Edvard Roosman was starting to think this was not one of his brightest ideas.
As a mountain climber who had scaled some of the most challenging slopes in the world, including Everest, he knew his stuff, but this was a challenge unlike any he had ever tried before.
Edvard was climbing the west face of the Nordkjolen, less than 100 miles from the Arctic Circle.
The Nordkjolen was not a small peak by Scandinavian standards and the west face dropped almost vertically straight into the north sea. Even at the height of summer a man could freeze to death on this mountain, which was never without a liberal coating of snow and ice, and was constantly battered by the icy winds of the Arctic.
After stopping for a small meal break at about noon Edvard continued his climb. Having made his way south along a ledge to its highest point he stopped to drive a spike into a crack in the rock in preparation for the next vertical climb. Edvard clipped a carabiner, holding his climbing rope, to the spike and carefully tested the spike to make sure it would hold. He then easing himself up off the ledge and starting to search for more hand and foot holds further up the face. He had covered about 20 feet when suddenly his handhold gave way and he plummeted straight down. As he passed the ledge where he had driven his spike in, he hit his head on the edge of the ledge, and that was when his lights went out.
Edvard slowly regained consciousness and became aware that he was not on the open face of the mountain any longer. He was in a dark enclosed space which was relatively warm and out of the wind. He also noticed an aroma, not a strong smell but rather just a faint hint of an animal odor.
Edvard heard a voice, inside his own head. "Please don't be afraid" the female voice said, "It is not my intention to harm you" "My name is Mira, and I and my mate Dravos are the last dragons left on earth".
Dragons? thought Edvard, did she just say "dragons". That bump on the head I received must have been really bad. "OK" said Edvard out loud "why would I be hearing the voice of a dragon inside my head". "I am a dragon" the voice said "Therefore I cannot speak as you do, but I can project my thoughts into your head so that we can communicate". Edvard said "it is dark in here and I cannot see you". The dragons voice replied " I will light a fire, but please do not be frightened by what you see".
With that Mira breathed out a small belch of fire which landed on the cave floor and illuminated the inside of the cave. Edvard almost died of fright. Sitting before him in the cave was a dragon, just like all the ones he had seen in the story books he read as a child. Close to twenty feet tall and covered with green scales, the dragon had highlights of red scaled around her nostrils and down the sides of her snout as well as a trail of red scales down the spine of her tail and down the centre of her chest.
Mira continued telling Edvard about dragons "There were once hundreds of dragons, but during your medieval times they were all slain by the dragon slayers, until eventually Dravos and I were the last ones left. We left the world of men so that we could survive. We made our way north. Flying through the Scottish highlands and the mountains of Norway and Sweden until we eventually found this isolated mountainside with it's precipitous slopes and inhospitable climate. Here we excavated this cave high on the mountainside where we expected men would never reach and this is where we planned to live out our remaining years".
Edvard said " I always thought dragons were a myth, fairy tales to entertain children with".
Mira told Edvard that dragons were real and had been in the world since long before man. Dragons evolved during the crossover time, when both the dinosaurs and the mammals walked the earth.
After Mira had finished telling Edvard about the history of dragons Edvard asked her how he came to be in her cave. Mira replied " Dravos was out looking for food and as he flew over the edge of the west face he heard you scream below him, and, thinking you would make a tasty snack he brought you back here".
At the mention of being eaten Edvards blood ran cold and a terrified look entered his eyes. "Relax Edvard", said Mira " Dravos does not have a high opinion of men after what they did during medieval times, and he would probably be quite happy to eat you, but I have reminded him that throughout our history we have never harmed a human and once considered you to be our closest friends". "Thank you Mira, I owe you my life" said Edvard. " If there is anything I can do to repay you, all you need do is ask".
At the suggestion that Edvard would be willing to repay her kindness Mira had a thought, and said to Edvard " there may be a way you can repay us, but I will need to discuss it with Dravos first, and if he agrees I will tell you about it". Mira thought for a moment then continued. "Edvard, what I have in mind will not be pleasant for you, it will be both painful and dangerous". "Mira I would be dead if not for you and Dravos. Whatever it is I will endure it gladly for you". "Thank you Edvard" said Mira, "I will be right back". Mira left the cave to discuss her proposal with Dravos.
