He let the knife drop to the ground, and pulled out his gun as fast as he could. When he started shooting, the other two started shooting with him. Over the sound of gunshots, they missed the crack of bones and pop of joints. All they knew was that their target was moving so fast that they barely had time to aim and shoot. Mostly, they skipped the aiming part and shot in the general direction of the man who was gradually growing larger, shifting into the tall golden dragon they feared so much.
Their plan had gone wrong, but there was no time for regrets. Initially, they had only wanted to grab Aileen and head back to the camp to interrogate her. They had spent all day spying on her, and when they realized she had been taken somewhere inside the cave, they had done their best to find ways of getting access to what was happening without having to enter the cave. It had been quite clear that going inside was not a good option. It had taken them a while to find the smaller entrance on the left side of the mountain, far away from the clearing, but when they found it, they realized they could go inside, down a narrow corridor, until they reached a dead end. The auxiliary entrance had been blocked years before by rocks, but it was somehow positioned near the room where Aileen had been locked. So, the three men had managed to hear parts of her conversation with Drakon, those parts when she screamed, begged, and when she enthusiastically told him about the prophecy.
They didn’t care about the prophecy, though. Not even about the dragon’s healing tears. All they cared about was the Golden Fleece. When they realized the beast wasn’t going to kill her, they were relieved. Then, they understood that some sort of friendship was forming between them, which led them to the conclusion that, sooner or later, Aileen would leave the cave, if only for a breath of fresh air.
No, the plan had never been to confront the dragon. They had wanted Aileen in hopes she could tell them how to kill the dragon. Surely, she had learned about his weaknesses while befriending him, right? In case they did come face to face with the dragon, they hoped their guns would do the trick.
Unfortunately, the flying bullets only managed to enrage the beast even more. They couldn’t be sure if they had wounded him while he was in his human form, but it immediately became clear to them that they had no chance of taking him down once he shifted, stretched his wings, and took off in the air. The bullets bounced right off the shiny, golden scales. It was as if the dragon’s body was covered in an unbreakable armor.
When the beast started flying in circles above their heads, the three men panicked. They fumbled to reload their guns, but it was too late. Maybe, they should have run. They were too shocked and paralyzed with fear to have the presence of mind to make any sound decision, and Drakon took full advantage of that.
The fire in his chest bubbled up to the surface, until it reached his throat and he could feel it dance against the roof of his mouth. With a mighty roar, Drakon released a long, scorching flame. It was all it took. The three men lit up like torches, their screams and wails filling the night. Their bodies sent red, hot light to every corner of the clearing, as they burned and burned, until there was nothing left where they had stood. Nothing, but ashes. Unlike normal fire, dragon fire could even burn bones. In a matter of hours, after the wind would have spread the ashes in the four directions, no one would be able to tell what had happened in the clearing. It would look like someone had camped there for a night and built a huge bonfire, let the fire burn until it consumed the last piece of wood, then left.
Drakon flew over the clearing until the dust and ashes settled, then landed carefully. He shifted into his human form faster than ever before, and ran to Aileen. He took her in his arms. She was barely breathing.
“Aileen, my love… Hang in there. It’s going to be all right.”
She opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry, but she smiled when she saw Drakon’s handsome face. She had lost so much blood that it was almost impossible for her to stay awake. She opened her mouth, moved her lips, but no word came out.
“Shh…” He cradled her gently, leaning over her small, battered frame to plant a soft kiss on her forehead. “I’m sorry. This is all my fault. The treasure, the curse… they have taken everything away from me. My home, my life, Medea… now you.”
Aileen tried to speak again. There was only one thing in her mind, and her life depended on it. If she could only make the words come, if she could only make her vocal chords work!
“Aileen, please don’t leave me,” he whispered. “I can’t live without you.”
She shook her head slowly, and pain shot through her spine and neck.
“I… I moved on after Medea, but I know why I had the strength. She wasn’t my soul mate. You are. I’ve lived for so long, waited in this cave, because somewhere deep inside I knew you would come. I knew you would find me and bring me a moment of love and peace. I should be the one to die, not you.” He hugged her closer to his chest. “Please don’t leave me.”
Aileen took a shaky breath and focused on speaking. It had to work. Drakon was in so much emotional pain that he couldn’t think, couldn’t look for solutions. And there was one. There was one solution, and Aileen had to remind him.
“The bottle,” she croaked. “The last tear… I need it.”
Drakon’s eyes grew wide. He mentally kicked himself for not figuring it out. Yes, the bottle she had brought with her still contained the last tear Medea had collected right before she had left him. He wanted to stand up, but changed his mind. He couldn’t leave Aileen alone. What if she died while he was gone? He eyed the entrance of the cave. He knew exactly where he had left the bottle, in the room where they had made love, but even if he used his shifter speed, it still meant he’d have to leave Aileen outside. And he couldn’t move her, either. She was bleeding profusely, and he could tell she was in excruciating pain.
“Drakon…”
He looked down at her. Her intense green eyes were losing their spark. Her long, dark hair was spread all over his arms and lap. His hands and knees were covered in her blood, and the sight was making him ill to his stomach. As a dragon shifter, he had killed many thieves who had tried to steal the Golden Fleece, but nothing had made him ill to his stomach before.
“Drakon…”
She was drifting away. He could feel it.
“Shh… My love, I’m here.”
He kissed her forehead again, and she closed her eyes. Raw, unforgiving pain stabbed him right through the chest when he realized she might not open them again. Her pulse was fading. His Aileen was vanishing into nothingness just as quickly as she had appeared into his life. Tears welled up in his eyes, and when he allowed them to fall down his cheeks, Drakon felt like he could cry forever. Once he started, he would never stop. But, it was okay. He would stay there, with Aileen, hold her in his arms and cry over her lifeless body until… he had no idea until when. There was no time, nor space after her. No life, just the overwhelming desire to die and forget.
When small, salty drops hit Aileen’s cheeks, she instinctively moved her head so they would fall on her lips. She couldn’t tell if he knew what he was doing, or if he was doing it on purpose, but she hoped it worked. Really, there was no way to know…
Had Drakon’s tears always had healing properties? Had he gained this amazing gift after the witch had cursed him? Or, maybe the gift had something to do with Medea and the magic had only worked then, because of her? Neither Aileen, nor Drakon knew the answers to those questions.
When he realized what she was doing, Drakon cupped her cheek with a trembling hand, and parted her lips with his thumb. She opened her mouth, and his tears fell on her tongue. She swallowed greedily, then waited. They both waited.
The bottle had contained three healing tears: one for the soul, the second one for the mind, and the last one for the body. This time, Drakon gave Aileen much more than only three tears. Hopefully, one of them would heal her wounds and save her life. But, they had to wait. And waiting to see what the future held, - life or death, - was not easy.