The Moon-Eating Dragon

14. A Knowing Of Things

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It swung its massive arm and as Nadia stood there ,faced with death, her life flashed before her eyes.

That was what happened when someone faced eminent death, or at least that was what she thought happened. But what flashed before her eyes was not her life. Not the life that she lived anyways;

She was on a tree, waiting for them. She knew they were coming. Any moment now and the signal would go up. She looked to the other trees. Everyone was in position. A classic ambush.

But the signal never came. No fireball shot through the sky to announce their quarry's arrival. It was when she heard the cries of her fellow mages that she realized the horrible truth. They had been expected and their trap outmaneuvered.

She climbed down from the tree. The walking forest flashed with firelight as the mages fought desperately to keep their enemy at bay. But it was all in futility. She turned to join the fight but a mound of sand erupted from the ground and plunged itself at her.

A darkness...

And the she was waiting. The sun had set. She stood at the very edge of the barley fields. She was in full armor. Her sword out and ready. A light breeze carried the smell of ash and smoke wafting in from the forest. Any moment now...

"Attack!" Yelled the commander. They all rushed at the forest. The enemy had to be kept away from the city. They had to keep the enemy away from the city. So she fought. With all her strength and all her will she fought. Her comrades fell besides her and still she fought. She stabbed and parried, rolled and sliced just as she had been trained. but her muscles tired, her motion faltered and she was drowned in sand.

A darkness...

Now she was on a roof. The last of the women and children had been evacuated. Stars shone brighter than ever before. It was hard to believe that all that was, was real. None of what was happening made sense. But she was just greatful that she'd lived long enough to see it.

"Knock your arrows!" She heard the cry and focused on the task at hand.

She lifted her bow, swiftly drew an arrow from her quiver and armed it.

"Aim!"

She aimed at the barley fields which stretched into the distance. Without the sun for light she couldn't make out where the fields stopped and the forest started. But she could see the slithering figures that were the shifters pouring in from darkness. She estimated the distance, lifted the bow and aimed at the stars and waited.

"Loose!"

She fired her arrow and knocked another onto the bow. She was about to take aim when a tree came hurtling towards her. before she could question how it came to be that a tree was flying straight for her face.

A darkness...

Children crying. Mothers singing. A bard plucking at his lute with trembling hands

Darkness...

She shifted into the princess. It seemed the appropriate thing to do. Together with her companions they stalked towards the throne. The king was in full armor. He rose and came at her without a word or warning. He didn't even flinch when he saw his own daughter standing there. He swung the sword with the strength of ten men. She stepped back to avoid the arcing blade, allowed him to follow through, then stepped in and drove her small knife under Nachum's breast plate and through his heart.