Dragon Unleashed (Book 1 of the Dragon Mage Saga)

In a Foreign Land

            “Firemonger accident,” Wren bristled. “But don’t give me any of your little pity because I don’t want it.”

            Hugo, who had been silent, lost in his own mind, stared deeply at Wren. “So do you often invite strangers to live with you?”

            Wren snickered. “Always trying to find out ulterior motives, aren’t you? Well, don’t worry-I’ve been told I don’t have a filter.”

            Alfred flashed a toothy grin. “That sounds about right. Well, I’ll go get out some mats for you to rest on. Y’all look exhausted-do you want me to fetch some water from the hole?”

            “We’re fine, thanks,” Ruby replied. “It means a lot that you guys are kind enough to let us stay with you.”

            “No problem,” Alfred said, staring at Ruby with wide eyes as she stretched out on the dirt floor.

            Charles sighed. Alfred was clearly infatuated with his twin sister, as most guys were. No matter how disgusted it made him, everyone seemed to find Ruby’s raven ringlets and brilliant bluish-green eyes to be completely irresistible.

            “Hey,” Darla chirped, plopping down on the hard, rocky ground next to him. “So, let’s hope we can see the Centaur Chief tomorrow.”

            “Yeah,” Charles nodded. “We need answers right now. I didn’t think the situation was that bad, but when I saw Pharix City lying in ruins…”

            The picture of the beautiful city, formerly sparkling in rainbow glass, crushed to the ground in sizzling black rubble made his stomach turn.

            “I’m really scared,” Darla whispered, a light blush creeping onto her milky white skin, so delicate and supple even in the darkness of the hut.

            “Don’t be. You’re an amazing fighter, Darla. When the White Maidens came, you were the one who stopped them with your necklace,” Charles reminded her. “And you’re the one with the best time in the Immersion. Darla, you’re incredible, don’t you see?”

            Darla rolled her emerald green eyes. “And the Shadow Master isn’t? You saw what it’s capable of. This won’t be easy. I don’t even know if it’ll be possible. Hugo…he thinks the Shadow Master is planning on destroying earth.”

            Charles stared. “What? Why would it want to do that? It’s not even from Earth!”

            Darla shrugged. “We don’t know.”

            After that, the two stood in silence, staring at each other without moving. Sometimes, it was best not to talk. They didn’t need words to describe what they were feeling, what emotions were running through them-fear, anxiety, panic, and, most of all, a cold, numb shock. No one could believe what had happened.

            After Alfred brought back the cots, everyone headed straight to sleep. It had been a long night and they needed to be refreshed in the morning. However, Charles couldn’t sleep. He kept replaying the last few weeks in his head. How could his life have been so ordinary, so mundane earlier? Now that Darla had arrived in Pharix, it was as if the word had brightened, as if even the dullest of grays became neon. She was crazy, insane, psychotic…that Charles was sure of. She wasn’t sane, nothing close to it at least.

            But there was one thing he was sure of, more than anything in the whole entire world…

            Lying there asleep, curled into the mat, creamy blonde hair knotted at her neck, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.