The Dark Tower

Chapter 11 - Flames and Friends

I turned in to Gwaine’s protective arm and he rubbed my shoulder. ‘This is bad, isn’t it?’ I asked. He nodded. We were joined by Merlin. ‘Can’t you do anything?’ I asked, and then had a sudden idea. ‘Why does no one ever think of this until it’s too late? Merlin, you’re a dragonlord, can’t you summon Kilgharrah?’

‘Not Kilgharrah, he is too ill.’

‘Well, Aithusa then?’

‘Aithusa?’ He looked at me as though he had never heard the name before.

‘Yes, Aithusa. Little white dragon. You hatched her. Broke my heart when . . . well, never mind that now. Can’t you call her?’

‘I suppose I could try.’

He gripped the battlements and emitted an eerie cry. The orcs briefly looked up, but it didn’t prevent them continuing to light the fires. There was silence for a long time as we scoured the skies. He called again. Still nothing. And then, in the far distance, we saw a shape. Even the orcs ceased their fire lighting and looked up, shielding their eyes as, out of the morning sun, we could see a pair of flapping wings. Aithusa circled the tower once and then came in to land on the battlements, perching on the edge as she ducked and bowed her pale head towards Merlin.

She looked awful, her wings ragged and one leg twisted and malformed. My heart broke and I completely lost it with Merlin.

‘What have you done to her? She was your responsibility! You hatched her and now look at her! Merlin, you hateful, hateful man!’ It was only Gwaine taking hold of me that prevented me from physically attacking him as I turned and sobbed into his shoulder.

Merlin at least had the good grace to look ashamed as he approached Aithusa and called her name. She bowed again and then, as he reached out his hand to her, gave him a vicious bite of which I heartily approved. Gwaine released me so that I could look at Merlin’s hand which was difficult as he was hopping round with it clasped under his arm. When he finally allowed me to look, I could see it was only bruised.

‘It can wait,’ I said, and turned my attention to the poor dragon who was going to be of little or no use to us at all.

Calling her name, she allowed me to approach, and then laid her head on my shoulder, exhausted by the flight. I placed my good arm around her neck and sobbed for the sight of her. Gwaine cautiously joined me. She initially bobbed her head up and down angrily as he approached, but then reached out and sniffed at him, seeking out the chain he wore around his neck before enthusiastically accepting him, rubbing her head against his body, almost pushing him over with her eagerness to be fussed.

‘You poor, poor thing,’ I kept repeating as she relished the attention. ‘You poor baby. Merlin, you can at least get her something to eat and drink.’

Gandalf ushered Merlin away, leaving Gwaine and I with Aithusa. She jumped down from the battlements and limped around, exploring her surroundings. Merlin returned with a bucket in each hand, one of water, one of meat. She waited until he had gone before she plunged her snout into the water and took a long draught, and then into the meat, chomping it at it noisily, but with obvious pleasure.

The orcs had lost interest in her and were busy setting fires along the walls and we returned to our preparations. There were metal baskets of wood with pots of pitch sitting on them. Once these were heated, they could be used to tip onto the enemy if they came as close as the tower walls, which seemed highly likely. Aithusa finished the meat and snorted little spouts of fire so I used her to light some of the baskets.

It was as I was leaning forward to rearrange the wood in one basket that my engagement ring slipped off my finger and into the logs. I reached into the pile with my right hand at the same time as Aithusa was lighting it, and the flames caught my arm.