Dragon Unleashed (Book 1 of the Dragon Mage Saga)

Nighttime Confessions

Charles was distressed, his emerald green eyes on the verge of tears. No, he couldn’t cry. If he started crying, it would make Ruby tear up. And if his fierce twin sister shed tears, it could only mean one thing.

            Darla was dead.

            “Where is she?” Charles exclaimed, running a hand through his thick dark hair. “She should be back by now. Do you think the devils got to her?”

            Ruby folded her arms around her chest. Charles noticed how bony and fragile she was. How long was it since they ate a proper meal? Her beautiful eyes, such a radiant shade of turquoise, were bloodied, swollen, and sunken.

            “Charles,” she whispered. “We all knew the real cost of battle. There are always casualties, no matter what. Darla…she knew what she was heading into. So did Hugo.”

            Hugo-oh, Charles didn’t even want to think about what was going on inside the tent where Wren and Cecily were. Back in her community, Wren was something of a nurse. She had vast knowledge of medicines and herbs, and had managed to close Hugo’s major wounds and stop the bleeding. They’d called for a healer via transportation Magix, but who knew how long it would be until one arrived? They were in the middle of the mountainside. The nearest town wasn’t for miles and miles.

            “Hugo’s going to make it,” Charles mumbled, trying to convince himself more than Ruby. He couldn’t accept it if Hugo died tonight. Hugo was the brave one, the leader, the glue that held them all together. Charles still remembered when he  first met the moody, rebellious boy on his first day at Dawn Academy. Hugo had helped him with combat skills and Charles had in return assisted him in dragon history and philosophy classes, which were his specialty. He was like a brother, more than a friend could ever be. Without him, they’d all be so lost.

            Ruby stared deeply into Charles’s eyes. She was so strong, so independent and fearless. Why, she was only sixteen and she was already a warrior…Ruby didn’t deserve it. She should have had a childhood.

            “We will all have to die someday,” Ruby sighed, resting her head on Charles’s shoulder. “You cannot change that-it’s nature. And we can’t defy nature’s wishes.”

            Charles bit his lip so hard he tasted salty blood bubbling out. “I refuse to accept that. It’s not time for Hugo to die. Or Darla. They both have…so much more to do, so much more to accomplish. They can’t leave us.”

            Ruby squeezed his hand comfortingly. “You really do care about her, don’t you?”

            Charles raised an eyebrow warily, warming his hand on the tiny fire they managed to light up earlier. Winds from around the forest rustled around them.

            “Darla? Of course I care about Darla. She’s…the Dragon Mage. The Chosen One, and everything,” Charles replied, kicking his feet against the muddy ground of their campsite.