“As you can see, I don’t need others doing my dirty work now.” He tossed Erich’s words back in his face as he wrestled against the invisible bindings. “Now, let’s see what you’ve been hiding.”
Tendrils prodded at his consciousness, pressing at the edges, trying to worm their way in. He hadn’t felt anything like it since he’d left Sundland, not since Father. He didn’t know others had this quirk. Erich slammed his mind shut, locking out Heinrich as Father had forced him to learn. But a smile was spreading on his face.
“I knew there was something not right about you. What are you?” He kicked Erich in the chest, knocking him onto the ground before pressing a boot to his neck.
“More powerful than you’ll ever be,” Erich snarled.
This close, Heinrich reeked of burnt sugar and corruption magic. Whatever had given him this power, it was temporary. Some token or object he was drawing from. That’s why he hadn’t noticed it before. Fortunately for Erich, borrowed magic burned hot and potent but fizzled out quickly. He just had to endure until it did. Then Heinrich ground his boot against his neck as his vision turned black and stars danced behind his eyes.
“You are nothing but the scum beneath my boot,” Heinrich said.
“Stop!” Liane shouted.
“Silence. I’ll deal with you in a moment.” He flung out a hand, and Liane’s lips were slammed shut.
But not only that, her nostrils too. Her face was turning blue as she clawed at her neck, trying to breathe.
“Unleash your hold on her; she’ll suffocate.” Erich’s frantic gaze darted from Liane to Heinrich.
“Don’t tell me what to do, worm.”
Liane thrashed and clawed, growing increasingly desperate, but Erich couldn’t get loose of Heinrich’s grip, even with the dragon mostly untethered. The dragon was writhing, bucking, and biting, fighting to the surface as Erich’s vision turned red. The last burst of dying light flooded into the warehouse, and he felt it sweep over him like a cold breeze as wings beat in his ear. Erich let go of the last of the bindings holding the dragon back and grasped a hold of Heinrich’s ankle with a scaled fist. There was no more holding back now.
32
Liane was dying. She couldn’t breathe, and the edges of her vision were turning black. It also explained why when she looked, Erich’s body stretched like fresh caramel, his skin turned scaly, and spiny ridges tore through his shirt. A lack of oxygen could explain the long serpentine tail that burst out of his trousers, swinging wildly back and forth. Just when she thought she’d pass out, the invisible hands clamping her mouth shut let go, and she gasped for air, holding her burning throat. Distantly she heard horrified screams, but Liane couldn’t tear her eyes away from Erich’s long sinewy neck turned back to meet Liane’s enraptured gaze. She was both horrified and amazed at his transformation from man to beast. No, not a beast. A dragon. A real one.
He towered over her, piercing her with molten, gold eyes, filled with an impossible human intelligence. All her life, she’d heard stories of the corrupted: monsters that would tear her flesh from her bones given a chance. And that was if she was lucky. The unfortunate ones were turned into creatures like them. But as he lowered his head to her, she didn’t feel compelled to run; instead, she reached out to touch him. He rested his reptilian head against her palm, and taking her other hand, she cupped both sides of his snout, staring into his soulful, golden eyes. Warm breath fanned across her face, enveloping her in a cocoon of safety and warmth. Erich rumbled low in his throat, a sound akin to a purr. His tail whipped behind him, knocking over heavy barrels of salted fish, scattering them. The strength in his tail was likely strong enough to shatter every bone in her body, and yet she was more reminded of a puppy. She laughed lightly at the absurdity of the thought.
“A dragon! I knew you were hiding something, but I never imagined this!” Heinrich cackled.
She had almost forgotten he was there and spun to place herself between Erich and him. But there was no hiding his bulking form; at his full height, his head brushed against the high ceilings. If Erich’s secret was revealed, the Midnight Guard would kill him surely. She had to protect him, somehow. Erich growled, and the sound vibrated through her chest, and across from them, Heinrich faltered in his slow approach. Fear was in his gaze for the first time, but then a manic smile replaced it.
“I’ll skin your lizard hide and mount your dragon head on my mantel,” Heinrich said, thrusting an arm toward him.
Liane felt a blow of an invisible force thrust toward her, knocking her off her feet and flattening her to the ground. While it didn’t knock Erich off his feet, he reared back, roaring loud enough to shake dust from the ceiling. Pushing against invisible hands, he clawed at the air, and Liane, seeing the rage burning in his gaze, rolled out of the way to duck behind a nearby barrel for safety.
The ground shook when Erich came crashing back down, and Heinrich wobbled, losing his footing. With another roar, Erich lunged for Heinrich, closing the space between them in a blink, and in response, Heinrich threw out his arm, sending a barrel of salted fish careening toward him. It crashed into him, scattering fish and spraying brine but didn’t slow Erich down.
Heinrich weaved through barrels trying to escape, as Erich stalked behind him, knocking aside the barrels in his way. The stench of fermented fish was overwhelming, and Liane covered her mouth with her sleeve to stop herself from gagging. She lost sight of them in the chaos, and while she was distracted, Heinrich snuck up behind her and pressed a dagger to her throat.
“Make a sound, and I’ll slit your throat,” Heinrich whispered into her ear, as he dragged her toward the door.
She had no choice but to obey, knowing he’d make good on his threat. Erich’s back was to them, smashing barrels and whipping his tail, clearing out any hidey-holes Heinrich might have crawled into. Heinrich tensed, presumably terrified of Erich’s wrath, and while he was distracted, she attempted to squirm free, but his dagger scored her flesh, and a rivulet of warm, sticky blood ran down her throat.
Then Erich froze, nostrils flaring; he turned toward them, stomping over barrels, cracking them beneath his claws as Heinrich pressed the knife closer.
“Come any closer, and I’ll kill her,” he snarled.
Erich huffed, twin clouds of cold vapor rising from his nostrils as he bared his teeth in a menacing growl. Heinrich inched backward and grasped behind him for the door. As soon as it slid open, he yanked her out onto the dock while Erich roared, following them out. The sun had set, and a full moon rose against the twilight sky.
Screams of terror echoed in the night as dockworkers and merchants caught sight of the dragon. Heinrich couldn’t possibly beat him and instead was trying to lure him out into the open, where the Midnight Guard would do his dirty work.
“Leave, Erich, I’ll be fine,” Liane shouted.
But Erich’s gaze was trained on her, stubbornly following, blind to danger. Maybe in this form, he was blind to human reason, lost to animalistic urge. How long before the Midnight Guard found them? With their magic and training, they were meant to take down creatures like him. They’d kill him without a second thought.
She had to do something, but what? She tried to envision the magic creating a burst of light, but there was nothing, not even a tingling warmth. If it couldn’t save her, then she’d have to use something else. Taking a deep breath, Liane shoved backward, catching Heinrich in the solar plexus. His hand jerked, and bright pain lodged in her throat, and blood poured down her front, but he also loosened his grip. Liane ducked as Erich launched into the air, pinning Heinrich to the ground with a sickening crunch.
