“Then swing faster!” I heard him kicking the back of the building open as I grabbed a nearby knife and threw it at the advancing shield wall, hoping to stop them. They did not stop. I yelped as I felt a spear jab at my side, narrowly missing me as I stepped back.
They were already past the counter, and the kid was still trying to break his way out. There was no way we would fit. Maybe I could jump the counter and take the front door…but the kid.
Then my entire world stopped as I felt my eardrums press inwards as a massive roar shook the entire building. Aria!
Knowing her, she was going to tear down the building looking for me. I threw the cloak on top of me like a shield, and sure enough, wooden planks and splinters rained down. That was going to bruise.
The rest of the room was a series of panicked shouts, the sound of an entire dislodged roof smashing into the ground nearby. By the Trinity, was a dragon’s roar loud! My ears were still ringing.
I lowered my cloak and I felt the arctic winds blast my face as the nearby contingent of inquisitors were frozen alive before my eyes. Their stunned reactions were captured in a prison of ice for all to see. The poor young man was on the ground, paralyzed in awe as Aria stomped through the building, tucking her massive wings behind her. Moonlight glittered off her incandescent scales as she approached, her diamond eyes glancing across me to check if I was all right.
“Thanks for the save there!” I laughed, relieved as I felt an endearing lick across my entire face. It’s like getting licked by the biggest dog in the world, having my entire cheek covered by dragon slobber.
“Look, I’m all right, no wounds thanks to the metal table, hey-hey! No—Stop that,” I protested as she nuzzled me to the ground, before curling up around me, wrapping her body and massive paw around me like a protective shell.
“Hey, stop that! Don’t go all silent on me, I know you can talk!” I made playful punches on her talons, but she just purred on top of me.
Karmen continued to stare in disbelief. This was a once-in-a-lifetime sight for the kid. We both knew she was playing around, but being pinned to a bunch of wood splinters did not sit well with me, or my quickly bruising back.
“I’m not immune to wood splinters, dammit!”
That got her off me. She performed a flying hop, jumping off me and landing with a massive thump. She seemed a little embarrassed, her eyes avoiding mine as she waited for me to get up. I’m going to be picking out wood splinters out of my cloak for days.
::I was worried. Not like Caen::.
I nodded, all too aware of the risks. Caen was a grim reminder. However, that was in the past. Things were different now.
I pulled myself up, and approached her again, placing a hand on her massive, scaled arm. No reaction.
“You know I don’t mind when you get playful, right? Just do it in snow and not in a pile of broken wood planks, you giant lizard.” She leaned her muzzle down for me, as I gave it a great big hug. Gosh, she was cold. It was like wrapping my arms around a giant lump of ice.
Out of the corner of my, or our eyes, we could see the townsfolk approaching. They shuffled in, as if they didn’t believe what they were seeing, led by the bishop holding a bundle of Aria’s clothing. Aria slowly slipped her muzzle out of my embrace, before unfurling her wings again.
::I shall take care of the bridge. You stay safe.::
A blast of wind dropped me onto my rear again as she flew off, no doubt leaving me to explain what was going on to the stunned company.
“Aria is a dragon. She spoke the truth,” the priest whispered in disbelief.
I scratched my head to get rid of the wood splinters before I realized that I didn’t have thick enough gloves. Well shoot. “What I’ve been able to figure out is that Aria’s definitely a dragon,” I began, “also, there’s some weird church thing that says that you can’t be a dragon unless you’re a member of the royal family, so her existence breaks the entirety of church doctrine or something?” I shrugged before being met with hundreds of wide-eyed looks.
Whoops. I think I might’ve said something I shouldn’t. “Was I not supposed to say that?” I blurted my thoughts out loud.
“Bishop Buryan,” the bishop introduced himself as he approached, still carrying Aria’s clothes. “It would. In the text, or I suppose the church’s false text, only worthy members of the royal family can become dragons. It is how the Trinity decides on worthy human successors,” he said. Okay, that might be a big deal.
“Well, she’s from the south, so no way she’d be a full royal. What does the church say about part royals?” I began making my way to the bridge, following what I remembered of the map. Buryan followed, after telling his people to relax and return to their homes.
“Leave the church’s false doctrine to me,” he said when he finally caught up with me. “She protected us in our hour of need and showed us the true depths of the church’s corruption. I am compelled to correct the church under her name.” I nodded as the two of us walked side by side. The priest continued, “But if I may ask, what are you to her? You do not appear to be related, nor are you the common southern rabble.”
I gave him a cheeky grin. “Oh. Just her girlfriend. Nothing major.”
* * * *
My roar shattered the bridge crew as the tiny ants below me readied for my attack. A group of inquisitors stood on the ready, halberds in their hands and fear in their eyes. Everyone but the captain was shaking in terror. Two men stood at the bridge, their jaws hanging open. A hacksaw was midway through cutting down the bridge. They must’ve known just how stupid it was. They had to.
::You will stop this foolishness, or I will make you!::
There was a bright flash as a bullet ricocheted off my hide. The captain. He was the only one that looked unbothered by my presence. So be it.
I dropped, my massive wings outstretched as the entire area was blasted with a silver gale. Men covered their face as wind sliced their skin, the pressure forcing all but the most determined to yield. Silvery mist gathered at my lips as I blew, covering the entire area in shards of frozen ice. The entire bridge area had turned into a mini-blizzard as the men dropped their weapons, trying to cover their faces in the assault.
As I descended, I could see the little dots of heat flickering in my vision. Gliding my breath down, I ran the beam of freezing mist across the field, catching as many of them as I could. The little dots of fire were snuffed out, one by one.
With a massive puff of powdered snow, I landed. The ground shook as the remaining men came to terms with what had happened. Half of their company lay there, frozen to death. Even the captain’s fierce glare had turned soft at the face of my full might. The rest stood there, awed and defeated. I glared down at the vermin below.
The bridge had remained relatively unharmed. Damaged ropes could always be fixed. I turned around, curling my tail inwards before whipping it across the field, shattering the ice pillars in an instant. Screams of panic rang across the grounds, of men begging for their lives.
::Leave this place and never return. Unless you wish to join the dead.::
With that they dropped their weapons and fled, taking the very same bridge they had hoped to destroy.
I had a lot of time left to think as I stood watch over the bridge, still in my dragon form. I was thinking how I rescued Charlotte. Things happened. Ripped off the roof. Froze the inquisitors. Protected Charlotte.
For the first time in forever, I just did. It was liberating, yet it was a little scary, not knowing if Charlotte was all right. Worried that I made the mistake of rallying up the town before coming to her rescue. Terrified that in trying to have both, I’d end up with neither.
I accidentally expelled a line of frost, leaving a line of ice suspended in midair before it smashed onto the frozen lake below. I suppose that’s why dragons didn’t sigh.
To my surprise, I felt comfortable in my own scales. I could protect whomever I wanted like this, do what needed to be done. I could take on the entire church and get away with it. I could dictate the terms, rather than the other way around. It felt right.
