Page 7 of The Last Syphon

Ralf, a short, bald-headed jackass who drank himself to sleep every night could shoot lightning out of his hands; a rare and powerful ability highly coveted by not only the Arelian Army, but the Roylan and Pregon armies, too. But Ralf was too much of a free spirit to follow anyone’s orders.

Lina had telekinesis, the ability to move things with her mind.

And Zave was abnormally strong.

“Don’t attack! It’s me! Inara!”

“And Felix!” her best friend shouted behind her.

They didn’t hear them because a bolt of lightning came hurtling towards them from Ralf’s open palms.

Inara slammed up a shield big enough to encompass them entirely, and the bolt smashed against it, fizzling away into nothing. She braced herself as they landed on the harsh, unforgiving dirt.

“It’s me! Inara!” she yelled again.

The screams of hysteria ceased. Everything went quiet.

There was only one person in Deadhaven with the ability to shield, and it was her. Tear-filled eyes and shocked faces looked up at her from below.

How the Fates am I going to explain this?

Inara needed to find a way to get down first. Then she could talk to them. Reassure them that everything was okay⁠—

The dragon shifted, lowering itself to rest on all four of its knees, and then stretched out its wing, providing a clear path straight to the ground.

Okay. It can definitely understand me.

A powerful, almost overwhelming masculinity vibrated through Inara’s soul, spreading throughout her body.

He?

A trill of happiness came next, flooding down her spine.

He! You’re a he! What’s your name? Wait a second. What are you doing in my head? How is this possible? Why can I feel you?

Instead of answering her questions, he shook his body and huffed out of his nose, signalling for her to dismount. His head swivelled this way and that way, eyeing the villagers beginning to surround him with trepidation.

Right. Right. We can talk about the particulars later. Don’t worry, I’ll handle this. No harm will come to you.

When Inara looked behind her, Felix was already shifting, his movements shaky and uncoordinated as he climbed down the side of the dragon, crawled across his wing on all fours, and then rolled off the side to land harshly on the ground with a grunt. He kissed the dirt.

“Land. Sweet, sweet land,” he sang out in relief.

Inara rolled her eyes, giving the creature one last affectionate pat before climbing down herself. Her dismount was far less dramatic than that of her best friend.

“It’s okay, everyone,” she said once her feet were firmly on the ground. “There is no danger.”

“No danger?! That’s a dragon!”

“Yes. It is. Good eye, Tako,” she responded to the tall, light-haired male cowering behind his wife. “But he does not mean you any harm. I promise.”

Right? she asked the beast in her mind.

He lifted his upper lip, showing a row of dangerously sharp teeth to the crowd.

“Oh, Fates, it’s going to eat us!”

“Everyone, run for your life!”