We Fight Dragons (Volume 2, Chapter 12) "Red cordial"
In Jam’s mind the afternoon’s harvest had gone a lot more smoothly than the morning. Late in the afternoon, when the buckets of fruit were being carried across to waiting vehicles to be taken away, Jam dipped into his power to lend a hand as Mels carried a heavy bucket over to Mum’s van.
As they approached the van, Tobes came at them from behind it, as if he had been lying in wait for them.
‘Hello little Knight!’ Tobes taunted Jam with a coldly sarcastic tone.
‘What do you want, Tobes?’ In the corner of his vision Jam saw Mels freeze up in fright, and she grabbed his arm. What was she sensing that he was missing? He wasn’t alarmed yet, and Tobes was not being aggressive, so for now he just kept a sharp watch on his friend.
Tobes shook his head, and for a moment the coldness faded and he looked angry. ‘Argh! You don’t deserve your power… you don’t deserve to have Mels as a friend… someone has to stop you!’
Jam was about to demand that Tobes explain himself, but before he could get a word out Tobes visibly lost all signs of emotion, then spun on his heel and whipped around a savage backfist towards Jam’s head.
The blow looked like it was not even going to connect with anything, but in the heat of the moment Jam misstepped and fall forward into the Tobes’ curled fist. In the instant before it landed, Jam summoned his power and turned his fall into a twisting roll that deflected most of the impact.
‘Stop it!’ Mels pleaded, but Tobes wasn’t listening.
Tobes shot a knee up towards Jam’s falling head, trying to take advantage of Jam’s defensive move. It was an optimal attack, and Jam was forced to counter it with another energetic move. But he had learned from the last attack, and this time he took himself out of the range of another follow-up.
Tobes reached out towards Mels and tried to grab her by the hair, in order to stop Jam from running away.
Mels cried in alarm as she fended him off, provoking an extreme reaction from Jam who swatted Tobes’ grasping hand aside so forcefully that he left himself open to an attack from the other hand, which came down on Jam’s nose like a hammer.
Blood exploded in the air, and in Jam’s throat and vision. As if that wasn’t bad enough, when the blow connected, the anger that Tobes had shown a moment ago seemed to ‘stick’ to him. His own anger rose, matching that of his old friend.
Instead of trying to protect himself, or even protect Mels, Jam leapt at Tobes and took him down in a wild tackle, lashing into his stomach with one hand while he pinned his friend with the other.
Mels looked on, momentarily shocked by the savagery of what she was seeing.
Instead of covering up against the attacks, Tobes spun at just the right moment, grabbed Jam under the ribs, and spun him head-first at one of the wheel-hubs of the van.
The impact would have split his head open, if Jam had not put both hands against the wheel and pushed away with all his might. The lethal intent of the attack enraged Jam even further. He reached for the nearest object, a full bucket of strawberries, and smashed it as hard as he could against Tobes’ head.
Perhaps because his Torquar mind was unable to think of a counter to a bucket of strawberries, Tobes’ eyes widened as the bucket hit him in the temple. Red juices filled the air, and mashed strawberry covered Tobes’ face. The bucket cracked at the seams and the fruit spewed out everywhere.
Jam hefted the jagged remains of the bucket, aiming to finish the fight.
Mels yelled for Jam to stop and launched herself at him, trying to foil his attack.
The moment that Mels’ hand touched him, Jam’s anger fell away. He dropped the remains of the bucket as soon as he realised what he’d been about to do. Tobes’ body was an unmoving mess of blood and red fruit. ‘Nooo! Tobes! Help! Somebody… Mum! Dad! Help!’
Quickly, several adults were around them, including Tobes’ mother who knelt down beside her son in unbelieving horror. It felt obvious to Jam that if she were a Maiden then she would be able to heal him. But she wasn’t, which everyone could clearly see as Tobes lay there with blood oozing out of a crack in his skull.
Mr Dawson looked at Jam like he wanted to kill him, and only stopped because Mum wrapped Jam up in her arms and protected him. Tears welled in Jam’s eyes. ‘I didn’t mean it, Mum.’
Dad was on his mobile, calling for an ambulance, and then he called Dr Joyce.
Without introduction, a lone figure in a dark suit approached the group and knelt down beside Tobes’ mother. ‘Mrs Dawson, may I help?’ asked the Marshal. ‘I believe I can save his life.’ Mrs Dawson nodded, wondering if the man in the suit was a doctor.
‘This was never mean’t to happen. I can’t explain it.’ The Marshal said aloud as he shook his head, inspecting the bleeding injury.
‘You are Torquar,’ said Mum, recognising what the man was. ‘You cannot sense Dragons. This boy has a Dragon infecting him.’ She turned to Mels, ‘Is that what you sense?’ Mels nodded, still in shock. She moved to be hugged by Mum as well, in the same embrace as Jam.
When Dad heard this he drew out his amulet, and a small container with a greenish powder which he applied to Tobes’ forehead. ‘I will exorcise the Dragon,’ he explained, ‘but I cannot heal him. No one here can. Do you understand?’
‘Yes,’ said the Marshal. ‘I know that his mother is not a Maiden. That’s why I thought he would be useful to us, and why we could be useful to him.’
‘Which is how the Dragon deceived you,’ Mum said accusingly.
The Marshal ignored the barb and focused on Tobes. He drew a tablet computer from his coat and set it on Tobe’s chest, running strings of software code that looped every second. ‘This will stabilise him.’ The Marshal continued his inspection. ‘Normally, people are told not to move an injury like this, but… if I adjust his head… just like so.. and move this bone… just a bit… there is a good chance that it will stop the internal bleeding.’
Just as the Marshal predicted, the flow of blood slowed and stopped. ‘However, he still needs a hospital. I will stay with him until an ambulance arrives, just in case.’
‘Bless you, whoever you are,’ said Mrs Dawson.
‘Don’t thank me. This was my mistake. Torquar are not immune to error. I forgot to take that into account.’
‘An error!’ exclaimed Dad. ‘Your combination of naive arrogance might cost this boy his life. He’s still not out of danger yet.’
‘I guarantee my work,’ said the Marshal indignantly.
‘And yet you failed to imagine that you might give the power of the Torquar to a Dragon? This could have gone a hell of a lot worse!’
‘I sense you are arriving at a point, Mr Wood? Make it quick. The fact that I am correcting my mistake does not make us friends. I remain sworn to destroy you.’
Dad was clearly angry, but he thought carefully before speaking. ‘My point is… it was your blindness that nearly got this boy killed. And put this girl’s life in danger,’ Dad gestured towards Mels and Tobes in turn. ‘You owe us.’
The Marshal nodded. ‘That adds up. What are you suggesting?’
‘I suggest… that we form a temporary ‘pact’, like in your great book, to ally to destroy this Dragon. You made this problem, so logically, you need to help us fix it.’
The Marshal nodded thoughtfully. Despite being surrounded by hostile Knights and Maidens he seemed barely concerned. ‘As you already seem to know, the Torquar cannot sense Dragons. I could benefit from the insight of your Maidens. How about this,’ he cleared his throat as if making a speech, ‘We will fight together, and the Torquar will not harm any Knight or Maiden in Blacken Green, until the monster is destroyed. Is that a Pact that you can agree to?’
Dad added. ‘But as for fighting the Dragon, it’s just our menfolk and womenfolk. We leave the kids out of the fight. Agreed?’
‘Acceptable. It seems appropriate given what the young ones have been through today. Regardless, once I have dealt with the Dragon, and then with you, they will not last long.’ The Marshal coldly extended his hand toward Dad and asked, ‘Do we have a Pact?’
They shook on it. Jam relaxed. He would not have to fight today. And they were safe for the moment.
Then he look at Mr Dawson, kneeling next to his wife and son, while glaring back at him. Perhaps he wasn’t safe, even amongst his own people?
Reading Aloud
* Use a sarcastic and upset voice when Tobes taunts Jam
* Take a very calm and emotionless tone when speaking as the Torquar.