Page 124 of The Last Dragon
My breath is caught—snagged—somewhere deep inside me like a hook buried itself in the flesh of my throat. I can’t swallow it down, can’t cough it out. Is this fear? Is this terror? Is this venom? I can’t tell. But whatever it is…I won’t let it take me.
Summoning what little strength I have left, I draw my focus inward—toward the fire blazing in my chest. The searing pulse of it spreads like molten iron through my veins, but I refuse to flinch. I embrace the pain. I mold it. Control it. Instead of attempting to cough the smoke out of my lungs, I inhale deeper. And suddenly, the burning sensation becomes as cold as ice. The ground beneath my feet is rougher now. My vision is clear enough to take in each particle hanging in the air. My skin prickles as my body temperature adjusts to something colder, more dangerous. I exhale. A wisp of cold vapor escapes through my mouth, and I’m hit with a wave of ecstasy.
Focus.
Now I won’t let anything or anyone get in the way.
My eyes flick toward the fallen crossbow, splintered and cracked from the impact of shattered stones. Useless now. Again. But a few bolts still rest beside it, glinting faintly. That’s all I need. I clench my fist as the venom continues to coil through me.. I steady my breath and still my emotions.
I launch forward. But before I can reach the bolts, the dragon slams its other claw down in front of me, crushing the last remnants of my only means of survival. Of saving Nida. I growl at the beast, and it growls back. It’s like she knew what I was going for.
Bitch.
A low cry pierces the chaos, weak but sharp enough to slice through the roar of the beast. I whip around. Trapped beneath the dragon’s claws, Nida stirs. Blood stains her leg, a metallic scent filling the air. She winces. Her head lifts. Through a sliver of space, her eyes find mine. Wide. Terrified. Her fingers tremble when she grabs the beast’s claw, her gaze traveling upward.
“This is all my fault,” she whispers, voice hoarse and trembling. What does she mean? I don’t have time to ask why. There’s no time for guilt. No time to feel.
I snatch a stone and hurl it with everything I have left. It strikes the dragon’s snout with a sharp crack. The beast snarls, eyes narrowing like it decided I’m its next meal.
“Use your daggers!” I shout, already sprinting along the edge of the cave as the dragon’s tail comes crashing down where I just stood.
Nida shifts, reaching for the daggers attached to her boot. I shift my weight, throwing stones of various sizes to keep the dragon’s attention on me.
It spoke. It fucking spoke. This thing isn’t some wild beast—it’s sentient. My mind races with every step. I have to act fast.
A loud shriek rips through the air, and my eyes dart back to Nida, her trembling hands wrapped around the dagger’s hilt, plunged into the foot. The beast slices its tail through the air and slams it into a wall, making the whole cave shake as it backs away from Nida. She hurries away, and I catch her in a tight embrace as she stumbles forward.
“Are you hurt?” I say, my voice shaking. I check her for injuries. This is a lot harder than I thought. Having to keep track of the beast, contain my emotions, ignore the venom, keep hersafe.
She shakes her head. “We—we have to get out of there, the cave will collapse!”
The beast roars, a sound that splits through my skull, shaking stone loose from the cavern walls. Her massive body thrashes, slamming into the rock with terrifying force—sending dust and shattered stone flying. I drag my feet across the uneven ground, heart racing, arm wrapped tightly around Nida’s waist, shielding her body with mine as rubble rains down around us. Another guttural roar rumbles behind us.
The dragon flares its wings, the red leathery membranes catching and scraping against the cave walls. And then, it lunges.
Fuck.
It’s coming.
Fast.
The ground trembles as the beast charges, the heat of its breath prickling the back of our necks. My grip tightens around Nida, every step a gamble between speed and survival. I have to get out. With her.Or not at all.
I glance forward to see where I’m going before I turn my head back again, keeping track of the beast’s every movement. She’s angry. No.Enraged. As if I took something from her. Her pupilscontract, the red around them blazing. She watches me—blamesme.
Another glance forward.
A bottleneck. A narrow tunnel. The exit to this nightmare.
The stone walls squeeze inward as we run further, forcing the dragon to slow, its massive shoulders grinding against the jagged edges. Exhausting it. But it doesn’t stop. It claws forward with feral desperation, determined to reach us. And for a moment, I can feel her sharp teeth, her heated breath brushing the back of my neck.
The light ahead gleams faintly—hope, just out of reach. I feel the sun on my face. We’re almost there. Almost.
“Hold on,” I whisper, more to myself than to Nida. I sweep her into my arms, adrenaline rushing through my muscles as they ache in protest. But I run. Divines. I run. My boots slide across loose gravel. My chest burns. My heart hammers against my ribs like it’s trying to break free.
And then. Daylight.
Blinding.
