down the dragon, they failed."

"I know, Diamond told me that three master wizards died in the attempt."

"Did he happen to mention the thirty villagers who died as well?"

"Thirty villagers? No. What happened?"

Will crouched down in front of Hamilton and Thalia. “Three wizards spent several weeks in Norkon waiting for the dragon. The townspeople kept a watch and when the dragon appeared, they called out the wizards. Armed with long bows and flaming arrows, they each got a shot off. They were skilled bowmen. Their arrows hit their mark, the dragon's chest. However, rather than killing the dragon, the attack drove it into a frenzy. It blew that fire paste it produces all over the crowd and then ignited the stuff. It was horrible. Some of the villagers grabbed buckets of water from the horse troughs and tried to douse the flames, but the water had little effect and thirty townsmen burned to death. There was nothing anyone could do."

"What happened to the wizards?'

"Oh, the remaining villagers, well, they beat them to death,” Will said.

"The wizards didn't use magic to protect themselves?” Thalia asked.

"It looked like they were trying to. They flapped their hands about and made a bunch of gestures at the mob, but nothing happened. They were overwhelmed."

Hamilton looked out at the crowd, took a deep breath and then exhaled. “It would have been nice if someone at the Guild had mentioned this to me. Pune. We're probably going to die even if we do manage to kill the dragon."

"You've got to be more positive,” chided Thalia.

"OK. I'm positive that ... Oh, never mind."

Will scanned what he could see of the horizon. “Any idea when the dragon will show up?"

Hamilton withdrew a pocket watch and glanced at it. “In about 14 minutes."

"How can you tell?"

"I can't. Right now it isn't so much a question of when as it is a question of if it will show. You're just going to have to be patient. Even if it does make you feel like the main attraction at a firing squad."

An hour passed. The sun crept above the horizon. The only thing that had changed was the crowd had gotten drunker and louder and they were blaming Hamilton for the fact that the dragon had not arrived. Hamilton and the rest of his group were feeling edgy when they heard voices from the crowd yelling, “It's coming!"

The throng became louder still. They all were looking at the Western sky. Hamilton and Thalia did the same while Will moved to the trigger on the massive crossbow. “There!” squealed Thalia. “Over there!"

Hamilton spotted it as it rose above one of the surrounding buildings. Its four massive translucent wings were barely visible as they beat against the air. The huge beast circled their position several times, perhaps confused by the throng.

Will stood by the crossbow's trigger, holding his breath.

The dragon swooped to near the house's roof and then circled back into the sky. The crowd's raucous cheers were stilled to silence as they watched the monstrous beast. The dragon gained more altitude and then dove for the house. “This is it, Will!” yelled Hamilton.

With a titanic sound of rending wood and mortar, the dragon smashed into the roof. A loud twang came from the crossbow as it loosed its bolt. Almost faster than the eye could follow, the arrow flew straight and true. As the dragon made an effort to fly again, the bolt struck home and buried itself in the dragon's back. Wounded, it still managed get aloft again. The dragon let loose a high pitched screech. Its left pair of wings weakened. Its flying became erratic. Then the wings on Thermite's left side failed.

The panicked throng below pushed back, but with so many people crowding the field, they made little headway. Worse, because of the dragon's unpredictable flight, the villagers didn't know which direction to run. The dragon spiraled down. It crashed to the ground atop one of the campfires and more than a few of the villagers. Its body thrashed on the ground cutting deep furrows in the field and the nearby onlookers. People ran and screamed as they tried to get away from the maddened beast. Writhing on the campfire, the dragon began spewing its spit in all directions.

Will furiously cranked back the thick bow string. “Help me!” he shouted to Hamilton. Hamilton ran to his side. Together, they managed ready the bow string and load a second bolt. Will dragged the base of crossbow to line up on the fallen dragon. Impatiently, he waited for the fleeing villagers to clear his shot. When it was clear, he fired. The second bolt caught the beast in the back of the head. It collapsed in a heap. Its body lay in the fire smoldering. The fleeing villagers slowed, stopped and then began to return to view the fallen dragon. When they realized that the dragon was dead, more and more headed back to get a look. The dragon's body burned and dark black smoke curled into the sky.

Less than a minute later, the dragon exploded in an orange ball of flame.

Thalia clapped her hands together. “You did it! You did it! You did it!” Hamilton felt good that her comments were direct to him rather than to Will.

"We did it. Good shot, William,” Hamilton took a deep breath in an attempt to get his pulse back into the human scale. The billowing cloud of dark greasy black smoke arose from the fallen beast and the burning dragon spit surrounding it and drifted toward them.

"Well, shall we go view our fallen foe?” asked Will.

"I think not. Here's my plan. Run. Now!” He grabbed Thalia's hand and took off, sprinting away from the dead dragon.

Will caught up with them. Thalia shouted, “What's the matter?” They continued away from the field. “Shouldn't we have stayed to try to help the villagers? There must be a lot of them that got hurt."

"And even more of them that died. I figure in the next few minutes, when the tragedy that just occurred sinks in, we're going to have some very angry people looking for someone to blame it on. What do you want to bet that that would be us?"

"But we can protect ourselves with magic."

"I'll bet that those three wizards that shot at the dragon a month ago thought the same thing."

Thalia closed her eyes briefly and replied, “But?"

Hamilton leapt a small fence and then slowed his pace. The others slowed as well.

"Remember at the Guild when the Master Alchemist burned some of that dragon spit? Do you remember what happened?"

"No magic?"

"None. And if we had stayed back there and smelled that smoke..."

The three finally stopped to catch their breaths a few blocks from Will's bakery. Will asked, “What are you two talking about? Why'd we have to run?"

Hamilton was panting. When he managed a good breath, he replied, “Because, in all likelihood, the villagers have already changed our status from heroes to mass murderers after they got a good look at the carnage the dragon's death caused."

"So, what do you intend to do?” asked Will.

"Stop at the inn, pickup my cat and horse and then get out of town."

"Back to Green Ridge?"

"No. This isn't over with yet. We're going to the Guild. Want to come with us?"

"No. I'm no wizard. The people won't bother with me. When the crowd gets back to town they're going to be hungry. I'm going back to my shop."

"Suit yourself ... but I suggest that you keep a weapon close at hand. Just in case."

"I always do,” Will replied. “Bye, Thalia. Stay safe. You too, Hamilton."

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While mob sounds were approaching from the west side of Norkon, Thalia and Hamilton, who had collected Bethesda and Whiskers, rode east.

You forgot my bowl
.

"Be still.” Thalia held on to Whiskers with one arm while her other clung to Hamilton's waist.

What do you mean, ‘be still'? Who elected you queen of the horse? Listen. I'm in my room, patiently waiting for breakfast and you two swoop in, grab me, and the next thing I know I'm bobbing up and down on Dobbin.

Who's Dobbin?
Bethesda had slowed to a normal pace once they were a few miles from Norkon.

You're Dobbin,
said the cat.

I thought I was Bethesda.

"You are Bethesda.” Then to Whiskers, “Knock it off, cat. Listen, if you want to go back to the inn and wait for breakfast, I won't stop you, but you should be aware that there is a large group of very angry people that want to kill us and, I suspect, that if they can't get us, my cat will do nicely. Get the picture?"

Who did you kill?

"Thermite."

Really? You killed the dragon? So who's after you, the local chapter of the Dragon Aficionado's Club?

"Just about everyone in Norkon as well as quite a bunch from surrounding villages. The dragon killed quite a few people before it died. So, do you want off?"

Er, no.

"Any more cute remarks?"

I'm done.

"Good. Now just keep quiet."

After arriving at the Guild, Hamilton held Whiskers while Thalia dismounted. He passed down the cat and dismounted. Then he tied Bethesda off to a post. The main door of the Guild was closed. When Hamilton tried to open it he discovered it was locked. He banged on the door. No one answered.