Are Dragons Real?

About the Book

The pain burned inside his belly.  He closed his eyes and clenched his teeth together trying unsuccessfully to ease the pain.  No, it would not go away.  It had been growing

for nearly a thousand years and it would not go away unless he could get free.

Freedom from the dark, damp cave in which he was imprisoned.  Free to fly into the blue skies.  Free to destroy his enemies.

He rolled onto his side and reached for his belly with a large, talon.  The old scales fell from the soft underbelly as he tried to rub the pain away.  Every breath produced a rasping sound and the acrid smell of smoke escaped from the flared nostrils.  He was sure he would die soon, unless he escaped.

There was sound coming from down the corridor of the cave.  It had to be the old man.  He quickly rolled the huge body onto his haunches and stood upright.  The creature was immense.  He crowded the very chamber of the cave with his presence.  His plan was simple; he would attack the old man and force him to release him.  Time was running short and he ambled to the darkened shadows of the cave.  If the old man did not release him, he would turn him into charred cinder.

The small wooden door that closed the cavern from the rest of the mountain, swung slowly open.  The creature took in a great breath, ready to destroy the old man.  Just as he was about to release the burning sensation inside of his belly, the old man stepped inside the cave and thrust his hand upward.

A brilliant light flashed into the creature's bloody eyes.  He could only shout in his brain, "No!!, Not again!!"  The huge jaws, with massive rows of teeth and fang, opened wide.  His head looked upward, toward the sky he so desperately sought.  He strained his long neck and pulled at the linked chain attached to his large rear leg.  The scream was long, painful and caused the very ground beneath the mountain to shake.

To the people in the town, there was a terrible storm brewing and the wind howled like a hurt animal.  Everyone snuggled deeper into their covers and hoped daylight would make for a kinder day.

Thus continues the fight of the Dragon to free itself from the insides of a mountain prison in Northwestern North Carolina.  A place of  beauty and harshness.  A place where people travel to see the mountains; a place where people destroy the mountains.  A secret place where few from the outside see the real mountains; a place where the people are not what they seem.

Begin an adventure with a retired Army Officer who has made these mountains his home.  A place where he could retire in small university town that offered peace and quiet after a lifetime of  preparing for war.  Live that adventure with him and his family as they see the wonders of the mountains and the even greater wonders beneath Pinnacle Mountain.  A great adventure for any age.

About the Author

A. C. Ward is a native North Carolinian. He enlisted in the Army in 1971 and was commissioned a Lieutenant in 1974. He graduated from the Army Command and General Staff College and served on several Army major commands. LTC Ward and his wife Jolene live in Virginia with their daughter Adrienne and son Brian.