Red Dragon of Wales
Part Three by Tamara
The great metal beast roared ferociously, causing the small dragon to cover her ears with her clawed paws. *Is it always this loud?* she asked her cage mates.
Zhar looked turned reptilian head and nodded, *Oh yes, Young One. These beasts are very noisy. *
*And hot,* Zhara agreed, flicking her tongue out to taste the stuffy air, *The two-legged mammals talk about this “air conditioning”, but with no windows to let in the breeze...I don’t see how this is air. But then, these mammals are strange creatures.*
*Strange indeed,* Zhar huffed. *First we were taken from our home and brought by another metal beast to a cold, cold place.*
*We didn’t like it very much.*
*They put us in this glass cage,* Zhar continued to explain, *so that smaller two-legs could gape at us. Then they took us again, and put us here.*
*Why would they do that?* the red dragon asked.
*I do not know, Young One,* Zhara sighed, *It is as though they had never seen our kind before...*
*It is as though they have never seen anything but themselves and their metal things,* Zhar corrected, *They go around the world and collect others, some with names older than ours, and put them in similar cages.*
*And they never ask if it’s something we want.*
*Are there others like me?* the small dragon asked, shifting in between the two Komodo Dragons.
*Alas, no,* Zhar shook his head, *They have not seen your kind for many, many cycles.*
*Most don’t even believe you ever exist,* Zhara added.
*Don’t exist?* the dragon asked, *But I’m here, aren’t I? The One brought me here.*
Zhar looked at her curiously, *One?,* he asked, *who is this One?*
The young dragon thought for a minute, unsure how much she should say, *He called me here. From my home.*
*Ah,* Zhara nodded, *He is a two-leg. They always meddle in things they do not understand.*
*No,* she shook her head, trying to stand in their cramp space, *It isn’t like that. He called me, so I _must_ come.* she lowered her head in sorrow, *But now he’s gone. Gone across the many
waters, and I...I need him. He needs me. I can feel it, even though he can’t. * She looked around at the many crates that cluttered the storage bay of the plane, and sighed, *I must find him.*
Zhar stretched his weary body, *I’m sorry, Young One. We are no longer in the ways of magic, and we quickly forget those that are. You are bound to him. And he is to you. Yes, you must find him.*
Zhara licked her lips, *And you shall. As soon as this infernal beast lands.*
******
“Captain Ellis,” The navigator turned from her console, “we have a problem.”
Tom Ellis, a twenty five-year veteran of air travel, smiled at his young navigator. God, she was young. No matter how many times he told her not to call him Captain, that Tom would do just fine, she just couldn’t. He wasn’t sure if it was just a case of newbie jitters, or that she preferred the more formal relationship that most in their business tended to lose after the first year on the job.
Either way...he found it rather attractive.
“Ellen,” he grinned at the young woman, “after today...nothing surprises me.”
Of course, what he meant was the incredibly long hold over they had to endure at J.F.K. International Airport. All he was carrying was cargo on this trip, nothing to shout about. But, if he didn’t know any better, he would have thought he was carrying high explosives, or a special dignitary, instead of the several crates of clothing, electronics and two Komodo Dragons.
“What’s up?” he asked, yawning slightly.
“I was just double checking the weather for our decent...”
“And?”
Ellen checked the instruments again and shook her head, “Two minutes ago it was clear as day. But...”
Tom sighed at the youth’s appreciation for drama, “But what?”
“A cluster of severe thunderstorms just sprang up out of nowhere, right in our flight path...in the middle of the Mojave.”
Tom thought about it for a minute, “How long before we reach them?”
“Only about ten minutes, sir,” she said nervously, “They look really bad, tops at about 40 thousand feet. No way we could go over them.”
“How far off track will it take us if we circumnavigate them?”
“About half and hour to an hour...max,” she calculated.
“Not enough fuel,” Larry, the Co-pilot pointed out, checking the gauges, “Not with the load we’re carrying.”
“Well, then folks,” he said, taking the plane off auto, “looks like we’re in for a rocky ride.”
******
The roar of the beast was over powered by the thunderous sounds of explosions from the outside. Neither dragons could see what was outside the belly, but they knew it was not friendly.
*What is that?* the red dragon asked nervously. She snuggled close to Zhar and Zhara, taking comfort in their warm bodies. She was frightened, and didn’t understand why. *Are we being attacked?*
*It is all right, Young One,* Zhara soothed, rubbing her head against the dragon’s long snout, *This will pass.*
******
“This is MD-11CF, flight 300,” Larry said, over his headset, “We are flying through severe storms and request assistance.”
“MD-11CF,” a voice came back through the static, “this is Bakersfield airport. We have you on radar and will redirect you for an emergency landing.”
The plane gave an unexpected drop, causing all three humans to jump slightly, “Damn!” Tom cursed, fighting the controls, “if these micro-bursts don’t stop soon, we’re gonna be torn in two!”
“Bakersfield,” Larry spoke, aiding his captain in trying to wrestle with the plane, “we are experiencing dangerous turbulence--”
He was cut off by a sickening ripping sound. It was almost like paper...yet, all those in the cockpit knew it wasn’t, the moment their altitude dropped dramatically.
The Fuselage was tearing apart!
“Shit!” Tom spat, desperately trying to maintain altitude as the plane was being tossed about the air, “Pressure’s dropping!”
“Altitude at twenty five thousand feet, and falling,” Larry called out.
“Bakersfield,” Ellen tried to remain calm, “We have damage to our fuselage, and are descending at a rate of three hundred and fifty feet per minute.”
“MD-11CF,” the voice was breaking up, “on your current course, that will bring you three miles from the air field.”
Another tear shook the cockpit, “Make that five hundred feet and falling,” Larry shouted.
“Jesus,” Tom said a silent prayer, “We’re not going to come anywhere near the airport on this one.”
******
The three inhabitants in the cargo bay looked at each other nervously. Something was very wrong!
*The beast is falling from the sky!* Zhar got to his feet, *We must get out of this prison!*
Suddenly a loud rip shook the bay, and a strong wind blew through the belly.
*The beast is coming apart!* the red dragon backed up into the corner of the cage.
*You must get out of this cage!* Zhara urged the dragon, *Save yourself. You could fly out of here.*
*I can’t leave you here!* She concentrated hard, and slipped out of the cage.
Fighting the howling wind, and her own fear, she crawled to where the cage was locked. Motioning the two Komodo Dragons to back up, she took a deep breath, and ex-haled a strange smelling gas.
Instinctively she clicked two back teeth together, creating the spark that ignited the gas into a bright red flame.
The hot flames melted the lock, freeing her two friends. Zhar and Zhara crawled out of the cage, trying to keep their balance on the rolling floor. They could feel the beast falling faster now, and knew they didn’t have much time left to escape.
*WE must get free of the beast!* Zhar looked at the young dragon.
The red dragon concentrated hard again, increasing her size as much as she possible could for a dragon of her age. When she was about the size of a full grown Kleidsdale, she reached out and scooped the two Komodo Dragons up in her claws and stumbled over to the growing tear in the side of the belly.
It was now large enough for her to fit through, and the wind had died down somewhat after the pressure had equalized.
Taking a deep breath, she propelled herself from the beast, not spreading her large wings until she was far enough away.
*You’re too heavy!* she cried out, trying to keep from plummeting to the earth, *I can’t stay in the air!*
She flapped her wings hard, desperate to maintain altitude. But the ground was closing in fast. At the last moment, the dragon flung her companions outward, allowing them to roll on the ground, while she tumbled, hard, after them. She felt a sharp pain in her left wing, and cried out...
******
Ethan felt a sharp, almost mind numbing pain in his left arm. At first he thought he might be having a heart attack, but the pain felt more like...
“Bloody hell!” he stumbled into the wall, trying not to pass out, “My arm’s broken!”
******
The red dragon opened her eyes to see the worried glances of her two friends. They had survived the fall with little injury, but she was not as lucky. *My wing hurts,* she whimpered slightly, tucking the afflicted appendage close to her body.
*It’s broken,* Zhara observed.
*It must have happened when you hit the ground,* Zhar concluded. When all three animals were through checking each other for any more injuries, he added, *You saved our lives. And because of you, we’re free.*
*Yes,* she nodded, licking a spot of blood from her foreleg, *But you are now here?* She looked around, *Where _is_ here? And where is the metal beast!*
Zhar sighed, *We are in a desert, like the sands of our home...*
*Only with little water,* Zhara added. *And the metal beast fell further away. There was no great fire, so perhaps it’s not dead.*
*What will you do?* The dragon asked.
*We will live free,* Zhar flicked out his tongue, catching the taste of free air, *And you?*
*I must find the One,* the young dragon said, *I must go to Sun-Dale.*
The male Komodo Dragon looked his young friend and sighed, *It would be too dangerous to go looking as you do.*
*I don’t understand.*
*Remember, Young One,* Zhara pointed out, *The two legged mammals have not seen your kind in a long time. They would never understand.*
*Oh,* the dragon nodded, changing her form into a teenage girl, *Will this be better?*
*Yes,* Zhar nodded at the red headed, very naked, human standing before him, *They will never know that you are different.*
*You must find some two-legs,* Zhara advised, *They will help you now. And they will fix your arm.*
*Head toward the setting sun,* Zhar pointed his head, *the metal beast will be there...and so will many two-legs.*
Holding her left arm close to her slight body, she smiled as she began to head west, *Thank you. I will always carry your names with honor.*
******
Ethan checked his arm again. No, it wasn’t really broken...but for a moment, it sure as hell felt as though it was. Something must have happened to that infernal creature for him to feel this way. Which meant that he needed to sever the ties that bound them both, before he ends up with more than just the pain of a broken arm.
“I have to see Ripper,” he said, heading out the door.
******
Faith hid behind a parked car, waiting and watching. The Mayor wanted Ethan either on his side, or dead...she didn’t really care one way or the other, but dead could be fun. She was weighing her options carefully. Either she could lie to the mayor and say Ethan refused her, or hand the worm over, loosing the chance for a good torture and kill...
“So many decisions,” she quipped, “To kill or not to kill...hmmm...life was so much easier when all I had to decide was what to wear for patrol.”
Patrol.
Now that was a word she didn’t think she would ever hear herself say again. Gone were the days of being the Council’s lap dog. She could do what ever she wanted...as long as it was okay with her new “Sugar Daddy”. She smiled at the thought of Mayor Wilkins. He was evil, she knew that...not that she cared, so was she...but he was much more than that to her.
He was the closest thing to a father she would ever know. And that out weighed the thought of her being straight on the road to hell. Everything would be all right, as long as “Daddy” said it would be. Which was fine by her.
“Shit!” she spat, seeing that scrawny Englishman leave the motel and head to his car.
She though of jumping him right there...no one would notice. No one would care. But something in the back of her mind wanted to know where he was planning on going. Not to mention, Wilkins wanted him tailed before she did anything. So, climbing into the car she was hiding behind, and reached down to pull on a few wires. She then promptly “borrowed” it, and followed him down the street.
******
“Okay,” Buffy cringed, as the gears in the Gilesmobile slipped once more, jutting them forward, “Do you think you could break down a by a new car? You don’t have to do it for yourself,” she pleaded, “You could do it for the safety of your Slayer. And the fact that mom would be really pissed if the both of us died in this thing.”
“Buffy,” Giles grumbled, fighting with the clutch, “You’re not helping matters. Besides, this car isn’t _that_ horrible. You just have to know how to drive it.”
“Okay,” she nodded, “So when are you gonna learn?”
Giles resisted the urge to come back with an equally sarcastic remark, figuring it to be fruitless. Instead, he held his tongue and continued on. After about ten minutes of white knuckle driving, Giles finally pulled into the parking lot of the Sleep-Away Motel. It only took and a couple of twenties, and a small amount of convincing, to find out the room number where Ethan was staying.
“So,” Buffy poised, ready to kick in the door, “shall we pound into a pulp before or after we interrogate him?”
Giles gave her a sly look, “I was thinking of doing both.”
“I’m game,” Buffy kicked the door, practically sending it splintering inside. They stepped into the room to find Ethan gone. “Great,” she huffed, “He’s gone! Do you think he got wind of us coming here?”
Giles noticed Ethan’s unpacked suitcase on the bed, “No, I don’t think so.”
“How about going for a bite to eat maybe,” Buffy suggested, “You know, getting his strength up before he causes madness and mayhem.”
The Watcher walked over to the suitcase and saw a torn piece of paper with strange writings in red ink. He picked up the paper, “What have we here? My translation might be a bit rusty, this is a very ancient language...”
“How ancient?”
“It doesn’t have a name.”
“That’s pretty old,” Buffy dead panned.
“ ‘O’ karan es notura. Ventru L’aan semptark. He who calls forth the...’ ” Giles paused, struggling with the translation, “ ‘Great one’...I think... ‘will rule all...’.” he turned the paper over and frowned, “There are a few other words, but I can’t make them out. Great One? What has he gotten himself into this time?”
“Do you know what this Great One is?” Buffy asked, holding the paper, as though through touch alone she could understand what Ethan was planning.
Giles took the paper back and shook his head, “No, I don’t. ‘Great One’ could mean anything, really. Though, I do suspect Ethan would know.”
“And he’s running scared,” Buffy held up the plane ticket and...a case of bullets, “Now what would scare Ethan so much that he would carry a gun?”
******
The plane landed an hour late at L.A.X. There was something about a freak storm over the Mojave desert and an emergency landing, that caused the delay. Not that it mattered much to the three people that walked along the terminal. Ethan Rayne wasn’t going to run rabbit forever...not while he had a place to go for help.
Hailing a cab, Maude and her two companions climbed inside, “Sunnydale, California.” she instructed.
“It’s about a three hours from here,” the driver informed her, “Not exactly a cheap fare.”
“Will this cover it,” she handed him several American twenties she traded in before they left Wales.
The driver snatched up the money and grinned, “Yeah, but only one way.”
“We won’t need a round trip.”
******
The sun had finally set, allowing Ramsey to roam about the tiny town of Sunnydale, in peace. The demon in him could feel the mystical draw of the Hellmouth, and stopped to breath in it’s magic. Oh, yes...this would be a great place to live...if it wasn’t for the damned Slayer.
But a permanent residency wasn’t on his mind. Only the mirror was...and that would be found at the Sunnydale High School Library.
Entering the back of the building, he made his way through the empty halls of the school, until he found the room he was looking for. Pushing the door open, he boldly strode in.
“It’s not here!” he howled in frustration, “They moved it!” He paced around the hard wood floors trying to think, “Now, if I wanted to hide the Looking Glass, where would I keep it?”
“Hey,” the night janitor called out, holding out a broom as his only weapon of defense, “y-you’re not supposed to be in here.”
When Ramsey turned around the janitor paused, recognizing the out-dated, but familiar robes of a clergyman, “Father,” he lowered his head, “I-I’m sorry.”
Taking on the guise of the being he once was, Ramsey smiled affably, “That’s quite all right, my son. I was supposed to meet Mr. Rupert Giles here, but I see I’m already too late. Would you know where I could find him?”
The janitor cocked his head, “Ah, well...I don’t know where he lives...and... How did you get in here, if Mr. Giles isn’t here?”
Ramsey moved with great speed, knocking the man down and holding his neck back, “I see there is only one way to get information about Giles and the Slayer from you...”
And he bit.
Fic Will Be Continued As Soon AS Possible...