Here Lie Dragons

By David Papp

This is a collection of original fantasy short stories that will both warm your heart and tickle your funny bone.   If you enjoy cavorting with elves, dwarves, gnomes, and dragons, and sharing their adventures, then you've come to the right place.  Humans are also welcome.

• Language: English
• Publisher: David Papp
• Release date: Oct 12, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386675594

Book preview

Here Lie Dragons

And Other Tales

A fantasy short story collection

By David L. Papp

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Text copyright © 2018 David L. Papp

All Rights Reserved

Table of Contents: 

Introduction

Here Lie Dragons

A-typical Dwarf

The Delpyre

Delvorn’s Rescue

Flaxen

Only Ogrun

Shadowed

Opposite Number

Terrorizing the Town

Darlyn and Merix

Fateful Connection

By the Wayside

Introduction

Have you ever wondered what happens to those people in fantasy stories that aren’t the big hero and aren’t on the world or national stage?  They still hold some importance in their own right, but not in an epic way.  It could be that one thing, possibly the only thing, that character ever did that made a difference to somebody.  They just didn’t make it onto the narrative because history follows the heroes and we may never hear of their deeds.

There are many great stories of heroes and villains that stretch out in epic tales of mayhem and adventure.  I had originally intended to write in that fashion, but each time I took a break from whichever story I was working on, another idea came to mind, just a thought or an odd happening.  Most were strange little tales that I felt uncomfortable stretching into longer stories just for the sake of doing so.  These were mostly a day or two in the life of someone who had something extraordinary happen, or a life changing event.  We all experience those short times of excitement that occur between the normal and common days in our lives.

Here, I have a handful of these tales.  The setting for each would probably be in the same world and I just may have some of these characters from the different stories cross paths in the future.  As you will find upon reading, I have an affinity for Dark Elves and find humor in most situations.  The subjects carry on their lives as do you or I, with the same feelings and emotions, but not subject to the confines of the stereotypes as we may see in a lot of fantasy.  That seems to be the same old story: someone grows from hardship into a great hero, battles their way to the top while armies of different nations are fighting for control, now throw in a flight of merciless dragons decimating the land, and the hero in the end defeats them all.  Aaand scene.  Yeah, no, let’s not do that.  Let’s go in a direction that most of us can actually relate to, meaning mostly interpersonal relationships as something is happening, but in a fantasy setting.  Oh, and magic.  And a dragon or two, because dragons are cool, although not too many to make it ridiculous.  We’ll also have some fun along the way.

That is the main point, have fun.  I wrote these for fun and thought others might enjoy them as well.  If you do, I’m glad I could entertain.  If not, well, to each their own.  The world is full of many tastes and opinions.  Find what suits you and enjoy that.

Now, without further ado...the curtain rises to reveal a placid landscape...

Here Lie Dragons

D o you know where you’re going? Malcolm asked, with a bit of irritation in his voice at having to trudge through the thick forest.  His vision of their trek was along paths and well-travelled roads, not this explorer type nonsense.

Walking through the brush ahead of him, Jeri stopped and turned, her soft though angular face peering from within the hood of her cloak.  Another branch sprang up between the two.  I know it’s around here, Mal, she responded, glaring back at him with deep blue almond shaped eyes.

Malcolm raised his hands up in front of his chest.  Okay, put the daggers back in your head.  He didn’t know how she knew about the location of their destination, but trusted her, which was also something else he didn’t quite understand.  He’d only known her a short time, finding her services as a scout while asking around about his quest.

Resuming their trek through the brush and muttering to himself, Malcolm followed as best he could.  Branches and vines continually hung in his path after his smaller companion passed by.  Using his short walking staff to help him along the way, he barely kept up pace.

There.  Jeri pointed through the trees at a mass of shadows.  It's there.

Malcolm caught up and looked.  What?  I see nothing.

Exactly, she said with a knowing grin.

He glanced around at the thick, darkening forest.  We’re nearly a full week away from anything and it’s getting dark again.  We need to find a place to camp.

Glaring at him again she pulled her hood back to reveal long, black hair to frame those deep blue eyes.  I told you, it’s right there.  She held her hand out at arm’s length toward the trees.

Malcolm spoke a few words, then flicked his fingers out toward the mass of shadows among the trees.  A flare of light shot out toward the spot, illuminating everything along its path including a naturally camouflaged, barely noticeable shack.  The dark-haired girl stood proudly with her hands on her hips as if she’d just conquered an entire kingdom.

Okay, no need to gloat, he muttered, hating that she was correct again.

Jeri happily clucked her tongue and headed toward the hidden shack.  A few moments later they were searching for an entrance, but no door made its presence known with simple observation.  The girl felt around by a moss-covered tree at one corner and discovered an opening.  Crawling through, she beckoned him to follow and soon they were both standing in a small empty room.  It looked as though no one had been there for decades.

Now what? he asked, seeing nothing of value there.

I guess we camp here tonight and start off again at daylight, she said, smoothing a place on the dirt strewn floor.

Wonderful.  He sat down in the middle of the small room and fished through his pack for his flint and steel.  To conserve magic and keep his skills up he tried to do things manually when possible.

The girl sat down on the floor in a corner, pulled her hood up, wrapped herself in her cloak, and effectively blended in with the shadows.  If someone didn’t know she was there they’d miss her completely.

After finding the flint and steel Malcom looked over at the tiny rogue.  She was one for caution and stealth whenever possible on adventures.  He’d picked up on that from the start.  Light, smoke, or smell from a fire might cause unwanted attention, not that their journey was any secret to be held.  I suppose you’d rather not have light or heat tonight.

I’ll be fine, she said in a soft tone as if a whisper on the wind.

With a sigh, he decided that if she could do it, then so could he, and put the fire making tools back in his pack.  Brushing some dirt away, he stretched out on the floor.  Resting his head on his pack and wrapping himself in his cloak, he wondered if he should place a protective ward on the area.  Deciding against it, he drifted off to sleep.

DOWN THE SIDE OF A steep mountain cliff, a small human climbed to a sliver of a ledge where another sat.  The first, a male, looked warily over the lush forest below.  He then joined the female where she sat with her legs dangling over the edge as if such a height were no danger at all.

I sense them.  They’re close, over there.  The small female pointed out toward the west where the forest spread out as far as they could see.

How many do you think there are? he asked, peering out as if he could see down through the trees.

Her delicate fingers played with the ends of her long platinum blonde hair.  Not many.  I barely detect them.  Maybe two, or three.

Race? he asked looking down through his knees at the nearly vertical drop below.

She squinted as if in concentration. Human...oid...ish.

Oh, that narrows it down, he said sarcastically.

She swatted at him with her newly braided ends.  I haven’t done this in a while.

The male gazed out at the setting sun as the forest below was darkening in shadows.  The mountain at their backs just recently shed its blanket of snow.  With spring came warm weather, increasingly warmer weather than in the past.  They remembered when the area was snow covered year-round.

Things change, he commented simply.

It was beautiful, she sighed at him, leaning her head back against the hard rock.  Can’t keep nice things.

Just try to enjoy this, he told her stretching his arms out to encompass the forest spread out before them, the view filling their entire vision.  Winter will be here again.

She wanted winter and the protective blanket of snow.  It was easier to track and detect intruders like those approaching and she didn’t much care for the heat of the summer months.  As she watched the sun fall below the horizon she let out another deep sigh with the onset of the cool night air.

They stopped, she said, closing her eyes.  They won’t be here before dawn, tomorrow or the next day anyway.  She stood up and started up the steep cliff face.  Both climbed to a larger outcropping of rocks and disappeared through a crevice hidden within.

MALCOLM WOKE FROM A rather odd, peaceful sleep and glanced nervously around the dark room.  Jeri?

Good morning.  The girl pulled her hood back revealing that she sat in the same position he saw her last.

He raised himself up on one elbow.  Do you sleep like that?

No, why?

Oh, no reason, he said, but realized he never saw her actually sleep, which was probably a good thing for a rogue.

I did find the path to our destination this morning, she mentioned casually.

Still shaking his head at her stealth skills, he asked, Okay then, where are we off to today?

Jeri stood up and drew one of her daggers.  With a flick of her wrist she let loose the weapon toward a corner of the room.  It stuck into the floor with a dull hollow sound.

Malcom got to his feet and brushed himself off.  A trap door?

She retrieved her dagger.  It seems so.  A door, whether trapped or not.

He rolled his eyes.  Let's hope it leads somewhere.

All doors lead somewhere.  It just depends on your perspective, she said.

The rogue grinned and carefully pried open the wooden hatch as Malcolm watched, thinking he would have simply thrown it open.  But Jeri was a cautious sort as she plied her trade.  The girl slowly and gently leaned down into the hole to search for traps.  When none seemed apparent she slid in. 

A few moments of silence went by before a light flared up just within the entrance.  When Malcolm looked down into the hole he saw the rogue standing at the beginning of an underground passage.  He climbed down and saw that the tunnel was crudely dug and wound erratically away into the distance.  He held a hand out for her to lead the way.

With the help of his conjured light source, the two made their way through the tunnel, winding around large tree roots and sometimes having to crawl through tighter sections.  Malcolm grumbled again as they came to the challenge of a few large boulders blocking their way.  Jeri gave the area a good scan and put a finger to her chin.

I don’t think they're here naturally, she said, pondering out loud.  She pointed up to the rough dirt ceiling.  They didn't fall from above and the passage here is pretty level.

So, someone wants us to stay out, Malcolm added to her thoughts.

She turned to regard him and narrowed her eyes.  Or someone wants to keep us in.

He gave her a curious look, then glanced around at the tunnel they had come through.  There were no branches off the main passage and the entrance was a long way back.  What are you thinking?

Well, it's a classic trap, she said with a twinkle flaring up within her blue eyes.  First you have a long hall or something, like this, then lock up a beast of some kind at the entrance, preferably behind a hidden door or such.  Your enemy comes into the hall past the hidden beast until they get to the end, either blocked or just a dead end.  Something then triggers the door to free the beast and your enemy is trapped and ripped to shreds.

Malcolm gave her a horrified look and glanced back behind them down the dark tunnel.

I wonder if this is the trigger, she said as she reached up and tugged hard on a root hanging just above the boulders.

The man jumped back.  Don’t do that!

Jeri let out a long laugh.  It's not a trap.  I'm just fooling with you.

Well, don't, he scolded her as he felt his heart beat with a palm to his chest.  He took a second to gather his composure.  We need to keep moving.

The girl moved to the blockage and found that she could push the top boulder back and off the others with a little effort.  As she did so she let out a great roar like a wild animal, then giggled wickedly as she looked back over her shoulder to see Malcolm's glaring eyes.

At least I can squeeze through here, she said with another giggle as she crawled over the boulders to get to the other side.

He began his tight fit through, complaining the whole way.  I think we should find a way back up on the surface instead of crawling through this mole hole.

The girl stood listening in the opposite direction as he climbed over the final boulder to join her.  He grumbled some more before noticing her serious posture.  Jeri was a free spirit, he knew, but when she got down to the task at hand she was all business.

Running water, she said, listening with her eyes closed.

Big or small? he asked.

Well, I think that's relative.  She put her hands on her hips and grinned, dropping the serious posture.

He rolled his eyes and let out a sigh.  I mean, is it the sound of a river or just a trickle of a spring through the rocks?

River, she said and started off down the tunnel again showing no concern that there might be some beast between them and the water. 

Malcolm followed her for some distance.  Even though the sound of rushing water constantly grew louder, it seemed as if they weren't getting any closer.  Finally, the tunnel ended in a tangle of roots.  The girl poked around and found they would have to cut their way through.

Use your short sword, he said, moving to the side to let her work.

The girl glared at him as she reached behind and drew a sword from under her cloak, from a sheath strapped to her back.  The handle would be pointing down at hand height when she was standing straight.  As she pulled the blade out Malcolm could clearly see that it was half as tall as she.

Yes, relative, he said as he noted her expression.  I stand corrected.  Use your sword.

As she turned to cut through the roots, Malcolm again rolled his eyes and shook his head at her.  He noticed that she didn't chop at the roots, but cut some and pushed others carefully aside.  After a while she had a small passage made through and disappeared into the tangle.

Found the river, she called back and waited for the larger man to catch up outside the tunnel in the forest once again.

UP ON THE MOUNTAIN, the human male crawled out from the crack in the stone.  Strong leathery wings beat the air before him as the mid-morning sun sparkled across silver scales of the dragon.  He looked up at her with a gleam in his eye.

I just had to stretch out in the open air, she said in an unapologetic tone. 

The male walked to the edge of the outcropping and looked out over the forest below.

She craned her long neck so her head was level with him.  They reached the river a while ago.

He let out a sigh, then a yawn.  Coming this way and I'm glad of it.  It's been far too long since we had any visitors.

That's only because they all seem to want to poke us with sharp things, she grumbled.  All they ever want is treasure, our treasure.

These two or three might be different.

I doubt it.  One smells of magic.  I know it.

He turned fully to regard the beautiful dragon.  We can always go down and live among them for a while.  It does get somewhat boring up here, the two of us most of the time.

I am not boring.  Are we boring?  Maybe you are.  More boring than I, certainly.

You know what I mean.  A little change every so often is good for us.

I change a lot, she said, holding her head high.  See me now.

Yes, you’re beautiful, but social interaction is healthy. 

I don’t trust them.  She sniffed the air.  All they ever want is what is mine.  They steal and try to hurt me, beastly creatures.

We'll see what these are about when they get here.  The male lifted his head to begin the transformation to his natural dragon form.  It could be fun.

JERI STOOD AT THE BOTTOM of a steep slope leading up to an even steeper incline to the face of the mountain.  They had left the river an hour behind.  She picked out the best route for the long climb as Malcolm prepared the spells he thought they might need for the next part of the trek.

See it there?  She pointed to what looked like a nearly vertical mountain side from their position.  It won't be easy.

Stay and camp here until morning or start up straight away?

There are some ledges and rocky outcroppings along the path until we reach the shear face farther up, she reported.

Up we go then.  He stood, shouldered his pack, and headed up the slope.

Jeri took the lead, making the climb look easy while Malcolm took his time to conserve energy.  He didn't wish to end up in a splattered heap at the foot of the mountain.  Every so often she stopped to let him catch up, then easily climbed to the next spot.  When it started growing dark she went directly for a safe area.

Malcolm pulled himself up onto a ledge that was just wide enough for them to spread out.  Well, this will just have to do for tonight.  I don’t think anything will bother us up here, so a fire might be in order.

The girl simply sat cross-legged to the far side of the ledge looking out over the vast forest.  Her companion built a small fire and settled down to rest his sore muscles, aching from the climb.  Soon he had dozed off to sleep while night enveloped the land.

Morning found the man alone on the ledge.  He gathered the remains of the unburned kindling and looked to see which way to head next.  From up above, Jeri waved as she clung from a short overhanging rock by one hand.  The girl dangled in the air, then nimbly crawled up to the next precarious set of hand holds.  She motioned which direction for him to take.

The going was slow, but they were in no big rush.  That day and the next were spent climbing the ever-steeper trail until finally they found an outcropping of rock and nothing else, but sheer cliff face.  Jeri climbed out over the rocks to see a small passage leading into the mountain.  She helped him up to that level before going any further ahead.

This is it, Malcolm breathed when he peered into the dark tunnel.

The girl turned to regard him.  Okay, I got you here and I didn't ask any questions.

He anticipated her next words.  Until now.

Right, so what exactly are you after?

He looked at her, then glanced over the rocks to the long drop down to the bottom of the mountain.  For just an instant the thought ran through his mind that he might just give her a push over the edge.  That would certainly solve the problem of the secret getting out.  Instead, Malcolm peered into the passage and conjured a light source.

I've heard tell there's a dragon's horde up here, he said as he made his way into the mountain passage.

There are also dragons, she said casually.

He looked over his shoulder at her.  You know of the dragons?

You know, where there is a dragon's horde there is usually a dragon or two nearby.

You've been up here before, then, to the horde?

She turned her head to loosen up her neck muscles.  I haven't ever climbed the mountain.  I never really had cause to make the climb.  Do you mean to loot the treasure?

The man put on a frown.  I don’t believe we'll even get close to the treasure if there even is a horde.  Dragon hordes are rumor, nobody’s ever seen one.

Jeri followed him along the winding route until it opened into a larger cavern with multiple side chambers and tunnels in all directions.  Why come here then, if not for the treasure?

Have you ever seen a dragon? he asked as he walked in farther, looking for any sign of the best way to go.  He didn't wait for her to answer.  I haven't, but I do know of some powerful spells that require material components that come from dragons, bits of scales, teeth, claws and such.  I don’t need to actually meet the beast to find any shedding lying about.

The girl nodded her head, satisfied with his explanation of their trip.  She then pointed to a small crawl space that seemed to have appeared.  Go that way.

He gave her a curious look, then followed her direction.  The way was tight, but it opened out into an immense chamber with height and width beyond his circle of light.  He stepped out into the cavernous space.

Suddenly, the entire cavern exploded in light.  Malcolm shielded his eyes with his hands.  From an alcove ahead, a huge red serpent reared up to roar, spreading her wings wide in an impressive display of might and fury.  The mage lost all control of his thoughts as fear swept through him.  The massive dragon so close meant a fiery death and he knew it.  The trap was sprung and there was nothing he could do to prevent meeting his fate.  Time seemed to freeze, until a movement to the side of the cavern caught his attention, and Jeri standing casually nearby slowly pushed his fear away.

He's not fooled anymore.  A male voice came from the direction Malcolm noticed the movement.

Well, it's not very fun anymore then, the red dragon said and lowered her head to look more directly at the man briefly frozen in fear, but recovering.

It doesn't work very well without the fire breath, the male voice said.

I know, but I can't do that, the red dragon complained.  Maybe illusion next time.  Ooh, maybe we could start again.

I don’t think he’d be fooled twice now.

Malcolm looked from the red dragon in front of him to the side of the cavern where another dragon, but this one