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“It’s beautiful…” I can’t tear my eyes away from the beast as it speeds through the sky.
The dragon swoops lower, its enormous wings casting shadows over the water. Rain pelts my face, cold and relentless, as I watch the dragon draw nearer. Its deep red scales glisten, a stark contrast to the gray sky that surrounds it. The creature’s sheer size is breathtaking and nothing compared to the skeletons that line the bridge near the Solarian castle. Its trajectory shifts as it curbs the air, heading towards the Jolly Roger, and my heart hammers in my chest.
It picks up speed, getting closer, but it doesn’t pull up. It’s aimed right at me. My lungs seize as I take a small step back, then another. This isn’t just a show of grace and power; this is an attack.
Running out of time, and in the dragon’s sights, I reach for my gift. My fingers curve toward the ground as I pluck string after invisible string, but it doesn’t let up, it doesn’t so much as shift an inch off course.
Panic sinks into my veins, as my body trembles and adrenaline floods through every nerve. I try again, but it’s futile. Shaking out my hands, I try to use my magic, mumbling a spell to shield myself as it opens its jaws and sparks flick across its tongue. I force my voice to be still, speaking the short spell and thrusting my hands forward. A purple aura surrounds my hands, then fizzles out. Again and again, I try to no avail. My hands shimmer with energy, but the magic dissipates just as quickly as it appears.
I’m running out of time.
The dragon’s body swells as it inhales, arching its neck as its wings start to lift, slowing its descent.
I should retreat, but I can’t. I’m rooted to the spot. I can’t tear my eyes away. The dragon’s gaze locks onto mine, predatory and cunning, and its talons extend. I brace myself, ready for the impact that will decide my fate.
“Scarlet!” a voice roars, but I can’t look. I’m in fear’s deadly trance. “I swear by the gods, woman. You’re going to be the death of me!” Someone lunges in front of me, flailing their arms in the air. “Not her!” he yells again, but it’s too late - the dragon already unleashed a torrent of flames.
My heart twists at the anguish and time slows to a crawl. I brace myself for the searing pain that is sure to come, but instead, there’s only a sudden, violent gust of wind. The heat of the flames dissipates around me, leaving me unscathed.
My back collides with something and my eyes snap open. Sebastian’s face is looming over mine, his breath hot and heavy against my face. His shoulders relax as the darkness fades from all around us until I see the fog and the mainland… We’re on the beach and that solid surface at my back is the sand.
“Are you okay?” Sebastian’s voice is laced with both concern and fury as he tightens his grip on me protectively. His intense gaze searches mine for any sign of injury.
I nod, still in shock. “Yeah, I... I think so.”
“Good.” He exhales deeply, and pushes up, lifting his weight off me. “Don’t ever fucking scare me like that again.”
I bite my lip, processing what just happened. In the span of a heartbeat, Sebastian had risked everything to save me. He’d thrown himself into danger without a second thought. I’m breathing because of him.
“Thank you,” I say, unable to tear my eyes away from his as I sit up in the sand. “You saved my life.”
Sebastian’s grip tightens on my hand, pulling me to my feet. Our eyes meet and rain drips from his hair and slides down his face.
“What were you thinking?” he asks. Each word is pronounced with deliberate weight, the reprimand evident.
My eyes drop to the ground. It’s my fault… He could’ve died trying to save me and, had he not, I’d be gone. “I... I just wanted to see the dragon,” I admit quietly, feeling foolish for my reckless behavior. “I didn’t think it would attack me.”
Despite his evident anger, Sebastian’s concern shines through as he brushes a strand of wet hair away from my face with gentle fingers. His eyes search my body, lifting the lapels of his coat to see for himself that I’m not hurt. Satisfied, he lets his jacket go and I tug it close around me.
Relief floods his expression, and he pulls me into his chest, holding me there as the rain continues to pour down on us. The warmth of his body and the steady beat of his heart soothes my soul, but something catches my eye.
Beneath the blackened sand, a metallic sheen hits just right, blinding me for a short moment. I press gently against Sebastian’s chest and he releases me, allowing me to investigate what it is. Carefully, I bend down, dusting the sand away, and my heart seizes in my chest. My hands tremble as I retrieve the charred doll, its once-vibrant colors reduced to ash and smears of black. Tears fill my eyes as I try to imagine the child who once played with this toy, now lost to the horrors of war.
“Who would... Why would my father do this?” I ask, looking around at the carnage before us.
“Because he wants those in the outer realm islands to accept his cuffs,” Sebastian says, his voice tinged with bitterness. “The Crocodile doesn’t attack often, but when he does, he can level villages like this under your father’s command. Anyone who doesn’t bow and pledge fealty to the king is executed. The children and women are rounded up and are never seen again. Who knows where they take them or what they do? Some say the kids are raised elsewhere to be his castle staff. Others say the witches get to keep the innocents for their sacrifices. No one knows about the women. Regardless, it’s likely not good.”
A mixture of sorrow and fury washes over me, and I clench the ruined doll tightly in my hand. How could I have been so blind? I’d have given my life to kingdom and country. For what? I’d be uniting the clans beneath a man who would watch it burn before him and feel nothing.
“Scarlet,” Sebastian murmurs, touching my arm lightly. “You didn’t know.”
“I do now.” Struggling to hold back tears, I lock my jaw.
A memory flutters through my mind as I stare at the melted face of the doll in my hands. I’d asked the maid who raised me where she was from. She cried and left me alone in the library. She was the one that had gotten me into reading. It was days before I saw her again. When I did, she told me her family were considered traitors, and the king had shown mercy by allowing her to serve him. I watched that woman become pregnant. She’d volunteered to be one of my father’s surrogates. A few months later, I never saw her again.
The weight of my father’s actions crushes me, and my legs give, becoming too weak to hold me up as the tears spill from my eyes. I loved her… She was the only mother I knew and all this time, all those years, she’d been imprisoned along with me in that castle. Rounded up like an animal and shipped off to wait on the king and his daughter's hand and foot…
Sebastian sits down beside me on the damp, charred ground. “Scarlet,” he begins, his voice low and gentle. He doesn’t touch me and, quite frankly, I don’t blame him. I’m ashamed to be related to such a monster. “Do you understand now? This is the reason they see you, your hair, your lineage, and act as they do. It’s not your fault. You had nothing to do with this, but when they see you, they see him. Eventually, they’ll understand, as I do, that you’re kind and considerate. That you’re nothing like him.”
