Young Writers Society

Emperor Zarin Lysanae

Dragons. The shout went up and the emperor turned his eyes to the window, wishing they were still as sharp as they had been in his youth. Why as a lad, he'd been able to spot a hawk from miles away. He used to be able to say, by the angle of their wings, if they were climbing or about to dip and dive. But he didn't need sharp eyes to see these dragons. They were huge, vast! The size of a large ship, looming outside his window.

"My armour!" Zarin called amidst the panic that was quickly breaking out. "My sword and armour, bring them now!" He approached the window through which one of the beasts could be seen - a great white iceberg of a creature! General Altair Jinan moved forward at his side. The man was like a bleeding shadow, always breathing down his neck these days. Anybody would think that he needed protecting the way the tall, imposing general stared down anyone who came too near. "Well?" Zarin demanded and his retainers scuttled away to obey his orders. The guardsmen were already flocking in and lining up of course. Twenty of his personal guard had entered the room and the rest, he was sure, would be charging out onto the battlements. If they thought he was going to stand idly by while-

"You mean to fight the dragon yourself." It was not a question and Zarin wasn't sure if he could hear disapproval in Altair's tone.

"Of course I bloody well mean to fight the dragon myself. Do you think I've gone soft, man? Lord! Where are those boys with my armour?" Just then two 'lads' who were actually almost full grown hurried in and started to help the emperor out of his robe. Zarin huffed a little as they dressed him but he had eyes only for the dragon. It was truly a magnificant creature and a terrifying one as well. Why looking into the face of the dragon, was like looking death right in the eyeball. And he should know, Zarin was no stranger to staring down death. He felt strangely excited, the andrenaline rushing through his blood like flames in the brazier. Was this it, the end? It would certainly be a way to go and as much as he wanted to kill the beast, he couldn't help but think what a shame it would be to see her made into some decoration for the emperor's pallace. It was a female, he knew this. For nothing so pale and beautiful could be male, certainly not.

His armour and sword fixed in place, the emperor swept from the room.

Orelia Stoneclaw- Mercy Street, Lyall

"Listen, it's an excellent price. The best you'll find these days," Fisher assured her. He was a small man with huge bulging eyes and a smell of him like one of the city latrines. Orelia's heightened senses couldn't bear being in his company much longer.

Still, attempting to stay polite, she said, "I can't survive off that- it's such a long job, tracking an elf all the way to the forest. Half that fee would be spent on expenses. Fifty more, then we'll see."

Fisher frowned. "I ain't givin' you fifty more. You're elfling, aren't you? It'd just be like a visit home."

Orelia sighed and stood up from where she had been crouching. "I'm sorry, then. If you can't meet my demands, there's no deal." Fisher looked angry, so she added quickly, "But I'll give you the names of some Trackers who will happily work for less."

"And if they work for less, why won't you?"

Orelia laughed and said without any hint of modesty, "We all know I'm better than them, that's why, Fisher."

He had to smile at that. She nodded by way of goodbye and continued on down Mercy Street casually, breathing in the market, the hecklers, the life of the city. She looked up to the blue sky so familiar in Lyall-

and saw the dragons.

There was the huge white one, first and foremost, on the roof of the palace. Orelia could do nothing but stare. Then, she found her feet running, herself rushing through the market towards the keep on the top of the hill. Some people let out cries of disdain as she bumped into them, and pretty soon, the screams began as they noticed the dragons.

"It's fine," Orelia paused to say to a small boy. "They won't come down here."

At least, she hoped. She hadn't any idea why she was running towards them, and suddenly started trying to think of a reason. It was blatant though. While the palace was full of royal guards, the slums didn't have any protection. Trackers, mercenaries, assassins and gang leaders were the best protection they had ever had. Orelia didn't have much affection for anyone in the slums. But she wasn't about to watch them be burnt to a crisp.

As she drew close to the massive palace gates, she could hear the hustle inside the courtyard. And then, amazingly, a figure stepped out in front of the dragon. Orelia stopped short, a hand gripping around the wrought iron gate.

"...Is that the Emperor?" she asked no one in particular.

Celosia | Rooftops - North of the Palace:

Oh, dear. I stared at the great hall, at the Emperor and the general and that female with blue hair. The Emperor did not look happy. Not at all. In fact, he was putting on his armour with the help of two younger men. The blue-haired girl had fainted. I frowned. Why had she done that? Not many people fainted around me--they were too busy staring. Oh, and now the Emperor's not in the great hall. Wait, what? Where did he go?

I turned my head, searching for him. Ah, there he is. In the courtyard....below me. I swore, shifting slightly. I should move. I really, really should. My tail flicked out, taking out a small bell-tower. Oops. I stretched out my wings, rearing back. I was ready to launch myself into the air....and that was when I realized that the Emperor was facing down another dragon. A green one. He had dark green scales and he was much smaller than me. I caught a glimpse of his eyes and saw the madness in them, the darkness I had been running from for centuries. Oh, no. No, no, no.

Worried, I launched myself into the air and at the green dragon, wing beats making a whoosh sound as I hovered and dove. The green one tumbled out of the way and I put myself between him and the Emperor. I blew ice at him, freezing a wing tip to a nearby wall and his tail to the ground. His free wing beat furiously, trying to free himself. I crouched low, eyes on the mad dragon and my wings flared to protect the Emperor. In all the time I'd been watching him, I grew..slightly attached. The Emperor made me curious for some strange reason. And I was not letting a mad dragon take him away. I just had to hope that he didn't attack me while my back was turned--humans tended to do that.

You are not to touch them, I roared at him. The dragon froze, eyes briefly clearing of that darkness.

What?

Mine, I growled, my mind-voice like a blizzard of ice. It sent a chill down his spine--I could tell by the way he shivered. The green dragon flapped him free wing and shifted his stance. "Not yours," I said out loud. "This is not your city."

The dragon struggled and then went still. He turned golden-brown eyes on me. Kill me, he pleaded. There is no stopping once you let it in.

I hesitated, hearing movement behind me. But the green dragon didn't move to attack or flee. He just crouched down right where he was and lowered his head. And I paused, rising out of my crouch. How...odd...


General Altair Jinan | Northern Courtyard - Palace:

Altair followed his Emperor out of the palace, making sure he got someone to take Sanura and move her to her rooms. The Emperor was moving too fast for Altair to come up with--then again, the General had spent several long minutes standing there, staring out of the window. He was outside, in the courtyard just in time to hear the dragon speak and then rise up to her full height. She was a beauty, that was for sure. No creature with such grace and beauty could be anything other than female.

"Your majesty!" he called, rushing to the Emperor's side. The white one, she was between them and the other dragon. She was...protecting them? Altair stared at the dragon's flared wings blankly. Why was she doing this? It was...confusing. He had been told that dragons crave three things. Blood, treasure and chaos. So why was this dragon protecting them?

He blinked, recalling her words from before. Oh, right. She regarded the city as hers? Wait. She spoke? A dragon... Dragons can talk? That was a new one. Frowning, he shifted forwards, sliding in-between the Emperor and the dragon.

"Don't attack her," he said, turning to face the Emperor. "She's protecting you." Behind him, the dragon hadn't moved. And behind the Emperor, many of the soldiers had hesitated. They stood where they were, weapons in hand, yet they didn't move. Altair knew that they had heard her speak, and that they had heard his words, too. He wondered how they would react to that.

Suddenly, he felt movement behind him and glanced over his shoulder. The dragon was watching him. Something told him he should move, and he did so with great reluctance; shifting sideways and watching as the dragon blew hot air into the Emperor's face. A word drifted through his mind; Mine.

Arwen Lysa | Forest ¬

The forest was silent. As in deadly silent. No animals cries, no rustling of grass. I was tensed and alert. My whole body was as taut as a wire. I crept forward silently, crouched, and placing my feet with Elfen precision. My ears were alert for any sound, and then ...

A roar. A dragon roar. A tremor ran down my spine and I impulsivley grabbed my knife with a white-knuckled grip. I sprinted quickly, the forest a blur around me- like a running watercolour. I crept up the hill, the wrought iron gates slowly coming into view. I stoppd next to a girl,

"...Is that the Emperor?" She heard someone gasp.

"It is," I nodded. "Are you an Elfling?" I asked, my curiousity getting the better of me.

She nodded. "You're an Elf," She sniffed. Not a question. A statement.

"I'm an Elf that needs to get in there," I said, nodding. Our eyes met. We began to scale the wall, finding nooks and crannies in the crumbling brick. I hefted myself over the top and held out my hand for the Elfling. She took it, a bit hesitantly. "What's your name?"

"Orelia,"

"I'm Arwen." I dropped from the wall, landing in a crouch. I took off. "I hope I see you soon," I said, before running off. I leapt along the roof tops, searching for the Dragon that had taken my friends life.

[/b]Cael | The Rooftops Nearby[b]

Hers? And what exactly gave her that right?

The cheek! I'd been hunting here for over two months, and she hadn't even noticed? That was rude in the extreme.

Of course, I was sort of grateful. The green seemed like a greater threat. Something in his eyes...I'd never encountered it before, something dark, and out of control. It chilled me to the bone.

I shifted, and squirmed out of my narrow hiding place (the relief was unbelievable...dragons simply weren't made for narrow gaps) and started to slowly move away from the two dragons.

Make that three.

A lone black dragon, with one of those flying sticks the humans are so fond of sticking out of his leg. As I stared in surprise (three dragons in such close proximity wasn’t something I usually saw) he twisted to avoid another of the flying sticks, and his eyes came across me.

Did I want to be noticed? That was a very good question.

Emperor Zarin Lysanae

The beast was his. It was green and smaller than the other, the magnificent white, but it was there in front of his pallace, threatening his kingdom. Zarin held his sword in his left and was ready to roar his defiance at the creature, to charge it down. But then the damndest thing happened. The other, the white, she came shooting through the air and landed between the Emperor and his foe. He couldn't get his head around it. She extended her wings, white and graceful as a swan. And she spoke.

"Not yours," she said. "This is not your city." By which she implied that it was hers? Zarin tightened his grip on the weapon and would have pushed past General Jinan, except that he turned on him. Was the man mad, bewitched?

"Don't attack her," he said, standing in his emperor's way. "She's protecting you." He glanced back at the dragon while Zarin hesitated. Then he seemed to change his mind and stepped aside. So the Emperor stared the dragon down. She was crouched low, sitting back on her haunches and watching him. There was a keen intelligence in her eyes.

"Speak then, what do you want? Do you dare to challenge me to my kingdom?" Most men under-estimated their foes. They would have put the dragon's words aside, believed the creature to be uneducated and uncivilised. Some few men saw with their eyes. They judged their foes on their actions, changing their opinion every moment. The Emperor was not like either of these groups, no. Zarin over-estimated his opponent's abilities. The dragon had spoken slowly and simply but Zarin took this to mean that human was not her natural language, that she was in fact translating from dragon.

"Mine," she growled eagerly and then in a softer, more contemplative tone, "Mine." The way she looked at him, Zarin almost felt as if... as if. As if she meant to own him. That sent a chill down his spine and he gaped back at her, more afraid than he'd ever been before. Then suddenly his boy was there, sword swinging in a dangerous arc.

"Stand back, father!" Bristan commanded, facing down the dragon. Now the boy arrived? Now! Zarin had never been second to the battle field, never second to his old man when there was a fight to be had, but his own boy was somewhat slow to take up arms.

Daniel Armtisan| The Store Room

The dragon looked up at Daniel with big eyes, and an expression on her reptilian face that was hard to identify. It might have been distress, but it was rather hard to tell. It wobbled again, flexing its wings a little bit, trying to gain its balance.

Daniel had heard stories about dragons: They were tricky, riddle-telling, evil creatures, or so the bards told it. But… In the back of his head, a voice went: What about the dragon?

As a child, his father had repaired a wonderful green leather book. Mr. Armtisan had had it for several months, and in that time, Daniel copied out every page and drawing, so he could, in a way, keep the book. It told the story of a brave, poor man who befriended a dragon. Not only befriended it, but rode on it like a horse, and worked with it to guard his home, which was under attack by an evil lord. Eventually, the man, with the help of his dragon, defeated the lord, saved his home and became King.

It was a fairy story, of course, but it stuck with Daniel through the years. So now, even though he was having second thoughts about not killing the dragon on sight, he couldn’t help but wonder…

“So, you’re awake,” he said, as the dragon whimpered a little. “You’ll be staying in here, for now, until the troubles over. Then, we’ll be going along to the king. You’re quite the dilemma.”

The dragon’s big eyes looked baleful. Daniel remained quiet for a moment, until he felt foolish. It was strange, but with the little dragon gazing silently at him, he felt quite ridiculous.

“A tiny dragon, inside the palace, exploding doorways,” he said, for the sake of talking, “is odd enough. But there are also two other dragons outside. Amazing. This place seems to be swarming with flying lizards.”

The dragon huffed, glancing away.

“Little lizard,” Daniel muttered, thinking that the animal really was rather cute, in a scaly sort of way.

Bristan | Northern Courtyard - Palace

"Stand back, father!" I called out, my stance firm as I stood before my father, gaze fixed on the white beast crouched in front of us. The dragon stared back contemplatively, it's head cocked to one side in apparent thought as it weighed me up, whilst General Altair hissed my name.

"Bristan! Step back!"

I glanced behind me, catching the spark of irritation in his tone, and saw him half stepped forward, one hand on his sword and the other reached out as if to forcefully pull me back from where he stood. Annoyance was visible on his features even from this distance, his brow deeply furrowed and his mouth set in a grim line. "This dragon - she was protecting your father. Now step back, Bristan."

"He speaks the truth. I do not intend to hurt your father," the dragon uttered serenely, its speech calm yet purposeful, as if it had all of the time in the world at it's disposal. Its eyes glimmered with something that was more than animal ... something almost human behind its gaze. I watched it for a moment more, my distrust fading with every second, before my gaze flickered to the General and my father in turn. I reluctantly stepped back, placing my sword back in its scabbard, then offered a respectful nod and half-bow towards the magnificent creature.

"Very well. I ... I apologise, and offer you my gratitude for saving my father and this palace." With that, I resumed my place behind my father, watching as he stared thoughtfully at the dragon once more.

Zaair- Palace Courtyard

He'd been forgotten, it seemed. With a low growl, Zaair yanked the shaft out of his leg. The wound was minor, though it'd take awhile to replace those fused scales. Celosia, what are you doing?

Oh, like you haven't befriended a human. What's her name again...

He harrumphed and turned back to the humans. Their gazes darted between Celosia and the green dragon- they were ignoring him. But then, he was merely standing there, bleeding thinly. Maybe he could leave unobtrusively...

"Zaair! Have they hurt you? Are you all right?" With an inward groan, he turned to face Amy.

Celosia | Northern Courtyard - Palace:

I almost reared back when the boy appeared with the steel sword, but then thought better of it. Well, now. This was interesting. I stared the boy down, only looking away when the general interrupted the boy, distracting him slightly. He, that general, was talking to the boy. It took me a moment to translate the words. Oh, yes. That's exactly what I was doing. Protecting the Emperor--and my future rider. I didn't allow mortals to ride upon my back often. It was a great honour for a dragon to grant someone this wish.

The general told the boy to step back and I tilted my head to one side. It was at that moment I chose to speak, taking it slow. Human wasn't my native tongue; "He speaks the truth. I do not intend to hurt your father." The boy paused, backing up a step. He glanced towards the general, then the Emperor. Then he retreated, returned the steel to its sheath and gave me a little nod-and-bow thing.

The boy then apologized to me. I took note of it but chose to turn my gaze back onto the Emperor. There was a strange...something lurking in his eyes--and right as I as I felt the bond with him settle, several sharp bursts of pain brought me rearing back with a roar. I turned on the thing attacking me to see the green dragon eyeing me with what appeared to be anger. The sound of ice cracking brought me round to face it just as it launched itself at me.

"You should not have done that," I said, not realizing that I'd said it out loud as well as silently. With a growl, I tackled it to the ground and held it there. "Stupid beast," I grumbled, still in that double-voice--out loud and silently. The green dragon thrashed about, barbed tail whipping towards my head. I wrapped my tail around his and jerked it back, the barbs just missing my horns.

A vocie drifted through my mind, distracting me from my current predicament--Zaairen; Celosia, what are you doing?

If I could have smirked, I would have. Oh, like you haven't befriended a human. What's her name again... I told him, deliberately trailing off suggestively. He'd know what I meant by that. Sudden movement had me thrown backwards into the wall, crushing my wing and scratching down my side. A set of talons sliced through scale and deep into flesh. I let out a pained roar. From the corner of my eye, I could see the Emperor. He had a hand clutched to his head, a wince twisting his features. Looks like he realized what I'd done.

A roar brought my head around. The green dragon rushed towards me, teeth bared and talons still stained with my blood. I knew I wouldn't move fast enough. He slammed me into the wall, claws digging in again. He brought his head down--towards my throat. Looks like I might not be able to get out of this one--and even worse; I'd take the Emperor with me. This was definitely not an ideal situation. To say I was in trouble would be an understatement.

Isolde | Hurrying to the Northern Courtyard

How absolutely foolish of Father to go and face those dragons by himself! Isolde hurried through the stone-paved roads, trying to be calm. It was just like back in the war. Why did men always seem to think they knew best? And so she ran on, ignoring the protests from people she left behind her in her bid for rescue--a young girl who had been busy drawing pictures skidded rapidly out of the way as Isolde flew by her.

"Hey, watch where you're going, lady!"

Her feet hurt. She had been in her bedroom when the maid she'd posted in the throne room came running to her and told her what Zarin was up to. Isolde of course, had simply taken her tattered cloak and ran off, leaving the maid cleaning up behind her. Her new heels were restraining. She should've put on her usual sandals. The courtyard loomed into view, and she came to a halt as she saw the Emperor clutching his head. What had happened to him? She ran towards him, all dignity forgotten for the moment.

"Father!"
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Lilac | Near the courtyard

Lilac brushed her clothes irritably as she looked after the young lady who had nearly bumped into her. What a mess that would've made of her magnificent sketching! She looked at it again. The white dragon was holding down the green dragon; it was the sort of fierce imagery that Lilac adored. In front of them stood three figures - the Emperor looked rather impressive, in his armour. Beside him stood the prince, but he looked unremarkable, at least to her, when compared to General Altair.

General Altair looked as grand as ever. He stood a blazing statue of confidence amongst the three figures, and she blushed slightly as she realized the drawing was still unfinished. She needed to complete it. But then she noticed an Elf jumping across the rooftops towards the courtyard. What was an Elf doing here?

Finally, unable to calm her curiosity, she took off after the Elf, her drawing and General Altair forgotten for the moment.
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Christan | On the roads

Christan had been having lunch at home when the chaos started. He hadn't expected the work of a General to be this tough. In fact, he sometimes wished he was a Captain, except that the paycheck was much, much higher now--by several zeros added to the end of the figure. Not to mention the soldiers saluted him every time he strode through a corridor. And the cape and sword, of course, were the deal-makers.

Where was he again? Oh yes. Lunch. So when the soldier suddenly ran into his dining room screaming "dragon invasion!" it was all Christan could do to not order him court-martialled on the spot. It wasn't the poor bloke's fault, after all. Just the dragon's fault. And he fully intended on making them aware of what happened when you interrupted a General's lunch. So it was with a entire platoon of soldiers at his back that he strode on, fully intent of making each and every dragon dead by the time he was done with them.

He wondered how dragon-meat tasted.

Violet | The North Courtyard

My brain had given up on trying to process what was happening by this point. The three men seemed preoccupied with the white, so I figured I'd have to deal with the green. It paid to have a light step when you liked to eavesdrop; nobody had noticed me yet.

I notched an arrow, still moving slowly around the two dragons. The white had tackled the green...did that mean it was on our side?

I drew the bowstring up to my face, until the red fletching was brushing my skin. I was directly opposite the Emperor now. The green was pinned down-- a sitting duck. This was going to be almost too easy.

Wait, where was a dragon's heart? I knew virtually nothing about the anatomy. Well, failing the heart, there was the brain, but was that in the normal place? Better go for the eyes, then. They were fairly standard. And it would pierce the brain if it was in the normal place.

I had second thoughts the second my arrow was released. They were so beautiful, those dragons...to bring death to one, that seemed unforgiveable...

It was too late for regrets. The arrow had struck true.

Arwen ¬

An arrow flew out of nowhere and hit a dragon. But not any dragon. The dragon.

I pulled out my knife and flung it at it.

"You killed my friend!" I screamed, leaping closer to it.

I jumped onto it's back, scaling the spikes. It shook, trying to dislodge me. I clung on. The other dragon continued to fight it, claws clashed and teeth met scales. "You killed my friend in cold blood," I said again.

"What?" The Dragon shook it's head, I toppled over and managed to grab the arrow. "Stupid Elves. Stupid bright light. Sunlight hurts..."

"Hey!" I screamed, still clutching at he arrow. I kicked the dragon in the head. "You killed her!" It shook again, and I slipped. the last thing I noticed was the ground rushing closer.

General Altair | Northern Courtyard - Palace:

Altair was in a state of shock. The green dragon and the white one were fighting. And had he heard her right? But wait--she was hurt. A groan from beside him had Altair turning to his king. The Emperor was holding his head, eyes closed. Altair rushed forwards, taking his arm. "You majesty?" he asked, concerned. "Are you alright?" The Emperor didn't appear to hear him.

"What are you doing here General Jinan?"

Altair knew that voice. Of course, he'd only turn up now, after all the bloody action. Altair turned slowly, one hand still on the Emperor's arm. General Christan Callas. The one who'd replaced the other general when he'd died a year ago. Altair scowled. "Protecting the Emperor. As you should've been!" he called back. He was furious. Who the hell did Callas think he was?

"Well, I'm sorry I have a STOMACH and a FAMILY to look after!" Callas returned, scowling darkly. The two Generals stared each other down for a moment. It was on the verge of a fist-fight and they both knew it.

Altair took a step towards Callas, hand slipping off the Emperor's arm. "Typical!" he yelled, voice raising with every word. "Only you, YOU would think of THAT FIRST AND NOT YOUR EMPEROR!" He took a deep breath. "You're not worthy of the position of General," he said darkly, breath rushing in and out of his lungs fast. He would not (and I repeat Would Not) refer to that as panting. Callas was so not worthy of his new title. Even though it had been a year since his promotion, Altair still didn't like it.

Neither General noticed the fighting dragons and the Elf making a quick decent towards the ground.

Sanura | Her Rooms - Inside the Palace:

I groaned, rolling over. What was all that noise for? I short upright when I heard the dragons roaring. What the...? I frowned. The last thing I remembered was seeing a huge white dragon.... What had happened since then? The roars came again, and with them the sensation of pain. Shit. Someone nearby was in pain. Or was it something? I didn't know how far these healing abilities of mine would, but I would be finding out. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and pushed myself onto my feet, running to the door.

Out in the hall, I had to stop and stare at a door for a moment. The bottom half of it was shredded. Gone. Like someone had taken an ax to it... How odd. I was frowning again. I knew I was. What in Lyall would do that...that kind of damage to a door? A dragon roaring was my answer. Dragons.

I took off again at a fast pace, not the trusting the heels I wore. Stupid shoes. Why had I put them on in the first place? Oh, right. So the Princess wouldn't be the only one. I shook my head. Really, what had gotten into me? I had become obsessed with lingering on the fringes of Royalty.... Why would I even do that? I could smack myself.

Another throb of pain brought me to a standstill. It wasn't coming from the courtyard, where most of the pain was coming from.... This throb of pain was coming from a storeroom just down the hall and on my left. Frown deepening, I let that pain guide me down the hall and into the storeroom...where I was meet with the sight of a small purple thing and one of the Guards. I stared at them. Neither seemed to notice me yet.

Bristan | Northern Courtyard - Palace

As the two Generals fought behind me, I stepped forward again to crouch by my father, looking at him anxiously as he clutched his head, batting my concerned questions away with one hand. "It's nothing," he said dismissively, inhaling deeply and glancing up for a moment. "Stop worrying and keep watch on those creatures. The Generals appear to be ..." -he hesitated as if searching for the right word- "...otherwise occupied."

My gaze flickered to the bickering men once more, and I nodded sharply, straightening up to look over at the dragons. The green one had apparently recovered, launching itself at the white, and a roar of pain from the latter seemed to send my father into further spasms of pain as he bent double, still holding his head between both hands. Forcing myself to look away from him and back at the scene before me, I noticed a slight figure crawling up the side of the green dragon, a knife in one hand and a fiercely determined expression visible on her face.

A second howl ripped through the air as the girl sliced into the green scales of the dragon she was climbing, gripping onto it's spikes as it writhed beneath her in attempts to throw her off. Moments later, it succeeded, the girl falling from its back suddenly, her form lifeless and limp, and my heart caught in my mouth. Was she- ?

The white dragon sent out a wing, reflexes swift, catching the girl - an elf, I noticed as she was laid to the floor with a curious gentleness, before the dragons resumed their furious battle. I watched for a moment, hesitation halting my actions, then ran forward towards her body. As unlikely as it seemed, it was possible she was still alive.