Shorter Dragon story 2,440 words

July 8 a fantasy tale with dragons again.
I forgot to mention this last week but while I was working on the second part of “What?” (if you have not read it scroll down on the blog's main page) I decided to do some stories with dragons in them. I realized that “What” had a dragon so it was the first of five stories. Today’s story is number two. This tale is only 2,440 words longs so it is in one episode. The next story may have three or four episodes and the next one the same. The last two will be flash stories and I will post both on the same Saturday. I need to write that second flash, but I have a six to eight weeks to do it.
This story is an older one that I like so I have revised it three times over the years and I today I revised the opening again. It probably needs more work but we have had a situation with my Father-in-Law again being in emergency again and that is taking up more time. But I think this is still worth reading and will be enjoyable since it is light hearted and maybe a tiny bit humorous. And as I keep saying comments-either way-are allowed and appreciated.

So enjoy:


Hoodwinker In The Wilderness



Jordan C. Calhoon made his way slowly through the narrow rock strewn ravine. He walked with extreme caution for it would not do to either twist an ankle, or get eaten. There were rumors that a dragon lived in this wasteland. His tunic and trousers were a grey color so hopefully anyone who looked down here would see him that well. He could reach the walls on either side if his reach was only thrice what is was. The walls went five feet above him, so No plants grew here because of the dryness, but he managed to grab two skins for water before he left. That should be enough for the length of this.
He decided to chance this route because he had needed to get out of the village in a hurry, for his health. That was why he was traveling through the desert, right next to the mountain, instead of taking the easier, longer way to the next county.
The beast’s hunting grounds was supposed to be a mile, or two east of here, but one never knew how much of a rumor was true, or not. True or not, he had to go this way to avoid the irate villagers, who wanted to hang him.
He cursed, took a drink of water, the place smelled of dust and dirt, then said to the rocks, “Its my misfortune to have allowed myself to be chased out of that village I was working in. I almost had them too.”
He stumbled on a loose rock and said, “People just won’t understand that I have a talent I need to use. It was the gift I was given after all, and I only take money from people who don’t know what to do with it. That village is growing, in spite of the dragon rumors, therefore I thought it would be a good place to practice my gift. The village leaders would have more gold to spend for the village and many of the long time residents would have more gold and sliver then they were used to spending. It was more silver then gold, but it was still worth working for.”
Jordan used one hand to steady himself against the side of the ravine as he made his way around a boulder, then continued with his compliments with a sigh, “It was my fault for allowing myself to be run out of the village like that. I’ve been in this business long enough to know how fickle the emotions of the masses can be. I should have stepped in when Joshua first started speaking against me, but I thought I had a better hold on the villagers. I saw the warning signs and ignored them. Somehow he managed to convince two or three of the citizens that I was up to no good. It took them a few days, but he was able to show more and more of the others the logic gaps in my promises. Most people want to believe what I say. I can sound convincing, friendly and authoritative at the same time while I play on their fantasies and hidden wishes. They don’t allow themselves to see the flaws in my statements, unless somebody they trust gets their attention. Its happened before. I’ve learned how to deal with it when it does, but this time I got lazy and overconfident.”
He shook his head as he spoke to himself, “now I have to make my way through this wilderness to escape those who want to hang me. I have to keep one eye on the rocks, and scrub brushes and the other watching for snakes, and the dragon. If I keep close to the mountain I can stay clear of where the dragon is supposed to be hunting, while at the same time taking less time to make my way into the next country. On top of that, the villagers won’t expect me to take this route.
“There is no talking to people that angry, and I didn’t even take that much money yet”, here he jingled his half filled money pouch, “only a few gold and silver coins.”
Six minutes later he came out of the ravine and into a wide gully. The slope of the mountain made up one side of the gully while the other side was made of dirt cliffs ten feet high. There were bigger boulders near the far side, including one very large one.
Jordan stopped a few steps into the gully. Something wasn’t right. He looked around. Everything looked normal. The floor was covered with small bushes, rocks were strewn all over the place and he could see snake holes. All kinds of things to twist his ankle if he had to run for it.
His breath caught and his stomach froze as he realized what had caught his attention. It was a lot warmer here then in the ravine.
Jordan said, “Oh oh”
The temperature change could be natural, since it would be
cooler in the ravine, but he didn’t think so. His head jerked back as a sudden thought came to him. A quick look showed the sky was empty, except for three, very normal looking clouds. He looked up the mountain side and still nothing. The dragon could be on the top of the cliffs, just out of his vision angle. He didn’t think so, though.
He relaxed a bit taking another step. He thought about picking up one of the larger rocks, but what good would that do against a dragon?
Jordan took another step as he looked around. The stories about the dragon must be making me paranoid he thought.
His stomach sank and his heart froze, when he heard a deep, raspy voice say, “You should give me proper reverence.”
Jordan's head spun around as he looked behind him, nothing. He looked upward again, still nothing. He’s eyes jumped to the large rock against the wall opposite his position. He watched in terrifying fascination as the upper one third unraveled. It went from being a solid boulder to being a long, snake like neck. The bulging end shot his way stopping a few feet in front of him. He had an impulse to run back into the ravine. It wouldn’t be able to fit in there, but the thing could either fly, or leap to the top of the ravine. That neck could reach into it to scoop him up, or bite him in half. He fought his instincts to flee screaming, and moved forward to meet that horrible, ugly head.
For a few seconds he stared at he head of the dragon. It reminded him of an alligator’s snout he had seen once. Only this snout had teeth along the outside of the mouth and it was almost as long as he was tall. It was wider then he was. The rest of the creature’s face, the eyes and forehead, looked very much like a snake’s head. The shape of the eyes, as well how far apart they were, and the slope of the forehead all gave the impression of a snake. The color was three shades of gray with small spots of green and light browns.
He got his mind working again and said, “Great Being, I have a proposition for you that I need to tell you about, before you eat me.”
The great head titled to one side and the gravely voice boomed, “What type of proposition could you have that a being like me would be interested in?”
The breath was very warm and stunk of bunt meat mixed with other unidentifiable smells, he didn’t want to know what it made up that stink.
“One by which you could eat to your heart’s content, while people of all types paid you the homage you deserve.”
“I can eat all I want to now,” it said while moving its snout in a significant manner, closer to him,
“Yes this is true, but you still have to catch what you eat, or wait until something gets close enough to you so you can grab it. What I propose would allow you to eat all you want, without having to work for it. Cows, and sheep would be delivered to you, waiting to be eaten.”
”I can eat everything, including humans, that come onto my land.”
“Of course you can, but cows are larger then humans. They are longer, fatter and weigh three to four times as much as a man would. One skinny human isn’t all that much of meal for someone like you.”
“True, most humans are on the thin side, and I’ve eaten cows before. They are bigger. Humans are usually gone in one gulp,
but I have to take three bites to finish off a cow. I like variety though.”
“I would be able to get you an oxen or two. They are even larger then cows and perhaps even a deer now and then. Deer are smaller then cows, but still larger then a person. I might be able to get you an elephant now and then too. You do know how big an elephant is?”
“Yes I have heard of elephants. My cousin described them to me. They would make a large meal.”
 “One fit for the Monarch of all animals.”
There was a pause, after which Jordan continued, “And as I said people would give you the reverence you deserve... I would imagine you don’t get much of that out here.”
“I have been getting very little reverence lately. The last maiden I ate punched me in the nose first. While she wasn’t strong enough to harm me of course, she should have felt more awe of me.”
“I agree she should have been too awestruck to punch you. It was a good thing she wasn’t a sorceress though. You do realize there are more sorcerers, wizards and the like throughout the land. They can be very dangerous even to an animal of your magnificence.”
The dragon grunted. The hot air it expelled reminded Jordan of the air billows blew across a blacksmith’s fire.
Jordan said, “You said that a maiden punched you, what would have happened if she had been a sorcerous with a fist full of magic powder. Those sorcerous powders can do all sorts of harm even to beasts of your stature.”
“I know,” the great beast said with a growl of fire, “another cousin of mine was killed be a wizard just last month.”
Jordan flinched at the voice, but said, “I’m sorry to hear
that, my condolences to you. But if you come with me no sorcerer, or wizard would come after you. And as I said you would have all you could eat along with people paying homage to your regalness, great strength and nobleness.”
“Would I be able to eat any of those who come to watch?”
The man shook his head, “That would not be a good idea, if people thought they might get eaten, they would not pay gold to see you.”
“But I like humans.”
Jordan looked thoughtful, “Well... if you really wanted one maybe we could get a village to give us, or better yet, pay us to execute a condemned man. It could save them time and money. I should be able to talk village elders to do that if you promise me you only eat the people I say you can.”
“You promise me that I can eat all I want with little work?”
“I can promise you cows, oxen, a deer now and then, and maybe an elephant once in a while.”
“What would I have to do for this?”
“Let people look at you and be awed. Do a little flying, breath fire now and then. We can set up some logs, maybe build a few huts you could swoop down on and breath fire on.”
The dragon pulled its head back, and asked “People would give you gold to watch me?”
“A magnificent beast like you, of course they would. You would have people coming out to see you now, if they weren’t afraid of being eaten, or twisting a leg on these rocks.”
The dragon titled his head looking thoughtful, “What would you get out of it?”
“I would get to keep half the gold and I would be known far
and wide as the one who was showing such a wondrous dragon.”
He added to himself and I would not get eaten.
The dragon suddenly snaked its head toward Jordan. It stopped it right in front of man’s. It was all Jordan could do to stand his ground.
The dragon stood there a minute then said, “Its a deal.”
Jordan let out the air he didn’t realize he was holding then said, “we can start in the next village. It might take them a while to see that you don’t want to attack, and that they can see you close up if they pay. I should go in first with you waiting outside the village until I call you.”
“I can do that.”
The dragon unlimbered himself and man and beast started walking down the gully together.
Jordan was thinking as he walked next to the dragon.
Its a good thing that I had heard that dragons were lazy and egotistical. And it was a good thing that I came up with the beginning of what I said while walking through that ravine, just in case I ran into the dragon. With my experience I was able to come up with the rest of it as we talked. I will have to remember to continue my act at all times.
The dragon was also thinking as he waddled alongside the human.
Its a good thing I had heard that humans are egotistical, and that they do think they can talk their way out of trouble. I was hoping to find a human that would offer me a deal. I’m getting old and running down food is getting a little hard, and he is right there are more sorcerers and wizards around these days. I thought I could find some one who I could talk into helping me. I don’t
really like eating humans all that much. They are small, and their clothes taste nasty sometimes. They can have all sorts of sharp, or hard objects in their clothes. Swords, and knifes sometimes get stick into my mouth, and any type of metal is hard to digest.
He shook his great head, thinking that he would have to remember to continue his act.
The end



Wonder who is the hoodwinker :)

Second half of "What?" A fantasy in two parts

Part Two of “You want Me To Do What?”

Before I get to t he story:

A Happy Fourth of July to all those who read this and who live in America, or celebrate her anyway. Obviously not a perfect country but still over all one that learns from her mistakes and her people are willing to share, with a great economy, and the freedom to be a totally a Christian and any other religion.
Again too late I thought of doing a story for the holiday. I have a serious of stories for different holidays but not this one. So it would have had to be a new one, but I could have done it if I thought of it in time.


But here be dragons at least one. And a brave, unsure of herself female hero who learns something about herself. 2,692 words here today.

Here is a bit from part one to help you catch up.


When she saw her mentor in the door of her house, she knew he wasn’t there for a social visit. He had come sometimes for a social call but not this time. By the look on his face she knew it was something she wasn’t going to like. Donna hadn’t expected him to suggest that she come here though.
He had said, “I need you to do something. You’re not going to like it, but you’re the only one that can pull it off.”


She looked at him, a bad feeling growing in her stomach because of his words and tone of his voice. Donna had done many things she didn’t want to do to save her small nation. Gone undercover, spied with a partner, took part in a couple of magic duels, dealt with giant mice and that horde of bugs last week. That mission still sent shivers down her back. But now it was almost time for her to marry. She needed a break and rest.
Samuel said, “Most of your features show that some of your ancestors probably were Easterners. Along with that your knowledge of dragons and the Eastern Magic Code, your ability, and experience you could pass for an Easterner wizard. Your red hair could be a problem but there are ways to hide that.”
Even before Samuel finished Donna had stared at him; she couldn’t believe what he wanted her to do. He knew her background. A corner of her mind said that it was logical. There were dragons on the same mountain, as the school. The students had to learn how to communicate with them as part of their practice. The dragons of the mountain and the Teachers had made a pact, generations ago, that bound the dragons to deal with the students as their boss.
“Tell me what I need to do,” She had finally said.
After Samuel left she had sat on her bed trembling with the thought of pretending to be one them. She had some bad memories of being treated as dog, by Easterners. For some reason they thought she was a half breed and therefore deserved to be treated as a dog. She had had to spend almost a year with them. They fed her scraps and made her sleep on the floor, as well as beat her and forcing her to work for them. Finally her mother and father had found her, rescuing her.
In one way it was good that she had been a child. If she had been a few years older they would done other things to her and used her in ways that made her shudder to think of. Of course she might have been old enough to fight back and maybe even use her magic, but that would have gotten her killed, probably. She still didn’t know why they had kidnapped her and treated her like that, when she came up to them to ask if they were related. After her rescue she ran or hid from anyone who looked Eastern and had nightmares for years. One reason she had set out to learn the Eastern Magic Code was to see if she could figure out why they had done that to her, and to be able to defend herself if any one of them tried it again. She had studied dragons because she was fascinated by them.
Her memories stopped when she reached the school. She made sure she looked haughty and went in. She was half way across the common area when her worst fears came true. One of the officers in the Eastern army came up to her. She thought he was suspicious and wanted to see some proof of her identity but his smile showed her what he wanted.
“There you are, lovely one. I thought we could go up to my room and practice---your exercises.”
She tried to brush pass him, as she said, “Later I got...”
That was all she got out as he grabbed her, putting one arm around her.
 He said, “You can finish what you’re doing after we practice together.”
The way he said together made her feel dirty. She froze for half a heartbeat, wanted to flee, but that would not fit with who she was pretending to be. Her breath came hard, sweat formed on her forehead, her heart beat too fast.
He started to slip a hand inside her robe. Donna could smell his sweat with something extra that would be produced by his arousal. She swallowed the excess siliva that formed. Instead of slapping him and running which was her instinctive response she said, “I said later.” with all the haughtiness and anger she could muster. The anger wasn’t faked.
He smiled and said “I know how you students want it.”
Donna knew she couldn’t fight him and without her bracelet she didn’t have her usual weapons to stop him. He tried to kiss her, expecting her to react like any usual Easterner magic student would, by kissing back.
Instead she slipped her hand through the opening of her robe, beating his hand away as she did. She moved her hand faster than she thought she was able to and found one of the small charms she had made just for this occasion.
Donna slipped it off and threw it on the floor right under his feet. She started speaking Words.
The round piece of bark broke open on the floor releasing a lightly colored smoke. It spiraled upward caressing his legs and going up under the bottom of his uniform.
A second later, as he pressed his lips against hers and slipping his hand through the opening of her robe, he froze. Than he stepped backwards looking like he was puzzled. He yelped and started reaching for his legs to scratch the intense itch he had all of a sudden.
That gave her the opening she needed, finishing her recitation she moved her right hand around, as if she was wrapping something around him. He jerked up, looking at her with a panicked expression. She pulled on the invisible something in her hand and he slipped to the floor, falling on one side, with his hands tightly bound to his sides. She pulled again and he grunted as a long, coiling dent appeared in his chest armor, as if something heavy was squeezing him. He grunted out a curse and maybe a short scream.
She snarled, not all faked, “I said later! I got something to finish first before pleasure.”
Donna let go of what was in her hand and walked off.
“Damn officers, they don’t know their place,” she mumbled loud enough for those who had witnessed the confrontation to hear.
She finished with a particularly nasty Eastern insult. Some of those around her smiled and by the expression on the faces of other students, they thought he got what he deserved.
Some probably were thinking she should have squeezed even harder, she thought. I didn’t wanted to hurt him, not badly, that Power Word will keep him until it wears off in a few minutes. I used a weaker Power phrase on purpose.
As she walked out of the room, she saw he was squirming trying to find relief from the itching. That would stop before the Word let go of him.
Donna made it back to her room without further difficulty.
Once in the room she made sure the door was secure. Not so much because she was afraid that someone would want to finish what the officer started, but so no one could walk in while she opened her special small chest. It was locked with more than a physical lock. She had placed a black dress over it but she depended on a Power Word on it that wouldn’t let anyone, except her, see it. There was a second one that would keep it shut even if the lock was broken.
She picked it up with one hand and slowly opened it. Inside, along with pieces of jewelry, was her two must precious items. Her bracelet and her engagement ring. She picked that up first luxuriating in its feel. Rather had spent time designing it and making it just right and she could feel his love flowing from it. It was beautiful, with two doves touching a diamond between their beaks. The doves sliver in color and there were white and gold streaks throughout the band. The diamond shone with a brilliance that still surprised her.
She didn’t know how he got white and yellow gold to bend together with the Power metal like that but she was happy with the result. She treasured it more than the necklace he had given her the first time he had come by to introduce himself. He had made that too. She had known he was a special person to be able to make something like that, and because he had known what to give her. She adored opals. Both the opals, and the amethyst, set in Power metal made it just right for someone with her abilities. For the Power metal enhanced a Power welders abilities.
Placing the ring on her finger Donna looked at her bracelet. She shook her head, it, the necklace and other rings would have to wait. Easterners had engagement rings so no one who might see it would think it funny she was wearing it. The other jewelry would have to wait. Besides from her reaction when that officer tried to grab her she realized she had become too dependent on the bracelet.
She pulled off the robe and untied the belt as fast as her hands would move. Once it was off she held the belt with one hand deciding what to do with it. Keeping it would be best in case she had need of it again. Donna hurriedly packed it and the robe in the pack with her dirty clothes in it. She next dressed in traveling clothes; undergarments, brown pants and a light yellow loose fitting tunic. Lastly a hooded jacket whose hood would hide her hair.
She looked at her self in the mirror and nodded. This outfit was a design that anyone might wear.
After that was done she finished packing and stepped to the door. Oops, she forgot one thing. Hurriedly unpacking she found the black, gray and brown headband, that was as wide as her little finger was long. It was the headband that signified that she was a student of Eastern Powercasting. Making sure the Powercasting symbol was on the front she put it around her forehead.
Once that was done she stepped out of the room and collapsed all the Power wards she had placed around the room, she left. Donna walked confidently through the halls and down the stairs. Once in the common area again she said to the person behind a counter that she was done with her room. He nodded and she turned heading through the main door. As she did, she tried to look like she was all Powerful and she could do whatever she wanted.
Donna mused that Rather would be surprised, if he was to see her now with that expression on her face, along with her walk. He thought she needed more of an aura of confidence, than she usually displayed.
She found the stables and got her horse. It had been well taken care of and all she had to do was saddle it. The stable
hands could do that, but she didn’t want to wait. She could do it faster and be out of there sooner.
Once on the road she kept up her haughty stance, until she was halfway down the mountain. Once she thought she was beyond where anyone might be watching her, she relaxed. Stopping she took her chest out of the saddlebag. Opening it she placed the necklace around her neck and the bracelet on her right wrist. She added her other rings and than made a clicking noise with her mouth to urge the horse to start moving again. The horse was soon traveling at a half gallop.
On the way she thought about how she had been right for this trip after all. Even though she took a chance using the bark bead as a talisman she knew that it was unlikely that anyone would look for the bead. If anyone happened to find the tiny pieces of what was left of it, and checked it over, they would find traces of Hedge witch Power, not Northern Power. She didn’t worry about the other Power she used either. If anyone tested the residue of the Power, she had used on the officer, they would find what they expected: Eastern Magic as the bases. The same went with the demonstration of her Power she used to get in. Donna had used Eastern Power Words for both.
She was one of the few of her colleagues, who studied more than one type of Power. Now though she had to get going if she was going to make the rendezvous with the dragon and a day after that with her fiancé.
It would be good to have the dragon bones with the magic they contained. They would help her side, but they were not the reason she had taken the chance of coming here. It was the second thing, she had mentioned in an off handed way, that had brought her to this place. The humans she had mentioned, who would be coming over the pass, were coming to attack her people. There were no armies or mages, nor any other Power wielders, who were in the right position to stop them. Not that it mattered even if the army was in the right place. Her people were too few to have an army large enough to stop the one headed their way. With a few good mages, if they were able to hit the invaders in the right place, at the right moment, they might be able to do them significant damage thereby stopping them. But that would leave her nation open to an attack by the Easterners. The army however wasn’t in the right place. They were marching at full speed for the invaders because they weren’t going to give up without a fight. They would get there, however, after the invaders had come through the pass, and after they had a chance to rest up.
Her mentor had come up with the plan to use a dragon to decimate the invaders, while they were coming through the pass. He told her about the bones in the small cave just under the level of the lava in the Crag volcano. He had known about them for years but hadn’t had the ability to get to them. Now the level of the lava had gone down and if it continued going down, the cave would become accessible. But a dragon could get them. The bones were to be the excuse to get the dragon at the right place and time. Her partner would make sure the invaders attacked the dragon. He was good at making people do what he wanted without using any traceable Power words to convince them.
As she rode on she smiled happy to have beaten her fears and disgust, while at the same time she had been able to do something that would save her people. Not a bad three day trip.

The End

A Science Fiction-sort of The Tower. Whole flash tale

This one is sort of SF and takes place in Africa.


Now this story is for a picture on the Charlie Hoover Google+ profile. A couple of us sometimes place mini stories on the comments sections of his Geek pictures of the day. But this one is longer. I place it here with a link to the pic.

I wrote this in a couple of hours, in one huge sitting and one very minor sitting.

You all get to enjoy it though.

The Tower

The boy and girl, tall and lanky, even though in their early teens, walked toward the end of the hills. For now they were called Esiankiki and Loiyan, but that would change as they grew.
Both felt not right for the mountains they were leaving were strange to them. Not at all like the Savanna. They feet ached from the hard rough surfaces they had walked on. It was not the land of the People. However they stood the beginning of one side of their part of the Savanna. The trees they knew still grew here and some of the animals they killed or competed with came here too. The air felt warm as it should here. The scents of grass, the droppings of lions, and desert air grew as they walked closer to the natural border. Loiyan thought he heard the cough of a lion far in the distance, but little of any other sounds.
Both had wanted to see the Tower. It looked manmade but very few stories passed down to the next generation told of it. No one knew when it had been built or why. To worship the Red god or the Black one maybe. Loiyan thought it was something the evil Red god would like. Esiankiki wasn’t sure. It had different levels, each one with what looked like walls that swooped up to a sharp point. The oi-boni had never restricted the Masa, as others call the People, from going there but he had given warnings, as far as they knew no one had.
Both had some honey to eat so they did not worry about food. Water might be a problem later. It took them two hours or more to get to the tower. Up close it looked both man made and natural. Neither knew how that could be but each agreed on that.
Loiyan placed the palm of his hand on it: rough like the huge rocks they had just climbed over but warm. Esiankiki placed her ear to it. She thought she heard something but so faint, she didn’t like the roughness against her ear’s skin. She pulled Loiyan back when he wanted to taste it with his tongue. Too rough for that she said.
Around the other side they saw a way in, or up. What could be very old steps, worn smooth by feet and weather. With very careful steps they went up. The first level had a place to walk but they couldn’t see over the edge of the wall as tall as they were. The same with the second level. As far as they could find there was no way in, and no places to sacrifice offerings mixed with grass. Maybe that was on the top. But once they reached as far as they could go still nothing. The inside of the walls looked and felt smooth. The bottom had smelled of age and something neither one liked. But up here only air. They saw lions and tall grass further on, for the walls had grown smaller on the way up.
No blacken areas with very old ash so not sacrifices up here either. So what was this used for? To watch the lions, to see if any enemies were coming? The People did sometimes fight. They found lines in the inner wall like a doorway, The People used curtains but they knew others had wood and metal doors, some with metal and what was called glass. They both had been to cities, ridden in cars and a train. They had seen a helicopter land. That had been noisy worse than a very large pride of lions Loiyan had been trapped in when very small. All of the beasts roaring at once had deafen him. And the noise had been louder than a big rain storm with lightning and thunder. But if this was a door he nor Esiankiki had seen any way to open them. He tried to slide his fingernails into the cracks but something stopped them. Esiankiki noticed the indentations near waist level on one level, but they didn’t seem to do anything. Loiyan who had the hearing of a warrior thought he heard clicks from inside but nothing happened. Both felt tiny vibrations in the door but they did nothing. Esiankiki thought she tasted in the air something like what flavors the air when lightning strikes. The space in-between the lines grew warmer but only a little. That made no sense.
After a while they gave up and walked down. Back at the bottom they saw more lines in the tower but they were shaped wrong for a doorway for any person. And they all went into the ground. So they knew the Tower went deeper like a huge rock. These doors looked like something that slid out maybe. Esiankiki wasn’t sure why she thought of that. Loiyan thought it would be something larger than a hut if so. With a final shrug-that the People had picked up from the shorter white visitors-they left and finally headed home. The People who someone else had lived in the Tower, they were now sure of but who? And how did they get the doors to open? They would never know.

end

Link to picture

Half story-Fantasy: What??

I first wrote this story maybe three years ago. I revised it once or twice over those years and again today. The whole thing was about 4,500 words which I thought was too long when I posted it online so I split it almost in half. I added descriptive words and some sentences that make it read clearer. I also deleted some but it still has more words than when I started.
I did this story and placed it on what on Google Plus is called #saturdayscenes (June 24).

It is one of my favorites among my stories and I am thinking of doing more stories about Donna. While I was revising I could see why it was rejected by editors. Now it will read better and hopefully be more enjoyable. I wouldn’t mind if someone said they enjoyed it-hint hint. :) Or why they didn’t.
The second half next week. This section is 2,295 words long.



Donna Elkshorn watched as the irate dragon landed with a minimum movement of its wings. Still each beat could be heard many yards away. Her feet, hands and face almost frozen but they would expect her not to care about that, or be able to warm herself. The flat rock they used for dragon landings seemed much smaller once its claws touched the hard surface. The claws scrapped the rock to express anger. She stood her ground though and glared back as it would expect.
It said, “You want me to do what?”
Even over the sounds of grinding rocks and the stink of hot metal and brunt meat, she had smelled a lava river when it landed now it stunk like a blacksmith’s forge, she heard the anger.
The dragon’s gray green tail fell to the ground before curling around its hindquarters, like a trained snake. The dragon’s long neck moved with a sinuous grace. The head with its mouth full of teeth as long as her arms moved closer. The beast settled on its hunches, stared down at her. Again she wondered if she would survive, this was her most scariest assignment by far-for more than one reason. This dragon wasn’t even the worst.
She knew she appeared to be a lone female human who wore a black robe and a unique corset and nothing else as required by the wizard school she had infiltrated. It knew what the robe meant.
Still she controlled her dismay and glare with what she hoped was a haughty expression, even as its breath blow her robe open and tried to knock the cowl off her head. However she had used magic to keep it up so her red hair-the one physical feature that would show she wasn’t a native-would not show. If it did she would have to fight her way through the students and teachers. She would flunk that test.
The school with its four old, two story buildings and one brand new three story, all made of nearby rock sat a third of a mile down from the landing area. Only one fireplace each building though, in the common room, for the wizards-to-be needed to learn how to make warmth and coolness. Do it or freeze was only one of the hard lessons. Again she knew gladness that she hadn’t been taught here. One dirt path led up here, but it had been used so many times that its surface lay a half foot below the rest of the ground level.
Her attention got back to the gray and dirt colored great beast which resembled a living mountain, even its long jaws looked like rocks bunch together. The dragon’s eyes, as large as bucklers, opened all the way.
It repeated itself-probably thought she had taken too long to respond, “You want me to do what!”
A stronger blast of air blew her full length black cape open again. Her body, unclothed except for the corset like garment, was exposed to anyone who might be watching. She hated wearing just the honor belt and the cape, but she had to keep up appearances. The dragon didn’t care what she wore, or revealed to the world, but there were men in the nearby fortress-school that would. She was glad that she had used a small Power word to make sure her hood kept her short cropped red hair from showing.
Donna hoped no one from the school was spying on her, as she fought the impulse to quickly reclose the cape around her. That action would reveal, to any one looking her way, that something wasn’t right. She would be able to sense if anyone was using Power to spy on her, but not if they were using ordinary means like a telescope.
She almost shook her head, when for half a second, she thought about what her fiancé would say about her outfit, and that she was wearing it around other men. Normally she wouldn’t wear something like that even around him. Once she was done here she could head back to her room and get dressed in her usual attire. That would include her Power charm bracelet, rings and the necklace of opals and amethyst he had given her. She felt naked, well even more naked than she was, without her bracelet and the specialized charms on it. They offered her protection, as well the ability to attack, if anything happened with the students at the school. The dragon would be able to bite its way through even her strongest shield, but it would slow him down enough for her to run... she hoped.
On the other hand, she thought, it might be good if I had to depend on my own abilities without enhancements. I don’t want to get too dependent on my charms, even if I did make most of them.
While she was thinking she had been raising her head to look the dragon in the eye. Not something she wanted to do, but the type of person she was impersonating would do it without hesitating. Their ego would not permit them to think a dragon, even one this size, would disobey them.
Crossing her arms, Donna tried to sound haughty and upset for she was repeating her request. She had already stated it when she had called the dragon, while he was flying overhead.
“I want you to go the Crag volcano to retrieve some dragon bones.”
Donna pointed to a very tiny smudge in the distance. The air was very clear up at this height. The Crag volcano, however, could only be seen as a very tiny line and only by those with the best eyes. Actually as small as it looked, the distance was deceptive. It would take the dragon three days to fly to the volcano, and he would have to cross another dragon’s territory to get to it.
She finished by adding, “You can survive a lava bath, can’t you?”
The dragon’s great head jerked backwards.
“Of course I can survive a dip in lava. I am a dragon! I just came from a lava mud bath. It was most refreshing, while this conversation is not.”
She wanted to back off from the hot, metallic breath and anger. At the same time she stopped her hand from moving, on its own, to where her bracelet usually encircled her wrist. Neither action would help her deal with the dragon. She hoped that the little tweak on his ego might push him to do what she wanted.
“Good, so you won’t mind finding a cave that may be under the lava,” she said.
“If its there, I will find it.”
She nodded than said, “We were told that there are dragon bones in the cave.”
That was a mistake to say we, she thought, but at the same time the dragon probably wouldn’t care if it was just her, or a group.
“I want you to bring them to me, I have need of them.”
The dragon looked at her for a moment, eyes narrowing and making a noise that to her sounded like a short growl. Dragons didn’t usually like to give up the bones of another dragon, they ate them instead. This one was probably wondering what she needed the bones for. You could get magic from dragon bones if you knew how. You could take so much that it would destroy the bones. That was an insult to dragons.
“How should I bring them?” as it glanced at his claws.
“I don’t care, it is not my responsibility to figure out how you should do what you are told.”
He made that sound again and said, “If they are there I will bring them.”
“If they have survived the immersion in the lava, since the volcano erupted, they will be there.”
“They will have survived... if they are the bones of a dragon.”
“They are, however it’s greatly possible that the lava has
gone down, in that case the cave will be revealed. I could have gone to them, if that is the case, but it would take too long for me to get there and to get back with the bones.”
She added, they are near the southern slope of the volcano and I want you to bring them to me in a clearing sixty-eight miles, that way,” She pointed into a northern direction, “I will be there with a wagon.”
After a pause she added, “There may be humans...”
She said humans her with a sneer, as if humans were contemptible, even though she obviously she was human. “moving through a pass very close to the volcano. They will be a large group with wagons and such. If they were to attack you, I wouldn’t care what you might do in response.”
The beast shifted its weight and showed a dragon smile-its mouth open wide enough to show all of its teeth. He probably considered that statement as a reward, that he would get to eat and destroy a bunch of humans. He would do it, Donna thought, even though she had added the stipulation that they needed to attack him first. More than likely he would make sure they attacked first. In this case though she didn’t care who fired the first shot.
After another glance at her, his head and neck arrowed upward. Once his head was at it’s furthest, he leapt into the sky. Raising to the pinnacle of his leap, his wings unfolded in one smooth motion. He started flapping them, gaining altitude, soon he was gone.
Pulling her cape around her after it was almost blown off again, Donna thought, he did that on purpose. At least there’s not much dust to be blown in my face.
After she made double sure it wouldn’t fall open Donna turned and slowly, with her head held hight, walked back to the Fortress that was a school for the other side. A strong breeze hit her but for a few seconds it was welcomed because of the heat of the dragon.
The building she headed for was a large L shape with sleeping rooms on the second, along with rooms for eating and meetings on each floor. The first level had class rooms, offices and a large dining area for entertaining important visitors. This building had green streaks and a few small spots of brown along with its gray color which made it blend in with the local rock.
The wind made noises up here but some of it could be dragons miles away. On the way back to school she mused on how the dragon first reacted to her request. She had presented it in a way that would get his attention, as he was flying over head. His reaction and his question had been word for word what hers had been when her mentor came to her with the idea of masquerading as a student of dark Power at their not so well known school which was out of the way near dragon territory. He explained that she would be a higher ranked student, one that was on their own and able to come and go as they wanted to from the school. All she would have to do was show up, give the right passwords with a display of her Powers, and she would be given a room for as long as she wanted it. Of course he hadn’t had to mention that she would have to wear just a robe and a wide belt of rank while she was at the school. She knew that already from her studies. He hadn’t had to tell her the rest either, but obviously he had felt the need to remind her. Nor had he needed to say that someone may decide to request her aid in practice of another type. She hoped that wouldn’t happen, but she knew some tricks to make them think she was more powerful than she was.
She ended the downward slope and hit the more or less level path to the buildings. Lunch was cooking and she knew a refuse pit on the other side of the School would have to be covered and a new one dug soon. A lesson for first year students maybe? Even as she watched her step for the rocks on the path and places dipped, she thought and decided that she didn’t know why both male and female students dressed like this. She supposed it was a symbol of their attention to their studies, that nothing would be able to distract them and a symbol that nothing but magic would control them. Then again it might be to allow the male teachers and soldiers to ogle the girls and the female teachers and few female soldiers to ogle the boys. She shrugged her shoulders thinking that the first guess was probably closest.
Free to think of other things, her mind again returned to when she was given this assignment. When she saw her mentor in the door of her house, she knew he wasn’t there for a social visit. He had come sometimes for a social call but by his expression not this time. And she knew it was something she wasn’t going to like. She thought something had happened to her fiancé or her parents or she had failed somehow. Donna hadn’t expected him to suggest that she come here. That had sent her emotions on a wild dragon ride.
He had said, “I need you to do something. You’re not going to like it, but you’re the only one that can pull it off to save our land.”

end section

A Birthday sale on all of my E-books

I am having a Birthday sale this week and next on all three of my E-books. There are paper versions available but sadly to say they are not on sale. Great for summer reading and beyond. Good tales with action packed writing My Tommmy Tuckernocker book is included in this one since all of my books are on sale for my birthday coming up.

Two books about a young woman with a unique ability These are Urban Fantasy along the lines of Laura Anne Gilman, Jim Butcher, Benedict Jacka and C. E. Murphy.
NA wants to help people even as she deals with her own emotional issues and baggage. All of this while she is trying to pay her bills and play her drums. In these two adventures she ends up over her head while she tries to find answers to why bad things are happening and people are in danger. There are mythical beasts: griffins, unicorn, trolls, fairies, human attackers, and other dangers all in modern day Boulder. E-book $2.99

One action packed book about a young man in charge of a special military unit set in a steampunk world:
Tommy Tuckernocker is a young man in charge of a special unit charged with protecting his country from those who would take it over in war. Even as he learns how to lead men and women, and while he deals with his growing doubts.
E-book $1.99

There are available on all major E-books sites such as iTunes and Kobo but here are the links to Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/L.+E.+Doggett/_/N-8q8…
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Learning+CurveX2+

https://www.amazon.com/L.-E.-Doggett/e/B01C58R1II/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1497496769&sr=8-1

Father's Day sale on a great fun read

A new announcement

My Steampunk special Ops combo is on sale for Father's Day. Tommy Tuckernocker: Shadow Warrior:
An exciting tale of a young officer in charge of a special unit dedicated to keeping his country free. If your dad, or anyone else, likes action packed war books and E-books this is for them. $1.99 for the E-book and if they like a solid book- $11.99 for the paper version, but order it now. The E-book sale price will be that low until Father's Day, in case you need something last minute.

Review by follow writer Christian Freed:
"While I don't profess to any knowledge of the steam punk genre I immediately felt comfortable after only a few pages of jumping into Louis Doggett's Tommy Tuckerknocker. Being a former soldier myself, I easily followed the flow and pacing of the story as Tommy took his team through a series of life and death situations that were not only action packed, but realistic in terms of how they play out. This book was not only enjoyable, but easily read. I found myself at the end much faster than I was prepared for. Kudos to Mr. Doggett for writing an enjoyable tale."

It can be found at iTunes and Kobo as well as At
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Tommy+Tuckernocker%3A+Shad…
and
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/147-7359232-0073348…