Her eyelids drifted closed.
A sound came from above them. At first, he thought the fluttering must be the wings of a large owl. As the flapping drew closer, his heartbeat slowed and pounded louder, a steady thumping to match the beat of the large wings stirring the air.
“Hide!” she whispered, staring upward, her expression tightening with fear.
Body tensing, he ducked behind the pillar, tightened his grip on his sword, and searched the air above. Again, the clouds masked the moon, sending everything into pitch darkness.
A deep, resonant thud shook the ground as a large shadow settled onto the atoll.
The girl whimpered, and her chains rattled against stone. “No, no.”
The knight sprang from around the rock to stand in front of her, sword raised.
A loud, angry roar pierced the silence, hot breath gusting in the knight’s face. The clouds cleared and moonlight shone on a large elongated head, silvered the scales covering the creature he faced—a dragon indeed—with a wingspan that eclipsed the width of the atoll. Those wings flapped, producing gusts of wind so strong he was pushed back against the girl whose chilled body leaned into his as she sobbed. Sweet Mother Mary, his sword seemed a puny weapon against the great beast.
Another roar rent the air. The knight recovered from his shock and struck out with his sword arm, stabbing toward the creature’s chest. A tree-trunk thick limb batted it away with a clatter, and then another limb, fisted, slammed against his chest, toppling him to the side.
Breath whooshed out with the hard thud, and he landed on his back. Before he could regain his breath and think to roll away, a heavy foot pressed against his belly, holding him to the hard ground. For a moment, fear froze his mind.
With the knight helplessly restrained, the dragon turned his head to the girl. He sniffed the air around her. Its tongue flickered out and licked her breast, her belly, then flickered out again to stroke between her legs before retracting between jaws filled with ragged, gnashing teeth.
Thrashing her head, the girl screamed and flattened herself against the pillar, but to no avail. The creature moved closer and lowered its head. She shut her eyes, but the dragon nuzzled her cheek. Her eyes opened to peek at the beast then widened. The pair stared for a long moment. Slowly, her body grew lax, her eyes vacant, and then she whimpered and craned her neck to rub a cheek against the dragon’s head.
If there were dragons, there must also be magic at work because the woman’s expression warmed, her eyelids dreamily drifted downward as her head fell back.
Again, the thick tongue struck out and licked her cheek, her neck, then trailed lower until it disappeared between her legs, which she willingly parted. Her body bowed, shuddering as the tongue pushed upward, disappearing as his large snout burrowed between her legs.
The knight shook his head, grabbed the hard-scaled leg, and tried to shove it away. He’d promised he’d save her. Like other promises he’d made, to children cowering under beds as crusaders pillaged their houses, he was helpless to halt what was happening.
But what was happening? No violence occurred, no rending of flesh, and from the way the woman moaned and undulated, she felt only pleasure.
The woman shuddered then gave a faint cry and slumped against the rock, held upright only by the iron manacles encircling her wrists.
The dragon snorted, retracted his tongue, then leaned away from the woman to gaze down at the knight.
The former Templar who’d rejected the pope’s edicts, who’d decried God for the horrors he’d witnessed and participated in, realized in that moment, he’d been wrong all along. Real devils walked this earth.
If he’d had breath, he’d have prayed for his soul, because he was sure he was about to meet his death.
However, the dragon trembled. The foot clamped to the knight’s belly lifted and fell away. In a slow move, the dragon curled
A sound came from above them. At first, he thought the fluttering must be the wings of a large owl. As the flapping drew closer, his heartbeat slowed and pounded louder, a steady thumping to match the beat of the large wings stirring the air.
“Hide!” she whispered, staring upward, her expression tightening with fear.
Body tensing, he ducked behind the pillar, tightened his grip on his sword, and searched the air above. Again, the clouds masked the moon, sending everything into pitch darkness.
A deep, resonant thud shook the ground as a large shadow settled onto the atoll.
The girl whimpered, and her chains rattled against stone. “No, no.”
The knight sprang from around the rock to stand in front of her, sword raised.
A loud, angry roar pierced the silence, hot breath gusting in the knight’s face. The clouds cleared and moonlight shone on a large elongated head, silvered the scales covering the creature he faced—a dragon indeed—with a wingspan that eclipsed the width of the atoll. Those wings flapped, producing gusts of wind so strong he was pushed back against the girl whose chilled body leaned into his as she sobbed. Sweet Mother Mary, his sword seemed a puny weapon against the great beast.
Another roar rent the air. The knight recovered from his shock and struck out with his sword arm, stabbing toward the creature’s chest. A tree-trunk thick limb batted it away with a clatter, and then another limb, fisted, slammed against his chest, toppling him to the side.
Breath whooshed out with the hard thud, and he landed on his back. Before he could regain his breath and think to roll away, a heavy foot pressed against his belly, holding him to the hard ground. For a moment, fear froze his mind.
With the knight helplessly restrained, the dragon turned his head to the girl. He sniffed the air around her. Its tongue flickered out and licked her breast, her belly, then flickered out again to stroke between her legs before retracting between jaws filled with ragged, gnashing teeth.
Thrashing her head, the girl screamed and flattened herself against the pillar, but to no avail. The creature moved closer and lowered its head. She shut her eyes, but the dragon nuzzled her cheek. Her eyes opened to peek at the beast then widened. The pair stared for a long moment. Slowly, her body grew lax, her eyes vacant, and then she whimpered and craned her neck to rub a cheek against the dragon’s head.
If there were dragons, there must also be magic at work because the woman’s expression warmed, her eyelids dreamily drifted downward as her head fell back.
Again, the thick tongue struck out and licked her cheek, her neck, then trailed lower until it disappeared between her legs, which she willingly parted. Her body bowed, shuddering as the tongue pushed upward, disappearing as his large snout burrowed between her legs.
The knight shook his head, grabbed the hard-scaled leg, and tried to shove it away. He’d promised he’d save her. Like other promises he’d made, to children cowering under beds as crusaders pillaged their houses, he was helpless to halt what was happening.
But what was happening? No violence occurred, no rending of flesh, and from the way the woman moaned and undulated, she felt only pleasure.
The woman shuddered then gave a faint cry and slumped against the rock, held upright only by the iron manacles encircling her wrists.
The dragon snorted, retracted his tongue, then leaned away from the woman to gaze down at the knight.
The former Templar who’d rejected the pope’s edicts, who’d decried God for the horrors he’d witnessed and participated in, realized in that moment, he’d been wrong all along. Real devils walked this earth.
If he’d had breath, he’d have prayed for his soul, because he was sure he was about to meet his death.
However, the dragon trembled. The foot clamped to the knight’s belly lifted and fell away. In a slow move, the dragon curled
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