Drawing a knife from my belt I struck at the shadow guard, but the blade went straight through it. Thunder reappeared on the roof, sending a jet of flame at the shadow. It disappeared, but then reformed in front of the door, coming forward to attack again. That gave me an idea. "Torch the door!" I shouted to Thunder and he sent another jet of flame at the door. The guard started to swing his weapon at Thunder’s head, but I rushed forward and grabbed the shaft of its axe. As we struggled, the shadow guard knocked my legs out from under me and I crashed to the floor. The axe toward my chest just as a loud crash sounded behind me. Instead of cutting me in half, the shadow guard dissipated like smoke. Thunder had destroyed the door just in time. I stood, picked up my sword, and walked through the open doorway. "Time to finish this." The Dragon King was waiting for me inside the tower. "You think you can win against my might?" He asked. I raised my sword. "I'm willing to take my chances." The Dragon King conjured a flame in his hand, and we began to circle each other, each waiting for the right time to make a move. The Dragon King struck first, sending the ball of flame towards me. I jumped aside and rushed forward. Try as he might, the Dragon King was not fast enough to deflect all my blows. He staggered, spat blood, and glared at me. I attacked again, this time knocking him down to the stone floor. Gasping for breath, bleeding heavily, he crawled away from me to the center of the room as I stalked after him. "You may…have knocked me…off my tower…but I will not…fall…alone!" A black orb appeared in his hand and slammed it into the floor. Faster than flowing water, tendrils of shadow spread across the floor and into the walls, making them suddenly darker. The tower shuddered and cracks appeared everywhere as the Dragon King laughed, flecks of blood flying from his mouth, his sanity gone. I sprinted toward the door "THUNDER!!" My dragon roared back, already hovering in the air just below the balcony. I leapt onto his back, and he took off. One look back at the castle was enough to know that the Dragon King's spell had affected the whole structure. Many of the towers were starting to lean over and would soon topple. We dove toward the battle that was still raging below. I shouted to Liam as we flew over "Retreat! Retreat!" Knowing I would not say such a thing needlessly, Liam echoed the order as he and Scoots ran for the main gate. Thunder and I watched from the air as Liam’s men and the remaining soldiers of the Dragon King fled, the castle behind them crushing anyone who remained behind. *** After the fall of the Dragon King and the destruction of his castle, things quieted down. Liam and I tracked down the few loyal soldiers who were trying to continue what the Dragon King had started, but that didn't take long. There wasn't much left for a hero with a dragon to do. It was time for me to go home. Liam wasn't happy about my decision, and we spent a long night talking about it.
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