Page 51 of Lady Dragon
Despite her bulk, Samansa dropped faster than the dragon girl, tucking in her limbs and pointing her huge body like an arrow. Kirek was flailing her own arms and legs, seemingly trying to slow herself as best she could. But the ground was fast approaching.
Samansa lunged for her, no time to be cautious, and seized her in her claws without a moment to spare, spreading her wings wide and pulling up just before they both smashed onto the rocks. She felt Kirek jerk hard in her unforgiving grip, and pain tore through her own joints from the strain of their abrupt midair halt. Samansa couldn’t imagine she would have survived in Kirek’s place herself, in human form. Fortunately, Kirek was strong. Strong enough, at least, Samansa hoped desperately.
The dragon girl wasn’t moving, her body limp.
With a few more flaps of aching wings, Samansa descended the rest of the way to the ground, landing awkwardly with Kirek still clutched in her claws. As quickly but carefully as possible, Samansa laid her down on the rocks and ducked toward her.
Kirek still didn’t move. Her eyes were closed.
KIREK.
Samansa nudged her none-too-gently with her snout, trying to get a sense if she was breathing. Her finely tuned ears picked up the faint whisper of breath, and her keen eyesight the slight rise and fall of the dragon girl’s chest under her leathers. But Kirek still could be gravely injured—even to the point of death.
Kirek! Please, please, please…
Kirek’s eyes cracked open, and relief flooded through Samansa.
The dragon girl groaned. “Your volume is gaining strength with your dragon-speech. You nearly split my skull with it.”
Samansa felt a pang of unease, remembering the strange dragon’s voice in her own skull as she dreamed. Kirek’s hands rose shakily to pat down her body.
“Thankfully, nothing else seems to be broken,” she said. “And I still have my weapons.”
Samansa released a groan of her own, powerful enough to vibrate the air and blow Kirek’s hair about her face. Samansa couldn’t keep away from her any longer and folded to the rocky ground in a massive crouch, bringing her snout close enough to nearly touch the dragon girl’s shoulder.
Kirek’s arm flopped as if by its own accord to rest a hand on her scales. “Stop worrying. I’m all right. I’m strong, evenlike this. My head is just ringing like one of your bells, and the world is spinning. Just give me a moment.”
How did this happen?Samansa asked, as quietly as possible out of consideration for Kirek’s skull. Well, as quietly as possible for already silent words.
“I don’t know,” Kirek said, shifting into a more comfortable position against the sword at her back. “I didn’t anticipate it happening again so soon. Or maybe I feared it so much I didn’t want to dwell on it. I was hoping we could take turns sleeping to prevent it, but if it can happen when only one of us is asleep, never mind when we’re both awake, we should expect it more, in the future.”
More shocking transformations into a dragon—or into a human, for Kirek. They were right to be heading into the draconic realm. Samansa was too unstable to be near anyone else.
But just as quickly as I transform into a dragon, I might back to human, right?There was an undercurrent of desperation in her question.
“I don’t know,” Kirek repeated, her voice low. Troubled. “I hope so.”
But she feared otherwise, her words seemed to say.
Fear also ate at Samansa. She had been dreaming of that strange dragon—the dragon she now appeared to be. But in her dream, they’d both been different entities, with different names. Although she couldn’t remember the other name, it had nearly been enough to forget her own. The dragon’s presence had been stifling, threatening. At least she felt like herself once more, despite how she looked. She couldn’t make sense of it.
But it terrified her. It was as if, more and more, she was losing herself. She knew she should probably tell Kirek what hadhappened, but she couldn’t bring herself to do so. The thought was too awful to voice.
Kirek abruptly sat up with a grunt, clutching her head. “Can you fly?” she asked.
Samansa rose from the ground on her towering, powerful legs and experimentally flexed her wings. They were sore, but still fully functional.
Yes, she said.But you should rest.
“We can’t stay exposed like this,” Kirek argued. “The sun will come up soon. We need to find cover.”
Samansa could see it now—a faint glow on the horizon, the first warm kiss of dawn.
Where?she asked.I don’t know where we are.
“I do, and I know a place. I’ll guide you. But first we need to find the saddle.”
Why? Aren’t you strong enough to hold on? Wait, you’re not more hurt than you seem—?
