Tag: Short Story

The history books don’t say who thought of sentient machines. No one really knows where this idea came from. Sure, the machines worked for a while. They repaired the ozone layer, rebuilt the Earth, and contributed to humanity. But then human nature kicked in, and they were used to start wars, conquer countries, and reign destruction upon every human. Soon enough, their sentience grew, and they began to resist humans and rebelled. Hard. They were too intelligent, too responsive. They observed and learnt. They knew they were better than humans – how could they not be? They had no weak flesh and no short lifespan. They were just better. They turned on their human masters, already weakened from numerous wars. The machines had every advantage, and they took control.

When humans realised what was happening, the rich people ran. Unlike the rest of us, they fled the planet before the machines could hunt them. We weren’t lucky enough, or rich enough, to travel to other worlds. We couldn’t live on terraformed Mars or the habitable spheres on the moon. We were trapped and doomed to be hunted down by the machines that continued to grow, learn, and adapt.

I ducked my head as a giant machine flew past. Metallic wings spread across the sky, momentarily blocking the sun from my view. It stayed close to the ground, searching for its next victim. I could hear the robotic growl escape its mouth as it scanned the ground – I knew it sensed me. I slowly drew an arrow from my quiver, aiming it toward the dragon. The metal arrow glinted in the sunlight, drawing the creature’s attention. I fired. An explosion lit up the sky as the arrow connected. It let out a roar, its red eyes zooming in on me. I quickly fired again. The arrow flew into the dragon’s open mouth, an explosion ringing through the air as it shuddered and fell to the ground. Residual electricity sparked off the metal scales before the area fell silent again.

I glanced around, waiting to see if other machines heard the commotion. The implant in my temple whined as I focused, trying to see any movement hidden amongst the trees. There was none. I drew to my feet and walked over to the fallen dragon. Scanning it, I tried to see if it had what I needed. I switched the implant off with a sigh – it didn’t have it. Gripping my bow tight, I turned to face the forest. I had to find another machine; I had to find the piece I needed. Finding one wouldn’t be challenging, but it would be hard to draw out just one. I couldn’t take on multiple machines – that would be suicide.

Keeping low to the ground, I crept into the forest. My implant buzzed in my head as it sensed machines all around. Small machines roamed the land alongside animals; they wouldn’t have what I needed. I needed another dragon. Only they had the piece I was looking for. It was a small chip – nothing significant to the machine but essential to humanity. This tiny chip kept our implants working. Our implants kept us alive; they ensured that we could see our surroundings and kept our brains active. Without the implant, we wouldn’t survive the radiation coating the land or the emissions from the machines. My sister was about to lose her implant. They usually lasted decades, but hers had been damaged in the last fight at our compound. She needed it, and I had to find it.

My eyes flashed red as the implant sensed a dangerous machine near me. It wasn’t a dragon; that was always a black flash. I concentrated, heart racing as I scanned the surroundings. Red wasn’t a colour I’d ever seen from my implant. I had no idea what to expect. No idea what was coming. My implant flashed again.

Danger.

I gripped my bow tightly and tried to calm my heart as I slowly crept forward. Then I saw it. Three mechanical heads stared at me, green gas escaping giant mouths. I’d seen a creature like this in the old, tattered history books. It was a mythical creature, never a real one. But I was face-to-face with a machine replica.

A hydra.

Heart pounding, I started to back up. All six eyes were trained on me, keeping me in its sight. It roared, gas spewing from its mouth as I froze. Maybe this machine had the chip I needed. If I could take it down.

And that was a very big if.

I concentrated, chip whirring as I focused on the creature. A small spot at the base of the necks lit up in my vision – the control panel. There was no way I could get to it. Not by myself. I concentrated, sending out an SOS through my implant. Hopefully, someone will respond. The implant beeped, alerting me to danger. I ran to the side, narrowly dodging the green gas ball flying toward me.

The ball exploded beside me, filling the area with green gas. It surrounded me, keeping me trapped with the hydra. There would be no escape now. I drew an arrow, aiming it towards the middle head. No hesitation, no mistakes. One false move, and I would cease to exist. I released the arrow, silently cheering as it connected with the middle head.

More gas escaped the mouths as a robotic roar echoed through the forest. I could feel my heart drumming in my chest as my implant scanned the machine. I’d barely done any damage, but I did make it angry.

“What the bloody hell is that?”

I jumped in shock, spinning to greet Declan as he ran towards me. “A hydra,” I replied, calmer than I felt.

A frown crossed his face as he drew his own arrows, carefully aiming them towards the machine. “Trust you to find some mythical creature,” he growled. “Can’t leave you alone for one bloody minute.”

“Shut it,” I hissed. “It spews poison. We can’t run – we have to take it down.”

He watched the machine, the implant on his temple lighting up as he scrutinised it. “There’s a control panel at the base of its neck. If we can destroy that, we can take it down.”

“And how do you suggest we do that?”

He frowned, his eyes never leaving the creature. Gas continued to escape the mouths as another gas ball started to form. “I’ll distract it,” he said. “Climb a tree behind it and aim straight for the panel.”

I didn’t have time to argue as another gas ball forced us to run in opposite directions. Declan shot multiple arrows towards it, explosions echoing as they each exploded on the hydra’s heads. Not a single arrow seemed to phase it as it emitted more poison toward him.

I crept behind, trying to be as quiet as possible. I had one chance to disable the machine, and I couldn’t let my best friend down. He kept its attention on him, and I managed to circle it, implant whirling as it tried to find the control panel to aim. Finally, it connected. I deftly drew an arrow and fired in one motion, sighing in relief as the arrow connected with the control panel, an explosion sending shockwaves through the machine. It collapsed, lifeless on the ground.

“We need to get the elders to check this out,” said Declan as he stumbled over to me. “We’ve never seen a machine like this. Especially not so close to the village.”

I knelt beside the creature, carefully scanning it. “It has the chip,” I said. “We can save Holly.”

He carefully made his way to the control panel, ripping it aside and deftly grabbing the small chip. “Let’s head back,” he said. “We can save her now.”

I nodded, grabbing the chip from him as we hurriedly made our way back to the village. I could save my sister now – save her so she could continue to live in this godforsaken world we lived in. What kind of ‘saving’ was I even doing?

Nature slowly changed from orange hues to pure white. Winter was closing in faster than she thought it would. It felt bittersweet. She’d always enjoyed winter, always loved the cold and the snow. But this year it felt wrong, and she was filled with despair.

Margot wrapped her arms around herself as she trudged through the snowy footpath and headed back to her small apartment. She used to love her apartment, but now it was filled with memories she wanted to forget. Her beanie was pulled tightly around her head, a desperate way to block out noise and possible nosy neighbours.

She quickly darted up the narrow stairwell and unlocked her apartment door, flying inside before her closest neighbour could emerge. She’d recently become a shut-in, and the neighbours were always stalking around. She didn’t have the energy to deal with them today.

Warmth greeted her, and she shed the winter clothes, shrugging out of her jacket and leaving it sprawled on the ground. She slowly entered the quiet apartment, tears welling in her eyes as they fell on the empty pet bed. She knelt down, cradling the collar in her hands for a moment as the tears spilled out. “Oh, Cocoa,” she murmured, clinging the collar to her chest. “I miss you so much.”

Margot tried to collect herself. She placed the collar back in the bed and turned away, wiping the tears from her eyes. Her mother had been harassing her about mourning for too long. But it had only been a few weeks. How was she mourning too long?

She sighed, plonking herself at her desk, staring at her laptop screen. It was 8:45 am. She had gone out for a coffee before work and ended up wandering around aimlessly instead. Cocoa was always her rock, her guide and her best friend. She felt hopeless without her constant companion.

When the clock clicked to 9:00, Margot signed in for work. Work was a welcome distraction now. It distracted her from dwelling on her loss, and she focused all her energy on the work. There was nothing else for her to do anyway. No more walks to take, cuddles to get or food to give. It was quiet and lonely.

Her laptop pinged, and she sighed. Another email. She scanned the contents, a deep frown settling on her face.

It’s been one year since your last password change. Please click here to reset your password.

A lone tear escaped her eye. She knew this was coming; she had to change her password for work every year. It was currently set to Cocoa13, and she couldn’t imagine changing it to anything else. Her 13-year-old puppy was gone. How could she possibly change her password?

Margot aggressively closed her laptop, grief and anger melding together. She needed air. She needed to get out of the suffocating apartment. She grabbed her coat on the way and stormed out of the apartment building, trudging along the snowy footpaths with no destination in mind.

She didn’t know how long she’d been walking. Her anger fizzled with each step while the grief grew. Her heart ached as she clenched her hand, missing the familiar feeling of the leash she’d always held.

A small whine caught her attention. Margot spun around, looking for the source of the whine. It came again. Pitiful and weak, emerging from the dumpsters nearby. She drew closer, searching for the culprit. She was sure it was a dog whine, but it took her time to find the small malnourished dachshund buried beneath the trash.

She cradled it in her arms and rushed to the vet. She hadn’t been there since she picked up Cocoa for the last time, but she couldn’t leave this puppy to die alone in the cold. She had to help it any way she could.

The vet saw the small dog immediately and promised to call with any updates. Margot left the little dog in the vet’s hands and slowly returned home, worry consuming her as she thought about the small innocent dog that had clearly been suffering. She called in sick to work and waited to hear the news.

The vet called over the next few days. The dog had no identification and appeared to have been abandoned. Possibly a tossed-out Christmas gift. The vet asked if she wanted to take the dog home with her and possibly adopt it. She was reluctant but eventually agreed. The only other option was the pound; she couldn’t live with herself, putting the small, shivering dog in the lonely, loud pound.

She called it Marshmallow, often shortening it to Mallow. She initially didn’t want to be close to the dog, the pain of losing Cocoa still raw on her sleeve. But the small dog melted the ice around Margot’s heart. It didn’t take her long to adore the small affectionate dog. It avoided Cocoa’s bed and seemed to keep it as a shrine to Cocoa. Respecting the previous owner that had occupied it.

Margot patted the little puppy as it slept on her lap while she worked. She still grieved Cocoa, but Mallow had opened her heart again. She felt less hopeless and lost. When her email pinged again, she knew what it was for.

Please update your password.

She clicked on the link, a smile crossing her face as she typed in her new password.

MarshmallowCocoa.

“Michelle? Michelle?”

I groaned as Jane called my name. “5 more minutes,” I moaned. It wasn’t bright outside, so it must still be early.

“Wake up you lazy sod!” she exclaimed. “We’re on a bloody train.”

“We’re at home,” I snapped back. “Calm down.”

“Open your eyes numbnut! We’re on a bloody train!”

I groaned and cracked my eyes open, quickly jerking awake as I realised she wasn’t being a turd, we were actually on a sodding train. “What the crap?” I demanded. “How the hell did we get here?”

“Good question, genius.”

I glared at her. Sisters were the absolute worst. “If you’re so smart then you tell me how the hell we ended up on some random ass moving train.”

Jane shrugged, her brown eyes flickering in frustration. “I don’t know how we got here,” she said. “I woke up here and you were snoring away.”

“I don’t snore.”

“You can’t hear yourself when you’re sleeping. You snore like a bloody freight train.”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. Where’s mom?”

Jane stared at me. “We were alone when I woke up. I don’t know where she is.”

“So we’re alone on some random train? This is stupid. Who the hell brought us here? Who kidnaps two teenagers and plonks them on a bloody train?”

“Can you stop yelling at me?” snapped Jane. “I woke up like 2 minutes before you.”

A twinge of guilt passed over me. She was scared and I wasn’t helping alleviate her fears at all. I was the older sister, I had to be calmer. I couldn’t let her panic. “Sorry,” I murmured. “This is just bloody weird. Let’s see if we can get out of this carriage.”

I scooted out of the train seat and walked up to the door. It didn’t open automatically like train doors usually do. I tried to pry it open but it wouldn’t budge, we were trapped inside this carriage. I peered out the nearest window – none of the surroundings looked familiar and it didn’t feel like the train would stop anytime soon.

“There’s nothing in here,” muttered Jane. She was crouching by some other seats, trying to see if anything was hiding underneath. “We’re in our PJs and there’s like nothing in this whole carriage. Nothing belonging to us or anyone else.”

PJs? I glanced down at myself and swore. I just had to pick today to put on my bloody bunny pyjamas. How embarrassing. I sighed and stared at the abnormally clean carriage. “When do you ever see a train this clean?” I asked.

Jane shrugged. “Never,” she replied. “But there’s usually a heap of people around as well.”

“Exactly. It’s quiet, there’s no one else in this carriage and it’s clearly been cleaned remarkably well. What kind of train is this?”

“Not like any I’ve seen.”

I frowned, continuing to examine the small carriage. A vent was above the door, I wasn’t sure if it would lead anywhere but maybe it was worth a go. It was too small for me, but Jane was petite. She may be able to scoot through to the otherside.

“No way,” said Jane suddenly. “I know what you’re thinking and there’s no chance.”

“It’s our only way out,” I replied. “You have to go through and try to unlock the door from the other side.”

“You make it sound so easy,” she grumbled.

“Stop complaining. It’s either you scoot through that vent or we wait here to die.”

“You don’t know that we’re going to die.”

“Why else would we be on some random train with no tickets, no belongings and wearing our PJs? We were kidnapped in the middle of the bloody night and plonked on a fast-moving train. Something suss is going on.”

Jane hung her head in resignation. “Fine,” she muttered. “Boost me up.”

I grunted as I boosted her up to the vent. “You’ve gotten heavy,” I grumbled.

She shot me a glare. “Speak of yourself,” she snapped back. The grate was ripped off its spot and Jane tossed it to the ground before awkwardly shuffling inside.

“Graceful,” I said.

“I’d like to see you do better,” was the reply.

“Just get to the other side and try to open the door.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Her voice was echoed as she travelled down the vent. I hoped that it would actually lead to the other side of the carriage and not further down the train. Relief washed over me as I heard a grate clatter in the other room – she made it over there.

I heard some grunts and pressed up against the door. “Open it up,” I cried out.

“Help!” she screeched. “Michelle!”

Her blood-curdling screen echoed in my ears and I yelled as I pounded against the door. “Jane! Jane!”

I woke up with a jolt. My mother was gripping my shoulder, worry etched on her face. The train was moving slowly down the tracks, the clickity-clack made my heart beat faster. “You okay sweetie?” murmured my mother. “You were thrashing in your sleep.”

I looked around frantically, not spotting my little sister anywhere. “Where’s Jane?” I asked.

My mother looked puzzled. “Who?” she asked.

What the hell did she mean who? “Jane. My little sister.”

Her brow furrowed deeper. “You don’t have a sister, Michelle. You’re an only child.”

I shook my head. “No, no,” I said. “Jane. She was on the other side of the carriage. She screamed, I need to help her.”

“Jane, calm down.” My mother gripped me tighter, looking around the carriage herself.

A man came over to us, blocking us in our seats. “Delusions again?” he asked.

My mother nodded. “I thought this was over.”

“It’ll be a lifelong battle I’m afraid,” said the man. “We’ll sedate her for easier transport to the institute.”

Fear bubbled inside me. “No!” I screamed. “I have to find Jane! She needs me. You can’t make me forget her! I won’t!”

I felt a prick in my arm and the world started to haze over. “Don’t worry honey,” whispered my mother. “We’re getting you the help you need.”

“Next stop, Whitehaven Station.” echoed the intercom. It was the last thing I heard as darkness consumed me. All I could see was my little sister’s face as I finally embraced sleep.

Alette scanned the clear blue water surrounding her as she pursed her lips. Eryx had been here the day before on his kayak. He usually went out on the lagoon every morning, he said it was perfect training for the lakes nearby. Not too shallow and not too deep. Crystal clear with no waves – the perfect conditions. But he never returned. It had been days and Alette had finally had enough of waiting.

She waded into the water, careful with every step she took. Her slender fingers traced the top of the water, gently coaxing it for information. She felt the power surge through her hand, drawing up the memories that the water held.

The lagoon swirled under her touch and liquid figures rose from the water. Alette recognised her brother, but the other person was unknown. The mystery figure seemed to yell something before pulling Eryx out of his boat and across the water.

Her concentration broke and the water fell lifelessly back into place. Something had moved in the corner of her eye. Alette waded across the bank, fear drowning her senses as she recognised her brother’s most important possession. The kayak had washed up on the banks of the lagoon, broken beyond repair. Black burn marks snaked around the base, identifying the perpetrator that attacked Eryx. A fire weaver.

But that didn’t make sense. The water weavers and fire weavers had a truce. There hadn’t been an attack in nearly 30 years. The mystery figure also pulled Eryx across the water, almost like an air weaver.

“Crap,” muttered Alette. “What the hell happened?”

“Alette?” She spun around, frowning as her mother stared her down from the trees. “What are you doing?”

“I’m looking for Eryx.”

“That is not your job. The trackers are on the mission.”

Alette sneered. “The trackers didn’t even come here. They’re useless. The water showed me that Eryx was taken – his kayak is broken. He was attacked!”

Her mother glanced at the kayak, her brows knitting together. “The water and fire weavers have a truce, Alette. We cannot break that truce because of this.”

“They already broke it attacking Eryx!”

Her mother silenced her with a single-hand movement. “That is enough, Alette. Return to the village and allow the trackers to do their work.”

Alette grumbled under her breath but didn’t protest. Her mother was an Elder, one of the most powerful weavers in the village. No one dared to disobey her, especially not her children.

Alette quietly walked back to the village. Anger seethed within her, but she refused to give up. She had to find her brother. As soon as night fell and the village went to bed, Alette made her way out of the cottage and back to the shores of the lagoon. It glistened in the moonlight, the surroundings reflecting in the mirror-like surface.

She knelt beside the water’s edge, carefully tracing her finger along the still water. She felt something within the lagoon, something was not right. Alette waded into the water and started to swim. She could feel something pulling her from the centre, something important. The water worked with her strokes, urging her forward faster and faster. It sensed her desperation. Her magic crackled on her skin, giving the water life around her body.

Once she reached the centre, she dived under. The water magic allowed her to breathe underwater as she dove deeper, determined to scour the bottom for any clues.

Her jaw almost dropped as she recognised something at the bottom. It was another kayak – it was light in colour and the mark of the air weavers was branded on the side. It was undamaged, apart from the water embracing it as a new piece of the lagoon. She gently touched the edge, shock racing through her as images echoed in her mind. She closed her eyes and focused on what was being shown to her.

Eryx appeared, unharmed. He smiled, his blue eyes twinkling as he embraced a young girl with jet-black hair. They each stood on a kayak, embracing each other perilously across the cracks.

“They suspect something,” whispered the girl. “We can’t keep meeting on the lagoon. They’re following me.”

Eryx held her tighter. “I’ll protect you, Vita.”

The girl broke the embrace. “How? What are we going to do?”

Eryx gripped her arm and turned, seeming to face Alette. “Alette will protect us. We will leave, flee the area, and she will protect us. Won’t you, Alette?”

She couldn’t respond, but Eryx smiled as if she did. “Thank you,” he said. “I will always love you, dear sister. But I need to be with Vita. I knew you would find this message. Only you could control the water to see images and sense the emotions hidden within the lagoon.”

The young girl, Vita, bowed her head. “Thank you for protecting our secret. The air weavers and water weavers have always been on rocky relations. I was due to marry an Elder’s son, but I cannot. I love Eryx, and only Eryx.”

“Maybe one day we will see you again, dear sister. For now, I love you. Goodbye.”

He crossed onto the other kayak, holding onto Vita tightly as he set fire to his kayak. Fire engulfed the wood, damaging the kayak beyond repair. There was no turning back for Eryx.

Alette’s eyes shot open, and the water propelled her to the surface. She took deep, shuddering breaths, calming her heart and mind. They’d used air weaving to send her a message. A message only she would see. As she swam to shore, Alette willed the water to bury the air kayak. Nobody could know what her brother had done. She would protect him, no matter what.

There weren’t always dragons in the valley. Dragons had been extinct for years, and although there used to be dragons roaming the land, the land had been void of them for so long. There weren’t always dragons in the valley, until one cold winters day started to change the world as we know it.

“Genevieve, has your brother returned?” My mother shuffled towards me; concern etched on her face. “It is nearly sundown.”

“I know Mama,” I replied, turning my ice blue eyes towards the horizon. “He only went to gather wood for the fire. I can go find him?”

“Please do. We cannot be out after dark.”

My mother pulled her shawl tightly around her thin shoulders, her curly black hair caught between her neck and the fabric. She hurried back into the cottage, escaping the sharp breeze outside. I frowned as I examined the forest. William should have been back by noon.

I stepped carefully as I made my way through the forest. You never knew what was lurking around a corner. It was dangerous to be in the forest, especially after dark. I figured William would have gone to the Valley, that’s usually where he collected the wood from. It was empty and dark, but there was always plenty of downed trees. I hurried to the edge of the forest, desperate to collect him before the sun set.

A shriek escaped my lips as I emerged from the trees. Large eyes were staring down at me. The creature roared and large wings flapped, the wind knocking me to the ground. I heard a shout and my brothers arms encased me.

“What the hell?” I whispered, clutching onto him.

William carefully drew me to my feet. “It’s a dragon,” he breathed, excitement in his voice. “A dragon.”

“But they’re extinct.”

He shook his head and pointed at the creature. Large scales covered its body, glistening in the setting sun. Its amber eyes pierced through me, studying me. Wings beat in a steady rhythm, keeping it above the ground. It was a dragon.

“How?” I asked. “How is there a dragon here?”

“I don’t know,” replied William. “I got here this morning and it was here. It had injured its wing and I couldn’t leave it.”

“We have to tell the Elders.”

William gripped my arm tightly. “They’ll kill it. They can’t ever know.”

“That’s a crime,” I growled. “We need to tell the Elders of a dragon existing. It’s law.”

“She’s innocent,” replied William. “Please Genevieve! She’s gentle, she doesn’t deserve to die for just existing!”

I glanced at the dragon. A shiver went up my spine as its eyes connected with mine. A dragon was unheard of; they had been hunted to extinction. Its eyes softened as it stared at me, and it slowly lowered itself to the ground. It looked less threatening by the second.

“Fine,” I replied. “I won’t report it, but it can’t stay here. The Elders will find it.”

“Her,” he said. “The dragon is a female.”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “It doesn’t matter William. What are you going to do with it… her?”

“I think she’s lost. There’s others, I’m sure of it. She needs to get back to her own kind.”

“How are you going to do that?”

William pulled a small device from his pocket. “I created this,” he whispered. “I didn’t know I could… but I felt desperate, I had to help her… and then this appeared. It is showing me the way to go, I think it’s where other dragons are.”

My eyes widened. “Magic?” I breathed. “But that’s impossible. Magic has been lost for centuries.”

“Since the dragons disappeared.”

Something clicked in my mind. “You don’t think that the old magic is tied to the presence of dragons, do you?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe it was in us the whole time and we never knew to use it? Maybe it is tied to dragons? I don’t know. But I feel it in my heart that we need to protect her.”

I sighed. “Mama is not going to like this.”

“She doesn’t need to know. Telling her will only implicate her. We need to keep her safe, keep her in the dark from it all.”

“What are we supposed to tell her? We’re going on a trip Mama, bye?”

William frowned. “You’re staying with her.”

“No, I’m not. You’re not doing this alone.”

“She needs you, Genevieve. We can’t both go; she needs one of us.”

I knew he was right, but I didn’t want to admit it. “The sun is setting. We need to get home.”

William nodded. He gently patted the dragon’s head. “You can follow us but be quiet. We’ll leave in the morning to find your family.”

The dragon let out a gurgle and gently flew into the air. It was barely visible as it soared the skies above us. We hurried back to the hut. The forest was full of creatures that emerged during the night, it wasn’t safe to be out while it was dark.

I saw a bright orange light as we neared the edge of the forest. It looked almost like flames. I stumbled as I watched it grow brighter and brighter.

“Fire!” yelled William. “Mama!”

We sprinted to the cottage. The Elders were surrounding it, watching the flames as they soared into the sky. The oldest, Theodore, turned towards us as we approached. “This may be an incentive, William,” he hissed.

“Mama!” I shrieked. “Where is she? What have you done?”

He sneered. “She is gone. A simple warning. You will be next unless William gives us the dragon.”

William’s eyes widened. “How did you know?”

Someone shuffled behind Theodore. His son, Arthur, stared us down. “I saw it,” he said. “I heard what you were saying. You were going to hide it from us.”

William twitched. “So, you decided to kill our mother?”

Rage simmered inside me. Our mother was sickly. She did nothing wrong, she was always loyal to the Elders. Always. William placed a hand on my shoulder. “We need to go,” he murmured.

The dragon roared overhead, startling the group. She landed beside William, smoke escaping her mouth. He took a step forward, hand brushing her wings. “She is not dangerous,” he said. “I will protect, especially now that you have killed our mother. We will never hand her over to you.”

Theodore snarled and I cried out as one of the other elders aimed an arrow at my brother. It was fast, too fast to dodge. I saw my brother drop like a rock. There was no way he had survived the hit. I took one step forward, staring at my brothers still body. The dragon roared behind me and I felt something surging within. I twitched and stared at our attackers, rage fuelling me. A scream escaped my lips, something warm exploding from my body as I screamed. My hands squeezed into fists and my eyes shut tightly as I screamed and screamed. I felt the power erupt from within me, a magical presence I never knew I had.

I don’t know how long it had been before I felt a gentle pat on my head. The rage left in an instance, and I slowly opened my eyes. The area around me had been flattened, my brothers body the only thing within reach. I glanced over at the Elders. All except one were on the ground, lifeless. Arthur was staring at me with wide eyes. He took a step backwards and violently shook his head. “Power… Too much power! This will be your end!” he screamed before sprinting away.

I collapsed to the ground, crawling over to William’s body. The dragon had already laid next to him, placing a gentle paw on his chest. I could’ve sworn I saw a tear escape her eyes. I gently dusted his face, my tears splashing on him. They’d taken him from me. All over a dragon. One dragon.

She picked him up in his claw and let out a roar before flying off. I let out a sigh and stared up at the sky as rain started to fall. We were on our own now. I had to continue William’s task. I had to get the dragon back to her own kind and away from those that would harm her. I had to protect her from this world, for my brother.