My body ached to collapse, but pride kept me upright. Faking bravery, I grabbed a rock from the ground, summoning the last of my strength to hold it aloft. “I’ll have you know I’ve killed four of your kind just today.” Spots danced in my vision, my life slipping away. I drew back my shaking arm. “Who wants to be next?”
The creature at the head of the group splayed its arms, taking a step back. His glowing red eyes flared wide in his sunken head. Beside him, his partner did the same. Another followed. And another. One by one, they recoiled, retreating like neutered wolves, cowed by a much larger predator.
My chest hitched on a ragged breath. Was it actually working?Tears welled. My luck wasn’t this good. It couldn’t be this easy.
I bared my teeth. “That’s right, you disgusting bag of bones. Better back off, or you’ll get a taste of my fury.”
The monsters clicked and rattled, chattering to one another in their ghastly tongue. But none of them dared to look at me. Instead, their soulless eyes fixed on something above me.
What in all the gods-forsaken hells were they looking at?
Cold dread sluiced down my spine. Slowly, against every piece of me that urgeddon’t look, I began to turn. One step, and I registered the long trickle of water.
Another, and a wall of obsidian blocked out the moonlight, enveloping my body in shadow.
One more, and I dared to drag my focus from the creatures, turning fully to face this new threat.
My gaze climbed helplessly.
Black scales filled my vision. I tilted my head back.
Up. Up. Up—past a powerful chest. A long, thick neck, stronger than a fortress wall. Up. Up. Up—to a horned head haloed in a ring of smoke. Twin nostrils steamed. Fangs, long as daggers, gleamed wet in the dark.
Fangs that my backside remembered all too well.
Strangely, instead of terror, an odd wave of hilarity washed over me. Since becoming an indentured slave, all I’d craved was my freedom. Finally, I’d clawed my way to independence, only to share the moment with a horde of flesh-eating creatures and a fire-breathing beast.
I held my aching side, holding back laughter lest it tear me in half.Well played, Fates. Well played.Someone out there had seen my meager existence and thought—yes, this one. Let us toy with her until she breaks. It will be fun.
I wiped hysterical tears from my eyes. “Sorry, dragon. If you want another bite of me, then you’ll have to stand in line.”
Turning my back on the beast, I once again faced the clicking horrors. “Your move, boys.”
Smoky breath seared my neck. I didn’t need to see it to know the dragon had lowered its head. Heat permeated my clothes, emanating from the scaled monster. An orange glow illuminated the land with the strength of a hundred lanterns. The mighty beast readied its flame.
This was it. Death by dragonflame.
It was too on-point to be poetic.
Flark, but I really hated fire.
I exhaled a defeated breath, resigned to my fate. My only regret was Speck. Who would watch out for him with me gone? Concern for my friend battered my heart.
I’d always feared that one day I’d be burned alive. I just didn’t think it would be like this.
Flames roared.
Heat slammed into me, blistering my skin, curling the hairs around my face. I threw my arms up and closed my eyes, bracing for the agony. High-pitched keening stabbed my eardrums, and I winced at the pain.
Just as suddenly as it started, the shrieking stopped. I panted, lowering my arms. Before me, where the flesh eaters once stood, was a crumbling pile of ash. The smoldering stench hit my nose, and I coughed, turning to face the remaining threat.
“Clever, beast.” I choked a laugh. “Guess you didn’t want to share.”
Exhaustion and blood loss made my head spin, and I braced a hand on the dragon’s chest for balance. Course scales scraped beneath my curious fingers. At my center, a flash of warmth flared, despite the chill creeping into my bones. Strange images flashed through my mind. Voices whispered in my ears, telling me things. Impossible things I shouldn’t know.
“You’re dying.” I frowned, glancing up to find the dragonstaring down at me. Not with mindless hunger, but with understanding. Its green eyes gleamed, too sharp, too intelligent.
The glow beneath my fingers dimmed, then guttered out. My strength drained with it, my arm too heavy to hold up any longer. Sparkling lights danced in my vision. An explosion of white burned my retinas, and the world disappeared.
