Trapped In the Valley Of Death

Vaughan stood on the same spot, looking at the ladies tied hands and legs, waiting to be sent to the slaughtering cave of the much reverenced dragon monster. His eyes searched out Beni where she was writhing in pain. He couldn’t continue looking as he looked away, while Beni and the remaining captured ladies looked up to heaven for a miracle to save them.

The strong men who captured Beni and the remaining ladies emerged from the inner chamber of Thisombe palace, apparently charged with what to do, descended on one of them. The lady attempted to run away, but her tied feet betrayed her decision. She burst into tears and Vaughan need not be told she was the one to be sacrificed to the dragon monster. He felt sorry for her. From then on, he decided to follow them to the monster’s cave where the lady will be sacrificed to the dragon. Vaughan was determined in his mind to confront the dragon and probably save her.

When the remaining captured ladies were freed, Beni rushed to meet her parents who were with tears of joy that she escaped death once again. However, the happiness was temporary for nobody can tell whose turn will be next season.

Vaughan followed Isombe people to the dragon’s cave. The cave was very close to the sea in the outskirt of the town. There was about twenty meters stretch of canal that led to the cave from the sea. Nobody can tell how this monster located this cave, but they knew that when the period to receive its sacrifice approaches, the dragon came to the cave from the sea through the canal.

The young lady was loosed hand and feet and thrown into a wide deep pit, probably dug by the people at the entrance of the cave. Vaughan and the people that came stood watching the drama with pain and disgust. The dragon monster made noise apparently sensing that her prey had been brought. Within few minutes, the monster appeared. Vaughan was completely overwhelmed by the bulky object that came out of the cave. He was utterly terrified. Now, he knew the reason why Isombe people cowed before the monster.

Kabuki – the ugly dragon monster had a frightening feature. She had a human head with eight eyes. Two at the forehead, another two at the back of the head while both left and right side of the head had two eyes each. The dragon did not need to turn her head to any side before seeing properly. The eight eyes were as shining as the sun and the people claimed the eyes lightened the surroundings in the night. On top of her head were seven locks of snake dreadlocks. When the dragon opened her mouth, the blade tongue was as long as a sword and it coiled and flipped to any direction at a considerable distance. Sharp arrows were released from her mouth and fire came out of her nostrils each time it breathes. The dragon was holding two-edged golden swords in each of her two hands. It also had two legs with lion claw and a long tail.

The dragon moved towards the lady and opened her mouth brandishing the sword tongue. The lady ran to a corner frightened. Vaughan also frightened by the huge fierce monster. He felt more disgusted when she ran to another corner and suddenly, the dragon opened her mouth and released several arrows on her. The lady was pinned to the wall and her screaming stopped immediately. Bloods dripped from her body. The dragon bared out her sword tongue, flipped it towards the lady and her head severed from her body. Vaughan looked away and said:

‘A bitch, merciless leviathan.’

The dragon swallowed the headless body and grunted. Few seconds later, she picked up the severed head with one of the snake locks, still grunting and retracted back to the cave.