The Wizard And The Dragon Read Free

down the
stairs, but I didn’t wait to hear anything else. I darted across the room and
back into the hallway. I crashed into the door and started to push.
    The
wind worked against me now and my feet skidded along the floor uselessly. I
could feel the wind creeping through the tiny gaps between the door frame,
hissing at me as I struggled against the stone. Even throwing my weight against
the door wouldn’t shift it.
    I
turned as the footsteps drew closer and put my back against the door. I slid
down onto the floor and huddled together, hoping that I could maybe hide in the
dark from whatever monster was coming to eat me. I thought of how the village
wizard was bitten in half and wanted to scream.
    There
was a moment of quiet where all I could hear were the footsteps and my own
heart racing, waiting to explode at the sight of a monster and save myself from
the pain of being eaten. I took shallow breaths that grew more rapid as the
shadows around the hallway began to fade from a light being drawn toward them.
Whatever was coming down the stairs must have been holding a torch.
    I
didn’t have the foresight to grasp that a light meant fire until the man was
standing at the end of the hall. The flames danced and were not on a torch, but
suspended above one of his hands stretched out in front of him. I couldn’t
control my fear anymore and I screamed.
    The
man clamped his hand together and the fire was extinguished, plunging us back
into darkness. My eyes had already begun to adjust to the light and I was
blinded for a few seconds now that it was gone. I kept staring at where I had
just seen the man and started to press tightly back against the door, as if
backing away from him could somehow protect me.
    There
was a bright flash, a lightning bolt that must have struck near the tower that
illuminated the inside through the windows. The thunder came less than a second
after it and I saw the man during the flash. He was walking toward me, his eyes
locked on my face as though he knew exactly where I was.
    “Who
are you?” he said, not coldly but not warmly either.
    “Bryce,”
I stammered out and closed my eyes.
    “What
are you doing here?”
    He
wasn’t a troll or a zombie, and he hadn’t struck me yet, but he was still a
strange man who seemed to be able to hold fire in his hand. I kept my eyes
closed and kept bracing to be attacked at any moment.
    “A
dragon came to our village,” I answered. “It killed everyone. I ran away. The
village isn’t even there anymore.”
    A
moment passed in silence and then I heard his footsteps again, moving away from
me and back down the hall. I opened my eyes slowly and saw him standing in the
main chamber.
    “Come
inside then. Let’s have a look at you.”
    The
man turned around and faced the table in the middle of the room. It looked like
he placed something on it and a warm light began to emanate from on top of it.
His body blocked whatever it was from my view but it was bright enough to reach
into the hallway.
    I
got to my feet and took my first steps slowly. When I reached the end of the
hallway I took a single step into the room and watched the man’s back,
expecting him to turn around and grab me when I got close enough. When he did
turn around I squeezed my eyes shut and flinched.
    “I’m
not going to hurt you,” he said, but once again he didn’t sound friendly.
    I
opened my eyes once more and found him looking at me. He ran his eyes up and
down me as if he was sizing me up, or trying to puzzle out something that was
bothering him. I looked back at him and kept my mouth closed. His face showed
signs of age but it was difficult to judge how old he was with his back to the
light.
    “You
were running from this dragon and came in here to get out of the rain?” he
asked with his eyes on my own. He looked agitated by my presence.
    I
nodded. The man stepped aside after seeing my answer and I looked directly at
the fire on the table. It was the same fire he had been holding