Dragon's Claim

Chapter 10-3

SEEING THE LOOK ON Drake’s face, seeing him look over the dragons filling the center of his Territory, she understood his fear. He didn’t fear for his own life. That wasn’t something that meant a lot to him in the long run. He feared more for the people he’d made promises to. He feared for the people he refused to throw in the way of harm.

She knew that Drake would not ask the twins or Isaac to help defend their home against this man. He wouldn’t risk them like that. So, when Drake thought she’d retreated into the house to sit with Miri, she slipped out of the cabin. Miri would be fine, she told herself. There were dragons within earshot and Layla had something she needed to take care of.

Layla didn’t like what she was about to do. It made her stomach churn with shame, but it was the only thing she could think of that would attract the One-Eyed Dragon’s attention. He was a force that had to be dealt with if she was ever going to get on with her life here in the States. She could not risk her new family or the Embassy she was in charge of. The problems this dragon supposedly dealt with would be hers and she was okay with that.

At the edge of a rolling hill, Layla let her monster flow over her and the small, black dragon leapt forward into the air. Her wings snapped out and she began to glide over the American countryside. It was a refreshing sight to see, full of new architecture. At least, it was new to her. The States weren’t as old as her home, so the neat, red barns that leaned with the wind weren’t as ancient as they seemed to the Americans.

She set her sight on one that was tilting toward the ground. It looked as though it should have been replaced decades ago, even if there were still cows roaming in and out of it. A roar gurgled out of her throat and she prayed it wouldn’t reach Drake back on the Territory. That was the last thing she needed.

Her claws sank into the rotting wood structure of the building. She had to use her wings to keep from putting her weight on the barn. If she did, the whole thing would crumble around her. She wanted the livestock to get as far away as they could before she started.

A firebolt surged into the air when she threw her head back. All around her, cows waddled away as fast as their hulking weight would go. She waited, watching them with eagle eyes. Another roar split the air before she turned her fury upon the building. It felt oddly nice to tear into the crumbling wood. All the pent-up anger at being forced to leave her home came tumbling out in a rush. Pieces of wood flew through the air around her.

Of course, she would have to call home when she was done and see if she could get the money to replace the bloody barn, but if everything went as she planned it would be well worth it. She would just have to remind them it served a purpose that possibly saved them money in the long run.

Once the barn was nothing more than a pile of rubble that wouldn’t even catch fire because of the advanced wet-rot, she took to the air again. What would the One-Eyed Dragon think of her color? The new black hue of her scales. He had to know what it meant for their kind. Layla soared over small towns, familiar and foreign alike, causing chaos by her menacing presence. She didn’t once attack the towns.

After what felt like a long while, her skin began to prickle. Layla was flying over an open field when he hit her. He was like a boulder, crashing into her shoulders. Together they plummeted toward the ground. She reared back, trying to catch the wind with her wings to slow them down. Then, before he could strike again, she dropped her massive shape.

Her human body hit the ground and rolled away. She used the momentum to roll to her feet. Before her was a scarred, black dragon. He was not charcoal in the way that her scales were. These were black as the night sky. One yellow eye followed her. The other was a black socket that blended into the color of his scales.

“Nice to finally meet you,” Layla said in greeting. It was a dumb thing to do. This whole plan was rather dumb, she acknowledged. “I think you and I need to have a conversation.”

She moved, circling him on human feet, never stopping, never giving him a chance to attack. She kept to his blind side and she could see it was irritating him. He huffed as he twisted to keep track of her, but she was always just out of sight.

“You might think you’re the only one to uphold justice around the Territory, but your brand of justice is about to come to an end.”

He huffed, his lips curling over his teeth in a snarl. He did not like her proclamation. He would have to deal with it. If he continued to soar over the States, taking justice into his own hands with his brutal methods, dragons would continue to be mistrusted. They needed to work together to create a reputation of solidarity.

If it came down to it, she was not against employing his services, but that would only be a last-ditch effort.

Like the note the One-Eyed Dragon had left in Miri’s home had asked, she was taking care of things.

Layla’s mouth went dry. She didn’t know why. All she knew was that something was wrong. She looked up to find the One-Eyed Dragon was fuming from his nostrils. The smoke leaking from him was not the pale gray smoke of flames. It curled into the air around her with violet tendrils.

She’d only ever seen one other dragon with that element.

Her heart wanted to hammer, wanted to pound in apprehension, but she found that her body was slowing. Her limbs felt heavy and her tongue felt thick. The One-Eyed Dragon watched her, something akin to a grin unfurling across his lizard-like face before his tail whirled toward her.

It collided with Layla before she could move. The world around her went dark.

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