Mystic

Chapter 16

Taryn knew she was in over her head. Her clothes were soaked, her steps heavy as she attempted to sprint through the water running past her legs.

All she could think about was how awful this night had gone. She shouldn't have argued with Andre, she should've stayed with them instead of running away, she shouldn't have entered the pass, they shouldn't have even come here. This whole thing was ridiculous. They were following the words of a dead girl from over two years ago. Whatever secrets the Heir had promised had probably already been discovered.

The dragon lifted it's claw and swiped at Taryn's head. She jumped and dived into the water, narrowly missing the dragon's claw.

Her head popped up above the water and she stared up at the beast. It was massive compared to her, its claws alone only slightly smaller than she was.

She slowly moved through the water, trying not to draw attention to herself. If she could try to swim away, or at least get a better angle on the beast, she might just make it out alive.

She waded through the water, trying to move as fast as she could. She was nearly out of the dragon's way when it spun around, reaching out and grabbing her by the collar. It lifted her into the air and she screamed, desperately trying to get out of the beast's hold. It growled and threw her to the side, her back hitting the wall of the canyon before she hit the water, beginning to sink.

Her lower back throbbed but she frantically swam back up to the surface, desperate to keep herself from drowning. The dragon roared again, the rain almost instantly responding to the sound. It poured even harder than before, the water level drastically rising.

She tried desperately to think of a way out, but even their previous encounter with the monster proved useless. They had gotten out alive by getting out of the library. There was no escape here, just rising water and a monster that wanted to rip her head off. If only there had been a way to bargain with the beast, but Taryn wasn't sure it could understand a word she said.

It wouldn't hurt to try. "Please, I'm not here to hurt you, just let me pass through!" She yelled.

The dragon turned its face towards her. It had heard her, that was for sure, but it was growling. It lowered its head, teeth bared as it opened its mouth. Taryn screamed and dived out of the way, the dragon biting down on nothing more than air.

How she was supposed to fight something like a dragon, Taryn wasn't sure. She gazed up at the monster, it's wings beginning to flap. The wind sped up, encircling the dragon. The rain and water formed a circle around the beast, almost creating a mini hurricane.

Water shot out from the hurricane, heading straight for Taryn. She ran but the water hit her side, sending her flying onto the ground. She laid there for only a moment before the dragon roared again, water shooting out from all angels. Taryn leapt to her feet and began running. Her back was still bothering her and her arms still ached. She didn't know how much longer she could keep this up. She either had to find a way out of this mess or let the dragon bite her in half, and she wasn't very keen on the second option.

"Please!" Bargaining hadn't worked the first time. It was ridiculous to think it would work a second time. "Let me go, stop this!"

To no surprise, the dragon didn't listen. It roared even louder, a feat Taryn didn't even know was possible. It dug its claws into the ground, creating cracks up rock on the sides of the canyon. The ground beneath her began to shake. Taryn tried to steady herself but fell to her knees.

She brushed her hair out of her face and looked up, locking eye contact with the dragon. It snarled at her and she narrowed her eyes. She pressed the palms of her hands against the ground. Neve needed saving, Andre and Zeph were still out there, she had ended their time together on an argument, she couldn't let that stand.