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The crone was there, cackling, long, knobby fingers with claws for nails reaching for me. Ignoring the pain lancing up my back, I scrambled to my feet and ran, holding my satchel to my chest as Demon thumped and thumped. Icy tendrils kissed my neck and caressed my backside while I dodged twisting vines and gnarled roots. And somehow, despite my dexterity, my speed, she followed, her laughter snapping at my heels like hell’s fiery flames. Even as my chest heaved, she moved behind me without stirring a single leaf, her feet never touching the ground like a phantom being pulled on a cloud.
“Slow down,” she cried. “This stress is not good for you, and I prefer my meat tender.”
I risked a look over my shoulder and was met by a gleaming, fanged grin as thin, pale lips curved upward. Holy Elements! She wasn’t even out of breath. That’s when I remembered Father saying berchtas could outrun the fastest horses. She could easily catch me, but she was playing with me like a cat toys with a mouse. Still, I would not give up. Even if my life meant nothing, I had to think of Demon. My lungs screamed and my legs burned, but I pushed myself harder, dodging some branches and striking others, ignoring the stinging slashes slicing open my cheeks while following the flash of fire, the tang of smoke.
My lungs were burning when I burst into the clearing as the berchta’s feather soft whisper of death tickled the nape of my neck. I was barely aware of the blackened grass beneath me, of the patches of flames as the fire still burned around me. Before I could stop myself, I nearly ran into the crimson beast’s scaled chest and was almost crushed by a massive, clawed foot.
“Help me!” I cried, not knowing if the dragon was friend or foe. And then I stumbled over the blackened human body beneath his heaving belly. The beast’s dinner! I’d run from the gaping maw of one monster to the hungry jowls of another. Still, I pleaded, “Save me, and I’ll do anything. Anything!”
The dragon reared back its head with a roar. Every muscle in my body tensed as I prepared to be swallowed in one gulp. In that span of a heartbeat, I apologized to Demon for failing to keep him safe. I also noticed, as was my penchant for observing odd details at the most inopportune times, that the dragon was definitely male, because he nearly knocked me over with balls as big as boulders when he leaned up on his hind legs.
The berchta’s scream of terror wasn’t of this world, but within a blink, that scream was doused like water to flame as the dragon landed on all fours, his bollocks swinging like cannon balls being tossed in a gale, and swallowed the creature in one gulp. The beast let out a belch, fogging the air with a smell more foul than a hundred decaying bodies.
Then he looked down at me, and my knees wobbled.
You will save my dragon rider, witch.Though his mouth didn’t move, his deep, rich voice ricocheted in my skull like a gong as he nodded to that charred piece of human beneath the shadow of his belly.You will heal him, or I will make you wish you’d accepted death at the berchta’s claws.
I was vaguely aware of warmth trickling down my legs as they buckled beneath me. I looked into the foggy eyes of the rider, his pale skin covered in burns and boils. He let out a groan, and I swallowed back bile. This would be a long night.
* * *
IHAD A HARD TIME KEEPINGmy eyes open as I sat back on my heels, wiping sweat from my brow. I leaned over to stroke the spot between Demon’s soft, pointy ears as he munched on grass beside me. He stopped eating to rest his head on his paws, his little rabbit nose twitching, and made sweet little tooth purring noises. Petting my familiar always fueled my magic, but I feared it would take more than he could give me. I’d never healed such severe injuries before, at least not that I remembered. I didn’t know how the man beside me had survived such horrific burns. I’d managed to restore the damage to his lungs and heart, but he was still badly burned, still oozing blood. I heaved a weary groan.
Thankfully, the crimson dragon had left us alone, though I knew he was nearby, for I could sense a shift in the air. With a deadly predator in their midst, the forest creatures had gone eerily quiet, their collective breaths held. Though I might not have been a good green witch, my senses were attuned to their fear. No doubt the dragon could scent it, too. I caught a glimpse of him stalking through the trees like a cat, his wings pinned behind his back, the powerful muscles of his legs rippling with each step while his claws gripped the soft soil.
The poor forest creature didn’t stand a chance. His prey made a gruesome honk, muted by the blood filling its lungs. I tried to hide my fear and disgust when Demon hopped into my lap, his eyes wide, his little paws trembling.
“Don’t worry,” I whispered. “I’ll keep you safe.” I opened my bag, letting Demon hop in.
The dragon stomped back toward us, a large stag hanging limply in his jowls. He nodded toward his rider.You call yourself a green witch. He looks horrible.
I stiffened at the insult. Most green witches could only heal minor ailments. I had at least given the rider a chance at survival. The wheeze in his shallow breathing was less pronounced. He smelled like burned barbecue, but that couldn’t be helped. I lifted my chin, glaring at the fanged beast. “I’m not finished healing him.”
He dropped the stag at his feet, then sucked in a deep breath, bright fire visible beneath his scales as it raced up the column of his throat. He released his fire, burning the stag until he was nothing more than a crusty, black shell.What’s taking so long?
“Seriously?” Coughing, I waved away the acrid smoke, the remnants of the flame’s heat causing rivulets of sweat to run down my brow. “He was a human piece of coal.”
The dragon let out a low rumble, rattling the ground beneath my skinned knees and making Demon thump in disapproval.Don’t call him a human.
I gritted my teeth to keep from saying what I knew I’d regret. “Then what is he?”
Not a human.
“That only leaves about two dozen different kinds of witches and hundreds of breeds of Fae. Can you narrow it down for me?” A thought struck me. What if I was healing a bad person? Would I want to? Would the dragon give me a choice?
The dragon let out a cross between a growl and a groan.Do you need to know who he is to heal him?
“No.”
Then you don’t need to know.
I frowned at the rider’s supine body when he let out a moan. “Who burned him?” This was probably something I should’ve asked earlier, but I’d been too busy trying not to get eaten by the berchta.
The dragon’s nostrils flared.None of your concern.
“Itismy concern if whoever attacked comes back.” What other creature could create such a conflagration? It had to have been another dragon, one most likely more temperamental than this one.
I’ll be ready for them this time. How much longer?
