I’m going to walk

“I’m going to walk.” You feel the inquisitor rolling something around your neck from behind as you answer, “I’m innocent of this mess and…” You can’t finish your sentence; you catch your breath to try to speak again, but you can’t say a word.

“This magic collar will prevents you to scream when the dragon will spit his fire,” explains the inquisitor behind your back, “it is also the mark for the dragon to identify his prey, and he will now find you anywhere, so it is no use to run away during the procession.”

You try to take it off with your hands, but you can’t have a grip on it. It feels like satin, but it is skin tight as if the borders have fused with your skin.

“It’s time for the ceremony” said the inquisitor, “stop playing with the collar, you won’t take it off, only dragon magic can affect it once sealed. Now open the door and walk to the ceremony hill, I’m close behind you.”

You stand up, close the cape around you and went to the door, but as you raise the hand to grab the handle, the cape opens a bit to reveal that you wear only undergarment under it. The inquisitor senses your trouble.

“It will only stay open till you finish opening the door. If people don’t see it at last a second they may think that I kept them for myself. And don’t forget, for now your only weapon for **** is dignity.”

You push the door and quickly lower your arm to let the cape close in front of you. All the villagers stand in front of you in the public square and turn their heads toward you. For a time you are petrified by their glances but the inquisitor push you discreetly on the back so you made the first step. You keep your head high and only look the end of the street in front of as you made the next steps. The crowd is mesmerised for some seconds, then you hear some whispers and feel that someone will shout something at you when the inquisitor break the silence.

“Let’s the procession begin” she said with a strong commanding voice, and begins to follow you with the two soldiers keeping the door. The whispers increase but with lower voices. They don’t understand why you are free of your movements and walk as an archbishop at the head of the procession, but the crowd opens the same in front of you. In your heart you feel pride to this situation; the whole village has to open the pass for you and to follow you till the top of the hill. It seems to give to your weak body the strength to walk the entire trip.

During the journey the beautiful morning sky fills itself with black clouds at the point of being nearly dark when you reach the top of the hill. There, the inquisitor comes to you and thanks you for keeping your pride and quelling all those stupid villagers by the way. Then she closes the hood of the cape and instructs you to stay here till the dragon arrives. As she finish she touches your collar, blinks of an eye and adds “Enjoy the show Elisabeth”. You still can’t answer but you discover that even if you can move your arms and legs you collar is now frozen in place, keeping you here by the way.

The inquisitor turns to the villagers and makes them retreat under the nearest trees. She begins to chant in an unknown language and the thunderstorm break out. Then appears the dragon, he is twelve meters long and have dark grey scale. He circles two times around you before disappear behind your back. The collar preventing you from turning your head you can only see the villagers in front of you steps back and the radiant smile of the inquisitor as a terrible blast of fire surround you from behind. Under the effect of heat the stones around you begin to melt but you can’t see more as the dragon catches you in flight, knocking you **** under the impact.