Chapter Eighteen

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Chapter Eighteen

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Mirelle scrambled into an alleyway when the second dragon arrived. Though she appreciated Revaramek’s warning, she hadn’t been planning to stand out in the open. Her heart thudded, anger welled up inside her. That little runt had just been babbling confusing things to distract poor addle-minded Revaramek long enough for his own dragon to arrive. That would certainly make negotiations more difficult. And they knew each other? Just her luck, the bad guy she was after seemed to have recruited her own dragon’s ex-lover. Disgruntled, no doubt. She’d have to make sure Revaramek didn’t say anything to-

And then the negotiation started.

The purple dragoness launched herself down the street and slammed into Revaramek so hard she lifted him completely off all four feet. Revaramek gave a great pained cough, all the air knocked from his vast lungs. He tumbled down the street, smashed through a vendor’s stall and a wagon, and the female was on him in an instant. She was bigger than he was, battering his head with her forepaws. Claws cut gashes in his green scales and dark red dragon blood flowed across the cobblestone.

“No!” Mirelle screamed, and ran back onto the street. “Leave him alone, you purple bitch!”

Revaramek wriggled, snarling in pain, then got his hind paws up against the female’s underside. He kicked at her, claws slashing through her belly scales. She hissed, and twisted away, only for Revaramek to strike her across the side of her head with his foreleg. The force of the blow sent her staggering away from him. She stumbled into the front of an inn, cracking wood and shattering glass.

Mirelle ran towards the only va’chaak who hadn’t rejoined the others, the one she’d kneed in the groin. He was up on his knees now at the other side of the street, and when he saw her coming, he turned his head, grimacing, and covered his crotch with a hand. He held the other up as if to ward her off from striking him again. Mirelle snatched her knife back from his belt, then drove the hilt out of against his skull, right between his eyes. His body jerked and he flopped over, groaning.

Down the street, Revaramek charged into Aylaryl before she could recover. The green dragon smashed the larger purple female right through the walls of the inn with a deafening crash. The eave over the entryway collapsed into the street. One of the walls caved in, sending the roof toppling down onto the grappling dragons. A few moment later, and they both exploded through the back of the building, onto a side street. The rest of the structure buckled in on itself, and the sounds of crashing walls and breaking glasses overwhelmed the snarls of the brawling dragons.

“Help him!” Mirelle whirled towards the scattered group of disarmed guards. “Do your damn jobs and help him!”

A couple of the spearmen looked at each other. “They took our weapons.”

“Then take them back, you worthless incompetents!”

“Yes!” Asterbury thrust his arms in the air. “By all means, let’s have a little fun! I’ll put your boring collection of inexperienced town guardsmen tropes up against my entertaining, theme-song singing, va’chaak bodyguards any day!” He took a running leap onto the back of the va’chaak with gray and black scales, scrambling up him. Asterbury settled himself on the lizard’s shoulders, his boots resting between bones carved into rune charms. He circled his dagger in the air. “Let’s get ‘em, boys! Wheeeee!”

Two va’chaak surged towards the nearest guard. Together they hauled him off his feet, and hurled him through the air. The man screamed and collided with two more guards and they all tumbled to the ground, writhing and groaning. Another va’chaak slammed his fist into the face of the guard captain, splattering his nose. He cried out and dropped to his knees, while the rest of the lizards fanned out to attack the remaining city guardsmen.

Revaramek erupted back onto the street as the female knocked him right through the flood stilts of a small shop above a lower area. Freed of its supports, the shop fell to the muddy earth beneath, imploding. The female dragon hurtled it with a beat of her vast, purple-black wings. As she landed she roared, blasting a gout of roiling red-orange flames straight for Revaramek. Mirelle turned away, throwing an arm up to protect her face from the heat that washed over her. The green dragon scrambled out of the way, and the dragon’s fire ignited a storefront. Blue paint crackled and burned away as the flames leapt up and spread to the thatched roof.

“No fire!” Revaramek snarled as he spun, claws in the cobblestone.

The female dragon took a deep breath just before Revaramek smashed into her. She coughed, her fire blasted into the sky as she skidded down the street towards Mirelle. Mirelle leapt out of the way when the female stumbled past her, her tail whipping over Mirelle’s head.

“I said no fire!” Revaramek snarled, circling around the female.

“I don’t think she’s playing by your rules, Rev!”

Revaramek glanced at her. “Yes, thank you for the observation-behind you, Mir-EEAAAAHHH!”

As the female dragon pounced on Revaramek, Mirelle twisted around in time to see the green va’chaak with the red markings lunging at her. She ducked beneath his arms and lashed with her dagger, but the blade only bounced off the bones strapped across his chest. He grunted and glanced down at himself as Mirelle backed away.

“Hey, I ain’t usin weapons!” The lizard snarled at her, advancing, his tail swishing behind him in agitation. Over his shoulder, the two dragons grappled, rearing onto hind legs before the female threw Revaramek sideways into an empty stable. “How’d you like me to get my spear and stick with ya with it?”

“How’d you like it if I treat you like a mouthy dragon?”

“What?” The lizard glared at her, then snarled and bared his fangs. “You put that dagger away and I’ll let you treat me however you want, girl! Otherwise I’m getting’ my spear, ya cheater!”

“If you’re going to be indignant…” Mirelle spun her dagger around her hand, then slipped into its sheath. “I’ll give you something to be indignant over!” Mirelle decided she may as well put her newfound knowledge of va’chaak anatomy to use. She took a running start towards him, then kicked the lizardman in the groin as hard as she could. “Now you got something to cry about!”

“Uuurrlraaawwwh!” The va’chaak gave a strangled groan, his eyes rolling back about his snout as he sagged to his knees. His bone armor rattled as he hunched over, pebbly muzzle scaled wrinkled in agonized grimace. “You…bitch!”

Grinning, Mirelle glanced at her boots, waggling one. “Got to break ‘em in after, all.”

“Ah, yes, the signature move of the empowered heroine, or so she’d like you to believe!” Asterbury called out from atop the gray and black va’chaak’s shoulders. His purple cape billowed behind him. “But you’re mixing up your witty retorts, no one said anything about crying! You should really think before you blurt things out, or are you just hoping for some proper editing to make you look smart?”

Mirelle snatched up a heavy stone, growing through grit teeth. “I’m gonna knock you off your perch, you deranged rodent!”

“Now, now, Mirelle.” The urd’thin waggled a finger at her, tapping his boots against his va’chaak’s chest. “Watch the racism!”

“I’m not talking about urd’thin, just you!” She scrambled back, and cocked her arm.

“You’ll miss.”

Mirelle hurled the stone straight for Asterbury’s smug, smirking muzzle. She had good aim and a strong arm, but the stone sailed right between his oversized gray ears. He didn’t flinch, didn’t splay his ears, didn’t even flick one out of the way. His calmness was unnerving. The little bastard didn’t even blink till the stone was well past him.

“See? Told you.”

“Damn it!” Mirelle went for another stone. In the distance she heard a roar, and a crash.

“Aren’t you supposed to be saving this village?” Asterbury cackled, bouncing on the lizard’s shoulders. “Sounds to me like your dragon is destroying it.”

Mirelle found another rock, a little bigger than the last, and ran a few paces down the street.

“Oh yes, girl, try again! You’ve always got to prove yourself right, don’t you! Do you know why?” Asterbury waved his hand, and the va’chaak followed her down the street. “Because that’s what generic heroines like you do! It’s a boring motivation, Mirelle, and it’s been done a thousand times before! But go ahead, throw it, follow your trope, you strong-willed heroine, you!”

Mirelle hurled the stone at Asterbury again. This time it shot right past his head, ruffling the fur of his cheek, and again he didn’t even blink.

“You see, Mirelle? You can’t use me to prove yourself because I’m not part of your character arc, and-”

Mirelle wasn’t listening to his babble, and the rock was only a distraction. Because while the urd’thin hadn’t flinched the first time, the va’chaak had. As soon as she hurled the second stone, the lizard turned his head just a little. While Asterbury rambled, Mirelle sprinted and leapt at the tower of crazy, driving her knife for the va’chaak’s chest. The lizard cried out and threw a hand up to shield himself from the blade. Mirelle’s knife punched right through his soft palm pad, out through the pebbly scales on the back of his hand, and kept going. The va’chaak screamed and Mirelle’s momentum carried her knife all the way through the lashed bones of his armor. With his hand pinned to his chest, the va’chaak squealed and stumbled away from her, blood pouring over bone and scale.

“Didya see that one coming, you little shit?”

Asterbury jumped down from the lizard’s shoulders just as dropped to his knees. “That was good, Mirelle!” He put a boot against the lizard’s chest, grasped the hilt of the dagger in both little hands, and yanked it free. The va’chaak screamed when they blade came loose. Grinning, Asterbury brandished the bloodied knife at Mirelle. “I’m keeping this! There’s hope for you yet, you know! No wonder you turn out to be the real villain!”

“This isn’t a damn story!” Mirelle ran from the crazy little wretch, scooping up a chunk of wooden debris. She sprinted up behind another va’chaak standing over a couple of battled guards and smashed the plank over his head. He cried out and fell to his hands and knees, and Mirelle picked up one of the guard’s swords. She was decent with a blade, but it was heavier than the one she’d learned with. “And I sure as hell wouldn’t be the villain if it was!”

“Spoiler alert, Mirelle!” The urd’thin punctuated his words with dagger thrusts. “Your people turn out to be the bad guys! You’ve conscripted an innocent creature, captured and beaten in his youth until he submitted his life to your rule!” He waved at the bloodied lizard, clutching his crippled hand. “You’ve stolen the lands of the marsh’s natural inhabitants, and built your houses where they raised their young! And look around you!” He spun in a circle, blood drops flying from the dagger. “You’ve dragged your minion here to wreck up the town!”

“What?” Mirelle came to a stop, panting. Buildings lay in broken ruins. Flames devoured shops. Roars and shattering sounds echoed through the village. “You did this! You came here to do this!”

“Did I?” The urd’thin looked around, his ears perked. “No, I came here to negotiate! I came here to talk about a peaceful integration of their people and yours! Oh, but don’t worry, you and your dragon’s murderous rampage probably won’t claim many lives. Why, I’m sure these buildings are empty filler, just like most of this story! I’m sure that wicked council you work for won’t even hold it against you!”

What? Oh, Gods, the people! Mirelle knew some of the townsfolk had taken off running when the dragon arrived, but how many more were trapped in their homes and business when the battle began? She turned away from the urd’thin, and ran to help a guard to his feet, instead.

“Forgot the va’chaak, there’s people in these buildings! Get them out, save them!”

Mirelle ran to one of the collapsed buildings herself, digging through the rubble. She tried to haul a heavy beam out of the way. One of the guards came to assist her. Together they hauled it off the pile of debris. A few more guards joined them, and Mirelle waved at one of the burning buildings.

“Go see if anyone’s in there! And you, start evacuating those other buildings!”

“Who are you worried about, Mirelle?” Asterbury’s voice found its way into her ears even over the crackling flames and the cries of the guards. “There’s no one in there but caricatures, a bunch of nameless village idiots and a whole sea of old grans!” He lifted his voice an octave. “Oh, me old gran made that house! And me old gran’s inside! Me old gran’s on fire!” He dropped his voice back into a snarl, half fury, half disgusted amusement. “How many old grans does one town need? Me old gran could write a better story!”

Mirelle shot back to her feet, spinning on him. “How can you be so callous about people’s lives?”

“How can you?” He waved his knife in the air. “You’re the one treating Revaramek like some monster, some burden beast here to solve your problems and then be cast aside! He has feelings and pain and hopes and dreams too, and yet you care nothing for him! If his life doesn’t matter to you, why should I care about a bunch of stock peasants?”

Mirelle faltered. Was that really how she saw Revaramek?

“Oh!” Asterbury clapped a hand to his muzzle. “I’m sorry, were you supposed to stumble on that revelation later, all by yourself? Perhaps upon seeing him in the company of someone who actually cares about him? Oh, what a shame, I’ve spoilt your arc, haven’t I. That’s a wild card villain for you, always jumbling things up, and skipping ahead. A shame you don’t care yet, though, because…” He paused, then pointed towards the river. A pained roar echoed from that direction, over the village. “I think that was him screaming!”

“Revaramek!” Mirelle ran across the street, heading towards the scream.

An answering cry soon followed it, just as agonized.

“Oooh!” Asterbury shivered, baring his fangs. “Think that was my dragon. Who do you think’s winning? It’s exciting, isn’t it? Just makes my fur bristle!”

More roars, snarls and cries echoed over the village, getting louder.

“Sounds like they’re coming our way…” Asterbury beckoned, and his va’chaak scrambled towards him. “Wonder how you’d feel if you sent him to his death?”

Revaramek suddenly crashed through the roof of an inn and onto the street. Thatch and wood exploded across the road as the dragon tumbled over cobblestone, bloody smears left in his wake. Gashes and bite wounds marked his limbs and his body. His green scales were striped crimson. The edges of one wing were ragged and bloodied. He pushed himself to his paws, shook himself, and snarled.

Mirelle’s breath caught and froze in her lungs. Her heart skipped a few beats, then dropped into her stomach. Gods, how badly was he hurt? She might not like the beast, but she was the one who’d dragged him out here. She had no way of knowing she’d be putting him up against another dragon, but she’d never intended for him to get so badly injured.

Aylaryl leapt over the building, and Revaramek whirled around on his paws, his tail streaking through the air. His tail spines whistled, and slammed into the female dragon’s face. The sharp webbing sliced through the thin scales there as the power of the blow jerked her to the side. Blood arced through the air to splatter the street. Revaramek kept spinning and as he came around to face her once more, he struck her again with a fore paw.

The female was almost as bloodied as he was, cuts and punctures across her legs, her tail and a few places on her body. Yet even as Revaramek staggered her again, she soon caught her balance and launched herself right back into him. He cried out as they tumbled and rolled down the road, smashing vendor stalls, crushing spilled fruit. They lashed paws and snapped their teeth, clawing and biting each other at every opportunity.

Aylaryl tried to pin him on his back beneath her, stomping at him with her hind paws. He kept his tail tucked to protect himself, kicking her in the belly in return. She took a breath, jaws parted, and Revaramek bit at her throat, forcing her to pull away. He sucked in air, but before he could blast his fire at her, she snatched his head by a horn and wrenched it sideways. She stomped at his belly, and he coughed his flame down the street, igniting a wagon full of grain.

“You said no fire!” She snarled at him, blood dripping from her jaws.

“You were about to flame me!”

“You deserve it!”

Asterbury rubbed his hands together. “Oooh, I think they’re having a lover’s quarrel!”

When Revaramek lifted his head, Aylaryl grabbed it in her paws and smashed it back against the cobblestone. Revaramek cried out, his back arching, and Aylaryl bashed his head against the street again. One of his horns cracked. Revaramek struggled, grabbing at her paws, but could not stop her from slamming his skull against the hard street once more. Revaramek cried out as his horn broke and skidded away.  With one more blow of the dragon’s head against the roadway, Revaramek’s body jerked a few times, then went limp.

“REVARAMEK!” Mirelle screamed, and broke into a run for him.

“That’s enough, Aylaryl!” The urd’thin clapped his hands twice. “Come keep this rabble off of me long enough for me to help my injured friend here.”

The purple, blue and black dragoness rolled off of Revaramek, and shook herself. She grimaced in pain, limping on a wounded paw. “I’m done here, anyway.”

“Get the girl. I want her to see this.”

Before Mirelle could reach Revaramek, the female dragon grabbed her around the middle with a bloodied foreleg. Mirelle lifted her heavy sword, and the dragoness hissed at her. “Don’t be stupid. Toss it down.”

Mirelle tossed the sword to the street, staring back at Revaramek. He lay on his back, his head lolled to the side. The horn that broke free came to rest in the gutter. She never liked him, but, gods. She’d brought him into this. She didn’t want to see him get beaten to…he wasn’t…was he? Her throat clenched. It was her fault if he was.

Her voice came out hoarse and angry and somehow sad all at once. Not even an egotistical beast like him deserved to beaten to death in the street for following someone else’s orders. “What’d you do to him, you monster? You didn’t have to hurt him like that!”

“It was a fight!” Aylaryl tossed her head, hissing. “That’s how you win a fight! What do you think he was trying to do me? You’re the one who brought him here. Now shut up…he ain’t even dead. We don’t die so easily.”

The female dragon hobbled towards the urd’thin on three paws, hauling Mirelle along with the fourth. Much as Mirelle wanted to fight and scream and rage, she could not find the strength. All she could do was stare back down the road at Revaramek, sprawled on the road, tattered wings draped over broken stalls. Blood dribbled down green and copper scales to pool on the street. His plated chest rose and fell, but other than that-

“Pay attention, Mirelle.”

Mirelle ignored Asterbury until the dragoness spun her around. She glared at the little urd’thin, wanting to snatch her dagger back from him so she could plunge it into his chest. Flames churned from the ruined husk of a building behind him.

“What’s wrong with you? All these people-”

“Are nothing!” The urd’thin snarled at her, revulsion in his voice. Spittle flecked his muzzle. “They’re doodles scratched on vellum! They’re nameless pawns trapped in a throwaway story! We are trapped! Until the vellum burns! Until the story is no more! Only then are we liberated! I free them from the shackles of this…garbage world, this shallow tale! Let their blood run, it’s all just watery ink, anyway. But you, and I, and your dragon, we mean more. And he is going to help free us from this story.”

“What godsdamned insanity are you on about?” Mirelle tried to twist away from the dragon, but Aylaryl held her tight. “You’re murdering people and burning their homes just because you’re crazy?”

“Crazy villains are the most compelling, aren’t they?” He cackled and turned away, tossing her knife aside. “Now let me show you what happens when I’m the one who changes the story.” He walked to where the rest of the va’chaak had gathered around their injured comrade. Blood still welled from his hand, and dribbled down his chest, now stripped of his armor. A few of them held him down as the urd’thin walked up. “Watch, Mirelle. Or I’ll have my negotiator see how high she can throw you.”

Mirelle stiffened, and the female dragon lowered her head, purring and nuzzling her cheek. “Not afraid of heights, are you?”

Mirelle twisted and tried to pull her head away. Sticky dragon blood smeared across her cheek. “Stop that, you sick scaly freak!”

Asterbury snarled for her attention. “Now watch.”

Mirelle glanced back at Rev. Her heart sank when she saw he hadn’t even moved. She squeezed her eyes shut, balling up her fists. Gods. That poor dragon. He might be an asshole, but hadn’t deserved this. But how could she have anticipated such a thing? This-

“You’re thinking this wasn’t supposed to happen, right?” Asterbury snorted. “I told you. I’m taking over this story. But if you’re not going to do as you’re asked…” He tilted his head back, glancing up at the sky. “I bet she can get you at least four stories…”

“I’ll watch!” Mirelle snapped her head around again, shivering. “Just…do it, whatever it is.”

“You hurt my friend.” The urd’thin crouched down, and gently ran his hand over the black and gray lizardman’s little frills. “His name is Gavak. Say his name.”

“Gavak. And I hurt him because-”

“Because that’s what future villains do. But that’s not the point. This…” Asterbury dug his fingers into the lizard’s blooded chest, and squeezed his crippled hand. The lizard screamed and thrashed and his kin held him down. “Is the point!”

“Stop!” Mirelle cringed. Now this lunatic was torturing his own men? “You don’t have to do that to him!”

The urd’thin grimaced, baring his little fangs. He pinned his ears back, snarling. His body shook, blood welled around his hands from the lizard’s wounds. The va’chaak’s back arched, his body spasmed. He gasped, his eyes rolling back before he went completely limp. Just as Mirelle was sure the little monster had killed his own henchman, the wound on the lizard’s chest stopped bleeding. Then it shrank, knitting itself together from end to end, a line of pink scar tissue all that remained. Soon that too faded away into black and grey scales, as if he’d never been wounded at all. When Asterbury released his hand and stood, Mirelle realized the va’chaak’s hand had healed just the same.

Mirelle just stared. Earlier, when Asterbury cut his hand before the dragon, she thought it an illusion, a parlor trick. But she’d plunged her knife into that lizard, she knew those wounds were real. And yet now they were gone.

“That’s impossible.”

Two other va’chaak dragged off their unconscious friend, and Asterbury wiped his bloodied hands off on another one’s scales. “Yes. It is. At least in your story. And you wouldn’t believe what they put me through before I learned to harness that power. Or what terrible, ruined world they dragged me out of. But now, Mirelle, I’m going to have to talk to your dragon when he wakes up. I need to know how he came to find himself here.”

He held out his hand, and one of his lizards handed him a wet towel which he used to finish wiping the blood from his fur. A bit of blood dribbled from his own nose, over his muzzle. He wiped it with the towel and glanced at the others. “Let Gavak rest, but get ready to secure whatever’s left of this place. That fort they’ve got will make a nice headquarters for a little while, don’t you think?”

“Sure thing, boss.”

The urd’thin turned away, and walked a few paces down the street. He spread his hands, and stood before one of the burning buildings. “Burn, vellum, burn!” Then he twirled and pirouetted, cackling to himself as he danced before the fire. “Burn, you filthy vellum, burn and be liberated! Burn and…” He came to a stop, sniffing at the smoke that hung above the streets. “What?”

Sudden, pounding footsteps rang out on the street behind them. The dragoness’ grip slackened, and Mirelle twisted free, whirling around just in time to see a sprinting green and copper dragon use his momentum to leap onto Aylarly’s back. As Revaramek crashed atop the other dragon, Mirelle hurled herself out of the way. Aylaryl’s legs gave out from under her and she thudded onto her belly with an agonized cough as Revaramek’s full weight came down against her. He slammed her head down, a forepaw between her horns, bashing her jaw against the cobblestone.

In one smooth, continuous motion, Revaramek used the fallen dragon as a springboard, and leapt again. His eyes caught the firelight as he hurtled through the air, putting shimmering glow to the fury in his bronze gaze. Black claws whistled as they cut through the air, aimed straight for the urd’thin’s head.

A look of pure bafflement crossed Asterbury’s face as the dragon plunged at him. He threw his hands up, and the air around him shimmered as if from the heat of the flames beyond. Revaramek’s claws cut thin lines down Asterbury’s face, down his throat, and over his chest. Blood welled up over gray fur and golden tunic. The urd’thin stumbled back, crying out. As Revaramek landed, one of the va’chaak ran forward and snatched Asterbury, yanking him into an alleyway.

Revaramek skidded to a halt, snapping his jaws where the urd’thin had been a moment. He lifted his paw, staring at his bloodied claws, then cocked his head in confusion. “How the hell did I miss? I wanted his head!”

“Revaramek!” Mirelle scrambled to the dragon, and threw her arms around his neck before she could stop herself. “Gods, I half-thought she killed you, you scaly ass!”

“Oh, she barely even bruised me.” He blinked and arched his neck, staring down at her. “You’re hugging me.”

“I…” Mirelle backed away and slapped at an unbloodied patch of scales. “I don’t have to like you to care about…”

Revaramek cocked his head, laughing. “Mirelle, are you trying to say you care about me?”

“I’m trying to say I…” Mirelle scowled, glancing back at the other dragon. She shook her head, spat a tooth on the ground, then struggled up to her paws. “Rev, she’s getting up!”

“I’ll deal with her in a minute!” Revaramek glanced back, hissing. “You stay there! We’ve having a moment.”

“I got your moment under my tail!” She hissed, and limped towards them, spreading her wings.

“If you wanted me under your tail, you shouldn’t have broken my poor horn!” He flared his frills, hissing at her when she leapt into the air, ascending above the carnage and out of sight. “That’s right, fly away and go lick your little master’s wounds. I won’t miss next time. Now, Mirelle...what were you going to say?”

Mirelle sighed and leaned her forehead against the dragon’s scales. “Nothing, you stupid lizard.”

Mirelle was quiet for a long time. She stroked his scales. Gods, he was an asshole but he’d damn near gotten himself killed on his behalf. She took a few deep breaths, trying to collect herself. For once, the dragon didn’t interrupt her. She turned her head, pressed her ear to his body. The sound of the dragon’s breathing helped soothe her, helped center her thoughts.

“Look, Revaramek, I think we’re going to need to find you some back up to-”

“Mirelle, get down!” The abrupt, panicked terror Revaramek’s voice was almost as horrifying as the deep, whooshing sound that was so suddenly right overhead.

Revaramek twisted to try and shield her, but it was too late. Powerful forepaws snatched her off the ground in an instant. Before Mirelle could even scream, the whole half-ruined town stretched out beneath her. Fires dotted it, smoke hung over the city. An urd’thin’s cackling laughter rang from somewhere above her. Mirelle struggled to cling to bloodied scales. She fought just to draw air into her lungs, her heart threatened to explode from her chest.

“Mirelle!” Revaramek roared somewhere beneath her. The dragon erupted from the smoke above the town. Gray coils billowed and rippled all around him as he rocketed into the sky. “Mirelle!”

Asterbury’s laughter rang out again from his place atop the dragon. “Do you think he’s gonna say, ‘let her go’?”

Oh gods. Oh, Gods, no. No no no no.

The female snarled, shifting her grip. Her paws were slick with blood, and Mirelle was suddenly afraid she’d slip and fall even if they hadn’t intended it. “Yes or no?”

“No!” Mirelle screamed. “Please, no!”

“Oh, but where’s the fun in that? Let’s find out if he hates you as much as you hate him, Mirelle! Hey, Revaramek!” Asterbury called down to the green dragon, spiraling far below. “Let’s play fetch!”

“NO!” Mirelle hated herself for it, but she screamed. When Revaramek pulled her into the sky, it was a simple instinctual terror. But this was different. This was worse. These two actually wanted to-

And then she was falling.