And that my friends is when I woke up in the dungeon.

You’d think I would have been panicked but the truth is I was so disoriented I didn’t realize that I was possibly in a game. Or in something. Or somewhere. I thought it was all a dream. But now, standing on a large platform, a noose around my neck, about to be hung to death, had caused the cobwebs in my brain to be brushed aside.

I was in the game!

And I was about to die.

Oh and that thing that had caused the sky to suddenly become dark and everyone to panic… That was a dragon.

A huge fucking dragon.

The dragon was flying overhead circling the castle; the crowd stampeding for the castle, people pushing and shoving and punching each other to get inside first.

I stood there on that platform, my knees shaking, and my stomach doing cartwheels.

Had Dennis said I could actually die in here?

How was that even possible? I didn’t want to find out.

I reached up, wrists still bound by the manacles the jailers had slapped on me before our walk out here, and went to remove the noose from around my neck. It was tight and the knot didn’t want to budge. I pulled and I yanked but couldn’t get it free.

I looked over and Varris was struggling with his knot as well.

There was a deafening noise and I looked up to see the dragon hurtling toward us.

I saw it in the sky and time slowed like it does when you’re in an accident or something like you can feel everything happening. The dragon was bearing down on us its humongous mouth open its fangs wet, its black tongue whipping about. I saw the flame rising in the dragon’s throat.

Varris yelled, “Jump!” and shoved me off the platform. There was one serious problem. I hadn’t removed the noose from around my neck. I was about to feel my neck break. There was a dark shadow that blocked everything out and then suddenly fire rained down from the sky and engulfed the platform.

I smelled smoke and burning wood and the rope holding me melted away and I hit the ground hard on my ass. Fire followed us down and for an instant, I knew that I would be roasted alive. Varris pulled me and we rolled as hard as we could out of the way and I felt intense heat, then the platform, what was left of it collapsed where I had been only a second before.

I felt the heat of the fire, and then an intense burning stink that I could only think was the other prisoners hit my nose. My stomach felt like it turned upside down and I had an overwhelming urge to throw up.

I pulled myself up from the dirt and looked around. No one was left in the courtyard now. I could hear shouts and screams coming from the castle. I didn’t know what to do.

What the hell was all of this? I really needed to have a word with Dennis when I got back.

Wait! Was getting back even possible?

Varris shoved me and said, “Run!” He took off toward one of the towers. I didn’t have anything better to do so I decided to follow him. Really fast.

As we reached the door at the tower base the old man that had been standing behind the king swung it open and let us inside.

The old man shut the heavy wooden door behind us. I collapsed on the floor of a small room the size of the tower with a wooden staircase leading up to the top.

I hadn’t even caught my breath before the old man was pulling me to my feet. He waved his hands and the manacles on our wrists fell open. My mouth did the same thing.

Varris laughed. “About time. Those things were killing me.”

“Come! Come!” the old man said as he jerked me to my feet. “We must defeat it.”

Defeat it? He must have had me confused with a platoon of marines equipped with rocket launchers and tanks.

The old man pushed me toward the stairs and I felt his staff in my back, prodding me to climb the stairs. What was it with these people and poking you with sticks?

He yelled over his shoulder, “Stay here, dwarf.”

Varris was right on our heels up the stairs. “I want to see this,” he said.

I made my way up the stairs to a landing with a door. I stood at the door, not really wanting to open it and expose myself to a fire-breathing dragon. The old man pushed past me and went outside the door.

What was this guy doing?

Varris stopped behind me. “Better get out there.”

I turned and looked at him. “Are you crazy? There’s a dragon out there.”

He pushed me out the door. “Yeah, and you’re going to kill it.”

I almost fell out of the door and could see we were at the top of the tower now, high above the courtyard and the surrounding countryside. I didn’t see the dragon.

The old man grabbed me and pulled me to the low wall that surrounded us. It came up to about my waist and didn’t seem like it was adequate to keep someone from falling over. I turned to go back through the door but he closed it behind me and stood between it and me. He gestured with his staff to a row of bows and a quiver of arrows leaned up against the stone wall of the landing.

“Shoot it,” he said. “We must destroy it.”

I looked at Varris who shrugged his shoulders.

Shoot it? With a bow and fucking arrow? Did I look like I belonged in The Lord of the Rings movies?

“I can’t,” I said. He whacked me with the stick. It really hurt. He gestured at the bow and arrow again with a look on his face that your parents get when they are absolutely tired of your shit.

“Fine,” I said. I’d done archery at summer camp. I could shoot the bow. Not saying I could hit anything but I could at least shoot it to keep from getting hit again. I picked up a bow and it was a lot heavier than the ones I remembered from summer camp when I was a kid. I took it and an arrow, its point gleaming and looking pretty sharp.

I held the bow in my left hand and placed the arrow on the string and rested it on the handle. That seemed like it would work. I pulled the string back with my right hand and then realized I had no idea where the dragon even was. It could fly over any second and burn us to death.

I let the string of the bow relax and looked around for the dragon.

Surely none of this was real. This was all the game. A new immersive game.

But why had Dennis said you could actually die? And why did everything seem so real? Getting hit in the face had seemed about as real as it could get.

I was thinking all of this when I heard the dragon roar.

I’m not saying I shit my pants, but I may have sharded a little. Two straight meals from Taco Bell did not go well with a stomach full of fear.

The dragon’s roar was loud; breathtakingly loud. It sounded like a lion and an elephant were competing to see who could make more noise.

I heard a loud thumping sound, then gusts of wind hit me and almost knocked me over. A dark shape flew overhead.

“Shoot now!” the old man yelled. “Its underbelly is exposed.” I didn’t even have the bow raised.

The dragon flew down into the courtyard and landed, sand and dirty spraying everywhere with the beat of its wings. It roared again then took a deep breath and sprayed the empty platform the king and his entourage had been sitting on with fire. The platform was instantly engulfed in flames.

“Shoot it,” the old man said, at least not yelling this time.

I stood frozen.

If this wasn’t real then Dennis and his company were going to make a fortune. Everyone on Earth would want to experience VR like this.

I could smell the fire of the platforms, hear the dragon breathing its sucking, liquidy breaths, and feel the wind on my face, the dirt still on my skin.

The dragon was ugly. It had a long neck and a thick body and wings like a bat's that stretch out on thick arms and had what looked like thin skin covering them. I could see the blue veins in its wings. It had brown scales with small knobby horns running down its back. It smelled like it had been rolling in dead animals all day. And for all I knew about dragons, that may have been what they liked to do.

A door opened up in the base of the castle and five knights ran out into the courtyard, shields in one hand, swords in the other.

That seemed pretty dumb.

They circle the dragon, it turning with them, deciding which one to eat first I guess. There were shouts from all around and at the top of the castle and in the other tower, more guards rained arrows down on the dragon.

To me, it looked like they had everything under control.

“Shoot it,” the old man said again.

I really didn’t want to draw its attention my way. At least those guys had on armor. Unless the dragon had good tastes in t-shirts, I had nothing to protect my skin from the hellfire that it spewed out of its mouth.

The knights in the courtyard ducked and dodged and slashed at the dragon with their swords while it whipped its tail at them and struck like a snake at them using its long neck. It smacked one of the knights with its tail and the man went flying, making sick crashing noise when he hit the castle wall.

“Got one!” Varris yelled from behind me. I turned and he pumped his fist excitedly at me.

I guess when a bunch of people try to hang you, you root for the dragon.

The dragon struck out and caught another of the knights in its toothy jaw and the man screamed as it bit down, making a loud crunching sound, the man’s scream turning into a bloody gurgle.

Nope, I was good not attracting any attention to myself.

I felt the old man’s wooden staff smack me on the back.

“Shoot. It.” He said like was talking to a child.

I really didn’t want to do that.

I looked around to see if I could slip by the old man and down the steps. I could make a break out of here and figure out how the hell to get home.

It was like he was reading my thoughts. He held the staff up with both hands in a blocking motion, still standing between me and the door.

Fine, whatever. What could it hurt to shoot an arrow at a dragon? Not like I’d hit it and draw its attention and it would then spray liquid fire all over me. That couldn’t happen, could it?

I drew back the string on the bow and looked down the shaft of the arrow. I had no idea what I was doing. I lined the arrow up with the dragon’s body and let go.

I have no idea where that arrow went. None.

I wasn’t paying attention to that because the string of the bow snapped the skin on my forearm and it hurt like you wouldn’t believe.

I dropped the bow and started dancing around holding my stinging arm. I jumped back and forth and blew on the patch of skin that was as red as a tomato.

Varris was doubled over with laughter.

The old man blew out an annoyed breath. “Hurry,” he yelled. He was back to yelling at me.

I worked my fingers back and forth, my arm feeling like it was on fire, and got feeling back into them, then picked up the bow again. I couldn’t believe I was about to do this again. I picked up another arrow and after a couple of tries got everything into place like it was supposed to be.

I held the bow awkwardly, trying to bend my wrists so the string wouldn’t catch my arm again. I lined the dragon’s body up again with the arrow.

The dragon by this time had eaten another of the knights and had the last two pinned in corner of the courtyard, looking like it was about to have a very large lunch. Arrows were still raining down from the top of the castle but they were bouncing off of the dragon, completely ineffective against its scaly back.

“Don’t shoot yet,” Varris called from behind me. He pointed to one of the knights that was jumping around and trying to jam his sword into the dragon. “That’s Erick! Wait until it eats him.”

The old man whacked him with the staff. He turned around and threatened to hit me with it.

I had no idea why it was so important that I shoot at this thing but here went nothing. I checked my aim, and by checking my aim I really mean I closed my eyes. I let go of the arrow. The skin on my forearm felt like someone was trying to burn it off. I heard a roaring in my ears and had never realized pain could be that loud.

I felt a hand clap my on the back as I was bent over holding my swelling arm. “You did it!”

Did what? Managed to somehow cause myself to need a skin graft.

The loud roaring continued and I thought my eardrums would burst. I looked up and the Dragon was shaking its head back and forth, its roar so loud the wooden floor of the tower was vibrating.

The dragon thrashed and twisted but it was no longer interested in the knights at its feet. It looked like a dog that had just gotten a bath and wanted to shake that clean feeling off by rubbing its body over anything and everything it could touch.

The dragon thrashed and convulsed and threw its self on the ground then back up, little spouts of fire shooting from its mouth. I stood there dumbfounded, not knowing what was going on when the old man said, “Its eye. You hit it in the eye!”

I looked. Sure enough, there was an arrow sticking out of one of the dragon’s eyes, green gooey blood running from the wound.

The dragon thrashed around for another second, then suddenly got its feet underneath it and flapped its wings and it a burst of wind it flew skyward. It flew away fast, its roar slowly fading in the distance. There was a cheer from the knights in the towers and the two knights in the courtyard. All three of us stared as it got smaller and smaller, then a speck, then nothing.

“Come,” the old man said, smiling at me now. “We must celebrate.”

Celebrate? Shit man, I just want to get out of here and get back home. I would be having a word with Dennis as soon as I could, too.

The old man led us down the tower stairs and out into the courtyard. We stopped and he and Varris nodded at each other. Varris turned to me. “I can’t believe you did it, kid. But you did.”

“I don’t think I did.”

Varris hit me playfully in the arm, not very high up. “Sure you did. I watched it. Wish I could stick around to mention that fact, but I don’t that would be wise.” He gestured to the old man. “Besides, Leomorn will tell the king how you drove that beasts off.”

The old man, apparently named, Leomorn, said, “I will indeed. And you will too, Varris. You’re staying here.”

Leomorn did something with his staff and Varris floated about a foot off the ground, a weird blue light surrounding his body, the magic keeping him from moving.

“Put me down,” Varris yelled. Leomorn ignored him and started walking and the floating man followed.

We crossed the courtyard, the ground churned up heavily, dust still floating in the air, a stink that I had only recently learned was the smell of burnt human flesh, and one I’d never get out of my nose, filling the air.

The old man led me to the castle, Varris floating behind us, and made his way inside. He gestured for me to follow him. I stopped at the door.

“I need to get out of here,” I said. “I need to get home. They were going to hang me a few minutes ago.”

The old man put his hand on my shoulder. “You killed the dragon. They will celebrate you for it.”

I didn’t want to point out that anyone could have fired that arrow and I seriously doubted it was me. It seemed counterproductive.

“I need to go home,” I said.

“In time,” Leomorn said. “Follow me.”

He entered the castle and I followed. Varris did too, yelling the whole time. He led us to a large hall. The hall was full of people excitedly talking and gesturing. It smelled like unwashed bodies, and I was glad I wouldn’t stand out as the only person who had crapped in their pants.

Leomorn led me down the center of the hall, a red carpet running the length, and people turned and started whispering about us. Everyone was whispering about me. It felt weird.

There was a large chair at the front of the hall with two smaller chairs on either side. The three chairs were empty and the old man led me to a door behind them and we entered a small room

In the room was the man I had assumed was the king. He looked like a king or sure was dressed like what someone thought a king would dress like. He had a neatly trimmed white beard, blue eyes, and a wise face.

The king was standing at a large table with other men crowded around him. They all looked up from a large map when we entered. I recognized the guy who had been so eager to hang us, Erick. He didn’t look happy to see me. He caught sight of a floating Varris and looked angry then like he had just seen the funniest thing in his entire life. He began to laugh.

“Will you look at that? You didn’t get away after all you little bastard. We’ll hang you yet.”

Varris was still squirming. “Let me go, Leo!”

Leomorn said, “I don’t think that will be necessary. Varris helped slay the dragon.” He did something with his staff and the blue light that was holding Varris up dissipated and he dropped to the floor.

“He’ll hang!” Erick said.

The King spoke. “No, let’s hear what happened first.”

The King looked me up and down and then turned to the old man. “Leomorn, what happened? The arrow that pierced the dragons’ eye came from the north tower.”

“This man fired that arrow,” Leomorn said. “And Varris saved him from the dragon’s fire.”

“That’s a lie,” I tall man wearing a full coat of armor and holding his helmet in the crook of his arm said. “This man is a scoundrel; he was in the dungeons for god’s sake.”

The King held up a hand to the tall man in armor and cut him off. The tall man looked like he bit down on some choice words for me.

“I want to hear what he has to say, Morivant,” the King said. The King turned to me. “Who are you stranger, and why were you in my dungeon?”

I needed to come up with a plausible answer here. I had no idea what the hell was going on. I searched my brain for any kind of answer that would keep these guys from trying to murder me again. I needed a good one.

“I have no idea how I ended up in your dungeon,” I said.

I said I needed a good one, not that I had one.

The king looked at me like he wanted to order his guards to take me back to the dungeon.

Luckily Leomorn stepped in. “Sire, this man saved us. He did in fact shoot the arrow that pierced the dragon’s eye. Varris and I witnessed it. He did it will skill and virtue.”

“Too bad he shot before it could finish its meal,” Varris said and sneered at Erick.

Skill and virtue? Yeah, ok, sure if you can mistake skill and virtue for me basically falling over and the arrow magically going into a dragon’s fucking eye, then it was totally skill and virtue.

Leomorn continued. “Perhaps he is the one that the Book-.”

The king cut him off. “Enough about your stupid book, Leomorn.”

Leomorn simply nodded his head at this scolding. “Still, he did fire the arrow. I saw it with my own eyes.”

The tall man named Morivant scoffed. “The word of a sawed-off runt and a charlatan like you, Leomorn, mean nothing to the King.”

The king looked at me dubiously. I definitely understood where he was coming from.

Just as I thought the king was going to order me to be really murdered, the door behind us burst open, and the young woman I had seen earlier stomped into the room.

“Father, is it true? Did this man drive the dragon off?” She didn’t so much as look at me but everyone knew she was talking about me.

“We are investigating that. But Leomorn believes he did.”

“Then he is the one,” the young woman said. “He is the one the book foretold of.”

Erick the jerk spoke up. “Brienna, you can’t possibly believe that this boy-“

“Don’t tell me what I believe, Erick.

I didn’t pay much attention but they went at each other like that for a few moments, each of their faces becoming redder and redder with each outburst. I was stuck on the fact that Erick the moron had called me boy.

Finally, the King slammed his hand down on the table. “Enough! Enough about that stupid book! I will not govern this kingdom by the words of a stupid book.”

The young woman wanted the last word. “It is the truth, Father and you know it!”

Morivant, the tall knight said, “This is no place for a woman. She shouldn’t be here.”

The young woman turned on him next. “I am no woman.”

That seemed like big news. She sure looked like a woman to me.

She caught what she had said and it seemed to piss her off more. She was very beautiful. Tall with honey-colored hair and the blue eyes of her father. Her neck was long and her cheekbones high. She probably could have been a model, you know if this crazy-ass place had models. The anger in her made her whole face beet red.

“I am the princess and the next in line to lead this kingdom. I have every right to be here. If my brother was alive he would be here!”

Morivant yelled back at her. “Your brother was a man and a damn fine one. Not a petulant child who worshiped ridiculous books.”

The two yelled started to yell back and forth at each other but the King turned red-faced and bellowed, “Enough! Enough already! Everyone get out and leave me.”

This seemed like a fantastic idea. I was sorry I hadn’t thought of it. I turned for the door.

“Leomorn! You and the stranger stay! You too, Varris.” the king yelled. “Everyone else out!”

So close.

The man named Morivant wanted to argue but the King’s stern face made him reconsider. He motioned for Erick to follow and they the other men left.

The princess stood her ground and the king looked at her and pointed to the door. She huffed and turned angrily and stormed out.

When everyone was gone and the door shut the king said, “Do you have daughters, my friend?”

I didn’t say anything then realized he was talking to me. “Oh, uh, me? No.”

He smiled. “They are the most wonderful creatures. And the biggest pain in the asses.”

Varris said. “Women. Can’t live with him, nobody to talk to if you kill em.”

I gave him my best profound nod like I knew what the hell he was talking about.

The King stood at the table and Leomorn joined him. I didn’t know what to do so I just stood there next to Varris.

“Where did you come from?” the king asked. “And please, the truth. Nothing you can say can surprise me.”

We’ll see about that.

I looked at Leomorn, who seemed to be on my side. He gave me a small nod.

The truth. This guy wanted the truth. He thought he could handle it. We’d see about that. Guess there was no other way to say it then.

“I have no idea how I got here; I just woke up in your dungeon. But I came from somewhere else. The future maybe. I’m not sure. But definitely not here.”

The king nodded like he had expected as much.

“Wonder how the women look in the future,” Varris said.

The King gave Varris a sideways glance. “There is a book. The one Leomorn spoke of. Its existence is controversial. Some people believe in its words deeply. They believe it tells of the past and future and cannot be questioned. Some people think it is only believed by fools. As king, I have to balance those ideas.”

“We have a couple of books like that where I’m from,” I said.

“And do you believe what they say?” he asked me.

I didn’t know how to answer that. I wasn’t very religious. “I think there’s some truth in what they say. But I think sometimes people take them a little too seriously.”

The king nodded. “As do I.”

He smiled and looked at Leomorn. “Leomorn is my oldest friend and trusted advisor. But my armies and alliances depend on men who think a sword solves everything. They would turn against me if I placed too much faith in the words of a book over their actions, so I have to find a balance. Leomorn understands this and that is why I trust him the most.”

The king clapped a hand on Leomorn’s boney shoulder. “If Leomorn says you fired the arrow and believes the book said you would come, then that is good enough for me.” He stuck out his hand. I hesitated but I took it. “Thank you for driving off the dragon. I am in your debt.”

I had no idea what was happening here. “Uh, yeah, no problem I guess.”

“Oh there are many problems my young friend,” the king said. “And we will need your help to solve them. Leomorn, show him the book. And if he can read it, then maybe he can help us.”

I didn’t like the sound of that at all.

“So you’re not going to execute us,” Varris asked.

I was wondering about that as well.

The King smiled. “For today, Varris, you’ve dodged the noose. Isn’t this is the second time I’ve chosen to stay your sentence? The thing with the Duchess of Rymelda a few years ago, I believe.”

“I did appreciate that, your majesty. And I appreciate it, even more, this time.”

The King stepped up and stared down at the shorter man. “There won’t be a third. This young man will need your help. I expect you to give it in exchange for your life.”

Varris’s face turned while. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”