Observing Escape

                  Jonas slowly opened his eyes as consciousness seeped back into a painful awareness. He could tell he laid motionless for a great deal of time. His side felt sore, and his joints ached to move. Each muscle breaking the bonds of motionlessness as he moved his arms and legs ever so slightly. His knee hurt. Unsure if he injured it, or if it lay at a strange angle long enough to invoke a fair amount of pain. Jonas gently flexed his leg.

                  As his eyes opened and clarity returned, he halted any movement for fear of drawing attention to himself. Now awake and aware, he only listened. If more of those horrible dragon creatures lurked nearby, he would hear them. He held his breath as he listened. He could hear some shuffling, low growls, and chatter, yet they didn’t sound close by. Possibly in another room or location. Jonas tilted his head, hoping to gain another vantage point to listen to his surroundings. Again, he could hear life and movement, but nothing near his immediate surroundings. Despite the pain, he found relief knowing he may have a moment to work on an escape plan.

                  Jonas rolled his body so his eyes could survey the situation. The fire light still burned, illuminating the area. His heart sank as he saw the lifeless body of the massive battle dragon not too far from him. Jonas stared, looking for any signs of life. It didn’t move. It didn’t breathe. Jonas remained motionless, still examining the body in front of him. He lifted his head, identifying the large creature that had previously beaten them as it now lay dead with several arrows in its neck and head.

                  “Ella?” he thought to himself.

                  Who knows what would have happened if that dragon creature got to them? It gave Jonas the courage to lift his head and look around further. He lay in the same location where he went unconscious from the blow to his head, but he couldn’t see any other dragons or dragon creatures around them. He took a moment to look around and observe his surroundings.

                  He lay in a flat area, surrounded by high walls and piles of rubble. The large, cavernous room held multiple entrances or exits, connecting tunnels and corridors. He still did not see any signs of his captors. Upon surveying the local area, he became more confident with his desire to move around, leaning on an elbow to hoist himself up for a full view of his area.

                  “Whoa, slow down. Roll to face me, just don’t sit up.”

                  Yerik’s voice surprised Jonas, although it was good to hear his voice. Jonas rolled over to face Yerik and let out a mild gasp at the sight of Yerik’s swollen face. “You’re not looking so good.”

                  “What this?” Yerik twisted his face towards Jonas, revealing a nasty bruise and swollen eye. “Nah, it’s not so bad. Besides, our pain is far less important than getting these kids out of here.”

                  Jonas nodded, still laying down. “Have you seen any of them?”

                  “No. But judging by our fried wearing the crown of arrows, they tried to free us. I don’t think they’ve been captured, since these dragons are not giving us their undivided attention. They seem kind of riled up. It’s clear there is something going on that is drawing them away.”

                  “I never should have brought those kids down here. This was such a mistake!” Jonas shook his head in regret.

                  “Yeah, well, it’s not like I helped.”

                  Jonas shook his head as his mind filled with regret. “They warned me. Everyone told me not to come down here. I’m responsible. It’s all my fault those kids are in danger.”

                  “Oh, c’mon, do you know how many times I’ve faced a cursed this or cursed that? You know just as well as I do that curses are people trying to explain something they don’t understand. People want to make something more mystical than it really is because reality is boring. There is no way anyone would know what lives in this valley. Nobody!” Yerik spoke quietly, yet still carried a stern sensibility in his voice.

                  Jonas thought about Yerik’s words with a nod.

                  Yerik took a deep breath. “I’ve fought about every type of creature that exists, fighting for my life against many wild beasts. I knew this valley would be filled with wild animals, and there is always a risk in the wild, yet I knew I could have kept those kids safe against the worst that nature had to offer. But this? Nothing about this valley is natural. If I knew magic existed, I would have found a way to fight against it. I would train for it. I just didn’t know. I had no way of knowing. Whatever these powers are, I was not prepared to face them. If I knew about these dragons down here, I would have made different decisions above. You would have as well. But we didn’t know.”

                  Jonas nodded again in silent thought.

                  Yerik shook his head. “You can’t regret what you don’t know.”

                  Yerik and Jonas thought in a moment of silence. Yerik looked upward as if longing for the surface. “Not knowing is the first step to learning. We can’t worry about what we can’t control, yet we can focus on the things we can control.”

                  Jonas nodded again. He felt a moment of embarrassment, knowing he had previously judged Yerik as simply a hired fighter. Muscles and swords as his only skill. Yet Yerik negotiated solid logic to help Jonas out of his own pity. Jonas hinted a smile. He could tell Yerik held a much deeper intellectual well than he would have expected. The moment sparked a new connection of trust between the two.

                  “What do you think we should do?” Jonas asked.

                  Yerik smiled, looking back at Jonas. “Have you ever joined a fighter’s guild?”

                  “Ha. I thought about it. In my younger years, but never… well… my life took a different course. So, no.”

                  Yerik nodded. “Well, when the stakes are high and there is no hope of escape, and the odds are against you, a fighter makes a pledge.”

                  Jonas nodded along.

                  “A pledge to fight till the end. A pledge to never give up, never surrender. A pledge to fight together, and a pledge to come out on top victorious no matter what. A pledge that may even cost us our lives if required.”

                  Jonas nodded, following along.

                  “Those kids deserve to get home. Those kids have already been through enough. They’ve shown immense bravery coming to find us. They need to get home no matter what. We need to make sure they get home.”

                  Jonas nodded again. “I absolutely agree.”

                  “So, you’ll pledge to fight until the end?”

                  “Absolutely!”

                  “Then I pledge to you. A fight to the very end. With my life if I must. We will get those kids home and unharmed.” Yerik thought for a moment, then gave a slight chuckle. “This is where we usually clasp hands, accepting one another’s pledges, but since we are tied up at the moment, a head nod will do.” Yerik nodded his head.

                  Jonas nodded his head with a smile. “So, what are you thinking? Why did you want me laying here?”

                  “I want them to think you are still unconscious. When I came to, I started working on a plan to get us out of here. These warrior creatures keep passing by occasionally. They seemed distracted by their other visitors, so they’ve been leaving us alone. Whenever they walk by, they give me the evil side eye every time they pass. They know I’m awake. But they don’t realize you are.”

                  “I’ve also been studying these dragons. The ones with wings, the dark ones, large flat heads, walk on all fours and what not, those are the ones with magic. I don’t think those mutant battle dragons can do the same magic. They act more like their bodyguards or something. They seem dumb as rocks, easy to manipulate. Although they are quite violent and aggressive, they don’t seem to have the same powers as the other ones.”

                  “Yeah, I observed the same thing.”

                  “I’ve also noticed the magical ones don’t carry weapons, whereas the dragon-like creatures do. We need one of their weapons.”

                  “Okay, I’m game.”

                  “And since they’ve been preoccupied with the other visitors, I’ve observed their travel patterns. There is one tunnel to the right side of us, just on the other side of that large column that I don’t see them use. That’s our escape. We get free, then run for the escape tunnel.”

                  “Okay.” Jonas thought for a moment. “And how are you going to get a weapon?”

                  “I’ll get one of those dragon warriors, preferably a smaller one, to rough me up. When I’m fighting back, I’ll kick their sword or knife loose and in your direction. While you pretend to be unconscious, grab the weapon and slide it underneath you. They won’t notice that you have it.”

                  “Um, what about the dragon warrior? Don’t you think he’ll notice his weapon is missing?”

                  “Not if I knock him out.”

                  “Oh. Alright. And how are you going to do that with your hands tied and without a weapon?”

                  “Like I said, these things are dumb as rocks. They still haven’t tied down my legs.” Yerik lifted his legs up and down, demonstrating their freedom.

                  “Ah, got it.” Jonas blindly accepted Yerik’s confidence. The man had not been wrong yet. “And how do you plan to get one over here? You said they seem to be running back and forth, looking for the kids, I presume.”

                  “Don’t worry about that. Ever since I woke up, I found a little guy that I’ve been working over this whole time. I keep giving it a glaring look, taunting it with my eyes. I can tell it’s trying to obey orders, but the creature wants to beat me, possibly to prove itself or something. Plus, it never leaves for long. He’ll be back. From what I can tell, they are trying to guard us while they look for the others. This is going to be the best chance we have.”

                  Jonas nodded.

                  Jonas and Yerik walked through the details of their plans several more times. Jonas found the ideal position to catch a sword or knife and slide it under his body with minimal movement. Occasionally they heard running and movement from their captors. Several dragons ran in and out of the room. Jonas did his best to lie still and motionless. He listened to everything that Yerik did, as he tried to catch the attention of one of the passing by dragon warriors.

                  Then, as one warrior entered the room, Yerik began shouting random noises at him. The dragon creature growled back. Then he heard Yerik spit at the mutant battle dragon, the final straw that tipped the anger of the creature. As Yerik predicted, it launched an assault on Yerik. Rather than protecting himself from the initial attack, he kicked the creature’s sword from its harness and onto the ground next to Jonas. With tied hands, Jonas pulled the sword under his body and lay motionless.

                  Knowing Jonas had secured the sword, Yerik unleashed an attack with his feet. A solid heel kick directly into the creature’s nose sent it reeling. It stumbled over the rocky ground, then another kick to the creature’s thigh sent it to the ground. Yerik reached out with both his legs, hooking the dragon creature by the horns, pulling it in closer to him. Yerik then unleased blow after blow, raising his leg as high as he could, crashing the heel of his foot on the creature’s head.

                  Jonas could only listen to the commotion. He heard others approaching. Then his heart sank. He heard the shrill voice of one of the dark dragons of Myrr speaking its strange language. Yerik screamed in pain. Yerik was a man that seemed to take a beating and keep going. The physical beating didn’t seem to faze him. But the magical powers caused a different kind of pain. Jonas wanted to roll over and fight till the end for Yerik. Yet they didn’t pledge to save each other, they pledged to save the kids. Jonas did everything he could to look unconscious, helplessly listening to the insidious dragon of Myrr torture Yerik.