The Little Dragon

5

The morning is bright and the sound of the breeze through the grass, with the sounds of the bees and in the town below is a fiddle playing with a few bards singing.

"Aethras! Get off your ass!" Von throws a bag at me. "Come on." The group of survivors head into the woods.

I hop up and follow them into the forest while humming the tune of the song. "I forgot how nice sunshine is."

He gives me a concerned glance. "You haven't felt sunshine for the whole time you were gone?"

"No, naithars kingdom is constantly spewing ash." I continue humming and scrunch the leaf litter in my toes.

A red haired elf sighs. "I'm worried about his next move."

"Kill Von, obviously. That's why im here. He finally asked for help." I dance around a smattering of rocks.

They are all alarmed. "From who?"

"Demigods. Enjoy the peace while you can." I turn to Von. "Oh, and they'll be after me too. But that's less important for now."

He grabs me by the soulders. "Stop. You know why he wants me now?"

"I told you before." I frown at him.

He shakes his head. "But that didn't make sense. He is going insane because I bonded with his unconscious crystal child?"

"He was already insane. He's now deperate. I don't think he was telling the truth. You could kill him with that power, because its his power."

"Then why don't we get more of it?" the other elves come closer.

"Um, I suppose. But we're vulnerable while there." Von is still holding me firmly.

He growls in his aggravation. "We're vulnerable everywhere, anywhere!"

"Ok." I grab his hands and push them off my shoulders. "Let's go then." I reach out to the Ether. The trees around us take a blue hue and the light goes cold. "This way. Don't lose sight of each other."

It doesn't take us long to get to Naithar's territory. The elves get to see his destruction in this realm for the first time. Von and I are not phased and trek for the crystal tower.

One of the birds of flame spot us and swoop down. "LOOK OUT!" as it gets closer, I realise it's a woman.

She lands with a massive thud and a grin. "Which one of you is Von?"

"You touch them I skin you." I snap at her.

She glowers down at me and laughs. "Oh, I'll kill you first then."

"Get to the crystal." I command as I grow to my full height, twice the size of an elf. Her smile falters.

"You're Aethras." She glances at the elves. "Then Von..."

I raise my hands to the sky and the clouds swirl as they grow dark and cluster close. "God of the sky."

Her eyes dart back to me. "I'd watch out."

She grins. "Oh." Her wings come up and the sky roars with lightning. "Show us your fangs then."

I bring my hands down, and lightning breaks and roars as it dives down. A great thud then her sreaming and tearing of the air as it shreds all it passes through.

My ears ring the moment it stops, and I dive forwards as she falls to her knees and grip her by the throat. My claws dig into her skin as he arm grips mine and tears me off her. She tosses me away and I smack into the ashen soil.