Chapter Five: The Girl With Dragonfire Hair

by Carl E. Mullin ©2020

Dagny Mark fell fast toward the ragged rocks below, her face calm and accepting.

She spread out her arms.

Closer now.

Closer!

Then the dragon snatched her mid-flight.

The rocks and the cliffs recessed fast from her view.

The dragon flew straight up and then glided. Then he corkscrewed slow in the mid-flight. As his belly faced the sky, he tossed Dagny high in the air. She twisted likewise and fell.

She landed on Puddin’s back. Hannah looked over her shoulder, “Dagny.”

She scurried up to her and lay on her back so she could hear her voice. “Hannah! The carriers’re in trouble and need our aid.”

“No shit! How?”

“We take out some destroyers.”

“Again, how?”

“I’ll land on them. Take out the batteries.”

“Sounds good. Where’s your men?”

“Not available.”

She shot a look. “By yourself? You’re fucking nuts! What about the planes?”

“Your company can handle them. The planes are a distraction. It’s the destroyers and battleships that’re vital. Take me low and I’ll do it.”

“Fuck me. Who else?”

“You and me.”

“Are you fucking me? That’s fucking crazy! The planes’ll—”

“—be busy with the carriers and dragons. We have an opening right now.”

She stared back at her friend. “Fuck me,” she whispered. Then she flashed a grin, “I love it!”

“And Marion can cover—,” she looked back and paused. She turned to Hannah, “Marion?”

“Yeah,” she answered in a soft tone.

They ducked as the bullets flew near their heads. Puddin dove for the waters. “I’ll get the guns!” Dagny shouted. She raced down the dragon’s back, grasping his upright bony plates for support. She was glad that these plates were protecting her person from the flying bullets. She reached Marion’s body. There was no question now. Fate. “I’m sorry,” she said to Marion as she unbuckled her straps. Her body fell toward the lake.

Dagny strapped herself in and snapped back the chamber loaders. She ducked as the fighter fired again. Some bullets ricocheted off the dragon’s projecting plates, shielding her. Then she let him have it. The fighter swayed to avoid her firing.

Puddin flew low. She kept firing. It kept coming. Then Puddin glided through a narrow gap between two cliffs. The pilot panicked as he realized his mistake. The plane exploded onto the rocks. “We got it!” Dagny shouted.

“Destroyers, here we come!”

Puddin flapped his wings with renewed zeal along the waters. They approached a destroyer.

“Tell Puddin to cover me,” Dagny called out as she unstrapped. With eagerness, Puddin grasped hold of the bridge tower. The ship nearly capsized with his sudden force. He bellowed his fire at the screaming men.

Dagny jumped and rolled onto the deck. A guard. Her dagger stabbed his throat. She raced toward the batteries. A grenade in hand, she checked the hatch’s handle. Unlocked. She opened it to a crack and threw her two packages in. She shut and locked the door and ran as the guns exploded from within. The next target she did likewise.

She raced back to the dragon who was making a Hel for the men. She already was pushing her luck as far as she dared to. She slid her way up behind a guard firing on him and stabbed him between his ribs in one move. Then she moved up his rear leg and grasped his bony plate, “Let’s go!”

Puddin bellowed his fire onto the offending ship and pushed off the burning superstructure with a sudden force. The destroyer capsized slight but it was all it took to take on water fast.

With a thrust of wings he aimed for another destroyer through a maze-like confusion of sunken wreckage and enflamed pools of oil giving off billowing black smoke. Hours of fighting had transformed the peaceful lake into dark chaos full of ash-snowing. The lights came from the tracers of heavy salvo between the carriers and the ships. Puddin swooped to evade the bright streaks of death and falling debris. Dagny looked around and her heart sunk, “I am blessed. I am blessed. Blessed in the holy mysteries.” A gray shape caught her eye. Another stray destroyer.

Water exploded high. Puddin broke right. Wet Dagny gasped. A friendly fire. Too close! They must act fast.

Puddin’s base cunning thought the same and dashed for the ship. He crashed onto one of the booming turrets and roared.

She leaped from his rear leg. One of the defenders spotted her and acted to intercept. She raced toward him and jumped onto his chest with both feet. On the deck she rolled sideways and leaped to her feet, dagger in hand. One, two, three, four, in went the blade until his belly grew black with stain. His eyes rounded in cold sweat.

His partner rushed to his aid.

She slammed his friend onto him. Then she leaped onto his dead friend’s bloody chest with both knees, forcing the living off his feet. They grunted as they landed.

Her blade aimed for his head. He recovered fast to seize her wrist. They grunted as the blade narrowed the gap. With her free hand she forced her dagger down.

The blade inched down, shivering with anger. Mutual hatred burned into each other’s eyes.

Hannah was firing on the crew when she glanced over her shoulder to see Dagny in a death struggle. She spotted the barrels and an idea flashed in her head. Puddin saw her image in his mind and ripped one of the barrels off with his powerful jaws. Then he tossed it in her direction.

The man’s eyes rounded when he saw the looming wreckage. Dagny saw it and rolled fast to her side. The barrel crashed and bounced off the damaged deck.

She jumped up with a start. He’s still alive. She reached back and threw. Her dagger flew straight. It struck his neck. She raced to recover her weapon from his geysering neck. A glance showed Puddin firing up the deck.

A large gash across the damaged deck. She rushed to look inside the gap. Armory. From her bag she produced five grenades. The pins flew. She dropped the gifts and dashed to the dragon’s tail. “Hannah! Get us out of here, girl!”

“Right!”

Puddin stretched out his wings and leaped back and flapped hard. They were barely 10 feet when the ship blew. His large belly shielded the girls. “Higher!” Hannah shouted.

He flapped harder and higher.

Another explosion. Then a third.

“Puddin!” He darted to left, making space.

They cleared the space just as the fire reached the oil tanks. The destroyer growled and jumped thirty feet into the air. It cracked into halves and fell back with a crashing wave, pulling in any unlucky soul in the water.

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HMS HENGIST

CIC

“Marshal! Something crazy’s happening with the enemy fleet!”

“What is it?” She grasped the command station as the ship shivered. “What is it? Report!”

“Some destroyers are blowing up but they’re not from our guns.”

Wellings shot up with a frown, “What the bloody nonsense is this, solider?”

“Can’t explain, sir. They’re out of our salvo area and yet they’re blowing up. The last one just cracked a ship in halves,” the specialist said.

“Who?!”

“We’re working backward, sir. Can’t be sure with ash-storm and smoke, but looks like a dragon, sir.”

“How many?”

“Look like one, sir.”

“Only one?”

“Ours?” Popova asked.

“Working on it, sir.”

“Blimey! There’s no way that one dragon can do this much damage, Marshal,” Wellings said. “Those ships were designed against them.”

“Perhaps. Personnel?”

Mr. Mills shook his head. “Not yet, sir. We have a video of what looks like a girl. The one with a dragonfire hair.”

She shot a look at him, “A girl with dragonfire hair? Show me the video and zoom in.”

“Sir. Running it now.”

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OVER LAKE NICARAGUA

Puddin swooped past the falling missile. Hannah spotted a battleship and he flew for it. “Fire it up, baby!” Its superstructure burned as he passed it close. He circled back. Rifle in both hands, Dagny leaped off his tail. She rolled on the midship of main deck and ducked behind the front of an arf turret. With a tight stomach and hard blinking to get the ashes out of her eyes, she peeked to see five men firing on the dragon. She dropped her bag. She rushed toward them, firing with each step.

Some ducked. Some fell. Reload. Fire. Reload. Fire.

They closed in. She stood her ground and fired again and again.

A shot missed!

She ducked her head and fell back to her makeshift shelter. She popped out to fire.

One drop. Two left.

She fired. Missed. Too close. She flipped the rifle into a club and aimed for one’s legs. He fell.

She jumped back. Make distance. Make distance. Spread out the enemy.

She ran further away. One followed.

She swung for his head. He ducked right into her rising sole. His head snapped sideways, banging against the steel turret. Her rifle pressed against his heart. KRAF!

As he slumbered, his armed partner was close on his heel. She fired again. Missed. She darted at him, cheating him his firing distance. She lunged at his belly, costing him his footing again.

As she fell with him, she allowed her rifle to drop. She rolled to her hips and then spun with her dagger in hand. She leaped at him. He gasped as her blade slide under his chin.

Getting up, she spotted the hatch to the turret. The control room. She reclaimed her bag.

She checked the handle. Unlocked. She pulled three pins and tossed the grenades inside and shut the door. She ran, picking up her rifle along the way.

BOOF! The hatch’s corners bent outward and blenched smoke.

Hannah blazed away at the massed crew as Puddin climbed up on the superstructure with deafening noise. He blew fire at the fore big guns but their barrels were designed against his fire.

Dagny spotted a small hatch for oil refueling and dropped to her knees. She grunted as she twisted the dial for a moment. It turned loose.

She glanced about and then jerked it open.

She looked at Puddin, measuring the distance. “Puddin!” she shouted. With a dragon’s acute hearing he saw her nod and he snared his understanding.

She pulled her pin. A grenade down the pipe, she dashed with her rifle and leaped for his rock-hard plate, “Go! Go!”

“Scramble, Puddin!” Hannah ordered.

With a roar, he leaped away from the ship and flew low over the water, gliding away.

Boom! A red fireball balloned from the battleship’s stern section. Then two more explosions. After a pause, the ship was ripped out from both starboard and port side.

“Alright!” Hannah screamed.

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HMS HENGIST

CIC

“We have another stink!” The cheers rang.

“The girl with dragonfire hair?” Wellings asked.

“Yes, sir!” the specialist grinned. “Whoever she is, she’s on our side, sir!”

Popova grasped her handset, “Attention all task group units! Hengist Actual here. We have a dragon amid the enemy fleet doing our work. Focus all firing power away from the dragon. Repeat, focus all firing power away from the dragon. Make it good! Actual out. We have the name?”

“Not yet, sir. We’re trying to raise that dragon but we’ve the dead air, sir.”

“The Gods protect them. Specialist? Where is that chert picture?”

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OVER LAKE NICARAGUA

“We did good, Dagny dearest!”

“Not yet,” Dagny breathed hard. “Too many ships still. We need to take out two-three more ships.”

They paused as one lighting flashed nearby, followed by a deep rumbling thunder. They breathed easier.

“No. We’re done. We did our duty, girl,” Hannah said.

She shook her head as she held on to the petite’s waist. “No, the carriers are hurting bad. They’re too close to the enemy and we lack any shore battery for support. We can do it with air support, Spitfire. Rad—”

“Our radio’s shot to shit, Captain! We’re it!” Her blue eyes glared back at her.

“Then we’ll have to do it without them.”

“Are you fucking crazy?”

“We lose this, the price will be higher. We must have that canal back. Future lives depend on us. It’s us or never, Lieutenant Morganstein!”

She blew her breath looking ahead, her eyes scanning for danger in the ash-filled sky as she spit out the gray ashes. “Oy vey,” she muttered. She eyed up at the burning carriers. “Fuck me.” She turned her eyes back, “Okay, what’s our play?”

“Keep going.”

“Puddin?” He growled deep. “He’s spoiling for a good fight. Time to take him out for a nice long walk!”

He twisted away from the shore. He flapped furious flaps toward another destroyer. The girls bent low to his back. Then a shot rang.

They ducked. “Get us outta here, baby!” Puddin darted through black smoke, painting the girls’ faces dark. The fighter shot through the smoke. But the dragon made a sharp turn to his seven. The enemy never saw his turn.

“That was close!”

Dagny looked over her shoulder. Two more planes were closing in on them.

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HMS HENGIST

CIC

“The lighting storm’s getting more intense, Marshal.”

“Thank you, Mr. Mills. How’re our carriers holding up?”

BOOM! The ship shook as they braced themselves against the shock of a dive bomb.

“Damage report!”

The bullhorn crackled to life, “Hengist, Skylark! Something’s happening! A quarter of enemy planes have broke off. Repeat, the enemy planes have broke off. I count maybe five, maybe seven.”

“They’re going after that girl, whoever this lass be,” Wellings said as he plucked up a headset. “Skylark, Hengist. Detach some of your dragons to cover that dragonfire-hair girl. Whoever’s riding that dragon is putting a fear into the enemy. They’re worrying, Skylark. We cannot raise them. Use visual communications if required. We have sufficient defense but you must protect that dragon by any means!”

The horn answered, “Roger, Hengist! Girl Blue, Hot Lips, Dove Eye, Go-Go, Hebe, Isis, on me, girls!”

Popova picked up her handset. “Attention all ground units, this is Marshal Popova. We have an opening. A small one but still an opening. I want you to move with all due speed to locate and occupy any enemy positions that are projecting their air power. Deny them any landing space. No prisoners. That is a direct order. Be quick about it, mal’chikov. Marshal out.” She set down the handset and looked up at her command team.

“What about the fort, sir?” Dobson asked.

“Acceptable risk, Admiral. We must put the fear of their god into them to force them to the table. That is our ultimate objective, gentlemen.”

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THE SHORE

“Move it! Move it, lads! Remember, no prisoners! Recon! Grasp your trolls and advance to the east port! Those planes were coming from the northeastern direction. That base must be close to them for them to unload them somehow. You have your orders. Move!”

The trolls squatted, letting the platoon mount their backs. Then they rose and started to race through the fields into the jungle.

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LAKE NICARAGUA

The crew saw a fireball rushing out of the black smoke. It was coming for them. They scattered in din and panic as hot bullets streaked from the fireball. Then from behind the fire extended two bat-like wings. The battleship tilted hard to its port side as Puddin crashed hard on its starboard with a shocking force. Men slid and rolled outboard to the port with yells and screams. The ship threatened to capsize for one breathless moment. As Puddin lit up the ship, it righted itself with a massive wave.

Dagny cast down her lifeline from Hannah’s harness. She slid down the rope as a furious firefight erupted against the roaring dragon.

She landed midship on the starboard and scattered toward the stern to escape any eyes.

She found a suitable shadow to hide. Looking about, she spotted the hatch next to a fire control set of a portable fire extinguisher and an ax. It led to the engine.

As she raced for it, a man popped from around the corner. A thunderbolt flashed and he saw the unsuspecting shieldmaiden. He seized her from behind.

She recovered fast and slammed the wall with both feet and dropped him backward onto the main deck.

She tried to roll off but his arm pinned her neck tight. He’s strong. She struggled hard with grunts as he rolled her onto her chest and choked her. Gasping, she felt helpless, her legs sprayed apart under his large and dominating body.

Feeling blackness creeping in, her hand grasped her dagger out of her thigh hostler. With the back of her head she slammed her captor’s nose. As he grunted and spit blood from his mouth, she stabbed his hip.

He screamed.

Again and again she stabbed him with the fury of her weaker sex. Stab. Stab. Stab.

Insane with pain he shoved her. She rolled away a distance.

She got up and yanked off the fire extinguisher with hands on both ends. She turned with the heavy tank over her head.

Pain-fogged, he saw her and threw his arms up. Falling to her knees, she slammed the tank against his arms. He slapped it away. The tank pulled her weight away from her target.

She struggled to lift the tank again up as his hand seized her throat. She ignored the hand and aimed for his head again.

He punched the tank away again but she was ready even as she gasped for air. She spun the tank’s bottom at him.

Contact! She lifted it with bared teeth. Her eyes grew white, she slammed it on him with a blind fury.

Stunned, he held on to her throat and punched her belly. Her hardened battle-corset softened the blow.

She slammed the tank again on him. He grasped her wrist in an attempt to arrest her assault even as he continued to choke her. It was a feeble attempt and she hit him again. Blood spattered the hot and ash-covered corrugated deck. Again. His hand on her throat weakened. And again to insure protection from his superior might. Gasping, she lifted the tank again. The red pool flowed thicker. And again.

Every fiber of her person wanted to revel in the bloody act but she mastered herself. She tossed her bloody instrument away. She struggled to get away. She spit, “Son of a bitch,” and reclaimed her dagger.

Before she got to her feet she peeked about for any trouble. Their focus was on Puddin. She breathed deep to recover her wits.

Time.

She claimed the ax and opened the hatch and rushed below. At the foot of stairs, she saw men bustling about the great and thunderous machinery. Then she saw them. The oil boilers.

As quiet as possible she rolled a couple of grenades to the floor. She bolted above as the voices yelled.

She slammed the hatch shut and bolted it with the ax’s long handle and ran.

Men spotted her and started firing. She ducked as she ran. Puddin heard the new firing and crawled down the superstructure with a deafening shock of his paws against the ship. In a flash of lightning he spotted the hateful men. He snapped one man’s body into half as Dagny raced up his body. “Hannah! Go! Go!”

The engine room combusted and ripped apart the main deck’s midship section. The fire reached Puddin but it did not bother the fire-born. His bat-like wings spread as the destroyer became engulfed in flames. He rose with a great swooping of wings. As he climbed the altitude, the ship blew up.

The girls cheered.

The bullets rained down on them from two o’ clock. Puddin’s bony scales saved them as they ducked. “Shit! We got three planes on us, girl!” Hannah shouted.

“No, four! Get us out of here!”

“Lose them, baby!” Puddin roared his frustration. With a great flapping, he turned to face them and back away to save his mate and her friend. Then he blinded them with a flow of flame.

Three dashed away in separate directions.

He turned and dove to the waters.

They gave a chase, lighting up the ash-filled sky with bright tracers.

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HMS HENGIST

CIC

“Marshal! Another dive bomber incoming!” The crew braced themselves as the ship shook with a violent force. “Sir, it’s a struggle to get a shot of her but we have one photo from Fort Black South.”

“Put it on the large screen if you would please, devochka.”

The video showed a shieldmaiden running towards the edge of the cliff.

“Show me her face if you can.”

The video froze and then was enlarged. Again. Again as her face grew larger.

The Marshal’s brows knitted. Had she seen her before? And again until her face became clear.

Popova gasped a small gasp and then smiled. “Dagny Mark,” she drawled.

“Incoming!” The ship shivered with a boom.

She shot a look up and saw and an overhead light fixture falling toward her. Someone threw himself against her back. They fell. The steel bars crumbled like paper.