The decision crystallizes in my mind like ice forming on water. I feel the acid build in my throat, the familiar bubbling sensation telling me it’s the strongest I can muster. The taste is metallic and sharp, burning slightly as it rises. When I roar, the acid streams out in a concentrated torrent, exactly as my birth father Thauglor taught me. The green stream hisses immediately when it hits the rocks below, and I watch in fascination as the stone begins to melt and fold in on itself, liquefying like butter in a hot pan.
The acrid smell of dissolving rock fills the air, sharp, and chemical. Steam rises from the point of impact, creating wispy clouds that drift on the mountain breeze. When I finish using my breath weapon, I land nearby on a stable outcropping to watch the acid continue its work. The steady sizzling sound is almost hypnotic. I shouldn’t have acid this strong at my age. The knowledge sits heavy in my chest like a stone.
The thunderous beats of massive wings make me look up, and I see my father’s enormous dragon form descending toward me. The displacement of air from his landing makes my own wings flutter, and small rocks skitter down the mountainside from the impact. Shortly after, Mom lands with practiced grace, Klauth standing on her backlike a warrior of old. He steps down onto the rocks nearby, his boots ringing against the stone.
Corvis is the last to land, and he immediately nuzzles me affectionately, his warm breath against the sensitive scales along my neck. The gesture sends comfort through my nervous system as he looks into the bubbling, growing hole my acid is creating.
“I’ve never seen a young dragon make acid this strong,” Klauth says, his voice carrying the weight of centuries of experience. He picks up a fist-sized rock and tosses it casually into the hole. We all watch it disappear into the bubbling mass without a trace.
Thauglor shifts back to human form and walks to the edge of my handiwork, his footsteps careful on the increasingly unstable ground. “I don’t think my acid can do this level of damage.” He stares at the expanding cavern for a long moment, then looks between Mom and Klauth with growing concern. “Do you think it’s a combination of black dragon and green dragon acid? Maybe that’s why it’s so strong?”
“Raven? Can I look inside your dragon’s mouth?” Klauth asks as he and my father walk closer. The request makes my scales prickle with instinctive alarm.
I look over at Corvis, seeking reassurance in his silver eyes. He nods and shifts to his human form, his transformation smooth and controlled. “She’s very uncomfortable doing it. For everyone’s safety, I’ll come with you.”
Slowly, I lay down on the warm stone, feeling the heat from the sun-baked rock seep through my scales. Now everyone is in their human form except me, making me feel exposed and vulnerable. The idea of being examined like a specimen makes my heart race with fear.
Reluctantly, I lay my massive head down and look at Corvis, drawing strength from his steady presence, then close my eyes. He knows how uncomfortable I am with this—the trust required feels like layingmy soul bare.
I open my mouth slowly, fear clawing at my composure like icy fingers. The taste of lingering acid makes my tongue tingle. My dad, Klauth, and Corvis step inside my mouth, their footsteps echoing strangely in the enclosed space. I can feel their body heat and hear their breathing amplified.
“I don’t see any acid glands in the roof of her mouth.” My dad’s voice echoes strangely against my palate, the sound distorted and hollow.
“Raven, can you get a little acid to rise so we can see where it’s coming from?” Corvis’s voice is gentle and encouraging. I feel him pat the corner of my mouth reassuringly, his touch grounding me in the moment.
I focus on my acid production, feeling it bubble up from somewhere deep in my chest. The sensation is warm and tingly, like carbonated liquid rising. Where I feel it originating is somewhere down in my throat, not in my mouth like it should be.
“I smell it, but I don’t see it.” My dad’s voice carries confusion and growing amazement. I feel him walk carefully to the back of my tongue, his movements cautious. “Oh, shit—she produces acid like you do fire, Klauth. It’s from somewhere deep in her gullet.”
I let the acid settle back down, the burning sensation fading. While Dad is still examining my throat, I decide to reveal everything. I click my igniter—a mechanism I shouldn’t possess—and a small flame sparks at the back of my throat near the roof of my mouth. The brief flare of heat and light illuminates my mouth cavity.
“She has an igniter!” I feel Dad stumble backward, taking Corvis and Klauth with him in his haste to escape.
Once they’re clear and at a safe distance, the acidic gas rises naturally from my throat. I ignite it with practiced ease, sending a ball of green-yellow fire streaming into the sky. The flame burns hot and bright, casting shifting shadows across the mountainside.
I technically only have one breath weapon, but somehow I have an igniter I shouldn’t possess. The combination creates something entirely new and potentially devastating.
I shift back to human form and pull my wings in tight before diving into Corvis’s arms. His embrace is warm and solid, anchoring me as my fears crystallize into reality. My secrets are exposed now—there’s no taking them back.
“What if she’s like Thorne?” Mom’s voice carries a mixture of wonder and concern as she walks closer to Corvis and me. “Baby, what else can you do that no one else knows? We promise it won’t leave us.” Mom strokes my arm gently, her touch warm and comforting.
Nodding slowly, I draw in a deep breath that tastes of mountain air and lingering acid. “You need Daddy Balor. I’m afraid of hurting someone else.” I glance over at Corvis, and he nods encouragingly. “And I think I have my wyrm gift already. I can understand other species’ languages.”
My eyes find my father’s, then shift to Klauth. They both nod slowly, their expressions grave as they process the implications. “This information definitely doesn’t leave us under any condition,” Klauth says with the absolute authority of a king. Ziggy materializes out of thin air with Balor beside him, the sudden appearance making the air shimmer briefly.
“What did you need me for?” Balor asks, holding a brown rabbit in his arms. I look at him with confusion until he explains, “Just in case it’s a basilisk gift, the rabbit will let the others know what it is.”
“Makes sense. I can’t do it in my human form, so stand over there.” I point to a large flat rock to the right where I can angle myself so the others can’t see my eyes directly. The positioning feels strategic, protective of my family.
I shift back to my dragon form, feeling the familiar rush of transformation. I stare down at Balor, my heart pounding with nervousanticipation. He angles the bunny to face me, and when it’s looking directly into my eyes, I feel the familiar shift. The sensation is like electricity running along my optic nerves.
I watch the rabbit turn to stone in his hands, its soft brown fur becoming gray granite in an instant. Quickly, I close my eyes and turn away from him, shifting back to human form before I can accidentally catch anyone else in my gaze.
“Your eyes turned red, and then I felt the tingle before the rabbit turned to stone,” Balor confirms what I discovered the other morning when I went fishing in the ocean. I had turned a tiger shark to stone when it came after the fish I had killed, the massive predator becoming a statue that sank into the depths.
“You said her eyes turned red?” My father moves closer to Balor and the stone rabbit in his hands, his expression intense with scientific curiosity.
“Yes, normally her dragon’s eyes are sapphire. They glowed, then turned a brilliant red, like my eyes. The tingle moved over me, and the rabbit turned to stone.” He holds up the rabbit for emphasis, its stone surface catching the afternoon light.
