Flames And Starlight

Chapter 2

I woke in agony. I made myself sit up, despite the pain, and hissed. My head was spinning still. Had I hit my head? Maybe it was just the blood loss. From the pool of crimson underneath me I observed that I must have lost enough to warrant a headache.

I glanced at my surroundings. I was in a cave that was for sure, the gaping mouth of its entrance gave me a view of the star filled sky.

Cold air blew against my body and I shivered.

There was a fire in the middle of the cave floor, it's flickering flames danced along the cave wall. A flash of light caught my attention out of the corner of my eye and I turned to find Goldryn leaned against a boulder.

Pain surged from my abdomen at the sudden movement. I looked down to find that my shirt was gone and I was left in just my fighting leathers wrapped around my chest. I risked a glance at my wound and nearly threw up the breakfast I had that morning.

I pride myself on having a strong stomach. I could eat any foreign food without it getting upset and I could deliver any killing blow without a second thought. But there was something about seeing that wound on myself that made me uneasy. The talons has tore through my skin and muscle like they were nothing. I needed to stitch those three slashes closed before I got an infection. My healing was slowed with what I'm sure was the fever I had. Sweat dripped from my brow and I wiped my forehead. Gods it's hot in here.

I felt around my boots and was relieved when the two daggers Fenrys had given me were still there.

"Help me get out of here, Fenrys." I whispered to myself.

Across from me, my eyes landed on the black scales of my captor. At first I would have thought it was a massive rock but after I focused a little longer, I realized it was the same muscled creature that had brought me here. I slowly stood up, a hand over my mouth to keep from crying out loud. I silently grabbed Goldryn.

I hissed at the pain in my shoulder when I grabbed my sword. Guess I'll have to pretend to be right handed today. I stalked over to my prey sleeping soundlessly on the ground.

My footsteps made no sound as I crept closer. Once I was close enough to deliver a killing blow, I gasped. With Goldryn frozen over my head, I took a step back and shook my head.

Was I seeing things?

No. I wasn't. I couldn't be.

The creature lay, unmoving, on the ground.
It's head had rolled a couple inches to the left.
The creature was dead. I hadn't done it— at least I don't remember doing it. Goldryn was clean, there was no way it had been used to decapitate this creature. Which could only mean one thing.

A creature far worse had been here. And it would soon return to its meal.

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Hastily, on wobbling legs, I made my way around the cave looking for anything I could find to use as a weapon against something big enough to kill a creature that had almost succeeded in killing me.

I strapped Goldryn to my side. My bow was left down at my camp but I kept my quiver of arrows around my back. A true warrior doesn't need a bow to make arrows a weapon. I twirled my two daggers around my fingers. At least something in this situation felt familiar.

My pointed ears pricked up at the sound of footfalls a hundred yards away. Something was making its way up to this cave and from what I could tell of the echoes sound, it was big.

I had tried to open a portal but was too weak. I tried to summon flames but I was too weak for that as well. The only thing I had been successful in doing was sending a kiss of wind to put out the fire.

Wind had always come naturally to me, I didn't even have to try. All I had to do was merely think about what I wished to do with it and demand it to listen to my commands.

"Just like her father," My father had said with a smile after my demonstration. I was only seven at the time. "Although she still needs some practice."

When I had stuck my tongue out at him it was my Uncle Dorian that laughed and mumbled, "Just like her mother."

In the darkened cave, I held my breath as with every heartbeat I heard the creature get closer and closer.

Hiding behind a large rock, I awaited the creature, my eyes trained on the cave mouth. My legs ready to pounce. My daggers ready to fly.

The moment the creature came into view, I nearly stumbled. Nearly.

The starlight light up the strangest pair of eyes I had ever seen, making the violet hue seem to glow.

He was the most beautiful male creature I had ever seen.