Not little, Ashd said.
I know. It was a joke. Even after so many years working together, Ashd still tended to take Koradan’s statements a little too literally, and Koradan sometimes forgot that he should try and avoid using too much figurative language.
Ashd came forward – with the miners scrambling out of reach of the ‘dragon’ – and took the end of the rope in his teeth. Rather than trying to drag it backwards, he turned around and tucked the rope underneath himself, so that he could pull forwards; his powerful back legs only really worked in one direction.
“Ready? Just ease into it. Feel its weight,” Koradan cautioned him. The last thing he needed was a second vreki injuring himself. “If it’s too much, don’t do it. We’ll find another way.”
Ashd steadied his legs on the ground. He reared up a little, leaning his weight into the rope and pressed down on his back legs. The boulder didn’t move. But via his mental connection, Koradan could feel that Ashd was using only a fraction of his strength so far – just getting a feel for it, as Koradan had instructed.
“Okay? Have another go. A bit harder this time.” Ashd bunched his legs under him, lifting his front legs all the way off the ground. His wings came out to steady him, and Raul gasped as he saw the broad expanse of black leather spreading out.
“Fuck me, he’s like the biggest bat I’ve ever seen,” he muttered.
“Wait until you see him fly,” Paul said, sounding oddly proud about it. “It’s incredible.”
“Ready to give it a real go?” Koradan asked. Through their mental link, he felt Ashd’s focus narrow and his determination ratchet up a few levels.
Wing. Leg. Push. Claw. Ashd dug his long back claws into the ground. The muscles in his legs bunched, standing out in thick ropes. He spread his wings, using them to give him a little more propulsion. And then heheaved.
Behind him, for a long moment, nothing happened… and then the pile of rocks gave a rumbling groan as they ground against each other and the boulder moved forward about half a foot.
“Yes! That’s it, buddy. A few more like that and we’ve done it.”
Koradan felt the combination of satisfaction and determination in Ashd’s mind, then the vreki steadied his legs and gave another heaving pull. The boulder moved another foot.
“Yes!” Raul yelled, almost jumping up and down in glee. “He’s doing it! He’s actually fucking doing it!”
“One more, buddy,” Koradan encouraged him. “You’re doing great.”
Happy human?Ashd asked.
Yes, they’ll be very happy once their friends are free.
Ashd adjusted his footing and steadied his wings again. Then his rear end wiggled – a movement the vreki often did before taking flight – and his tail swished from side to side. Then he gave one last heave. The boulder ground forward a foot… then two… then it finally came to rest three feet from where it had been a moment ago. Ashd sagged to the ground, releasing the rope and giving a faint groan. But it was quickly followed up by a chuffing sound that in vreki language basically meant ‘Go me!’
“Damn right,” Koradan said, going over and scratching Ashd along the fronds on his head. “Awesome job. Well done.”
The three miners were already back at the rock pile, scraping free the debris that had been loosened by Ashd’s hard work. Further back, there were fewer big rocks and more loose gravel, and by dragging shovelfuls away, the pile began to collapse, revealing a gap at the top of the cave.
“A bit more, guys,” Raul called to his two teammates. “We’ve nearly got it.”
Suddenly, from inside the cave, a shout of “Daylight!” got everyone’s attention. A cheer went up from the miners just inside.
“Mitch? Rex? You there?” Raul called.
“I’m here,” a voice replied. “Rex is down the tunnel. And I’ve got four more with me. Lenta and Alti and Gren and Vernon.”
“Help me move this rock,” Raul instructed one of the other men, and together they tugged a piece out of the way that probably weighed at least fifty kilograms.
“I can see you!” Mitch called, joy in his voice, along with a husky sound that meant he was likely about to cry. “Oh fuck, I can… Can you reach my hand?”
“I’ve got you,” Raul said, and Koradan couldn’t see far enough inside the cave to know what was happening, but there were more frantic shouts, cries of adulation and instructions to move things one way or another. More rocks and gravel were shoved away from the small opening, then a head appeared. “Here, take his other hand,” Raul said, then he and Vin were hauling Mitch out of the cave and into daylight. Mitch looked dusty and tired, but otherwise unharmed. Raul helped him clamber down the pile of rocks, then immediately went back to get the next man out.
Mitch stood there, blinking in the daylight and simply catching his breath, until he looked up and caught sight of Koradan, waiting about ten metres back from the entrance. His relieved expression faded to a look of cold dread. “Angels have mercy on us.”
“It’s all right,” Paul said, rushing forward. “This is Koradan and his vr… his dragon. They moved the boulder that was blocking the entrance.” He pointed to the large rock, still with the rope tied around it. “They’re good guys. They came to help.”
Koradan gave the man a nod. “Good morning,” he said politely. “I swear to you, you have nothing to fear from me.”
