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It felt like we had been walking for hours. We were still ten kilometres away from the top, and we had already taken seventy-eight wrong turns but who was counting. Only four days had passed since we met Lilic and she had already made changes to our schedule. We were dragged out of bed at five each morning and continued our journey; and we rationed our food and were forced to only have water breaks when near a body of water. She was set on holding the map and coming with us, but she was the little bit of laughter I still had left. Judas spent most of the time in my bag asleep. He wasn’t ready to get to know Lilic, even though he invited her. He also maintained my training in case I had to scale a larger wall than last time.
As we turned yet another corner, Lilic’s eyes lit up with excitement. She shoved the map into my hands and walked over to a waterfall. “It was fun going up the mountain with you, but this is my stop,” she said calmly, as she ran and jumped into the water plummeting down to the ground.
I watched in amazement. A distant splash echoed around the mountain and I heard laughter. I just had to presume she was alive and … well, maybe she does this often? I kept on walking not wanting to disturb the peace lingering in the air thanks to her disappearance. But this peace was disturbed by a forest that was in my path. It was dark and intimidating. Bats hung off the trees and spiders crawled around in the darkness; it was a place you wouldn’t want to be gifted with. I shook my bag attempting to wake up Judas, with no such luck. For a mentor who was ‘escorting’ me up the mountain, he wasn’t doing such a great job. I gazed around in search for a way over. I spied a rock with writing on it. It read, ‘Goji Kotu Flestia’.
“Goji Kotu Flestia?” I said, out loud.
Suddenly, my feet lifted off the ground. I became weightless and hovered around in the air. I started running, trying to be put down, but with every action I moved in the air. Was this maybe the way to get over the forest? Was this mountain filled with ancient spells that had been forgotten over the centuries? I directed my body to be taken higher in the air. I glided upwards, and then stepped forwards. I started to run in circles, gradually gaining speed and then taking off over the mountain. I watched the forest disappear underneath me and the mountain tip becoming clearer and clearer. I ran over to a cave that was dug into the tip. My body slowly drifted onto the flat stone that had been filed down to be smooth and cold.
My one eye explored my surroundings until I saw a golden embroidery on a wooden chest that must contain the healing spell. Apart from the gold cloth, the atmosphere felt deadly. Bones were strewn around and a large figure was illuminating in the corner, completely shaded by the darkness. It smelt of rotting flesh and dried up blood. I stepped towards the chest, not daring to make a sound in case the figure was alive. I could hear shallow breathing coming from the figure and I stopped in my tracks. The figure’s eyes fluttered open, they were huge and dominating. They glowed a bright neon yellow in the darkness. The figure stepped out of the darkness to reveal an ugly brute of a dragon. I had heard stories of magnificent dragons helping warriors fight off the invaders, but here a dragon stood, and it wasn’t anything like them. Its scales didn’t shimmer but instead were sharp and a faded brown colour. Scars were ripped throughout the dragon’s body. It looked limp but muscular, and it looked like it was ready to have someone’s head.
“Who dares to try to gain the scroll of healing will surely perish in battle against me!” the dragon boomed.
I watched as its claws broke out from under the scales; it lurched towards me and with one swift move pinned me down to the ground. I scanned my brain for something I could do. Judas broke free from my bag and flew away in a hurry. The dragon bared its yellow stained teeth at me, gradually drawing closer and closer. I couldn’t think of anything, was there a spell? The dragon moved closer. This felt like the end, I knew it. That is, until I remembered the transfiguration spell. I rattled my brain to find the words, but it seemed like I would only have one chance to get this right.
“Huks Ghoto Juop,” I screamed into the ear of the dragon.
I watched as the dragon shrank and shrilled in pain. It grew round ears. Its scales vanished and were replaced with grey fur, a pink nose overtook its fiery one, and it started pacing back and forth. This once dominating dragon had turned into a defenceless mouse! I watched as it attempted to pound me with its fist, and then I knocked it over and grabbed the scroll of healing, before making my escape down the mountain. I never saw Judas again, but when I got home, a parcel with an owl feather was lying on my bed. It was the same with Lilic, but I swear I still see her bubbly person jumping around the town.