It didn’t happen.
Instead, Nan tromped farther away.
Gwenyth peeked out and saw blood trickled down the dragon woman’s cheek. Time to get serious. Once Gwenyth had a dozen stones collected, she crept from behind the tree and pelted Nan with rocks. One. Two. Three. Gwenyth kept firing, ignoring Nan’s cries of pain and squawked insults. Once she was down to her last stone, she kept it in her right hand.
This was the perfect place with the trees growing close together and a thick canopy. Nan couldn’t shift here without risking her wings or tail becoming hooked in the trees. And if she did that, Gwenyth would be ready.
“When I catch you,” Nan roared, “I will rip you apart with my bare hands. I will chew on your bloody heart.”
Gwenyth wrinkled her nose, her pulse racing from her exertions.
That sounded messy. Painful too. She was doing better than she’d expected against Nan, and that bolstered her confidence. Humans weren’t useless after all.
A few more rocks. She’d aim for Nan’s chest, face, and head.
Draw blood.
Hopefully enough to shroud Nan’s vision.
Then, and only then, could Gwenyth risk attacking with the dagger.
Overhead, the two dragons battled with ferocious roars, their flames lighting the night sky. Gwenyth pushed aside her worry for Leo. He’d earned his title Champion of the Skies by beating every other dragon in aerial battle. But she’d bet this dragon didn’t play by the rules.
Another trickle of worry speared her until she reminded herself she could best serve Leo by disabling Nan. Back to the plan.
Gwenyth glided through the trees, able to see and hear Nan’s location because of the dragon’s cursing. Then the woman fell quiet. Didn’t matter. Once Gwenyth collected enough rocks, she’d stalk the dragon woman and disable her. No one ever accused her of a lack of ambition.
Gwenyth carried her ammunition in her hands. Ready. She peeked from behind a tree and discovered Nan three steps away. Gwenyth hadn’t heard a thing. Nan let out a roar of triumph, and Gwenyth acted on instinct. She pelted her rocks at Nan’s head, one after the other. Nan stumbled, raising her hands to protect her face even as she continued charging. The instant the last rock left Gwenyth’s fist, she curled her fingers around the hilt of her dagger.
Blood ran down Nan’s face and into her eyes. She backhanded Gwenyth and, in a lucky break, connected with Gwenyth’s jaw. Gwenyth fell, striking her head on a tree trunk on the way down.
Gwenyth saw stars. Her head rang, but every survival instinct had her forcing her unwilling body upright. Nan released another of her triumphant howls and sprang at Gwenyth.
Instinct had Gwenyth reaching again for the dagger and plucking the blade from her boot. It came free in a clean arc. Gwenyth gripped the knife, holding steady while, triumph shining in her face, Nan forced her weight downward. The dagger slid into Nan’s chest, the dragon woman releasing a shocked scream.
Nan struggled, but too late, she realized her weight was forcing her down onto the blade. She kicked and screamed, but Gwenyth refused to release the dagger hilt.
It was kill or be killed.
Nan thrashed, blood from her wound splattering Gwenyth. Gwenyth closed her eyes, still seeing stars. Then, Nan stilled, the fight fading from the dragon woman. Gwenyth shoved at the dead weight and squirmed free, not opening her eyes.
She took a shaky breath, her head pounding, the throbs—abang-bang-bangalmost too loud to bear. She groaned and pressed her hand to her temple.
“Joanna, turn off that loud music,” she shouted. “I can’t hear myself think.”
When nothing happened, she opened her eyes, frowning at the trees, the greenery. This wasn’t her bed in her apartment. There was no loud music. Where the devil was she?
With a groan, she turned over and pushed to her hands and knees. Her gaze focused on Nan. The knife hilt stuck from her chest and blood pooled on the ground beside her.
Memories whooshed into Gwenyth. No Elizabeth.Liza.
That was the name her friend Cherry and her half-sister Rena used. With her head still aching, she sprang to her feet. Joanna, her daughter.
Popsicles!How long had she been gone? She counted back—a few days.
That’s all, yet so much had happened.
Dragons.
