Tasty Dragon Meat

By K. J. Colt

This book is suitable for ages 9+.

Dragon meat. It's for dinner.

In the town of Bolopsy lives a humble butcher, Nogdo, who's quietly making a fortune selling dragon meat. But when the town’s children start growing black dragon scales, Nogdo is horrified. The source of his new fortune is cursed. He wipes dragon meat off the menu and hopes the problem goes away on its own.

It doesn't.

Now that his youngest son is growing black scales, Nogdo will stop at nothing to find the cure. During his quest, he will have to deal with vengeful dragons, a recluse wizard, and a band of barbaric hunters if he is ever to return home—and being alive at the end could just be asking too much

• Language: English
• Publisher: K. J. Colt
• Release date: Mar 30, 2015
• ISBN: 9781508813934

Book preview

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thank you to Lane Brown (lanebrownart.com), for the fabulous cover and book design. To Thomas Shutt, for his wonderful guidance—and hilarious comments during the editing process. Savvy? Much appreciation to my wonderful Guild readers; Melissa, Ruth, Marsha, Brandy, Athena, Paul. They found those pesky errors that bugged me the most!

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TASTY DRAGON MEAT

No one ever thought that dragon meat could be tasty. Oh no, not those ugly lizard things with blood-red eyes, fiery breath, and demonic tempers. And perhaps the secret of their delicious flesh would have remained undiscovered if Nogdo, a butcher from the quaint town of Bolopsy, hadn't been brave enough—or desperate enough—to taste some.

One day, Nogdo fractured a beloved meat cleaver while carving prime rump off a prized cow. The butcher decided to take six days off work and make the long journey south to Krowtogor—a small hamlet just outside of Ashos, the capital of the Kingdom—to get the knife fixed by a renowned blacksmith. He set off at noon the following day with Pumpkin, a good-for-nothing draught horse with a lazy eye, and a carefully crafted buggy—his pride and joy—that Nogdo built himself.

Spring's newly hatched birds, butterflies, and blooming blossoms made for a delightful journey. While Nogdo happily hummed a tune of tulips, a dragon the size of a house tumbled out of the sky and smashed the rear end of his buggy. Nogdo was catapulted into the air, and landed with a hard thump.

Stunned for a moment, he gathered his wits and, terrified of being eaten, scampered across the dirt to hide behind the nearest tree. Pumpkin whinnied and thrashed against the restraints keeping her tied to the useless cart. The straps broke, and she galloped away, dragging bits of the broken buggy behind her.

Afraid the dragon was still alive, Nogdo sat trembling behind the trunk, trying to mimic the stillness of a rock. Heartbeats later, when not a sound was heard, he slowly edged around the tree to peek at the dragon.

Only a youngling, Nogdo thought, examining the mass of glossy, triangular scales and stunted horns. Its jaw, strong and square, was fit to grate bones to powder. Dragons were known for eating slowly and ageing even slower. He guessed the beast's age at three hundred years, give or take 50 years.

The butcher shifted his foot, the toe of his boot snapping a twig. The dragon's eyes flicked open and fixed Nogdo with a murderous glare. I'm dead, Nogdo thought, a lump swelling in his throat. As the dragon rolled onto its feet, the butcher said a silent farewell to his current life and prayed for a pleasant journey to the next one.

Nogdo jumped when fifty or so dragon hunters burst out of the woodlands, brandishing swords and maces. The injured dragon hobbled back, its wing drooping lifelessly at its side. The warriors cast a net, which missed its target, so they flung themselves onto the lizard’s back from their horses.

Seeing bows being drawn and arrows nocked, the dragon made an effort to fly away with some hunters still on its back. But the wounded wing prevented the beast from gaining height, and the arrows pierced its chest. The dragon spluttered and fell lifelessly to the earth, causing the ground to shudder.

Satisfied with their kill, the hunters put away their weapons and pulled out hatchets and skinning knives. They hacked off the horns, yanked out teeth, pried off scales, and stripped the wing-flesh. The hunters would use these parts for oils, and other salves. The horns were used to decorate the hunters’ shields. After filling large sacks with their bounty, they turned their attention on ransacking Nogdo's cart. Once every item was plundered, the hunters departed in a cloud of dust.

The butcher allowed several minutes to pass before venturing out from his hiding place. With no food or horse, Nogdo despaired. He was three days’ walk from Bolopsy and Krowtogor, and he had no tools for hunting. As the sun fell, Nogdo’s stomach quivered with hunger, and the dry air cooled his skin. A chunk of flint lay near a broken cartwheel, and he was thankful the hunters