by Cherron Riser, Ashley Nicole Davis, Tara Ann Moore, & Taylor Lexus Brown
A month passed of perfect bliss between Sparrow and I. Time hadn’t hurt our relationship in any way, and for the first time in ages, I felt like a man again. Even after Lauren returned from her trip, I met up with Sparrow every day at the shop. She had been hired on as a full assistant to keep Lauren from having to work so hard. Though part of me was starting to believe she did it so that the two of us had an excuse to see each other. All in all, life was going perfectly, which meant it was time for something to screw up.
We had just left the dollar movie theater, drinks in hand and laughter in our voice, after watching the latest cheesy comedy that had been featured when the sensation hit me. For a summer evening, a sudden burst of cold slid down my spine, putting me on high alert. Sparrow felt it too. I could see the recognition of it in her eyes. Both of us stopped, looking around the parking lot for the source of the cold.
“Liam?” Sparrow whispered, moving in closer to me just as a woman began to walk toward us.
The woman looked a lot like what you would envision a frozen queen to look like in a modern world. Long white hair flowed in a straight curtain down her back, and crystal blue eyes shone from the palest face I had ever seen. She was both striking and terrifying, and I instantly knew what she was.
I moved myself in front of Sparrow, wanting to put myself between her and the danger we were certainly in. My only hope was that the she-dragon wouldn’t attack in such a public setting. After all, we were an extinct race, and this was a very human world now.
“Liam, it has been a long time. I doubt you even recognize me after all this time,” her cold voice called out to me, ringing out like bells in the winter wind.
“I’m afraid I have no idea what you are talking about. I’m sure we have never met.” Just being in the presence of another dragon brought my Scottish accent out thicker. Not enough to fall into brogue, but enough to prove my heritage.
“As I suspected. Then again, I look very different in this form. I see time has seen fit to bless you even after all you and your family did to us. How sweet. Does she even realize the danger you have put her in?” The woman moved closer, swaying like the wind. Her skin glimmered with iridescence as lights from the parking lot hit her just right.
“Liam, who is this? What is going on?” Sparrow whispered from behind me, peeking out from around my arm to get a better look at what was going on.
Anger bristled inside of me. I hadn’t even realized there was any danger. As far as I had known, I was the last of my race, fighting to keep surviving in a world which had long forgotten magic. No, I was being confronted with another, one who I couldn’t place. “Yes, Liam, why don’t you tell her who I am. Strange how time has stolen your memories. They certainly never stole mine.”
Flashes of memory tore through my mind as if her words had triggered them. I was a child, maybe seven or eight, playing with a young girl with white hair and crystal eyes. We ran around the gardens just outside of my castle while our parents discussed politics. Children had no care for the matters of adults, and we certainly remained ignorant of the things going on right under our noses. No, all that mattered was running and playing.
She was from the ice family, and every time she tagged me, I could feel her nearly frozen fingers bite my burning skin. Later that night, as we all dined together, our parents announced our betrothal. The girl and I looked at one another wide-eyed and shocked. This had all been a plot to join the two most powerful dragon families and ensure the continued power of the dragon race. The idea of being married off just to suit my family did not please me at all, and my feelings would later be proven when I betrayed their orders and married for love.
I blinked back to the present, looking at the woman again. I hadn’t seen her again since that day in the garden when we were children, but I could tell it was her now. There was no mistaking the way she looked, though she no longer laughed and smiled like she had when we were kids. “Gwyneira?” Her name fell from my tongue in whispered shock.
“Well, maybe your memory is better than I thought. You failed to deliver on a promise, and because of your foolish and selfish ways, our people suffered. I have lost everything because of you.” Gwyneira’s voice grew colder the longer she spoke.
“I did what was right. They had no business telling us what to do. You didn’t want it either,” I protested, moving toward her. I turned to look at Sparrow who still stood there confused and scared. “Go to the car, please. I will be there in just a moment.”
“I’m not leaving you here,” she answered, not moving from her spot.
“No, Liam, let her stay. Let her discover what she is walking into. I’m sure you haven’t even told her the truth.” Magic sparked into the air, filling the night with energy as Gwyneira transformed. Her body stretched and molded, breaking and reforming until she was no longer a lovely woman but a large blue dragon.
Sparrow screamed, and I turned in time to see her stumble back. Yeah, it was probably not the most comforting thing to see for the first time. As I turned back, that was when I saw it. There were scars all over Gwyneira’s body. Bites, claw marks, even burns. More memories flashed into my mind. She was the one. She was the dragon I had been searching for all these centuries.
Rage erupted from inside of me before I could even think about tampering it down. My body shifted in a violent and expedited way, making me nearly explode into my dragon form. Without thinking, I breathed out a cone of fire toward Gwyneira, hoping to burn her into nothingness. It didn’t work, but that didn’t stop me from trying. Gwyneira charged forward, her tail sending cars flying across the parking lot. We met in a crash of violence, tearing into one another. I had wanted this for so long. I had needed it. Apparently she had as well.
There was no holding back. We tore into one another with every ounce of pent-up aggression we carried. I became so lost to my emotions, I didn’t feel the surge of energy until we were shot with a bolt of magical electricity. I turned to see Sparrow shooting us with her magic, putting all of her strength and energy into making us stop. The distraction gave Gwyneira the upper hand though, and she pinned me down with her spiked tail before lunging toward Sparrow. I pushed up against her, letting the spike tear into my shoulder as I escaped. I raced toward the two women, lifting off and using my wings to gather more speed. Just before Gwyneira could reach Sparrow, I snagged her up and lifted into the air. I flew fast and hard, as far away as I could. Sparrow screamed below me, but I didn’t let up. I would put her down when we got to safety.
