LAMAR PUBLIC LIBRARY This Just In... 2024 2024 WRITING CONTEST The Lamar Public Library is pleased to announce the winners from the 2024 Writing Contest! Children’s Short Story Laikynn Werth - Chick, Chick, Duck Honorable Mention: Jewel Klocker - The Legend of the Dandelions Youth Short Story Annabelle Huff - The Girl Who Stole Swastikas Adult Short Story Teri Jobe - The Dragon King Poetry Annabelle Pettinger - Ode to the Bookworm Honorable Mention: Jasminara Khatun - Echoes of Empowerment Essay Adam Rivas - A Gentle Ear Honorable Mention: Ike Perpetua - The Pale Light of Motherhood Honorable Mention: Annabelle Pettinger - Technology with the Youth One Line Story Violet Vostrejs - A New Beginning And the Winners are... Writing Contest
2024 Winner Essay A Gentle Ear, by Adam Rivas What is the script you need when you’re trying to convince a loved one not to take their own lives or when they reach out to you for help because of the suicidal ideations they are feeling? What do you even say when that person on the side of the bridge or has a handful of pills and is on the brink of ending it all at that moment? Has anyone really pondered how to soothe a soul that is having suicidal ideations? In my experience, when reaching out, there definitely have been people say the wrong things when I was on the ledge. In this piece, I would like to address and educate others on what to do when a loved one is about to give up. First off, I want to start by saying, being there for someone and answering that call in the middle of the night from a person in pain is a good deed in itself. No matter what, being there for someone is the best thing you can do. The courage someone has to reach out takes tremendous strength because at that time, they feel burdened by it or they just feel like no one cares at all so saying the wrong thing at that time could end their will to reach out again. Before starting this essay, I’ve reflected on the statement’s others have said to me when I was in the darkness. “Just be happy” “What’s your deal?” “What’s wrong with you?” “That’s weird” etc. Don’t get me wrong, there has been plenty of people that are good at being there when the floodgates of tears roll in however I just want people to know how to approach this delicate situation. I think the one major thing anyone can do is listen… listen listen listen. Don’t talk about your thoughts on the situation or how you know how they feel because you don’t. People are complicated and have different reactions to events in life. A simple matter could be very complicated to another. For example, being depressed about a pet passing away might seem small compared to another that doesn’t care about animals as that person does. We as humans, have a set of emotions that is extremely different as well as mindsets. If they are experiencing grief, mentioning a person you lost and saying you know what they are going through isn’t the right approach; you have to let them vent and talk about what they are going through. This brings me to my next subject; trauma battling. This has happened to me countless times and I’ve seen it happen to others as well. Don’t start trauma battling when someone is talking about pain or self-harm or any type of depression they are experiencing. Its not remedying the situation, it’s fueling that darkness and it just ends up consuming you both. There was a time when self-harming was a regular
thing for me every night and when I reached out to someone, they told me they do it too and they are depressed all the time as well and it became a call in which we were just on the phone crying about our similar mental ailments. All in all, it did not help because the self-harm continued after the call. There were also times when I would make a call and it turned into me listening to the other person talk about their depression when I was the one on the edge; it didn’t help me at all and deterred me from reaching out to that person again. There are obvious things you shouldn’t talk about like blaming someone or the person reaching out to you. Shifting the blame doesn’t help at all. I only ask you to listen because those that have given up think they don’t have anyone to turn to; they think they will burden anyone with their presence or their pain. Staying with the person in that time of need and just being there, could save a life. I have reached out to plenty of people in my times of despair and I’ve eliminated those that I knew could not help. Some don’t have the luxury of reaching out to multiple people so I hope people that read this can learn to just…listen and maybe, just maybe, you can save a life.
2024 Winner Poetry Ode to the Bookworm, by Annabelle Pettinger This is an ode; An ode to some of the most extraordinary people out there- The bookworms… The readers… The writers This is an ode to the little kid reading at recess, completely entranced The adult bringing a book to a formal event, may their love of reading never cease. This ode is for the elementary kid, reading under the covers with a flashlight at night The teen who stays up all night, living in a non-existent world the Grandmother reading her first grandchild a book Pray they are always entranced in the words. This is an ode for the misfits: misfits who can only feel socially involved in their reading The college student that reads to escape the stress of the assignments The authors who have writers’ block and need inspiration Never stop loving your books. This ode is for the words — The words in the books — The words that describe the books The words that define the characters The adjectives, verbs, nouns, adverbs, prepositions and more that transport us into the book Promise me that you will still be there when I set the book down. This is an ode for the characters: fake, fictional and dynamically developed. The nonrealistic men and women, perfect for each other The supporting characters, waiting for the cue to their next punchline The villain, always hiding behind the corner, scheming new ‘evil’ plans. This is an ode, An ode to the girl who stays up at night reading, The boy who reads in the cafeteria, The adolescent who buys used books everywhere, The writers whose love of books created their love of writing. This is an ode. For those people and more- This is an ode to my young self.
2024 Winner Short Story – Child Chick, Chick, Duck! By Laikynn Werth One special day at the farm, 3 eggs hatched. As the proud momma hen started bragging about her beautiful delicate chicks, she realized one of them was not a chick! It was a duck?! “What in the farm is a duckling doing in my chicken nest” said momma hen as she marched out to the ducks. Ducks! Get over here I want to talk to you. Yes, asked the ducks fearfully. Did you lay a duck egg in my nest asked momma hen firmly? Yes I did, but I don’t want it back shouted one of the ducks fearfully. Well what do I do with the duckling? Um, um, um, take care of it, suggested one of the ducks. Well that settles it, ill take care of the duckling said momma hen, half grateful half ungrateful. As the two chicks and the one duckling grew older and a little bigger, the chicks made fun of their half brother. They said he had weird flappy feet. That made him feel very sad what the girls said. Momma hen heard them so thankfully that was the last time it happened, they quit saying mean things after that. Momma hen went off to the chicken navy to fight for chickens rights to not be eaten. She was gone for a few years and left her kids with the other chickens and ducks. When she finally came home she laid 4 more eggs. Three of them hatched (one was a dud). The duckling and chicks were so excited to have little sisters to add to their perfect family. The end.
2024 Winner Short Story – Youth The Girl Who Stole Swastikas, by Annabelle Huff People say they’re scared all the time. Lucky. I can’t afford that privilege. Not when I’ve seen things that would give people nightmares. I don’t get nightmares anymore. I guess it would be too cruel living in nightmares when I’m awake and asleep. My waking nightmare is World War 2. I know it better as Operation Magpie. I could see the lights of the gala sliding down the horizon as the train rattled along. You don’t get scared. Leaning forwards, I clenched the vibrating handrail. Leaped. And landed hard. The wind whipped my hair, but I didn’t tug the Nazi cap over my brown hair until the last minute. Tonight I was not a Jew. Tonight I was on a mission. “Name?” The receptionist asked. “Maria.” I slipped smoothly into a German accent - and my new role. “Maria what?” “Schmidt, of course. Didn’t you see my parents walk in? Don’t tell my mother I was late.” Acting is lying, and this was both. “...the Schmidts are on here.” I grinned under the shadow of my cap as I walked in. Good thing it was such a common last name. As the doors closed behind me, my heart burned. I was drowning in faces from headlines and luxuries thicker than the accents. Nazi soldiers paraded around with girls hanging off them. It was tempting to steal their credentials, humiliate them, make them feel a brand new emotion: uncomfort. But I was here for one thing only. And there he was, the man with a black heart and white gloves. The target. I eyed the general from afar, taking a glass off a passing tray. With the cap’s shadow covering the top half of my face and a sip from the glass covering the bottom half, I would be anonymous. Just like all the times before, the target would be left without his secret and with a headline. And just like all the times before, I told myself I wasn’t scared. “Remember that you are a professional.” I murmured. Yet as I made promises I needed to believe, my hands shook so bad that I couldn’t sip out of the glass. Now or never. “Hey, you.” I spun around, splashing water on the person behind me. It was a boy with a swastika pin and a military haircut, but he was too young to be in the military. He was my age, and he looked much too cocky for someone facing a snarling girl. “Why are you staring at the general?” “Why were you staring at me?” “Trying to figure out who your parents are, of course. I haven’t seen you before.” He dabbed at his now wet tuxedo. “So tell me. Who are you?” “None of your business, thank you very much.” “You’re welcome. But that doesn’t answer my question. I’ll go first. I’m Adolf.” “Like Hitler?” My heart free fell. Stupid! He must’ve heard the contempt dripping from my words. My sweaty fingers slipped on the glass. “Like Hitler.” He cocked his head. Before he opened his mouth again, I cut him off.
“Ah, good name. Strong name.” What was I even saying? “You hate him. Why?” Time froze. Had anyone heard him? “What?” “You obviously hate Hitler. Why? Don’t lie. I can always tell when someone is lying.” I doubted anyone had dared lie to him in his life. “You’re nervous.” The boy studied me like I was a specimen, then shrugged. “I can compromise. A secret for a secret.” He turned and started walking. “Who said I’d tell you anything?” “I did.” He didn’t even look over his shoulder. “Whatever lies you told to get in here, my father knows everyone personally. I doubt he knows you. Though I have a feeling that he’d be interested in your case.” I clenched my fists. Then I followed him. “Has anyone ever told you you’re intolerable?” “Big word for a girl with a patch in her coat.” “Some more big words are insufferable, impossible, and stupid.” “Stupid?” “You have a military haircut. You want to be a Nazi. Stupid.” “Would you think me more stupid if I told you my name isn’t Adolf?” We faced each other. “What?” “That’s my secret. My name is Louis. I like Adolf better.” “Yes.” I stared him down. “Yes, I do think you even more stupid.” “Figured. Now it’s your turn.” “I can’t.” The sounds of the party suffocated me. He seemed to read my mind. “Duck into this closet. No one can hear you from there.” “Except you.” “I keep secrets.” He promised with his words and his eyes. What was I supposed to do? “Fine.” We shut the door behind us. “Your secret.” He wasted no time. “My secret - I’m not German.” “Duh.” I glared. “I’m a Jew. I’m - I’m here to steal something. That’s what I do. I’m part of the Resistance. I’m…Operation Magpie.” “Steal what?” “A paper. It states the location of the new concentration camp.” “Oh.” He was silent for a moment. “Weird name. Magpies are stupid.” “Magpies are not stupid.” “They’re thieves.” “Exactly. Ever seen a stupid thief?” “Not yet, but you might help with that! You can’t pickpocket, do you know how hard that is?” “I’ll be fine. Just keep your mouth shut for ten minutes - if you can do that. And keep this.” I pressed his swastika pin into his hands. “It’s disgusting.” “How’d you get that?”
“I told you, I’ll be fine. Not like you’d care anyway.” “Well, maybe I would! Do you know what they’ll do to you if they catch you?” “Do you know what they do everyday to thousands of innocent kids?” I snapped, taking a step towards him. “Do you know what it feels knowing you could be next, and you can’t do anything to stop it? Like no one can stop it, like the villain from your nightmare escaped and he’s hunting you? “Have you seen their dead eyes in their live bodies? Have you heard - ” I jerked my head up to stare hard at the ceiling. “Have you heard the unearthly silence? As people become things behind barbed wire? It’s only wrong to steal from humans. What Nazis do?” My voice was low, shaking with anger. “It’s not human.” I was almost scared to look at him, but that couldn’t be right, because I didn’t get scared. I wasn’t scared of him. I was scared that he wouldn’t understand. That he couldn’t. That he was just like them. So I turned and stared at the shadows sliding under the door instead, shadows of people whose breath was tainted with the finest wine in all of Germany and whose hearts were tainted with the dirtiest grime. We stood there for a long while, just listening to each other breathe. “...I’m in.” “What?” I watched his shadow straighten its sleeve cuffs. “I said I’m in. You win. Teach me how to pickpocket and I’ll do it. They won’t suspect me.” “What?” I looked at him, searching his face, trying to figure out what lie he was telling me. He tried to chuckle, but it quivered. “Maybe thieves are stupid.” He cleared his throat. “I said, I bet I can pickpocket better than you, so teach me. Unless you’re scared.” We watched each other for a moment, our eyes saying everything for us. Then I smiled. “You’re out of luck. I don’t get scared.” Hope is a sneaky thing, huh? In that cramped closet, I tried to teach him how to grab without looking, how to cover your hands, how to dance with it. Everytime a shadow slid too far under the door, we flinched. The number of times I gave him back his swastika pin was tiring. I noticed he pinned it back more loosely than before. Finally, he didn’t pin it on at all. “I’m sorry.” He didn’t meet my eyes. “I can’t pickpocket. You - you have to do it.” “Yeah.” I watched him fiddle with the pin. “I’m sorry too. But you don’t get out of it this easily.” “What?” “We have maybe half an hour before the party ends. Now or never. I’m the pickpocket.” I opened the door. “You’re the distraction.” ………….. “Pardon, sir. I didn’t mean to bump into you.” I listened to the conversation behind me. “General Wagner, yes? It’s an honor, sir.” With my head turned away and the rest of me sidling closer, I smirked. Louis was a born actor. “My father? Ah, what rumors this time? I think the servants have too much time on their hands.” You don’t get scared. Don’t get scared. “Really, I -” With a splash, the smell of champagne stained the air. “I’m so sorry, here!” As Louis wiped the general’s coat, he pressed a little too hard. The general stumbled backwards into me. In that moment, I had no fear. Machines don’t feel fear. The general turned. My hand kept with the movement of his coat, slipping in and out. The paper was in my pocket before he saw my face. He never would. Reeling as though I’d been hit much harder, I stumbled into the crowd. “My apologies, sir.” Louis hid a laugh - and gave me away.
“Stop that child!” The general roared. The air stiffened as eyes burned into my skin. I ran. People everywhere - I ducked around trays. I had to get to the doors. Squeals around me - I slammed through the doors, sucking in ragged breaths, sprinting into the shadows. My heart was pounding so fast I couldn’t feel it - my shadow flickered across the grass - footsteps behind me - “Run! It’s me, Louis, they’re coming!” Louis’s shadow was gaining on me, and behind his, larger ones. There. The train, right on time. My Nazi cap shook off, my hair streaking behind me – I stuttered to a stop, the train whooshing past inches from my face - I tensed to jump - wait - Louis. “Louis, jump!” I turned as he caught up to me. We’d lost them for a moment, but I could see them in the distance. Nazi soldiers. “You have to come with me, you can’t stay now!” “I can’t stay…but I can’t leave.” “What can you do?” I cried feverishly above the train’s roar. “This.” His face hardened. My heart dropped. And then he pushed me. Stumbling, I leaped at the last second, sliding into a moving train car. By the time I’d scrambled to turn around, his figure was staring at me slip away. No. No! “Louis!” He ran alongside, but the train was faster. I leaned out as far as I could, wishing - the Nazis had spotted him. They were running. Please, no. “Forgive me. Please.” My eyes stung - stupid wind. “I was wrong. Magpies -” I could hear his laugh crack. “Magpies are the smartest creatures alive.” Shadows behind him. “Louis!” I watched him shoot his hands in the air, surrounded. I heard them ask his name. “Louis. Louis Koch. I’m the one you’re looking for.” Not Adolf. I attempted a shaky smile through tears. You stupid, wonderful boy. I stared at the scene until he faded out of sight, and then still, as though just maybe... My numb hands in my pockets - wait. Something in my pocket. I drew it out. It was his swastika pin - but he’d bent it somehow, into the Star of David. It was pinned to a piece of paper in handwriting I knew immediately was his. Knees curled to my chest and eyes red, I murmured his words to the night. I can’t pickpocket, but apparently I can putpocket. You should have this. As a reminder, that, you know. Maybe things will be okay. May the stars watch over you until we meet again. Ask them to watch over me too. I’ll need it. It was signed, The Magpie’s friend I smiled against the wind. He always assumed things. I pinned the star to my coat. And he was always right. So, maybe I did get scared. And maybe, just maybe, everything would be okay.
2024 Winner Short Story – Adult The Dragon King, by Teri Jobe I heard words being spoken, but it was taking a while for them to make sense. Everything around me was blurry. I blinked several times and tried to focus on something. I was lying on the ground and there was someone next to me. I started to sit up and the person tried to push me back down. “Don’t try to get up yet.” I knocked their hands away, then pushed myself into a sitting position, rubbing eyes to make them clear faster. My head was pounding and several other parts of my body felt bruised, but I could wiggle my fingers and toes, so it wasn’t anything I couldn’t power through. My surroundings were starting to come into better focus. I was in a dim cavern of some sort, with metal bars blocking the only visible exit. A torch burned on a wall a few feet beyond the bars, providing the only light. “Do you want some water?” a voice asked hesitantly. It was the same one that had spoken a moment ago. I turned to see about a dozen people in the space with me, all of them looking either tired, bored, or scared. Closest to me was a young man sitting on the ground. He seemed to be in his mid twenties, with sandy brown hair and a relatively strong build. I was sure I could take him down in a fight, but right now he was just staring at me with one eyebrow raised. He held a bowl of water out to me with one hand. I nodded and took it from him. Some water would probably help with the headache. “Thank you.” My voice sounded terrible, even to me, and talking made me realize how dry my throat was. I downed the whole bowl, several drops of it trickling down my chin. I handed it back to him and tried to say something else. To my pleasure, the water had improved the throat issues, though I still sounded like I was fighting off a cold. “Where are we?” “We are the exalted guests of the Dragon King.” The young man said, not bothering to hide the sarcasm in his voice. “He’s been scouring the countryside looking for someone and taking anyone who opposes him prisoner. I don’t really want to know what will happen when that person is found.” “Well,” I said, using the wall of the cavern to steady myself as I stood up “you may be about to find out. I’m the one he’s been looking for.” The man looked at me wide-eyed. “You’re…” “Yep. The one who hid a dragon from the King, and I’m going to get us out of here.” *** “Guard! Guard! Hey!” I pressed myself against the wall of the cell, pulling the borrowed shawl closer to my face as the young man I had been talking to shouted into the hallway. Most of the people in the cell were huddled together, all facing a body lying perfectly still on the ground. A couple others stood next to me, watching.
After about a minute, three guards finally sauntered up to the cell. One of them banged their mace against the bars. “What’s all this racket?” “The new prisoner stopped breathing!” my friend said, pointing to the body on the ground. “Get back!” A second guard reached through the bars and shoved my friend while the third fumbled with a ring of keys. They opened the door and came in, two going to the figure on the floor, while the third stayed by the door, spear held at the ready. The two guards shooed the other prisoners away and turned the body over. As the person on the ground gave the guards a sheepish grin, I made my move. Clasping my hands together, I rushed forward and clobbered the guard closest to me on the back of the neck. He crumpled like an empty sack. Some of the other prisoners rushed forward and attacked the other kneeling guard. At the door, my new friend had grabbed the spear of the third guard and was trying to wrestle it away from him. I dashed in, fists flying. In a matter of seconds, all three guards were down and the door to freedom was open. “Come on!” I said, and dashed out of the cell. The others followed me. Our escape was swift, and we only had to deal with a few more guards before we were out into the cool night air. In front of us was a courtyard with a stone wall beyond it. Getting through a defensive wall from the inside is easy. Keeping to the shadows as much as we could, we found a side door kept shut with a wooden bar. I let everyone else run through before replacing the bar and scaling the wall. It was a ten-foot drop to the ground, and a rolling slope beyond. Taking a deep breath, I jumped, going into a roll as I landed. Several of my joints objected. I hadn’t done anything this exciting for several years. But I sure as hell wasn’t going to get caught again so soon after escaping. Ignoring the pain of the impact, I got back to my feet and started running after the others toward the nearby forest. I chanced a look back as I reached the trees. Behind me was an imposing keep with multiple towers and turrets. Soldiers with torches were starting to run along the top of the wall, no doubt looking for us. But with no obvious signs of escape, like open doors that were supposed to be closed, I highly doubted our trail would be picked up until we were long gone. *** We traveled through the night, trying to put as much distance between us and Dragon King’s keep as we could. Even after the sun began to rise, we kept going. The young man who had helped me finally introduced himself as Liam. He was familiar with the area we were traveling through and took the lead, claiming he knew a place we would be safe. I stayed at the back of the group, helping stragglers and watching for pursuing soldiers. As the shadows began to lengthen again, Liam called a halt. There was a stream nearby and everyone drank greedily. I was tired after being on the run all day, but several of the people with us were far worse off than I was. We couldn’t have convinced them to go any farther even if the Dragon King’s soldiers had been right behind us.
After a while, Liam motioned for me to follow him, and we walked a short distance away from the others. “What’s your plan?” I asked. “These people aren’t going to get much further without rest or food.” “I know. There’s a village I know of nearby. It’s only another couple hours away. I’m sure they would help us.” “No.” Liam’s eyes widened. “No? Look at these people, they’re not going to make it as far as we need to go without stopping.” “And the Dragon King will destroy that village if he finds out they helped us.” “How can you know that?” My temper rose, the urge to punch Liam for his impertinence making my arm muscles twitch. I took a breath and reminded myself that he didn’t know anything about me, or my past. I couldn’t justify hitting him for that lack of knowledge. Keeping my tone as calm as I could, I answered his question. “I know because he tried to destroy my own village for protecting a single dragonling.” I don’t know if it was my answer, or the expression on my face, but Liam backed down. “I’m sorry.” “Never mind. We should be able to find some berries and roots to eat. It won’t be much, but we won’t starve. How long until we reach your safe place?” “Two more days.” “Good. I’m going to see what I can forage close by.” After a few minutes, I was joined in my search by a woman from the group who was good with plants. By the time darkness had fallen, we had found enough for everyone to have a couple mouthfuls. Liam had been busy. He’d sent the woman to join me, and organized the few others who weren’t completely exhausted to share in a watch overnight. I admit, I was impressed. With a little more experience, he would make a good leader. After making my intention to share in the watch later that night, I settled down under a tree to sleep for a few hours. As I drifted off, I wondered where the little dragonling that had brought destruction to my home was now. *** Halfway through the next day we crossed a road, and I realized that the hills in the distance looked familiar. Once we were back under the cover of the forest, I hurried to the front of the group and asked Liam to stop. “Why? We can’t stay close to the road for long.” “This is close to where the Dragon King’s soldiers ambushed me.” I said, already moving away and climbing up onto a rock. Before Liam could protest, I put my fingers in my mouth and gave a short, shrill whistle.
Liam grabbed my arm and pulled me off down. “What the hell are you doing!?” He hissed. “Looking for what’s mine.” I said, scanning the tops of the trees. A few moments later, a screech sounded from our left and a gleaming red creature dove at us from the air. Liam swore and dove to the side, but I stayed put and stretched my arms out. I staggered as the creature collided with me. He’d gotten bigger even in the short time since I’d last seen him. Soon I wouldn’t be able to hold him like this anymore. Leathery wings wrapped around my arms as my dragonling nuzzled his head against my neck. Liam was staring at me, slack-jawed. I shrugged. “This is Thunder.” While Liam was trying to find something to say, something small and blue skittered out from the brush into the open. It approached cautiously, moving forward little by little, keeping its eyes on Thunder and squeaking as it went. It was another dragonling. Thunder turned his head to the little one and made a chittering noise. I looked from the new dragonling, then back to thunder. “You made a friend.” The blue dragonling came up to my foot, squeaked, and started climbing up my leg. I could feel the little one shaking as it climbed. Thunder didn’t seem bothered by the intrusion, but he made no move to make room for the little one either. “Would you mind?” I said to Liam, nodding at the blue dragonling that was just above my knee. “I think it’s cold and my hands are full.” Liam approached and reached for the dragonling. It turned its head around and hissed at him and he pulled back. “Ignore that.” I said. “They’re like kittens at that age. Worst they can do is scratch you a bit.” I wasn’t sure who was more afraid of whom, Liam or the blue dragonling, but the little creature was finally removed from my leg. Within moments it was curled up against Liam’s chest, and while it was still shaking slightly, it seemed content. Even Liam was looking at the creature with less trepidation. I could practically see the bond being made between the two. “Looks like you made a new friend too.” *** The rest of the journey passed quickly. The people following us were quite taken with the two dragonlings, and both of them had no lack of attention. As darkness fell on the third day, we emerged from the forest to rolling fields, houses, and a keep not far beyond. A few of the people with us broke away from the group, heading toward the houses. The rest stayed with us right up to the wall surrounding the keep. I was preparing for some resistance from the guards at the wall gate, but as soon as they saw Liam they bowed and gave orders to let us enter. Inside, other guards and servants led the other people to a
courtyard where it looked like other refugees were already being sheltered. Thunder and I made to follow them, but Liam shook his head. “Come with me.” He said. “I think Lord Eldred will want to talk to you.” As I entered the training yard where I knew Liam would be, me eyes darted upward, looking for more assailants on the walls. Sure enough, another shadowy figure was lifting a crossbow to shoot. With a guttural yell I put on a burst of speed. He looked at me just before I collided with him. He slammed into the ground as pain sliced across my right arm. “What the hell?!” Liam shouted, then stopped, seeing the blood pouring down my arm. We both looked up to see the assassin dash away along the wall. But he didn’t get far. As he was about to disappear through a door, Thunder appeared from the other side of the wall, grabbing the man around the middle with his jaws. My dragon shook the man like a dog shakes a rat, before flinging him several feet away. A flash of blue zipped past us as Scoots ran to the wall, scaled it, and skittered to the fallen assassin, tearing into his throat. I looked back at Liam. “Assassins!” His eyes went wide. “We have to find my father!” I hauled Liam up with my left arm and we took off. We heard the shouts before we reached Lord Eldred’s chambers. Inside, the Lord of the keep was fighting another assassin sword to sword. Liam tried to tackle the assassin but they turned at the last moment and slashed at Liam’s back as he passed, sending him crashing to the floor. I moved forward to grapple the assassin, who ducked down to avoid me. This one was far more skilled at his craft. While crouched he stabbed at Lord Eldred’s leg and landed a hit. I reached down to grab him again but he rolled away. Jumping back to his feet, the assassin charged, yelling at the top of his lungs. I was not going to miss a third time. I reached out to grab his throat with my right hand, my left already balled into a fist that would follow the assassin no matter which way he decided to dodge. To my surprise, he didn’t change course. His yell cut off as my hand clenched on his neck. Lord Eldred’s sword was also plunged into the assassin’s chest, his attack landing just as mine had. Why had that been so easy? I squeezed my hand, crushing the assassin’s windpipe and ensuring his death before letting him fall to the floor. But his sword was no longer in his hand. Instead, it was buried deep in Lord Eldred’s stomach. His gaze met mine for a moment. We both knew a wound like that was a death sentence. “NO!” Liam was back on his feet, staring at his father in horror. In the moment of silence that followed, bells and horns sounded outside. A general alarm was going up in the rest of the keep. I walked to window and looked out. Many of the guards were rushing to the main wall gate, while those already there were firing arrows into what looked like small army. On the horizon, the light of the setting sun revealed another, bigger problem: roughly twenty dragons were flying toward the keep.
*** “There is no time to waste.” Lord Eldred had come up behind me, seeing the same thing I saw out the window. “You have to get as many people out as you can. Take them east, through the forest. Lead them away from here so you can rally them together and eventually win this war.” “No.” Liam said. “You’re coming with us. You can lead them yourself.” He was trying to drape his father’s arm over his shoulder to support him. Lord Eldred pushed him away, and threw a meaningful look at me before addressing his son once more. “I have my own ways to get out of here. I’ll be right behind you.” “But-” I took Liam’s arm and lead him away. “No time. If he says he has another way, then he has another way.” I said, continuing the lie Lord Eldred had started. “You’re faster on your feet right now and speed is what we need. You helped save most of the people here once already. It’s time to do it again.” I expected Liam to put up a fight, but he didn’t. Perhaps he knew the truth being spoken behind the lie. Regardless, we had a job to do. Once we were back in the training yard, I called to Thunder, who was supervising the dissection of the assassin Scoots was still tearing at. Both dragons turned and came over to us. In a few seconds, we had out plan. Liam and Scoots would go forward to the wall and tell the guards to retreat through the back gate. Meanwhile, Thunder and I would do what we could for the town. As Liam and Scoots ran off, I turned to Thunder. “You sure you can do this?” He gave a low growl and flattened himself to as low to the ground as he could. I climbed up onto his back. With some effort, Thunder flapped his wings and we took to the sky. Riding a dragon was very different from riding a horse. It was almost all I could do just to hold onto my sword and Thunder’s neck at the same time. We reached the town mere seconds before the other dragons did. Up close, I could see they were smaller than Thunder, but they were still a major problem. They were already setting fire to the fields just beyond the town and coming ever closer. I had Thunder put me back on the ground, then reached up to pull his head close to mine. “You can't fight them all, but you can still help. Get their attention and fly away. Distract them. Buy me as much time as you can, but don’t get yourself caught.” Thunder gave a low hiss, then took off again. I raced through the streets, yelling at everyone I saw to run. Many people had realized the danger before I arrived and were already running away or grabbing weapons to try to fight. I was nearing the far edge of town when the buildings behind me started going up in flames. The dragons under the King’s command had realized Thunder was no threat to them and had turned their attention back to the town. The distraction hadn’t lasted long, but it had been enough to get most of the people out. As Thunder and I fled toward the forest, I looked toward the gate for some sign that Liam had been successful. What I saw made me shout to Thunder and change direction. Liam stood in front of the gate, flanked by several soldiers. Scoots sat a few feet away, gazing fixedly at an object being held aloft by
another figure who had their back to me. As I got closer, the figure turned to watch my approach. An old man with white hair, wearing dark robes too fine for a battle, and holding a gold scepter in one hand. The Dragon King. As we got closer, the Dragon King motioned with his free hand and the soldiers flanking Liam closed in, one bringing a sword blade up to his neck. I wanted nothing more than to charge forward and rip the old man apart with my bare hands, but his face held no mercy in it and I knew he wouldn’t hesitate to have Liam killed if I didn’t stop. I forced myself to halt, Thunder growling at my shoulder. The Dragon King motioned me to walk closer. I hated being at the command of this loathsome viper, but my choices were limited. Sneering, I stepped closer. When I was only ten feet away from the old man, he held up his hand for me to stop. I took a half step closer. The blade held against Liam’s neck pressed in harder. I brought my foot back again, rage boiling in my chest. “Well, well…" the Dragon King said "it seems as though you have been working very hard with your dragon. How big he is!” “Bigger than yours.” I snapped. The old man chuckled through his nose. “You may have size, but I have numbers, and that number grows with each passing day.” He glanced over his shoulder at Scoots. The little blue dragon looked dazed, but unharmed, still staring at the scepter. The Dragon King made a subtle gesture toward her, and Scoots immediately turned to face Liam, teeth bared, wings half unfurled. The guards surrounding him moved away, but every time Liam moved, Scoots hissed and skittered a little bit closer. Behind me Thunder growled again. The Dragon King looked up at him. “Surely you realize that such a large dragon is dangerous to someone who can't control it. I can help with that." He pointed the scepter at Thunder. Thunder screeched and shook his head as though something were attacking him. Then he roared, and looked straight ahead, also with a slightly dazed look. I took his head in my hands and gently pulled it down to my level as the Dragon King laughed behind me. "Hey…hey! Thunder, look at me. Are you in there?" A moment passed, then Thunder winked at me. It was an act. I spoke quickly and quietly. My dragon winked again, then roared. He spread his wings wide, reared up, and kicked me. I flew backward, landing exactly where I had meant to: Right in between Liam and Scoots. Jumping to my feet, I grabbed Liam’s arm and started to run as Thunder charged toward us. It seemed no one had expected such a bold move because we were well into the trees before the Dragon King’s shouts of “Find them!” were followed by the sound of pursuing soldiers. Thunder flew ahead of us, the wind from his wings merging with high pitched screeches. Looking up, I could see the little blue dragon wrapped up in Thunder’s claws. ***
After what felt like an eternity, the sound of pursuit faded behind us. We stopped just long enough for our sides to stop aching, then pressed onward. “What the hell happened back there?” I asked. “The Dragon King was hidden among the soldiers.” Liam said. “He got control of Scoots before I knew what was happening. He threatened to kill her if I didn’t surrender.” I was about to say something scathing, but swallowed my words before I spoke. Hadn’t I also just followed the Dragon King’s commands for a similar reason? “We all have something that we will submit for, whether we like it or not.” A minute later Thunder landed close to us, still holding on to Scoots. She was biting at the claws that restrained her, looking more crazed than dazed. It was almost pitiful to watch. I thought about the fact that Thunder was so much bigger than the dragons under the King’s control and an idea came to me. “I think when it comes to dragons, connection and understanding might be more important than domination. My bond with Thunder is strong and the Dragon King couldn’t control him. Scoots bonded with you. See if you can reach her through whatever power the Dragon King is using on her.” Liam seemed to come out of a daze himself, nodded, and approached Scoots. When she finally noticed, the blue dragon started hissing and snarling at him. Her small jaws clamped down on his right hand and he put his left over her snout, holding her in place. Blood dripped from his hand as he talked to Scoots, and gradually, the little blue dragon started to calm down. After a minute Scoots started struggling again, trying to get out of Thunder’s claws. I didn’t have time to be concerned before the red claws loosened. Scoots squirmed away from Thunder and into Liam’s lap, wrapping her tail around his waist. Whatever sway the Dragon King had held over the little blue dragon was gone. Liam held the little dragon close. He was quiet, but I could see his shoulders shaking. I understood. In less than a day he had lost his father, his home, and come close to losing his dragon and his life. It was a lot for anyone to come to terms with all at once. I nodded to Thunder who gave a soft huff and settled himself more comfortably on the ground next to Liam. I walked over and put a hand on Liam’s shoulder for a moment before walking into the trees. I did my best thinking alone. Once I was by myself, I took stock. My arm was still bleeding, so I tore a strip from my tunic to bind it. I went through my after-battle routine, moving and stretching to make sure my body still moved correctly. Beyond a few bruises and scrapes I had no other injuries. With no further wounds to deal with, my mind turned to the attack. I was angry. I picked up a stick and started swinging at the nearest tree. We could have held the keep and probably the town against the soldiers. Even if it had come to a siege we would have won in the end. But against the dragons we had had no choice but to flee. Anyone who fought the Dragon King would be annihilated as long as he had dragons under his command. They would have to be removed from the equation if we were to have any hope of defeating him.
But how could that be done? The dragons were controlled by the scepter, and there was no chance that the Dragon King would let that artifact out of his sight for even a moment. If I could get close, I felt sure I could wrestle it away from him. He was just an old man after all. As soon as I started thinking of the Dragon King as a singular opponent, an idea took shape in my head. He was a man. Men have to sleep. They sleep all the more soundly, when they feel secure in their own territory. I always felt better when I had a plan, even a vague one. I tossed the stick aside and went back to the others, this new idea still stewing in my brain. Over the next few days, we found the people who had escaped the attack on the keep. I was pleased to see so many had made it out. As the only son of Lord Eldred, most of the survivors looked to Liam as their new leader. I could tell he wasn’t happy about this, but he hid it well. The question of what to do next was a tricky one to answer. Liam and Lord Eldred’s remaining councilors talked around in circles trying to decide what to do. We would be hunted anywhere we went, but the councilors were reluctant to attempt to attack the Dragon King directly in our current state. I put forth my idea. If the dragons were gone, we stood a chance. Liam finally won the council over. “I for one am going to fight. If we succeed, we will be free. If we fail, then at least we can die knowing we fought for the freedom we wanted.” A small group was sent back to the keep to salvage anything useful. They returned with a modest amount of weapons and other supplies. Everyone who was able-bodied and willing was armed with what had been found. Within days, our final march on the Dragon King’s castle began. *** When our forces were less than a day from the Dragon King’s castle and darkness was approaching, Thunder and I prepared to fly ahead. Liam and Scoots found us before we left. He looked like wanted to say a lot of things, but he only said two words. “Don’t die.” I grinned and gripped his forearm. “You either.” With a rush of wings, Thunder and I took off into the sky. I reasoned that the Dragon King’s quarters would be at the top of the tallest tower. I had fought power -hungry dictators like him before and they always liked to be as far above everyone else as they could. Thunder stayed high up in the air as we approached the castle, hoping to avoid detection for as long as possible. To my surprise, no alarms were raised even as we quietly descended to the peak of the tallest tower. The situation positively stank of a trap, but there was no other option but to keep going. Hanging on to Thunder’s claw, I dropped onto the roof as he flew past, then dropped down onto the Dragon King's balcony. I stepped up to the door and tried the handle. Unlocked. Definitely a trap. I drew my sword and entered.
The room beyond was dark and silent. I stayed still until my eyes adjusted. A large bed stood in the center of the room, the curtains around it closed. There was other shadowy furniture scattered around the room, I had eyes for only one piece of it. Leaning against a table next to the bed, was the scepter. Telling myself not to rush, I crept across the room, reached out, and took it. "Well done. Not even my assassins could move so quietly." I whirled around as the Dragon King stepped out from a shadowy corner, fire springing to life in his hand. Great, he was a sorcerer. I started to back away toward the balcony door. I needed to lead the dragons away before I could deal with a sorcerer. The Dragon King followed slowly but made no move to stop me. On the balcony, I stopped, my eyes scanning the sky for Thunder. The Dragon King stopped in the doorway. "Why run?” He asked. “You hold the power. That’s what fighters like you want isn’t it? Power? The dragons are at your command now. You could rule the world. Look." The scepter began to glow, and I could hear many things stirring below. I climbed on to the wall to see better. Dragons were rising from their sleeping places throughout the castle, all looking to me. "Even I would have to bow to you now." I turned to see the Dragon King incline his head to me, his eyes wide, almost excited. What he said was true. I could end this war now. End all wars forever. I could rule. A flash of approaching red caught the corner of my eye, and I shook my head. "No." I said. "I'm not like you." And I let myself fall backward off the wall into midair. I fell for only a second before Thunder flew under me, grabbing me with his claws. Through some tricky maneuvers, I got onto his back and held the scepter aloft. I sent my thoughts out to the dragons who were still watching me. Come. Follow. The dragons obeyed. Twenty, thirty, fifty or more, all rising into the air and trailing behind us as we flew away. Behind us, I heard a yell of rage from the tallest tower. The Dragon King was watching his best defense fly away. We flew for more than an hour, getting as far from the castle as we could. In the moonlight, I spotted a mountain that had relatively few trees and directed Thunder to land there. Within minutes, the following dragons had landed around us on all sides. There had to be nearly a hundred of them all staring at me with wide, blank eyes. If I destroyed the scepter, the suddenly master less dragons would surely attack. As strong as we were, Thunder and I had little hope of fending off all of them. But did it really have to end this way? With this many dragons at my command, I could indeed rule the world. I could bring peace, by force if it became necessary. Hadn’t I desired peace once? Why else would I have given up my title as a famed mercenary in favor of a small village where nothing ever happened? A village where I could have a normal life and no one cared who I had once been. I shook my head. Slamming the end of the scepter in the ground I shouted to my dragon "Do it before I change my mind!" Thunder sent a jet of flame at the top of the scepter. When it was glowing red from the heat, I grabbed it and smashed it against a stone. Metal shards flew in all directions. The scepter was broken. With burns on my hands, little energy to spare, and no hope of surviving the next five minutes, I backed up until I was next to Thunder. If we were going down, we were going down together. The dragons around us were shaking their heads, hissing and snarling. Many were looking at us and beginning to move
forward. Thunder roared at them. But it was not the aggressive roar he used in battle. It was something else. The other dragons all stopped and listened, their attention now solely on him. He roared again. All the dragons lowered their heads, something I had seen My dragon do when he was showing respect or submission to someone. Thunder roared once more, as though telling the other dragons You’re free. Some of the dragons began to fly away in various directions. Others shuffled forward like shy dogs. I reached out my hands to them and a few touched their snouts to my fingers, or even licked my palms before flying away. As more of the dragons did this, I could feel the pain in my burned hands ease. I glanced at Thunder. "You never told me Dragon spit has healing powers." He only huffed at me in response. When all the dragons had finally left, I felt better, but still tired. "A little sleep I think." I said to Thunder. "Then we will go back and finish what we started." *** At dawn the next morning, Thunder and I began the return journey to the Dragon King's castle. Even from the air, we could hear the battle before we could see it. Beneath us appeared the fierce fight between Liam and his men and the soldiers of the Dragon King. Thunder and I dove into the thick of it, lashing out left and right with claw and sword. Before our might, the soldiers were wavering. A sudden flash nearly blinded us all. Blinking hard, I saw a wide circle of men and soldiers who had fallen. Above us, the Dragon King was leaning out from his balcony. It looked like he was chanting and conjuring lightning in his hands. Another bolt flashed to the ground nearby. It seemed the mad monarch no longer cared if he was killing his own soldiers to hurt us. Liam shouted in our direction "Get up there and finish this! We'll be ok down here!" Calling to my dragon, I got on his back and we took to the sky. As we flew upwards, the Dragon King sent out another flash of lightning. Thunder dodged to the left and the bolt missed us by inches. But for a second it was hard to see, and we crashed into one of the peaked roofs below the tower. I was thrown off Thunder’s back and skidded a few feet along the tiles. Fearing being struck by magical lightning if I stayed still too long, I quickly got up and ran along the roof. On the other side of the roof peak, Thunder was pacing me. Hearing a shout from above, I jumped toward him and landed on his back, a bolt of lightning striking where I had been a moment before. Thunder gained altitude and flew around behind the tower. As we came around again, Thunder sent a jet of flame toward the balcony, but the Dragon King was gone. Thunder flew over the roof of the tower and I repeated what I had done two nights ago: climb down from the roof onto the balcony. The moment my feet touched the stone, a shadow stepped out of the door itself. It had no features but looked like the shadow cast by a heavily armed guard wielding a huge axe. I took a defensive stance and waited for the shadow to attack. I dodged its first two swings with ease, but on the third I miscalculated, and the axe blade grazed my chest. Glancing down I saw blood turning my tunic red.
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