EPILOGUE
"Malfunc
zzrrrrt the gate systems. Transfers inter
rrrzzzzzkkkkkkkzzzzzed. Your return not safe at this time. GPE instructs you to make
klllllxxxxtt Brindinsford. Remain there until further
nnnzzzzzzzzt. You will be contacted wh
zzzzrzrttt safe to return."
"They bought it?"
Johnson clicked off the tape recorder.
"Hook, line and sinker. They didn't seem to want to risk being mangled the way the message was. Still, they aren't very patient, sir ... I can't be sure how long they will sit in Brindinsford and wait for us."
"Don't you worry about that." Patton chuckled,
"Those boys will have plenty to keep them from getting bored. And our cameras will be there to catch every moment."
* * *
Nightscale lifted her head.
There was a sound, in the darkness. Yes, there it was again. Something moving, slow and quiet.
But not slow and quiet enough. The dragon silently raised her bulk from the stone floor, eyes narrowing as her senses quested for the intruder. She could see nothing, but she was definitely not alone.
She crouched, muscles tensing as she suppressed a hiss of frustration. Could it be the intruders who had found her old lair at the lake? If so, she would give them a battle they would not soon forget. If not ... well, she
was starting to get hungry ...
"Do not be alarmed." The voice that came from the empty air was deep, and strangely accented, "I have seen the injustice done to you, mighty Nightscale. Those who forced you from your home are enemies of mine, as well. I wish to discuss terms of alliance."
"Sssssshow yoursssssself."
The air ripped some fifty feet from her nose, revealing a pair of humans. The first wore a jacket and pants of dull green , with red and gold tabs at the neck and shoulders. He stood relaxed and calm as he stroked his thick black moustache. The human beside him was shorter, but more broad, dressed in a fur-lined red coat and black pants. Unlike the first, he was armed: a sickle hung at his left side, a might warhammer on his right.
Nightscale's nostrils twitched.
"You ssssssmell like the otherssss." She accused.
"
Da." The taller human nodded, and smiled grimly, "We too know the secrets of the mighty weapons they wield. But fear not. We do not come to steal your treasure,
tovarisch. We are here to help you get revenge on those who tried."
Nightscale narrowed her eyes. She did not trust these humans, nor did she like that they had found her new lair. Yet, if true, what they offered would give her a chance to take revenge on those who had driven her from her home. And she could always teach her 'allies' what fools they were, later ...
"I'm lisssssssstening ..."
Chapter Titles
You all knew the chapter titles were song titles, right?
The Boys Are Back in Town - Thin Lizzy
Knockin' on Heaven's Door - Bob Dylan
Bridge Over Troubled Waters - Simon & Garfunkel
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones
Smoke on the Water - Deep Purple
Slip Sliding Away - Simon & Garfunkel
Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin
Highway to Hell - AC/DC
Heigh Ho (It's Off to Work We Go) - Snow White Soundtrack
Puff, the Magic Dragon - Peter, Paul and Mary
Ten Thousand Tentacles - Tiamat (which is a band name you can't pass up, really)