Dance in the Fire

Prologue

Flames scorched the air as the girl in red danced and the people watched in awe. She told her story as she wished it were, full of love, happiness and adventure. Gazes of amazement followed her as she leapt from one side of the old pavilion to the next. Her family cheered her on. She wanted to impress them. Her mind raced as she thought of a way that she could make them proud of her. That's all she ever wanted to do and yet approval was few and far between. A dragon...? Is it possible? She had seen dragon pictures and heard the elders talk about how amazing they are. Do I even have the energy for that? She smiled. From how they spoke of them, they would die for a chance to see a dragon. I guess we'll see!

Leaping into the air as high as she could, the girl in red let the flames follow her fingertips, her toes barely skimming the ground below her before leaping up again. She could feel it draining her powers as she seemed to fly across the clearing and observed her audience. The girl saw her mother with her brown eyes and auburn hair, her pale skin and plain green dress. I wish my father were here to see me now... would he be proud? Her mothers' traditional dragon tattoo peeked out by her shoulder, a tattoo the girl would receive after a year of performance, showing her success and knowledge of their fire blood, their ancestors, and their purpose. Her sister was too young to partake in the wild activities of the festival just yet.

She saw the wolf-like grin of a Krodin, his light brown fur, long snout, and bright green eyes. The predatory stare of the Scaviet caravans' eyes, watching her every move, their long tails flicking in delight. The scaly hides of the Fevara, their fangs peeking out of their reptilian jaws. The large manes of the Luani, the admirable stares of the humans, and the music of the Nightingales that propelled her movements as she let it consume her. Home.

As she danced and conjured the flames, she felt something different watching her. She could feel the stares of her people on her, but also a new, stronger presence. While she danced, she searched the crowd for who was piercing their eyes into her, more than everyone else. The girl's eyes rested on a man in the crowd, and she could almost see the power radiating from him, and aura of significance. She forced her eyes away, but as soon as she did she completely forgot what the man looked like. Focus... Every now and then, she would once again search the crowd for the man, and only while looking at him would she remember what he looked like. Any moment she got to glance over at the mysterious man in the crowd, he was watching her closely as though she was his prey, but with a calamity she had only seen the elders carry.

The girl had just finished creating her masterpiece, giving the beast visible sharp fangs, when her feet landed lightly on the ground. Its scales rippled with the flames, licking at the air around them. Even though she was tired, she cooed to the flames, making the dragon curl its tail around her. Flames raced down its back, giving the impression that it had spikes or fur blowing in the wind. Then she looked towards the crowd and saw the man begin to walk towards her. It was as if he wasn't even there to other people. No one else seemed to notice his presence, they simply moved out of his way giving him space where he could walk, like that of water moving around a stone. The people in the crowd jumped and cheered, howled and yowled, as the girl bowed without taking her eyes off of the man. With the flaming dragon to her back, everything seemed to slow as she watched him get closer. He had just reached the front of the crowd of cheering people when she saw him stop and smile at her.

Everything seemed to snap back into reality at that moment, and the girl watched as the cheering crowds' faces turned into a look of horror. A terrible, loud scream sounded behind the girl that made her cover her ears and fall to her knees. Some people did the same while others turned and ran. She could hear a loud ringing and a faint screaming, she then turned towards the noise. Her dragon had seemed to be alive, roaring furiously, soaring through the skies and setting fire to buildings, just as the dragons in the stories that the elders told did.