Ben the Dragonborn (15 page)

18 THE GIRL IN THE BOX

Charla braced herself and pushed upwards on the metal bar that kept the door locked so that the box’s occupant could not get out.  The bar did not move.  Charla threw her full strength into lifting it.  It shifted a little and then fell back into place.  The bar was heavy, but Charla was also very tired from maintaining her human form.   

Meanwhile the dragon continued to roar, “What did you say? Who is your father?”       

Ben spoke louder, “Andrew Taylor.”    

“I know that name,” the dragon began quietly, but every word spoken grew louder. “He has been in my brother’s house.” Suspicion began to grow in the dragon’s mind.  “Who is your mother?” he demanded quietly, each word spoken distinctly.  A puff of smoke escaped from the dragon’s mouth with every word. 

Ben spoke the only name he knew, “Zinder, Zinder Taylor.”

The dragon dropped the gym bag and roared in rage.   Flames singed Ben’s eyebrows.  “Zinder!  You fool!  What were you thinking!” More quietly Zork said, “What is your name, nephew?”

Ben was shocked by the question, but gave his name, “Ben.” 

“I am sorry to tell you nephew, pardon me great nephew...”

“I am not your nephew!”  Ben shouted.  

The dragon ignored him and continued speaking, “Your short, but promising life as one of the Chosen of the Guardian is over.  I’m tempted to let you live.  You would be a nasty surprise for my dear pain in the ass brother. If I could, I would send your dead body to him with a note explaining what his precious daughter has done.  He would not be pleased to know that he has a half-breed grandson.”   The dragon took a step back and breathed deeply.  Ben closed his eyes and hoped death would be quick.    

Meanwhile, Charla suddenly found the metal bar easier to lift.  A pair of hairy hands had joined hers in pushing it up.  Together the ape-man and Charla removed the bar from the door. As soon as the bar was lifted, the brownie ran, and hid trembling behind the Control Panel.  There was the sound of a body hitting the door and Charla found herself on the ground, under a young woman whose greasy hair and unwashed body smelled unpleasant.  The young woman’s brilliant green eyes were tired and bloodshot.  Her face was pale and it was clear that she had suffered from being locked up inside a box.  Charla had the feeling that she might just have saved the dragon woman's life.

The woman rolled off Charla and onto the ground.  As she did so she spoke with urgency.  “Move, move, get out of my way, right now.”

Charla pushed herself up, stood and backed up without taking her eyes off Zanderella.  As Charla watched, the freed captive began to change.  Blue green scales appeared on her arms and legs and around her neck and face.  Her neck began to stretch as did her legs.  A tail grew. Wings sprouted from the side of her body.   

Zork was focused on Ben, with his back to the metal box.  “Goodbye nephew,” Zork said, right before Brownie, who had come out from behind the control panel shouted, “Master, master, trouble…She is free.”  Zork whipped around to stare at the open door of the metal box.  Charla was hidden behind the metal box. Zork did not see her.

“Brownie, what have you done?” Zork roared.  “You will regret this.” Flames shot out of Zork’s mouth as the old dragon took to the air and hurtled towards Zanderella, who had not gone far from the metal box.  The female dragon stood with her head hung down beside the box that had held her captive for so long.    

“Get back into the box, Zanderella!” Zork roared.  “Return to your human form now!”   

It was clear that the young dragon had no intention of willingly going back inside the box that had held her captive for so long.  She took a few faltering steps away from the box towards the center of the valley clearly trying to gain time before she had to face the older dragon.  

“I am warning you. Resume your human form and get back in the box or you are dead.” 

Zanderella did not answer, but continued to stumble slowly away from the box.   

“Brownie,” the dragon roared as it flew towards Zanderella, “you get those tregs back here now.” 

Brownie moved quickly in front of the control panel.  Charla followed him.  Each screen saw the world from the vantage point of one of the tregs.  Most were flying over the water, but some were still over the island.  Brownie reached out his hand and pushed a button under one of the screens as Charla watched.  The image rotated.  The bird was retracing its flight back to the volcanic core of the island.  Water was soon replaced by a sandy beach and then forest.  When Brownie went to push another button, Charla took hold of his hand, and when he looked at her; she shook her head, no.  Brownie stood uncertain as to what to do.  He looked at Charla and out to where Zanderella was taking short hopping flights away from Zork.  He would like nothing better than to help Zanderella.  She had been his friend for many years, but Zork knew how to inflict pain that would make Brownie regret his failure to obey the older dragon’s command.  It was clear that Zanderella was weakened by her time in the box.  Brownie did not think she had much of a chance in a battle with the ruthless old dragon.  He did not want to be on the losing side of a fight. 

Charla spoke quietly into the brownie’s ear.  “I have a friend in the cage, chained to the bars.  If we can set him free, he will help us.  He has the powers of a Chosen.” 

Brownie shook his head firmly and pulled his hands free of Charla.  He had seen Ben’s powers. They were no match for Zork.  Charla moved between him and the control panel.  Brownie was strong.  He easily pushed Charla aside and stood with his finger over the button.  All he had to do was push it and another Treg would return to the valley.  He stood with his finger poised.  Tears welled up in his eyes.  He stood with his finger on the button but he could not push it.  Instead he took the key from where it hung on the hook and gave it to Charla, with a nod of his head towards Ben.  Brownie sat down on the floor beside the control panel.  His whole body trembled.  He closed his eyes and put his hands over his ears.   

Charla ran across to Ben and put the key in the padlock.  The chains fell away.  

Zanderella flew up to perch up on a rocky outcropping.  Her head hung down.  Her sides heaved from the effort of flight.  Fortunately, Zork was moving slowly.  He was not in the best of health.  He was no longer young and had little exercise over the past few months.  As Zork rose slowly into the air, Zanderella propelled herself off the cliff towards him.  Zork tried to dodge, but he was too slow. Zanderella hit Zork from above and drove him into the ground.  They struggled on the valley floor, as cats do, attacking one another with teeth and claw.  Finally, Zanderella broke free.  In her hand was the Watcher’s Medallion.   She flew towards the cage.    Zork roared in anger when he saw Zanderella with the Medallion. Fire shot out of his nostrils and encircled Zanderella.      

Ben called forth his suction cups and was about to climb the wire fence.  He wasn’t sure what he could do, but he was determined to do something.  “Wait,” said Morton, “you’re making a mistake.”  The occupants of the cage looked at Morton.  “You,” Morton said, pointing at Ben, “are of the Dragon kind. You must transform and fight as a dragon. Only one who is dragonborn has a chance to defeat Zork.  ”  

“No, I’m not…I can’t …I”  

“You can transform,” Morton responded.  “I am, or at least I was, the Watcher of Zargon.  I can sense these things.  You may be only part Zargonian, but you have the ability to transform.  The Guardian would not have sent you otherwise.  You were the best choice on five worlds.  You must be able to transform.”    

Everyone’s eyes were focused on Ben.  Hope was alive in their eyes.  Ben closed his eyes and thought of himself as a dragon.

Morton commanded, “Stand back everyone, this boy is going to need more room.”  Ben thought of himself as a dragon, but when he opened his eyes nothing had changed.  Disappointment was clearly visible in the eyes of those around him.  Only Morton still had a look of expectant hope in his eyes. 

Ben glanced over to the two dragons battling outside the cage.  Zork was holding Zanderella down on the ground.  Zanderella had put the Medallion over her head and he was trying to get it back.  Every time he came close her jaw snapped shut.  Zork had her upper body pinned down, but Zanderella’s back legs were clawing at him.  Zork’s claws raked at Zanderella’s face and neck.  Zork was winning the battle.  Ben doubted that the young dragon could hold on for very long, weakened as she was from weeks in the metal box.            

Ben wished with every fiber of his being that he could become a dragon so he could help Zanderella.  And with that he felt himself changing.  His hands were scaly and tipped with claws.  He looked behind himself and saw a dragon body complete with tail.  His body was green, but had a bluish sheen. Wings grew out of his side.   The wing tips were blue.   

Ben launched himself into the air.  He hit the side of the cage and crashed down. He was still on the inside of the cage.  Flight was not as easy as it looked when Zork and Zanderella did it.  Neither was it easy to pick himself up off the ground.  The wings got in his way until he figured out how to fold them.  

Ben stood up and launched himself into the air again with his muscular hind legs.  This time he crashed down on the outside of the fence.  He untangled his legs and wings and pushed himself up from the ground.  He took a few steps and tripped on his own wings.  He stood up again and held his wings higher.  With wings beating, Ben took short, hopping flights toward Zork and Zanderella.  His movement was erratic.   Twice he tripped himself up and fell face forward on the ground.  Sometimes his feet were on the ground.  At other times they were not, as his wings took him aloft. As he came close to Zork and Zanderella, he stopped beating his wings and concentrated on moving his legs in a coordinated manner.  Ben crashed into Zork and knocked him off Zanderella with such force that Zork tumbled head-over-heels.   

The older dragon pushed himself up and roared in rage.  Fire exploded from his nostrils and surrounded Ben.   Ben closed his eyes and stepped back.   The fire burned, but did not damage his scales.  It felt like nothing more than a bad sunburn.  The older dragon launched himself into the air and landed on Ben.  Ben was not coordinated but he was strong.  It was not difficult for Ben to throw the older dragon off.  Ben stood up, tripped on his right wing and fell on top of Zork.  It was not a planned strategy, but it worked.  Ben’s weight kept the older dragon down on the ground.    

Zanderella stood above them.  Green eyes glinted from her freshly-scarred dragon face.  “Zork, it is time for you to give up.”  

“Never!” Zork roared.  “Brownie, where are those tregs?”  

Brownie stood up on shaking legs and turned towards the control panel.  Above them the solitary treg he had called screeched.  Brownie saw what the treg saw, and the treg had its eyes on Charla.  

Zanderella flew over to Zork’s pile of treasures.  She tossed things this way and that.  A gold crown inlaid with pearls went flying into the air.  Charla ran to pick it up.  As she did so the treg dove towards her.  The brownie stood shaking in front of the monitor watching the treg dive towards Charla. He pushed a button and the giant bird banked left and flew out of the valley towards the ocean.  Charla picked up the crown without knowing how close she had been to ending up in the cage with Brina and Jared.   

Zanderella found the bottle she was looking for.  Meanwhile the older dragon was doing his best to break free, arching his back and thrashing his tail, roaring and slashing at Ben with teeth and claws, but Ben could not be budged.  Zanderella threw the contents of the bottle into Zork’s open mouth.  Zanderella grabbed Ben’s arm and yanked, “Get off him quickly!”  Ben rolled off the old dragon and watched as Zork shriveled up to become an aged man with thinning silver gray hair and a crease-lined face.  Zanderella picked Zork up and carried him to the metal box.  She placed him gently inside and closed the door, locking it with the metal bar.  She flew into the cage, picked up Morton, and dropped him on the ground outside the cage.  Brownie grabbed hold of Morton’s legs, and stood attached to him like a young child who has just found a lost parent.  Morton gently stroked Brownie’s head.  Zanderella gave Morton the Medallion.  As soon as the old man had the Medallion in his hands, he disappeared out of sight taking Brownie with him.   

Another short flight brought Zanderella over to where Ben stood beside Charla. “Thank you,” she said.

Charla was still staring at the spot where Morton had disappeared.  “Where did he go?” she asked.  

“Back to Zargon.  The Medallion gives many powers to the one rightfully entrusted with it.   My uncle hoped to learn to control it, but never did.”  Zanderella then turned to Ben.  “Who are you?”

“Ben Taylor.” 

“I don’t know that name. I thought I knew every dragon-bearing family on Zargon.  Why didn’t you transform right away?” 

“I didn’t know I could.” 

“This is a mystery I wish I had time to solve.  My uncle is not the only one who likes to solve mysteries. But I must go before the portal Morton opened closes.  I must take my uncle back to Zargon while I am able.”    

Zanderella flew to the metal box and perched on top of it.     

“Before you leave,” Zanderella said, “destroy this thing Zork built to control the tregs.  You do not want it falling into the wrong hands.  Try to be gone three hours before sunset, as the tregs start to return then.”