Azeviche — Dragon Slayer CHAPTER 3 ( A novel by Silvio Spotti)

  Hello Dragon Slayers. Here is another chapter of The Oluf Chronicles— DRAGON SLAYER AZEVICHE, for you to read. As usual this as a non revised first draft. I was purging the ideas out of my mind and Azeviche is larger than life. She wants to go out and play. I hope you guys like it. By the way. Fell free to comment or Write me at rankcanon@gmail.com

Enjoy!!!

 Chapter 3
     Tiny Visitor

  

  Small hands were holding the handle of the axe, it was raised above Azeviche ́s head, using all her might, she hit the target. A dry  loud cracking noise can be heard  as a large piece of wood splits in half. With the whole ranch covered with snow, Agnes and Jet  have fun chopping wood for the fireplace; without it ,the nights will be cold for sure.  Agnes is surprised at Jet's ability to cut wood. Everyday seems to be fun to be around this light-hearted child. “It was like being injected with new blood”. Agnes thinks. The fields covered by the white mantle of winter, transform the landscape of the Silver Sword Ranch. 

 “ Looks like we have enough wood, you can stop now Jet.” Agnes was afraid that she would cut all the wood and possibly all the trees around the ranch, such is the energy of the black haired Azevich. She Can't remember being so happy, any one could tell by looking at her lips arched in an ear to ear smile. 

  “Oh, how wonderful is this place!” She screams, opening her arms  and looking to the blue sky. Her legs shoved in the snow almost to her knees due to  last night's Blizzard, which made her brown boots a little bit wet. Azeviche sees a rabbit and runs after it, sleeps and falls into a large pile of snow. She pulls her head out of the snow pile just to get  hit in the face with a snowball. “Oh!!! What was that?” Jet asks.

It was Ronna joining the party. “ This is war!” She says, smiling and throwing another ball at Azeviche. A fast snowball hits Ronna in her back. “ No. Don't ́t look at me. I did nothing. '' Says Jet ,that was also taken by surprise.

   “ I am the best there is in the snowball war”.  It was Agnes, who also hit Azeviche with a second  ball.   “ Jet. It is true. Take cover, she is the best with the snow balls”. Says Ronna. A perfect morning in the family; finally the orphan with so many aches in her past could have some happiness in her life.

   “ Run, take cover” Ronna yells to Azeviche, taking her by the hand and running away from the massive snowball attack they were under.

 “I'm merciless too”. Agnes laughs while throwing the snow balls. The two fugitives throw themselves into a snow pile,trying to save themselves. They both laugh and embrace with joy. “ I'm so happy that you are here with us Jet”. Ronna makes a gentle caress into Azeviche ́s pink cheeks.

 “I didn't think anything so good could happen in my life”. She responded. “ But a lot of good things will happen in your life for sure my darling, you are just eleven years old, you have a life ahead of you, you hear?  But you have to know. As soon as the snow is gone all kids must go to school and train. We all must be prepared for anything that can possibly happen around these parts. Don't ́t forget: We are all warriors”. Ronna says touching the black long hair, while they both still sitting on the floor.

 “ Am I going to be a warrior”? Jet looks surprised. “ Well you've been fighting Dragons, haven't you. That's what you are.  We all fought Dragons , you said it yourself, remember. That is true. '' Ronna answers with tender eyes.

 The sky turns gray like smoke, small snowflakes begin to fall again, this will not be a short winter. In the distance Agnes asks  Ronna and Azeviche to come back when a new snow shower is coming; they better gather the wood and head back inside the house. The snowflakes stick to the green wool knit caps worn by the girls. They head back home embracing themselves and giggling, their faces flushed with joy and burned by the cold.           

 Ronna looks at her mother in the distance and suddenly her expression changes. Agnes is frantically gesturing telling them both to go back quickly. They both run back and Agnes holds Ronna by the shoulder and points a finger to show her. 

“ Look! It is blood!”

  The three of them stood there staring at that crimson splattering of blood on the floor, for what seems like an eternity; It was Just blood, there was no body, no corpse of any creatures around to tell them who's blood that could be.  Ronna and Agnes hold Azeviche behind and with their brown boots ,they tap the snow around looking for a rabbit;If there was a rabbit there, an old Fox could Also be around looking for an easy prey. There was nothing there .The Wind started to blow harder as the temperature dropped, they fell a sudden chill to the spine and It has nothing to do with the weather. An abnormal silence surrounded the Woods and you could hear a pin drop for miles.

   Not even the usual creek noise of the old gate could be heard. In that mortal silence,Ronna feels uneasy and agitated; maybe It was just her new maternal instinct kicking  in and she remembers that Marcus will take a while  to come back from the city.  Agnes and Ronna look at each other. There is no need for words,mother and child,they can understand  simple gestures by  looking in the eyes.  Agnes nods and they take a few steps,back moving with caution,Azeviche doesn't understand much, but she can see both of them pale like ghosts and obey the silent command. Their Green knit caps are pale white with snow so are their coats and faces.They move back to the house,even though the blistering shower of snow wants to keep  them outside. The haunting sound of the wind scares them and they all run. Azeviche storms inside the living Room covering the floor with  mud and snow from her boots. Her body froze,her face staring petrified glancing at what seemed to her like a supernatural apparition from hell.

 The cabinet at the wall containing the silver sword,had his door shattered to pieces,tiny pieces of glass was all around the floor and on top of it holding the silver sword a four feet grayish horrendous figure.With his pointed ears and a crooked nose,the creature was staring with yellow eyes injected with rage back to Azeviche and pointing the silver sword to her face. That thing was dressed with what looked like a potato sack,a copper chain around its waist and black dirty little boots to protect its feet.A silver earring was shining on its left hairy ear. All that wrapped around grease nasty locking silver hair.

 Azeviche is stricken with surprise with that vision of the nasty fella pointing a sword to her face. But she doesn't scream in fear, she doesn't cry or run away. She stares back at the creature with an expression that would scare a mountain lion away.How dare it to break into the sacred quiet of their home, to steal a sword and try to hurt them.  Maybe it was watching them from the woods around the ranch all the time, waiting for the perfect moment to attack. Azeviche barely notices that the wimp figure is bleeding from its right arm,as a matter of  fact, she doesn't even care. Agnes and Ronna finally get back inside and looking from over Azeviches shoulders, they see the wimp. The little gray guy is pointing the silver sword to them. Azeviche is pissed off, her right clenched fist,punching her left hand, injected red eyes with  rage, she glances back at the fella and screams at it.

 "Give it back you prick!!!" 

   "You get back!!!" It responds, shaking the sword in her direction, barely standing the weight of it. As if the wound had weakened him.

"What is the meaning of this? "Ronna screamed to the wimp creature.

 Scared, the Elf turns the tip of the sword to Ronna and Agnes. That was the exact moment that the girl was looking for. She strikes the wimp like lightning,jumping at him. In a split second Azeviche tackles the gray guy,she holds it by the neck causing the sword to fly away from its trembling hands. The sword flies mid air making a  loud wobble sound when its silver blade attaches to the wall,inches from Agnes. Ronna looks terrified as Azeviche and the gray Elf engage in a furious fight, both rolling in the carpet smearing blood all over it. Jet gets the upper hand and punches the ugly Elf in its face, grabs the creature by the neck and starts to use its head as a punching bag as the Elf slowly loses his strength.

  “Feel the wrath of Oluf. Hellspawn”.  Azeviche screams from the top of her lungs continuing to punch the almost unconscious being.

   The grey elf and the valiant opponent engage into a most ferocious fight, punching each other and rolling throughout the floor, smearing blood, dirt and snow in the beautiful green carpet. Little pieces of what used to be the protective door, to the silver sword frame, now lie on the floor and they roll on top of it, both cutting their backs.

 The heat of the fight is such that the girl and the little midget can't feel one the glass stabbing their backs. This is  a fight of life and death. Ronna and Agnes desperately scream at them both to stop ,but they don't listen and throw themselves at the center table, shattering it into a million pieces.

“Lord almighty do something!!!”. Yells Agnes to Ronna, but there is no way to stop the fight. She tries to split them apart only to get hit in the arm.

   “You have such a nerve. Evoking Oluf, like if he was a God or something. You will pay for this little human cub”. It was the first time they could hear its voice. That raspy terrible voice coming out of that gray mouth.

  Panic takes over and amidst the screams, the resilient being, dressed in a suit made of brown potato sack, grabs the girl by her dark hair. He smiles, as it looks like he finally manages to control the fight. Azeviche with red eyes injected with  rage, feels a flush of blood going through her head, like she was again about to pass out. 

  “No I can't let this creature defeat me. This will be the end of us all. He will kill me,my family and take our home.”

 “And nobody will take my home!” Azeviche ́s chest fills with anguish, when she realizes what is really at stake here. Shouting out loud, the pain taking over her body, she spins in a sudden movement, her groping hands looking out to the first thing that she can use as a weapon; Azeviche is losing this fight.

 “Goddam creature! I'm sending you back to whatever hole you came out of. I swear! she says grinding her teeth.

“No, you won't, pink human cub”. “ Halv-har cannot be defeated by a simple cub”. He talks back in his raspy voice.

 “  You dare to call for Oluf. Oluf is nothing but a Drun— This was the last Straw.

 Small fingers find the adorned leg of what used to be a table. Limping legs of a sore body, struggles to get on her feet. In that torturous moment, fighting for her life, her instinct  talking louder; Either she takes action or the fight is lost and in her mind is the end of it all. No more house, no more blue room, no more parents. It will all be over. “The end of all, you hear?” A voice talks to Azeviche, inside her head. she can't see anything else but that large, bulbous gray head and aims for it.

 ”Last chance Jet. Do it or it's all over”. She thinks.

  “Feel the wrath of Oluf midget!!!” With all her might, sucking up on what was left of her strength, she hit the gray elf like trying to hit a home run.The little fella spins in mid-air and out of his mouth, a spit of blue blood hits the horrified Ronna in the winter jacket. A stony-eyed elf falls on its back like a tree, that's just been cut off by a lumberjack and plops on the floor with a dry noise.

“ That does it you little Urchin !!!” Azeviches spit some of her blood in it. The Elf sleeps tight, flat on its back. The corner of her lip was still bleeding.

“Azeviche!!!” Screaming Agnes and Ronna, they get on their knees and hug Azeviche. A low chant could be heard in the middle of the room. A chant coming out of the bloody lips of a little warrior.

“This is my home!!!...Mine! This is my home!!!

 From  the distant snowy mountains,

 An army of  Elves sprout,

 Each and every warrior,

 That walks about the woods,

 From the Elves, they know about,

 Not scared of them fairies, and

 Of  Dragons not devout,

 Can these little thieves be thrusted?

 Will you put your faith in them?

 When you march into the battle,

 Will you be home to the spouse?

 You'd rather March alone?

 Prefer to be  slaughtered?

 Will you join the Dark Grey Elves?
Is that still allowed?

 Set thou proud aside,

 Aim for the glory,

 

Join the Dark Grey Elves,

That's what they are about.