A sudden gust, heavy and loaded, presses down over us.
“What the…” the bald one mutters, pausing mid-motion.
For a moment, there's nothing but the sound of breath—mine, his, theirs.
Then suddenly, behind me.
THUMP.
The ground cracks. A deep, bone-low vibration rolls out beneath me—slow and thunderous—ripping through the earth and into my legs, my spine, my skull, nearly knocking me off my feet.
The two officers stumble back, hands dropping from their belts, eyes wide and wild. Behind them, Strannt’s gone pale, colour draining so fast he already looks dead.
None of them move.
Then another sound. Low. Deep. Ancient. A growl rolls through the air behind me, thick as thunder and heavier than breath. It settles in my bones as heat builds at my back—dense, pressing—coating my skin like a warning.
I don’t dare turn. I don’t even breathe.
“Don’t move,” one of the officers whispers, voice tight. “If you don’t move, they can’t see you.”
Strannt glances between them and the dragon, eyes flicking fast. One second. Two. “Fuck that,” he snaps, and bolts.
The other two watch him for a second, then break in the opposite direction, fumbling as they run. Their trousers slip loose around their legs, boots tangling in fabric.
Behind me the dragon inhales—air drawing back, pressure mounting and the heat behind me surges.
Shit—
I drop to the ground just as the world ignites.
Flames tear overhead, licking the back of my neck. The smell of burning hair hits—quick and acrid—just as the heat surges past, sweeping across the open ground toward the officers.
They turn—too late.
The blast hits, swallowing them whole. In a blink they’re gone, nothing left but scorched earth and two collapsing piles of ash.
To my right, Strannt’s still running—small, desperate, a flicker against the pale horizon.
Then I hear it again.
Another inhale.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
I roll on to my back, heart hammering against my ribs. Maybe I can get under the carriage. Maybe?—
I start shuffling backward, wrists bound, shoulders screaming.
But then I look up.
God.
It’smassive.
