Chapter 146 146. Great Escape

Chapter 146 146. Great Escape
Drake stood there, his black hair pushed back, his dark eyes firm, and a scowl on his face. In his hands was a long stick with a stone at its end, sharp-pointed.  Isolde turned her head. Was it a spear? Where had he gotten a spear? The dragon moved, and Isolde yelled, "Drake!"  

The Dragon couldn't make out the words as she yelled in English, not split-tongued. Lucifer hissed at her. "Tell him the wings are sensitive."  Drake rolled away from the thing lunging at him. "It won't burn you in here, Drake; it won't melt its gold; aim for the wings." She yelled, hoping he heard her. "Try its mind, Isolde." Lucifer hissed. Isolde nodded and tried again.  

The Dragon faced her again, snarling. Isolde moved quickly as the Dragon was trying to get to her now. Drake stabbed his makeshift spear again at its wings, on its back. It roared again and faced away from Isolde. Isolde was hidden but finding it too hard to break the mental barrier without eyesight. It was as if the beast's mind were scaled like its body.  

She began to crawl across the gold. "What are you doing?" Lucifer hissed. Isolde ignored him, wanting to get closer, hoping the proximity would help with being able to break into its mind. Drake had to dodge the big claws that swiped at him. Dragon Slayer was not in his repertoire, but he was athletic, and he was grateful for it.  

He couldn't reach its chest; the creature was too tall for him even to throw the spear. He felt so stupid; how was he going to pierce the creature's heart with a makeshift spear? He seemed to be only able to piss the dam thing off. He kept stabbing the thing here and there, but it was making no difference.  

Though the beast's wings had blood dripping from them, the blood was black as tar and carried a sulfurous scent that began to stink up the cave. Drake was hiding for a moment, trying to formulate some plan on how to kill the dam thing. But when he peeked up again, he had to roll to the side as a huge mouth with massive teeth was coming down as if to eat him. He moved out of the way in time, and the Dragon got a face full of its teeth.  

Isolde yelled, "Distract Drake!" She was closer to the Dragon named Silvee, but she couldn't break into the mind; she would need to touch the creature to have the best chance of forcing the beast to bend to her will. Drake groaned, moving again. He didn't know how long he could keep this up.  

He tried to wield craft, but it bounced off the creature, discovering that, on top of its thick hide preventing weapons from hurting it, craft did nothing. "KILL KILL KILL!" Isolde and Drake both heard the beast screech at an impossible pitch. It felt like sandpaper in their ears, hissing and rough.  

The Dragon got on all fours, opening its wings so that Drake couldn't get at them; they were too high now, unless he threw the spear, but that would make him weaponless. He had quickly used craft to make that thing in the first place; why had he not made more? Oh, he knew because he had to be quick, as his Isolde was in there with that thing.  

He groaned; he didn't see how he or Isolde would make it out alive. Isolde was close now; she could feel that touching the beast would be the key to breaking into its mind. It had to work; it was the only thing she could think of. She needed one moment of complete distraction, with her hands on the red dragon. She saw Drake gripping the spear.  

The dragon's wings rose, and its head was rising. The beast would try to eat him. "Throw it!" She screamed. Drake's eyes flicked to hers, and she yelled it again. Just as the monster was rearing back, it would try to eat him, no doubt. Drake hurled the spear into the wing; the dragon's head moved, knocking the spear off its trajectory and not hitting its mark.  

The Dragon drew its head back again. "Now you die!" It hissed in its disgusting voice. Isolde dove, her hand grabbing one of the four feet on the beast. She forced her compulsion with everything she had. The Dragon's head came down to claim Drake as her next meal, and Isolde pushed the compulsion down into the beast.  

Just as the Dragon's mouth engulfed Drake, it stopped. It didn't close its mouth on him, but slowly pulled back. Isolde was sweating, her breathing hard. Drake felt faint. He was so very close to being Dragon food. "Fucking hell!" He said, both relieved and exhausted. Isolde forced her compulsion into the beast's mind.  

"You are mine to control; you will go where I say, do what I say. If you die, you die, but you will listen to every command, and if we live or you live, I will release you. Drake and I will touch none of your gold or tell no one where your home is; the snake is mine, though not yours, and I am your owner, not the other way around. If I or Drake, whom you tried to eat, give you a command, you will obey it; you will not kill us or cause us harm in any way, and you will give your life if we are in danger or those we love." She hissed down into the Dragon's mind.  

Then she pulled her hands and walked toward Drake, leaning into his side. "We have a Dragon." He stated to her, still out of breath. "Yes, and I have answers for everything now, and this Dragon gave them to me." He raised his brows.  

"Look," Isolde said, holding up her arm, and Drake saw Lucifer. "Lucy will be happy she missed you. I'm sure you have much to tell us." He said to Isolde's snake. "Yesss," he hissed back. "At home, Drake, I want a shower and real food," Isolde commented. He grabbed her face and kissed her. Drake was relieved to be alive, and that they had somewhat succeeded. They got a creature; Malachi wouldn't kill them.  

"Should we go home then?" He asked. She nodded. "How are we getting this creature back? I can't geotravel with it. I don't think I can, at least." Drake said to her, and Isolde smiled. "We fly home, of course, and its name is Silvee."