Then a blur of white smacked the back of the dragon’s skull. The snowball was so tiny in comparison to the creature that it wouldhave felt like nothing more than an itch on impact. The sphere slicked off the dragon’s torso and melted, the interruption turning into a measly puddle.
Corin spun around to the edge of the cliff, where Elly stood wide-eyed and shaking. Crumbs of snow stuck to her trembling hand, and Corin cursed her sister for doing something so stupid.
The dragon turned to Elly. An orange glow smoldered over the its stomach, the low hum of a growl shaking the ground. Heat radiated across its scales as flames scorched inside its body, swelling, bursting, until it exploded in a fiery ball.
“El, run!”
The scream that left Corin’s body strained in terror as she sprinted for the cliff’s edge to outrace the fire’s rolling tide. She jumped in front of Elly, one arm wrapped around her sister’s head for cover, the other thrusting the sword like a shield. Flames hit hard against the steel, licking her hands, the sting of burns biting into her skin.
She waited to be consumed by flames. Instead, the fire twisted around her sword. Steel gleamed as heat ricocheted and shot back at the dragon in a fiery whirl. Scales ignited in waves of bloody red. The creature screeched and recoiled, caught in its own fire. Its silhouette danced in a wall of vermilion before shrinking into a black figure. Her eyes strained to make sense of their silhouette, but the shadow keeled over the ledge of the cliff before plummeting down below.
The howling halted when the dragon hit the snow. A hardthudechoed throughout the mountains before the land returned to quiet.
Snow drifted softly to the ground with the blizzard stopped. Corin dropped her sword and fell to her knees. Relief washed overher like the sweat slicking her forehead. Her shaky breaths struggled to outpace her frantic heart, and she had to remind herself that, through some miracle, they were safe.
She’d done it. She’d protected Elly.
“Why?”
The question stunned her. She turned to Elly and took in the widened look in her sister’s eyes. Elly appeared genuinely confused, but surely, her sister was simply in shock. Elly barely caught her own breath as she continued.
“You didn’t have to save me. You could have run, and you would have been safe.”
Corin punched Elly’s arm, ignoring her sister’s yelp.
“That’s for asking stupid questions,” she snapped. “I’m always going to be there for you, whether you like it or not.”
Elly rubbed her arm with a grimace, then lowered her gaze to the snow, taking a sudden interest in her shoes. Corin knew the silence meant her sister was putting together the right words to say. She waited for a thank-you, even a childish dismissal. Instead, Elly finally met her eyes.
“I didn’t mean to be gone for so long. When I ran away, I knew it would be okay, because you would find me. You always do.”
Corin’s heart clenched. She wanted to run her fingers through Elly’s bristly hair and pull her into an embrace, so she could feel not only her warm skin, but the veins pulsing beneath it. Smoke hung off their lips, thick and white as the clouds that parted above them. Snowflakes drifted slowly, melting under their lashes. A full sun emerged from the sky and tingled their skin with warmth.
Then laughter echoed from the cliff, breaking their reverie. Corin grabbed Elly’s hand as a figure with green skin appearedfrom the edge of the rock. Black horns protruded from the cliffside like gnarled hooks as the figure grew taller, emerging into view. Their crimson lips twisted into a sharp smile with fangs jutting out. The cloak over their shoulders trailed behind like a black river. Their crooked fingers curled around a wooden staff where, at the top, a familiar bloodred amulet was embedded in the wood.
A raven soared through the sky and perched on top of the staff. His eyes were red and cloudy, matching the haze trapped inside the amulet.
“Bravo,” the horned figure said. “What a hero you are, flinging around a sword and defeating such a scary beast. Don’t you feel so special?”
Their words slithered like a snake, dripping with venom. Corin pulled Elly behind her and stepped forward. “Who are you?”
The stranger clicked their tongue, a fleshy pink organ in the shape of a fork. Their dark lashes fluttered, and Corin recognized the black slits in their pupils, like a cut that had been reopened.
“You don’t recognize me?” A twisted smile split the creature’s face. “I’m Malicine, the dragon you killed. Or, at least, you thought you did.”
Corin took in the stranger, towering at six feet tall, and familiarized their features. Dark purple scales ornamented their cape, and the black horns on their skull were the same as the ones that protruded from the dragon’s head. Even the jewel encrusted in their staff glowed the same way the amulet did from the creature’s scales, a strange fog swirling beneath the surface.
Corin grabbed her sword and charged ahead. Malicine pivoted as the blade swung, watching her stumble over the snow. Corin lunged for them again, but when they waved their staff, the swordfroze into ice so bitingly cold it slipped from her hands. The frosted blade shattered into pieces.
“Enough fooling around. I swear, what is it with humans and big swords? You aren’t the first person I tricked into thinking they killed a dragon, you know.”
“Why did you attack us?” Elly demanded.
The black slits of Malicine’s eyes thinned as they studied Elly. Veiled thoughts passed behind their face like shadows. They exchanged glances with their raven in shared scrutiny.
“Your sister wanted to protect you and feel like a hero. I was merely playing along with her whims.”
“How would you know anything about what I want?” Corin snapped.
