The Last of the Dragons-Set 1

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       The streets were disturbingly quiet. The thought of what other villages must have suffered a similar fate ran rampant through my mind. I wanted so strongly to abandon our journey opposite the dreaded beach in order to scout for other survivors, and preferably destroy those who attacked this village, but I knew that our efforts would likely be in vain. I was amazed that a child of all people could survive such a brutal event, I had a difficult time believing anyone else would survive a similar attack. I pondered as we walked, debating back and forth with my self, before up ahead, Doron's head appeared over the building tops. He looked down at us as we continued towards the village edge, with our new guest clinging to us like a parasite. As we approached, the dragons seemed intrigued by Surrie's presence, locking their eyes on her as we walked out from the village and into the open space.

"How is she?" I asked Jules, referring to Bailey.

"She's alright. She opened her eyes for a moment before passing out again." She replied.

I turned to Amy and nodded my head, indicating for her to rest Surrie on the ground in front of her, which she did immediately. The look on Surrie's face was one of shock and amazement as she looked up at the dragons, before slowly turning her head towards me.

"Jessica.... Albo?" She uttered.

I half grinned at the sound of her high pitched voice saying my name in her soft tone.

"That's me." I said as I knelt down to eye level with her.

She looked back up at Doron as his breath sent a cool breeze passing by us, cooling our skin from the burnt remains of the village. His eyes widened as he looked her over, before snarling briefly and pulling his head away to converse with Magar. As I watched the pair reconcile, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Tahli silently motioning for me to follow her. Without consulting any of the others, I went with Tahli as she led me off to the side, out of range for the others to hear our conversation. The look on Tahli's face made it clear that Tahli was displeased with something before she said anything.

"What's wrong?" I asked in confusion.

"We can't take her with us Jess. We already have Bailey who's crippled, and she can't walk. She's easy prey if we get caught. She doesn't stand a chance. Even if we manage to escape for the time being, she's a sitting duck. We can't afford it." She said.

I grew a confused look across my face, unsure of what to say in response. Almost on cue, the cool breeze picked back up and softly blew my hair aside just as I opened my mouth to speak.

"Wh-What are you getting at?" I asked.

Tahli sighed and shook her head slightly.

"Just as I said. Taking her with us would only prolong her suffering. Don't take this the wrong way. I don't wish suffering on any of our people, but I feel as though taking her along would only cause her more pain than she's already gone through. She's seen her family murdered in front of her, and she's nearly been killed herself. Now she can't even walk. An injury like that could take months to fully recover. It would be hell for her." Tahli said.

I pondered for a moment what Tahli had said, unsure of what to do. She had made a decent point. Surrie's injury was something that would leave her crippled for months to come, and would render here defenceless should she find herself in danger and alone. Tahli was giving me a look that seemed to imply something, though at first I was unable to figure out what it was supposed to be. I looked into Tahli's eyes, trying to figure her out, and when I did, my heart sank.

"No. We aren't doing that. Not a chance." I said.

Tahli stepped forward as she reached under her thin coat and down towards her belt. As she stepped to the tips of my feet, I felt a cold, solid object graze my hand. I looked down to see the shinning blade Tahli had just pulled from her belt lightly rubbing against my hand. I looked back up to Tahli as she nodded her head lightly, before releasing the blade to me and stepping back. I looked down at the blade and grasped it tight, before turning to look at Amy and Surrie sitting next to each other on the ground with the dragons hovering over them.

"Right.... Sometimes, you've got to do what you've got to do." I said.