“Don-Don’t call m-me that,” I stammered.
Almost immediately I could see the signs of relief passing through his features.
“We need to go.” Tynan scooped me up.
“The front door?” Sol stepped beside him.
“No, we use the back door.” Tynan turned, revealing his two friends behind him.
Frid’s face was covered in blood. Victor was holding on to his arm. My eyes surveyed the room and I found no less than a dozen bodies of the attackers on the floor.
Tynan moved through the dimly lit back rooms and found a door, but before he managed to kick it open, the clerk boy materialized out of nowhere.
“This is the basement door. Follow me,” he said and moved past us.
“Put me down. I can walk,” I said, but he only pressed my body tighter to his chest.
We followed the young man who led us through a pantry then a small kitchen and living quarters for the servants, which were missing actual doors. Another moment, and the crisp night air made me shiver.
“Thank you,” Tynan said to the boy who nodded then disappeared back into the building.
Only then did Tynan place me down to the ground.
“We fly close to the water. You’re going with me.” Tynan said, and only then did I realize that he was talking to me.
I nodded, and looked back, noticing that the others already transformed. For some reason, the change mesmerized me and I stared at the soft glow that was coming from Tynan’s body. He was turning so fast, faster than anyone I have ever seen. There was no way I could turn that quickly even if my life depended on it.
Was that something that was different about me or it was something that the others practiced?
“Get on.” Tynan moved close and lowered his massive dragon head to the ground.
I climbed on his back, noticing how the shape of his body hugged every curve of my abdomen and chest. It was surreal that I could still dwell on my feelings toward Tynan, even when we barely escaped death.
Without communicating anything to the others, at least not verbally, Tynan soared up. The others followed him, like one unit. I remembered that all of them could talk to each other's minds when they were in their dragon forms. I was the only one who would not be able to hear anything. My hands slid down to Tynan’s neck and I bit my lip, worried that my hold was too tight. The moist night air hit my face, and my eyes searched the outlines of the city below.
Suddenly, a swooshing sound and the disturbance of the air behind me made me turn around, just in time to see an object flying past us.
“Hold on!” Tynan yelled and we dove down at an incredible speed.
They were shooting at us!
I pressed my face against the scales, praying that Tynan knew what to do. Another sound of the air being slashed with a massive spear and my heart was beating in my throat. I did not know it was physically possible to be more scared than I was at the moment. The passing seconds stretched unbearably long while fear chilled my bones. I closed my eyes, praying to all the gods I knew.
“All clear,” Tynan shouted and I realized that he was talking to me.
The group flew as if someone was on our tail, and considering the attack at the tavern, that was very possible. My whole body was trembling, I looked around, not believing that it was over. We flew the whole night, and it felt like we were trapped in a surreal dream where the night was never going to end. Finally, after the first signs of the sun appeared on the horizon, my eyes concentrated on strips of gold and orange that coated us in its soothing warmth, a promise that something better was waiting behind the endless hills. I squinted and stared at the outlines of the flying dragons ahead. It was absolutely breathtaking to see. The magical moment ended too abruptly and the sun was up in its full command, the lands under us were lit. I spent the next few hours watching the changing landscapes underneath. My eyes grew weary after passing hundreds of abandoned structures that used to be homes, farms, and churches. People used to live there, fall in love, have children, and grow old while cultivating the land. This barren land should have been filled with people, pastures with livestock and fieldswith planted crops. Now, everything seemed like a scene from a never ending nightmare. Gusts of dry wind tossed discarded pieces of paper down the roads and a thick layer of muddy dust covered everything. Without people, this land was slowly turning into a desert.
“Where are we going?” I shouted.
“Darragh,” Tynan responded, turning his head slightly.
“What’s that?”
“The land of the black clan,” he said.
I lifted my hand and almost lost my balance.
“Are you alright?” Tynan asked.
