by Katie Cross
The sound of her retreating footsteps on the grass reassured me. As long as I kept the dragon’s attention, he wouldn’t follow her.
“It’s you and me, dragon,” I said, a bold tone creeping into my voice. His head lowered closer to the ground. The gaping nostrils at the end of his angular face constricted and widened as he sniffed the air, his eyes still trained on me. The magic inside me had swollen since he stepped out, expanding until it filled my chest. I’d have to keep the powers under close reign or risk losing control, with consequences no one wanted. “Are you going to hurt me?”
The dragon’s eyes narrowed at the sound of my voice. I fell under no spell meant to lure me within range of his massive claws; the dragon and I simply stared at each other. It was as if we were old competitors returning again, sizing each other up, uncertain what the years had changed. Despite the obvious danger, I couldn’t deny that he was a magnificent creature.
“Beautiful,” I whispered under my breath. The dragon growled suddenly and snapped his head to the right. His pupils constricted into thin slits. I followed his gaze to a glint of light on metal that hadn't been there before.
Two male witches crouched near the hedge at the top of the grassy hill. One had a special bow and arrow pointed right at the dragon. His arrows, nearly four times the normal size for hunting, were tipped with silver. I straightened with a gasp.
Poachers.
The poachers seemed to have a great deal of trust in the legends surrounding the use of a silver arrow when hunting forest dragons. When shot right into the heart of the beast, the silver would paralyze the dragon in mere moments. If the myths weren’t true, these poachers would have one angry dragon on their hands.
“No!”
They were going to kill an innocent forest dragon, a creature that hadn’t been seen in hundreds of years. My magic brightened in fury, feeling hot and cold at the same time. I had to stop them. But how? It was two against one, and I was only a sixteen-year-old girl. My anxiety expanded the magic in my chest. If I didn’t do something, the powers would take over and I’d lose control.
The crouched witch notched his arrow, forcing my final decision. Acting without thinking, a particular specialty of mine under pressure, I shot forward past the hedge and sprinted onto the grass. The second witch, nearly buried in the bush in a poor attempt to hide from the dragon, had his back to me and didn't see my approach.
“Stop!” I yelled. “Stop!”
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Thanks for reading. I’m so honored you’re here.
—KC
Also by Katie Cross
The Network Series
Mildred’s Resistance (prequel)
Miss Mabel’s School for Girls
Antebellum Awakening
The High Priest’s Daughter
War of the Networks
The Network Series Collection
The Isadora Interviews (novella)
Short Stories from Miss Mabel’s
Short Stories from the Network Series
The Dragonmaster Trilogy
FLAME
Chronicles of the Dragonmasters (short stories)
FLIGHT
The Ronan Scrolls (novella)
FREEDOM
The Dragonmaster Trilogy Collection
The High Priestess (coming early 2021)
About Katie
I write fantasy books so you can seize the light. Hold magic in your fingertips. Command dragons. Throw yourself at the mercy of an attractive stranger. You’ll forget the shadows of real life to live your wildest adventure.
And remember that you are the hero of your own story.
