The Dragon’s Throne 1

Chapter 14

Anna hit the ground with a grunt, the wind rushing out of her.  She lay there for a moment, trying to catch her breath and taking stock of the soreness in her body.

“Again,” Eli said, holding his hand out to her and helping her up.  “You’ve almost got it.”

She laughed.

“Almost got it?  You keep knocking me flat.  I’m not any closer than I was the first time.”

She stood there, slapping the dirt and dust off her black pants and skin-tight black shirt, running her hands over her hair to move it out of her face in frustration.

“Sure, you are.  Don’t worry about all that.  It’s day one, and you’re doing an amazing job.  Now, let’s go again.  Don’t think about anything around us, and don’t let the fact that I’m shifting intimidate you.”

“Right,” she said sarcastically.  “Don’t be afraid of the WereDragon that’s trying to kill you.”

“I’m not going to kill you,” he laughed.  “But if you can beat me in hand to hand combat, then you’ll be able to beat anyone, and that’s what is important.”

“I thought the dragons were on our side.”

“They are.  But just like some humans are bad, and some humans will give their lives for what’s good and just in the world, not all dragons are good.  Anyone can be turned by greed, jealousy and pain, so you have to be prepared for anything.”

“Alright,” she said, picking up the staff where it had fallen.  “Let’s do it again.  Hurry up and shift, your nakedness is distracting.”

“There’s no use in getting dressed when shifting just rips my clothes.  Besides, you should be used to it by now,” he teased.

I don’t think that is something you just get used to, she thought, but made no comment.  She held her staff in her hands, readying herself for another battle. 

“Ready?” he asked, looking up at the sky to see where the sun was.  “We’ve got about an hour before we lose daylight.”

“I was born ready,” she said.

He arched an eyebrow at her and smiled.

“Funny,” he said, flinging his arms out to the side and opening up his wings as he grew and his body began to morph.

Anna stepped in instantly, holding the staff in both hands like a bat and swinging it so it connected with his abdomen, which was still holding its human form for a few seconds before the shift would be complete.  Eli let out a pained breath, his half dragon, half human face spreading in a feral grin that would have frightened her before. 

“Good shot,” he said, his voice gravelly and strange as his vocal chords stretched with his body.

His hands were on the end of the staff, holding it in place against him.  Anna didn’t try to pull it out of his grip this time; she had learned that lesson repeatedly today.  Instead, she swung her legs up, using the staff that he held in his hands as a springboard and kicking him in the face with both booted feet.

 He cried out, letting go of the staff as her body completed the arc.  In the same smooth motion, she brought the now free staff up, hitting him in the shoulder with it, the force of the blow knocking him backward a few steps as she pulled the staff back and gained her footing.

She charged him then, fearlessly going at him, staff held parallel to the ground and across her body as he reeled from taking three blows in quick succession.  She used the staff to hit him on the left then left again as he anticipated her going right.  He stumbled again, holding up his arms and grabbing at the staff, but she was already on the move.

She jumped onto a boulder beside him, then leaped into the air above him, landing on his back, which was now fully formed.  She wrapped her legs around his body as he tried to take off, slapping his head with the staff again, then bringing it down and hitting him hard in the chest between her feet.

He stumbled, then took a few steps before hitting his knees and holding up his clawed hands in defeat.  Anna slipped off of him as his body melted back into a human and he laid there, curled up in a ball and not moving. 

Anna dropped the staff and ran to him, kneeling beside him and putting her hand on his bruised shoulder.

“Are you alright?  I didn’t mean to hurt you, I-”

He reached out and grabbed her, pulling her into his arms and giving her a quick kiss on the lips before letting her go.

“Lesson learned,” he said.  “Never approach a dragon unarmed.  It’s very common for us to play dead so that our attacker drops their guard.  Had I been a real threat, I could have ended your life right then.”

“That’s not fair,” she said.  “I won.”

“It isn’t fair,” he said, sitting up and moving his shoulder as the bruise quickly faded and his body went to work healing him before her eyes.  “But this isn’t a fair fight.  You have to be prepared, and that includes preparation to be tricked and manipulated.”

He stood up, grabbing her hand and pulling her close.  He hugged her tight, grimacing and sucking in a quick breath when she rubbed against his ribs.

“Are you alright?” she asked, her voice smug.

“I am.  I think you broke a rib, but it’s healing.”

“Healing?  Like right now?”

“It is.  Just like the bruises that faded in a few moments, by the time we get back to the house, I’ll be good as new.”

“That is going to make killing dragons difficult,” she said.

“It will.  That’s why you have to be on your guard.  When we’re severely injured, our bodies can’t hold onto our WereDragon state.”

“Why is that?”

“It’s a biological imperative.  Could you imagine if a WereDragon died and stayed a dragon?  In a world where we were charged with keeping mankind safe and keeping our identity a secret, leaving dragon corpses around would have made that impossible.”