To Melt A Frozen Heart | ONC 2024

Chapter 11 | Fighting In The Dead Of Night

"Thank you."

And with that. I stepped out into the cold.

***

The snow was still falling heavily – huge flakes began to settle in my hair. Almost subconsciously, I reached up, holding the silvered strand between my fingers as I beheld the scene before me.

Chaos.

The was the best word I could use to describe what I saw. People running. People screaming.

And then I saw it – white scales glinting in the moonlight - the object of all the panic. The dragon.

So, we really had brought it with us then? Or had it followed us? I got the sense from Nesta that this was not a regular occurrence.

The door slammed home behind me, and I started forward, nearly knocked down by a running man.

I jumped out of his way just in time and watched as he disappeared behind a small hut. Huge thundering footsteps and a loud screech shook me out of my daze, and I watched in horror as the beast began to make its way between the houses.

Its giant tail swung backward and forward, knocking into a house, scraping off the front portion and leaving the interior exposed to the elements. More screams. More people made homeless. The beast prowled closer and closer.

Where was Cassian when you needed him? He had a sword! Why wasn't he helping?

And then the unthinkable happened. One moment, the woman was running, running in my direction. And then she wasn't. In one fluid motion, the dragon lowered its huge head and...

I looked away. When I turned back, she was gone. I had to do something.

Ducking quickly behind another hut, I hoped desperately that it hadn't seen me.

"Oof!"

My foot snagged on something, and I landed heavily in the snow. I was going to catch my death here! Glancing down, my gaze landed on something silver. It was shiny, moonlight bouncing off of it.

Cassian's sword.

My blood ran cold. If his sword was here... where was he?

Could the beast have...?

No, no, Aure. Don't think like that. Cassian will be fine. Maybe he has a plan.

More screams pierced the night.

And then I had a plan too.

Picking up Cassian's fallen sword, I crept around the hut. I was behind the beast now – out of sight. People still ran – each time the beast discovered their hiding place, they would run for another. And then it would find them again. Almost like it was a game... it was toying with them... as it had toyed with me.

Cassian's sword seemed even heavier than Wrynn's had. I gritted my teeth.

Inching my way through the snow, I came closer and closer the dragon. Too preoccupied with the terrified villagers, it didn't seem to have noticed my silent advance.

The wind bit at my fingers and the snow wasn't aiding my grip. Still, I pressed on.

Close. I was close now. Close enough that I could have reached out and touched those glittering scales. I raised the sword. Ready to strike true. I was so close.

And then I wasn't.

Suddenly, I was flying back, breath knocked out of me as I sailed through the air. I landed heavily on my arm. Pain jolted through me, and I winced, rolling over in the cold, cold snow.