(no subject)
Time at Milliways isn't like time anywhere else. Quinn's been out of his own world weeks on end- months maybe- but the second the door swings open and he sees the fire once again, it all comes rushing back to him. And Creedy, too, he knows that without having to ask. The two men lunge through the door and into the flame, and everything that's happened in the quiet safe places of the Bar is forgotten. There's screaming, and there's running, and there's Eddie huddled up in a tight little ball with one of his daughters waiting for the end-
"COME ON!" bellows Quinn, holding out one silver-gloved hand. Eddie Stax is an idiot about some things, but he's no fool. He grabs the hand as if it were the last thing in the world. His daughter follows a heartbeat after. Quinn doesn't know where Creedy is or what the other man is looking for, but as he shoves Eddie into the truck he catches sight of the other man.
He's only got Eddie's oldest boy for company. That's not good.
Quinn gets the truck started and they do their best to get out of there fast as they can, but the thing about dragons is that they're nasty cunning beasts. There's only one way out of that box canyon of fire and the dragon lands in it, drawing its breath in that horrible way everyone recognizes. If Jared weren't willing to ride on top of Quinn's truck and open a path with the water-spray they'd all be dead. Eddie's boy's climbing out onto the top of Creedy's truck to do the same and Eddie's staring in puzzled horror-
"GET HIM DOWN! GET HIM DOWN!" shouts Quinn across to Creedy. Quinn knows what Eddie hasn't fully realised yet. Only it's too late for anyone to do anything, because the dragon's next jet of flame is aimed high. It doesn't even touch the trucks proper. It just billows over the top of both trucks, enveloping the scrawny little humans trying to fight their way free.
Jared's the only one in a firesuit.
Eddie balls up like a millipede at that, eyes bright, arms clutching at his sides. The dragon doesn't much care. Anything that might've been able to sting it with blaster-fire is either dead or fleeing, and there's a meal to be had here. Nothing of meat or flesh, which they need as surely as any other beast, but the internal anatomy of dragons is such that if they don't balance themselves with alkaline ash their own juices eat them from the inside out. There's ash here in plenty, so it falls to; and the humans pull away, putting as much space between themselves and the latest funeral pyre as they can.
Quinn will remember Milliways later, when he strips off the fire-suit and finds that he was carrying the Hogfather's gift of a sword all this time. For now, though, all that matters is to save what they can.
There were a hundred and forty-six at the castle before. It's a hundred and forty-three now.
Dammit.
"COME ON!" bellows Quinn, holding out one silver-gloved hand. Eddie Stax is an idiot about some things, but he's no fool. He grabs the hand as if it were the last thing in the world. His daughter follows a heartbeat after. Quinn doesn't know where Creedy is or what the other man is looking for, but as he shoves Eddie into the truck he catches sight of the other man.
He's only got Eddie's oldest boy for company. That's not good.
Quinn gets the truck started and they do their best to get out of there fast as they can, but the thing about dragons is that they're nasty cunning beasts. There's only one way out of that box canyon of fire and the dragon lands in it, drawing its breath in that horrible way everyone recognizes. If Jared weren't willing to ride on top of Quinn's truck and open a path with the water-spray they'd all be dead. Eddie's boy's climbing out onto the top of Creedy's truck to do the same and Eddie's staring in puzzled horror-
"GET HIM DOWN! GET HIM DOWN!" shouts Quinn across to Creedy. Quinn knows what Eddie hasn't fully realised yet. Only it's too late for anyone to do anything, because the dragon's next jet of flame is aimed high. It doesn't even touch the trucks proper. It just billows over the top of both trucks, enveloping the scrawny little humans trying to fight their way free.
Jared's the only one in a firesuit.
Eddie balls up like a millipede at that, eyes bright, arms clutching at his sides. The dragon doesn't much care. Anything that might've been able to sting it with blaster-fire is either dead or fleeing, and there's a meal to be had here. Nothing of meat or flesh, which they need as surely as any other beast, but the internal anatomy of dragons is such that if they don't balance themselves with alkaline ash their own juices eat them from the inside out. There's ash here in plenty, so it falls to; and the humans pull away, putting as much space between themselves and the latest funeral pyre as they can.
Quinn will remember Milliways later, when he strips off the fire-suit and finds that he was carrying the Hogfather's gift of a sword all this time. For now, though, all that matters is to save what they can.
There were a hundred and forty-six at the castle before. It's a hundred and forty-three now.
Dammit.