The Last Egg

         The baying hounds! They are getting closer," cried Ava as she grasped my shoulder.

         “We must hurry if we’re to reach the ferry in time to cross the Immense River,” I replied.

         “They’re setting us up,” She cried.

         Overhead flew mounted dragon riders.  King Dragoon was sparing no expense to have us captured and returned to him. Ava and I escaped from the Evian’s Reach Castle and had succeeded in taking with us the last golden dragon egg.

         The forest gave us some cover against the dragons finding us, but the hounds were another matter.  They were raised and trained to track the scent of golden dragon eggs.  These eggs were extremely rare and we were in possession of the last one.

         “Eaton! Look the ferry dock is just ahead!” Ava pointed to the rocky finger that jutted into Immense River. Tied to the dock was an old pontoon ferry. The ferryman was a grizzled old man wearing a stained camo-poncho.

         We ran to the ferry as the ferryman was untying the pontoon from its mooring. With a great leap we landed in middle of pontoon and remained crouched.  I removed three gold sovereigns from my pocket and handed them to the ferryman. He threw a large net over us. “Tis unseen magic this netting holds. You’ll not be seen by the dragons above,” the ferryman growled.

         Time seemed to move slowly as we crossed the river. Once docked, the netting was removed, we leaped to the rocky outcrop.

         “Ouch!” cried Ava as she looked at the satchel holding the egg.  A golden claw had pierced it.

         Releasing the ties, the dragonlet emerged launching skyward. It met the Golden Dragon. It’s rider held out his arm for the dragonlet to perch on it. We failed our quest.
 
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