The Hidden Crystal

Chapter 5

"Dragons!"

Kayla's excited voice dragged Iris out of her thoughts and back to reality. The little girl was on her feet, pointing at the sky, and Iris sighed, ready to tell Kayla once again that they were just large birds, as she did every time Kayla thought she saw a dragon—until she spotted them.

Five creatures flying in a V-formation high in the sky, just below the darkening clouds. Long necks, equal in length to long tails, stretching out on either side of massive wings.

Not birds. Not even large birds.

"I've gotta tell the others!" Kayla squealed.

"What? No! Kayla!" Iris leaped to her feet, but Kayla had already taken off, disappearing down the path that led back to town.

East. The same direction the dragons were flying.

Iris took off after her, feet pounding on packed dirt, heart pounding in her ears. The stranger's words from last night echoed between every frantic beat.

You're going to the river tomorrow, right? What time? Go even if it rains.

He knew.

How had he known?

"Kayla!" she screamed again. Why hadn't she caught up to her yet? With Iris' longer legs, she should have caught Kayla by now.

Unless the five-year-old took the shortcut through the undergrowth.

Iris knew the shortcut from when she was Kayla's size, but it wasn't much of a shortcut for her anymore. Only a small child could squeeze through the gaps in the foliage without slowing down. She had to stick to the path, running as fast as she could and hoping she could cut Kayla off somehow before she—

Iris broke through the tree line and skidded to a stop. She was too late.

Kayla was halfway across the grassy expanse between the forest and the church. To the south, soldiers stood in formation, arrows nocked and pointed at the sky. The mage and several other men mounted on horses stood still and silent at the front and center of the archers. To the north, the dragons were descending.

It was starting. The rumored war was starting. And Kayla was right there, right in the middle of it all.

But Iris couldn't move.

Every instinct screamed at her to turn and run in the other direction, but Kayla—she was oblivious. Her blonde hair streamed behind her as her little legs carried her toward the old stone walls of the church, and Iris knew the girl didn't realize she was in danger. She couldn't comprehend anybody trying to hurt her.

Was she fast enough? Would she make it?

Iris wouldn't. Not if she ran out there now. But if Kayla tripped—Iris might make it in time to throw herself over the little girl.

But she couldn't move.

An earth-shaking roar tore through the sky, followed by a burst of flame erupting from the mouth of the lead dragon. It twisted down toward the soldiers, far enough behind Kayla to miss her, close enough for Iris' heart to stop for a moment. She was helpless, unable to do anything except watch in horror as Kayla stopped and spun around, staring in surprise at the flaming tunnel spinning down to the soldiers.

And then Iris felt it. A sizzling and cracking filling the air, stinging her skin and creating in her a full-blown panic.

His magic. The mage's magic.

It hurt, and he wasn't even directing it at her.

And Kayla was still standing there. Unmoving.

A translucent spherical blue barrier appeared a few feet in front of the mage, the same blue as his frozen eyes, eyes which ignored the little girl and the flames to stare directly at the lead dragon.