This is madness. There has to be another way.
But what choice did she have? If she declined, they would torture her to death. If she accepted, she would most likely die in flames as the said dragon slowly roasted her body until all that remained were ashes in the wind.
Perhaps the most important question of all—was she so selfish as to knowingly sacrifice the lives of thousands of innocent people when hers could potentially save them all?
Nyra took a deep breath, her nerves settling down as she made peace with the only conclusion to her unfathomable reality. “Alright, I accept. When do I leave?”
CHAPTER
2
“This is your key,” the tall, lanky woman said, placing a small, brass object into Nyra’s open palm. “Second floor, last door on the left. You’re lucky we had a room for you, the house will be full for the next week or so.”
An elbow pressed into Nyra’s back, shoving her forward onto the bar. Annoyed, she glanced back to the crowded main room, the space already overflowing with rowdy patrons.
“What’s the occasion? Is it always so busy?”
Had she known it would be like this, Nyra would have chosen a different tavern for her temporary living arrangements while on her dragon slaying mission. She supposed there were other inns along the road where she might have had a more peaceful stay at, but they were much closer to Raiden’s latest sighting, and she would rather not be his next fucking meal should the beast smell her in his vicinity. And dragons were known for their impossibly keen sense of smell, she wouldn’t be able to escape him once he got a whiff of her.
“Tiny over there just became a father.” The barmaid nodded towards a boulder of a man whose shirt was being ripped apart by a group of men, one who appeared to be already too drunk to care about the show he was putting on for his lovely guests. “He’s the owner of this beauty. Seemed only fitting to have the festivities here, with his closest friends.”
Arching a brow at the woman’s words, Nyra ordered herself some dinner, making her way up to her room to deposit her meager belongings while she waited.
It was a cozy space, with a single bed pushed up to the far wall, the plain ivory bed setting reminding her of one of Margot’s tablecloths. A small nightstand stood by its left, a sole lantern burning bright on its surface, dimly illuminating her surroundings. Aside from the olive colored armchair in the corner of the room, no other furniture decorated the space. It was common enough, and would do just fine for the duration of Nyra’s stay. After all, she was a dead woman walking, and the dead had no use for material things in the afterlife. She had no choicebutto comply with the Captain’s demands, not if she wanted Margot to continue on living.
A soft knock came at her door, interrupting her train of thought. Opening it, Nyra was surprised when a pair of young girls came rushing in, carrying buckets of scalding water with them. In no time they disappeared into an adjoining room that Nyra had failed to notice upon first inspection, emptying the contents into what she assumed was the tub. Wordlessly they left her chambers, closing the door softly behind them as they went.
Not wanting the water to get cold, Nyra stripped out of her travel clothes, making haste as she washed the sweat and grime off her body. Four days had passedsince she had departed from her desolate village of Minato, during which time she had barely stopped and only to relieve herself and tend to her horse before resuming once more.
She had no idea what she would do once she located Raiden, how she would even go about approaching him without giving herself away. The more she thought about it, the more she realized how insane the whole notion was.
How the hell am I supposed to kill the goddamn thing?
The first time that Nyra had come into contact with the silver beast, she had the element of surprise. Now, she was the one being hunted, by an ancient apex predator who had a target on her back.
Her stomach grumbled, pulling her back to the present. She would worry about the bloody dragon at a later date, when her insides weren’t threatening to plaster themselves to each other from the lack of food.
Nyra quickly dried herself, changing into an emerald tunic and dark pants, washing the filthy garments in the cold bath water before hanging them over the side and draining the tub. Her hair was still damp as she braided it, the thick strands coming together to form an intricate design that went to the small of her back.
Satisfied with her appearance, she descended the many steps to the main room, only to find it even more packed than when she had first walked into the tavern, as if an entire village had made their new home amongst the wooden beams holding up the substantial structure, preventing it from collapsing.
Lanterns blazed in the dimly lit space, illuminating the main room, casting eerie shadows that danced on the tavern walls. Loud music tangled with the sounds of laughter and singing, the crowd over-exuberant for Nyra’s dismal state.
Groaning, she planted herself firmly in front of the bar where her dinner was already laid out for her, the porridge steaming, its delicious scent of seasoned rabbit and garden vegetables causing her mouth to water. It didn’t take her long to clear the plate, her insides thanking her as the last spoonful of the hot stew finally settled in her stomach.
The music grew louder, if such a thing was even possible, her ears ringing from the almost deafening noise. If only she could enjoy the festivities like everyone else seemed to be doing, but Nyra’s gloomy future loomed over her like the sharp edge of a guillotine, threatening to come crashing down lest she make a single wrong move.
Sighing, her eyes wandered around the cottage style main room, taking in the many sights and sounds, pondering about Raiden and whether he was near, searching for her like she was searching for him.
That’s when she felt it.
A burning sensation on the side of her face, so sudden and fierce, as if a beam of light was being directed straight at her, increasing her body temperature to impossible heights.
Frantically she searched for the source of the intrusion, for the cause of such inexplicable sensations. The shadows called to her, pulling her gaze to a single dark corner that the masses seemed to avoid, as if a plague was upon it. A giant form loomed there, hidden out of sight, watching her. Observing Nyra as she stood rooted to the spot, staring right back into the void, unable to look away.
Her skin tingled. Shivers erupted all over her body, turning into a violent wave of heat that swept over her like a raging wildfire. Her breath hitched, chest heaving from exertion, as if a force was pushing down on it, preventing her lungs from expanding.
The form from the shadows moved, straightening to its full intimidating height. A man of massive proportions stepped into the light, his gaze locked onNyra as he advanced, prowling like a lethal feline toward her.
