Dragon Knights Fan Fiction ❯ The Lonely and Unfulfilling Life of a Spy ❯ Dragon Goes In... ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Thank you Dragon of Eternal. I hope you like this chapter too.

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<scene setting>
A long, dark and lonely castle stands before us. A long dark and lonely path lined with damp, grimy and uncomfortable-looking trees leads from it down the mountainside. The falling rain is keeping this track dank and muddy.

<add sound effects>
The drizzle of rain and the lashing of thunder continue to enthral our senses. The tingle before the lightning strikes has grown stronger.

<add cast of characters>
Only one figure can be made out from the drizzle. A mud-encrusted body seems to be keeping watch from high among the treetops, on said dark and lonely castle.
<run story>

The figure switches from active watching to passive watching. The distinction is notable to those engaged in the activity of spying, but not immediately recognisable to those untrained in the arts. Let it just be said that nothing escapes the eagle eyes of a fully trained active watcher, whereas some stuff might escape the view of a passive watcher. This explains how James Bond is able to sneak into the most tightly guarded and carefully watched strongholds with only a tuxedo and a grappling hook for company. Active watching - burns more calories than passive watching, but grows old fast when nothing happens.

The muddy body mutters to herself.

"I wonder how long I have to wait here now? I mean, the dragon's gone in and he ain't coming out. It's a shame, but that's what happens when you go up against a castle full of yokai." She sighs. "What's appropriate? One hour? Two?"

The figure stretches out along her branch.

"It's not fair. The first dragon and likely the last I'll ever see and he's been wiped out by the scum of the castle. I didn't even get a souvenir and I'll bet those bastards won't leave me anything. Not a lock of his sweet hair, not a finger, not an ear. They have such lovely ears. Be something to show my grandkids that would." She sighs again. "If I ever have any."

Out of duty, she casts her eyes along the castle, skimming over the walls and paying careful attention to windows and doors. There's no sign inside of what's happened to her dragon. He probably bought it in the depths of the castle.

"What's the usual thing for yokai? Would they just dump his body outside the castle, or bury it deep inside some dungeon. I wonder if they'll put it up on spikes as a warning to others." This morbid train of thought distracts her momentarily. "Maybe they'll eat the body. They're that uncivilised up here."

The wind wraps around her as it prepares for its assault on the castle.

"I bet he has nice things. Pretty things. Poor dragon."

She resettles herself on her perch once more.

"Still, what was he thinking? One dragon. One castle. Surely he knew that it'd be full of yokai. Surely he knew that we'd be watching him approach. Surely he knew that we were waiting. Surely he knew that he'd never get out alive." Her head shakes once more. "Foolish, foolish dragon. I hope you didn't leave any family."

Another quick glance at the castle reveals nothing.

"I bet he'd make pretty babies though. Just like him. Pretty, brave and stupid enough to assault a yokai castle on their own."

She starts to cheer up again.

"Maybe stupid enough to seek revenge. Wow, there could be more dragons coming to the castle. This time I'll be ready. This time I'll, I'll, bring my sketchbook, or maybe a pair of scissors on a stick, with a bit of string attached to the other end." Her eyes have lit up. It's cute to watch. "I could grab a bit of hair or clothing or something."

She wraps her arms around her.

"Oh I'm bored. How long before I can leave? I wanna go!"

She drums her feet against the branch.

"Okay, what's beyond reasonable? Say, enter the castle, five minutes. Fight off first wave of yokai, twenty minutes. Explore the castle, one hour. Realise that you're getting nowhere, five minutes. Ask for directions, twenty minutes, given that you've slaughtered a large proportion of the castle's inhabitants. Figure out where you're going and get there, twenty minutes, the castle isn't THAT big. Do what you came for, ten minutes. Leave the castle, twenty minutes."

The next twenty minutes are spent in leisurely addition. Well, there's not going to be anything to distract her once she's finished this task and thinking is not traditionally the strong point of creatures such as her, no matter how many big words they can use in a sentence. She adds it all up and comes to a rough total of two hours and forty minutes.

Her thoughts return, of course, to the dragon.

"I wonder what could drive him to suicide? It must have been madness. Unless, maybe he annoyed his lord and he sent my dragon on a mission of great peril, in the hope that he'd get topped off. What a mean lord." She shakes her fist angrily in the direction of Draqueen. Or she would have, if she'd known where it was. She just shakes her fist angrily in general and a darn good shaking it was too. "Still, they say that the dragonlord's cold and hard. He sent loads of Dragon Knights to die when his queen was captured, until he finally came himself. He even cut off Lord Nadil's head. For a little while at least. He must be really strong and scary then." She shivers at the thought of this cruel and merciless beast. "I hope I don't meet him. I bet he kills twenty yokai a day and bathes in their blood!"

The girl frantically conjures up a vision of this evil (wait, aren't we the evil ones?) and ruthless monster.

"I bet he's got blood red eyes and that icky, black, viscous stuff oozes from his mouth. I bet that his skin's as cold as ice and that they have to throw newborn babies to him hourly, in order to satisfy his bloodthirsty rages. I bet he froths at the mouth when he speaks and that there's one dragon dedicated to translating his half muttered ramblings. I bet that his woman can't bear to touch him and that he doesn't treat her with proper respect at all. I bet he never buys her flowers and that she secretly has a crush on another dragon."

She pauses, the entire, sordid story revealed before her.

"I bet it's my dragon, the dragon that just went into the castle. I bet that she fell in love with him, but that he was too noble to betray his lord, so out of spite she told the dragonlord lies and HE sent HIM to his death. Dragons are cruel."

She sighs at the duplicity and evil of the dragons to their own.

"My poor, dear, dead dragon. Your tale was a tragedy of unmitigated sorrow."

While empathising, deeply, with her dearly departed, she glances at the sky.

"Another 4 hours. It'll be dark before my time's up."

She yawns.

"How can I kill time? At least if they'd left me a body I could be gone by now. But no, castle yokai never think of the little people. Not us lowly minions watching from the rain and hey, it's letting up a little."

The rain has indeed eased slightly. Amazed at this change in her surroundings the girl decides to do something.

"I could go for a walk. I probably shouldn't wander too far away though. I know, if I walk around the castle, that's close to what I should be doing and it could be enjoyable. It'll kill a little time too. At least half an hour or so."

The girl drops lightly through the branches to the ground. The mud creeps over her ankles and makes for her knees. She starts moving before she sinks too deeply into it. Luckily, she is well practised in wading through the mud and she makes far better time than the dragon did.

"A bit more rain and I'd be enjoying a nice mud swim."

She moves closer to the castle, although she keeps a respectful distance. She doesn't want to set off the castle yokai, especially not mud-bound as she currently is. Their sense of humour is decidedly depraved and they get bored quickly. Actually, it's kinda funny. Having destroyed a dragon should have really cheered them and put them into dangerously high spirits. They're being very quiet. The girl doesn't know anything much about the castle, except by rumour, this is the closest she's ever been, but surely she should be able to hear a mad bunch like them. Even from this distance. The stories are LEGENDARY.

She pauses and listens actively. (Same distinction as at the beginning of the chapter. Except that she's not as good at active listening.) No screams, no cries, no yells, no yodels. No sign of real yokai. Anyone would think that it was your ordinary, run-of-the-mill deserted castle. Not being particularly worried, but warning herself not to get too complacent she sets off on her round.

The walk is quite pleasant. Although the sun doesn't quite make an appearance, the glare from the clouds is a little brighter than usual. Birds are engaged in territorial vocal battles and various small animals run, cavort and kill each other for food. Normally such animals shy away from the haunts of yokai, except for the slimy ones, so this is a nice change for the girl.

The first sign of yokai life comes around a bend in the castle walls. A heap of broken furniture and various scraps and rags are piled up against the wall, left where they fell from the windows above.

"Typical. First sign of these creatures is their rubbish."

Not wanting to have her wade spoiled, the girl makes her way onwards. However, the habits of a lifetime interfere and she sorts through the rubbish mentally. The furniture seems to have been smashed apart, either in a vicious fight, or a wild party. The edges are still sharp so it must have been recent. There are only bits of furniture too, nothing that makes up a whole chair, or a table. There are also several gashes in the wood that seem to have been made by swords, axes or claws. The rags and scraps appear to have been former tapestries and curtains and such torn to pieces in a similar manner and stained by what appears to be blood, or else cheap red wine.

One pile of rags in particular appears to still be bleeding. The girl takes several steps beyond the rubbish heap before she realises what this may mean.