The Confrontation by Evan D. Heuker (Warriors Legacy #2)

Editor: Lana King

Warriors Legacy: The Confrontation Copyright © 2021 Evan D. Heuker All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, please write to the publisher.

This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Published by BHC Press Library of Congress Control Number: 2020937562 ISBN: 978-1-64397-227-5 (Hardcover) ISBN: 978-1-64397-228-2 (Softcover) ISBN: 978-1-64397-229-9 (Ebook) For information, write: BHC Press 885 Penniman #5505 Plymouth, MI 48170 Visit the publisher: www.bhcpress.com

also by the author The Uncovering

one where to begin

I

was scared of what could be beyond that strange light in the realm of the Goddesses even though I told Kendra that I wasn’t. I could remember the look on her face as I left her. The expression was both proud of me but also frightened. Of course, I was worried too, but I chose not to show it. I just hoped that what we were doing would be worth it. It would require our full and foremost effort to make it work.

We said our goodbyes and went to face our tasks. Kendra would travel with the hatchlings and use my Dragons of the Universe book to find and round up as many dragons as they could find to aid us. Slite would travel to Brevorp in our ship to find his good friend at a massive library and retrieve helpful information and supplies. Xackle, K.C., and Dean would wait for information on freeing child hostages from the Daigatons on Niju. Woran, Endokia, and Krystall would train some Trimen from Frizzy’s home planet of Element to assist in our upcoming battle against Vile. I would return to the Goddesses and attempt to restore their powers in order for them to help us, taking along a mysterious blank book that wrote notes to me on my journey.

I transformed into my Warrior form of Dragon and opened a portal to The Center to help the Goddesses with their endeavor. It still

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threw me for a loop on how an eerie light could stop them from using their powers. What is more powerful than a Goddess? And what is beyond it? Why can’t they enter it, but others can?

Entering the habitable space of the Goddesses, I didn’t see them anywhere. I called out for them. “Are you here?” What kind of question is that? Where else would they be?

“Who is it?” one of the Goddesses asked.

“It’s Ezmer,” I replied.

“Doesn’t sound familiar.”

“Dragon, then. I’m Dragon’s choice for a Warrior.”

Spark, the Goddess of Fire appeared in front of me. “You’ve come to help us then?”

“Yes, I have.”

Spark motioned for me to follow her to an eerie yellowish light.

Of all the places I’ve been, The Center creeped me out the most, second only to Daigaton. This empty space was much like a life-threatening fall without an end. I found that I was not walking or even flying toward that yellow light but hovering just like Spark. As I glided on, the other Goddesses appeared around me—Shiver, Wisp, Whaiter, Glitter, and Gleam. Their appearance was still astonishing. With their unsurpassable beauty and unique looks, I don’t even think that Endokia’s Warrior Glaix could mimic them with his transformations.

Spark and I stopped just in front of the light. I glanced around at the Goddesses to see what they were going to do. They all had a look of desperation on their faces. I truly felt for them. It must have been terrible to have all that power and then have it diminished and stripped away.

“Could you leave me for a moment?” I kindly asked them.

Respecting my request, they vanished from sight. I was rather terrified, but it was up to me to do this. I bowed my head and closed my eyes. I took a deep breath and tried to relax. I thought of happier things.

The farm back home before it burned. The others and the good times we’ve had. I did feel a little better, but I was still frightened. Either way, I had to do it. I took a deep breath and stepped through the light. I

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was immediately blinded, and I shuffled my way through the extremely bright illumination.

At the other end of the eerie light it seemed like the total opposite of The Center. It was a light and cheery place where nothing appeared to be wrong. Wherever it was, it was not at all what I expected. It was very beautiful with clear skies, green lands, tall trees, and calming waters. It reminded me a little of home. I took a deep breath of fresh air.

At that moment, something felt bizarre. I heard a flickering noise.

Drawing my sword Cleanser from its sheath, I examined the area. I didn’t see anything. The portal that I came through had faded away. I had no quick escape back to The Center.

A screeching arose from the sky, and I quickly looked around. The sky split with a dark portal—a portal not much different than one I could make with my necklace. A Rhybainion eagle came through it.

I wasn’t going to take any beatings from this one like I had from the one back home. When the eagle came at me, I was prepared and ready to strike. I swiped with Cleanser, but the eagle passed through it and smashed into me as if my sword wasn’t even there. I went tumbling backward and crashed into a massive tree branch, snapping it. A little shaken, I got up. The screeching horror came barreling at me with such strength that the leaves shook off the trees, the thundering of its feet creating little fault lines in the ground.

As it approached faster, I spat a fireball at it. The eagle didn’t even divert from its path. The fireball passed directly through the eagle and did absolutely nothing as the fire disappeared out of sight. I turned and ran for my life, thrusting my powerful dragon wings as hard as possible.

Kendra opened the Dragons of the Universe book.

Towers, a dragon hatchling, examined it over her shoulder.

Which one do you think we should find first? she questioned him through her mind power.

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The more powerful ones, replied Towers. For a battle, you need the stronger to achieve victory.

Kendra searched the book for a moment. It was a tough decision to make depending upon which dragons were still alive and if they would cooperate or feud with each other.

Hmm…how about this one? “The White Frost Dragon lives on Ripchaw in the glacier region of the planet. With no wings, it uses its arctic breath to skim across the planet’s surface,” Kendra read from the book.

Sounds like it’s worth a shot, recommended Towers.

With some images from the book, Kendra was able to open a portal to Ripchaw. Immediately, a burst of cold air ripped past. The remaining fourteen hatchlings, including Towers, went through the portal.

Frigid wind blew, chilling Kendra to the bone. Let’s try to make this quick. Kendra was impatient, shivering all the way to her wing tips.

Towers, any suggestions on where to look first?

Not really. Different dragons prefer different things. Take us, for example. Just because we prefer to live underground doesn’t mean that you will find us there.

Luckily there wasn’t a blizzard. Ripchaw’s sun was barely showing through the clouds that were sprinkling down layer after layer of snow.

Some mountains could hardly be seen off in the distance. This place was definitely the definition of a winter wonderland.

Let’s look in that hilly area over there, Kendra suggested, pointing toward the mountains.

Kendra sat on Towers’ back and they began to survey from the sky.

The higher air had more chill to it. Kendra felt cold in her unsuitable clothing. She had thought about going back to Zelǹg to retrieve more, but she didn’t want to delay their mission. Her wings were her only source of warmth. The body heat from Towers’ inner fire felt good as she laid on him, but his scales were rough, causing pain with every stroke of his wings. Kendra wanted to fly, but she knew that she would not be able to keep up with the other dragons. She didn’t want to slow them down.

Everyone was in a hurry to complete their missions and get back.

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One of the dragons began to call out to all the others.

What is she saying? Kendra asked, entering Towers’ mind.

A village far off in the distance, he explained.

A village would obviously contain settlers and hopefully information that would lead to the destination of the White Frost Dragon.

It was at least five minutes until the village came into Kendra’s sight and another five to get there. Those were ten of the longest minutes of Kendra’s life. The bitter cold was eating away at her, but she was determined to push through.

To no surprise, the villagers were rather frightened by the dragons’ arrival and fled inside their homes. Upon their landing, Kendra immediately jumped off Towers’ back and glided herself to the ground. She was in a tremendous amount of pain, and the cold increased that tenfold. Checking herself, she noticed a large tear in her clothing. She was bleeding on the inside of her legs, stomach, and chest. The blood began to soak through her clothing, freezing on her skin. Kendra became so cold that she fell to her knees and began to shiver.

Towers nudged her with his nose. Stay strong.

I’m trying my best, she said, holding herself tight.

An elderly woman from the village came out. She was rather hunched and walked with a scepter. An animal’s fur was draped over her back, and the creature’s vicious head rested upon hers. Thick clothing that was plain in color but very exquisite in design covered her body, and what could be seen of her was rather shriveled and dried out.

Her fur showed signs of age and wrinkles underneath.

She approached Kendra and the dragons. As she got closer, Towers took a fierce stance and placed both of his heads to the sides of Kendra.

The old woman wasn’t fazed by this threat and moved closer.

Standing directly in front of Kendra, she knelt to examine her, observing her abrasions.

Lifting her scepter, the woman began to mumble a chant. The orb on top of the scepter swirled with bands of white and silver inside. She continued to motion with the orb toward Kendra’s body.

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Kendra’s trembling increased, and her eyes rolled back.

Towers let out a vicious roar, but she ignored him. Towers did not try to stop her, not knowing her motives.

She stopped chanting and pulled her scepter away. Kendra stopped shaking and fell unconscious. The woman stood up and motioned to Towers. “Come,” she told him. “To my shanty. Inside is where she must go.” She did not look back but walked casually toward the village.

At first, Towers was cautious, unaware of what she had said. He made sure to keep a wary eye on the woman. He did not want to cause trouble, so he followed her. Carefully, Towers picked up Kendra with his claws and followed the woman.

At the shanty, Towers slowly placed Kendra outside of the entrance. The woman opened the door and carried Kendra in. Before closing the door, she turned toward Towers. “The window is where you may watch,” she said, pointing.

Towers peered through both windows with each head while the other hatchlings remained outside of the village, grouping together for warmth.

The woman prepared an area for Kendra to lay with blankets and pillows. After she placed Kendra on the blankets, she went through shelves and took out some jars filled with plants and liquids. Setting them next to Kendra, she began to open them. Gathering them in a bowl, the woman stirred and mixed and grinded them together. She spread the yellow mixture along Kendra’s arms, legs, and forehead.

After carefully placing a blanket on Kendra, the woman walked outside to Towers. He towered over her. Towers was a large reptile, and the woman resembled a large rat standing on its hind legs with four arms.

“We should talk,” the woman told Towers, motioning for him to follow her away from the village.

“You speak my tongue all too well for an inferior mortal.” Towers was still feeling testy.

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“Inferior is a state of intelligence, not size or race. All of us, a state of mortality we have.”

“No undermining. Non-dragons do not come by our language so easily. Prove your meager intelligence. What do you know?”

“I know who you are, who that girl is, and what you are here for.”

Towers ignored her by turning his two heads away.

“Towers you are, the hatchling of the late Diamond Eyes. Fine in due time, Kendra will be, and looking for the White Frost Dragon you are.”

The woman had regained Towers’ attention. “Who are you?” he asked.

Endokia, Woran, and Krystall had just made it through the portal and were on their way to find Dr. Mertan on Element. It was a late night and the moon shimmered like water over the colorful landscape.

A steel drum and whimsical instruments resounded. Fire could be seen shooting off into the sky like mini rockets.

The three of them wandered over to what appeared to be a celebration. The Trimen were all dancing and eating and drinking so much, they didn’t notice that the ones who had helped save their planet had returned. Of course, they had never visited on a friendly basis that wasn’t on a mission before, and this time wouldn’t be any different.

Woran nudged Endokia. “There’s the Doc, or at least I think that’s him.”

It was the Doc all right, but not like they had seen him before. He was in a getup that made him appear to be some sort of shaman or wizard dancing around with a group of other Trimen dressed in a similar fashion. The three walked over to have a word with him.

“Excuse me, Dr. Mertan.” Woran tried to grab his attention.

“Give me a moment. I’ll be right with you,” he told them as he continued to dance.

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They all sat on the ground as they waited for the Doc. The dance was enjoyable to watch. A lot of the movements were intricate jumps and spins, and the dancers were fully in sync. Every so often, the group of dancers would shoot little spurts of fire, like sparklers, up into the sky, lighting up the night.

Once the dance ended, Dr. Mertan came right over and shook everyone’s hand. “What is it that I can help you with?” he asked. “Is she expecting soon?” Dr. Mertan pointed to Krystall, who was easily seven months pregnant.

“Not for a while yet,” Krystall informed the doctor.

“What’s with the party?” Woran asked.

“The One-of-All Festival. It is an annual festival where everyone comes together to remember that we are all part of the same planet and universe. It is quite a sad turnout this year. With the attack on the planet about two months ago everyone is afraid to come out and have some fun.”

“Tell me about your costume,” Endokia asked.

“It represents a part of our past. Before doctors, there were shamans and other spell casters that used to heal the ill and wounded.

When medicine was introduced, no one went for their aid anymore, and they gradually disappeared. Now tell me, what is the meaning of your visit?”

Krystall came straight to the point. “We need your help.”

“We are trying to gather an army,” Endokia began, “and it’s only going to work if we get help from all of the Trimen.”

The Doc stared at them. “What kind of help?”

“We want the Trimen to be soldiers in our army,” explained Woran.

“Impossible; you can’t ask them to fight. Like I said, most of them were too afraid to leave the comforts of their home to have a good time at a festival. Unless you have some way to hypnotize people into following you, they will never leave the planet.”

“I never liked hypnotism.” Endokia chuckled. “But I was always good with words.”

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“I suppose that you’ve killed with them too,” Woran said, rolling his eyes and turning his head away.

“What’s that supposed to mean, Frizzy?”

“Don’t Frizzy me. You openly admitted to killing some of our family members.”

“I made some mistakes. I was played. Even Ezmer said so.”

“That doesn’t make up for the fact that you should have been smart enough to know that you could have done something else to begin with.”

“At that time, it didn’t seem like I could have done anything different.”

“Hmm, let me think back to that moment. Oh wait, I can’t, since a majority of my memory is gone.”

“I already said that it wasn’t intentional. What do you want me to do? Whack you in the back of the head and see if the rest of your memory comes back?”

“Gentlemen, please,” the Doc said, stopping their argument. “I don’t know what is going on with you two, but by the sound of it, you can’t wait on the aid from us. Now, I’d like to know why you would like the Trimen for an army.”

“We are going to invade Daigaton and take out Vile while he is weak,” Endokia said.

Dr. Mertan’s jaw dropped. “You can’t be serious. It’ll be suicide for you and all that aid you.”

“Not if we get enough people to help us, and that includes you,” Krystall added.

“So, we are not your only means of assistance. Who else are you acquiring aid from?”

“We have help from the Pegglentaurs of Zelǹg, Kendra is seeking aid from dragons, Xackle is getting some very skilled prisoners, and Ezmer has gone to the Goddesses for help,” Endokia informed him.

“That still doesn’t sound like enough to me.” Dr. Mertan shook his head in uncertainty.

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“His army has become diminished since we destroyed countless numbers of his troops when they attacked Zelǹg.”

“There was an attack on Zelǹg?” the Doc asked, concerned.

“We prevailed and we wish to do so again, but we need the help of the Trimen.”

“You can talk to them, but you’ll have to wait for the end of the festival. I highly doubt that they will help you.”

As time passed, all of them got a little more involved with the party waiting for it to end. The music echoed through the night, enwrapping all of them in such a way that it seemed impossible not to dance.

Using his Warrior’s morphing ability, Endokia made himself look like a Triman in their beautiful and intricate costumes. Woran tossed his own fire spurts along with everyone else all throughout the night.

I ran through the luminescent forest, trying to evade the snarling eagle. My attacks with fire and Cleanser proved useless. It was as if the creature were a shadow, swirling around every attack I attempted.

I kept looking for an opportunity to rid myself of the eagle as I wove in and out of the trees. It showed no signs of weakness or fatigue in its pursuit to destroy me. The rage in this creature wasn’t that much different from the eagle I first encountered on Rhybannon. It was still a mystery to me why my scar from that instance still hadn’t healed entirely.

As I continued sprinting through the forest, I came across a little stream. Following its path outward from the forest, my eyes caught sight of a water source along the edge of the trees. Perhaps I could hide in the water to get rid of the eagle until I could figure out a way to defeat it. I veered toward the water, trying to stay within the thicker part of the trees. The space became smaller and grew more difficult to pass through. I quickly reverted from my Warrior form to my own body in order to fit in between. The constricted space severely slowed the eagle down as it had to break through the branches, and I was able to get away from it temporally.

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I made it out and quickly dove down into the water. It was a spring, with freezing water, and I could clearly see the bottom as it bubbled up.

I would easily be seen by the eagle if it searched here. I would have to get out and keep running. Before swimming to the surface, I saw a blue glow in the bottom of an underwater cavern across the spring. I swam as fast as possible to enter the tunnel without being seen. I could hear the eagle coming closer, bashing through the trees. It was near the edge of the forest and would soon be able to see me. I reached the entrance of the tunnel just as it escaped the grasp of the forest and flew above the spring, peering down at me. I swam into the tunnel as fast as I could.

The tunnel led to a cave that had moss and an array of fungi, glowing a luminescent pale blue. Exiting the water, I shivered in my soaked clothing, and fearing the eagle could see the glow, I covered the entrance with my wings the best I could and waited.

I heard the eagle shrieking as it flew above the water. There was a splash and I could hear it roaring in pain as if the water hurt. The roars continued as the eagle tried again to enter the water. I kept my wings over the entrance the best that I could, but I was shivering so immensely that the glow was peeking through.

The shrieking continued for another five minutes before it faded away. The eagle must have gotten tired of waiting and left. I leaned back and gave a sigh of relief. As I exhaled, the book with no writing in it that I had taken from The Black Razor fell out of my tunic and into the water. I quickly snatched it up to find that it was completely dry. It was a strange and mysterious book indeed. Opening to the first page, I saw more writing than before. Under “Take this book with you” was written “Do you wish for aid?”

It was an odd question coming from a book. But like any question, it needed to be given a response. I grabbed the pen and carefully wrote, “Depends on who is giving the aid.”

I waited to see if more writing would appear. When it finally came up it was as if I could see it being written one letter at a time. “If aid had come from a bad person, then it wouldn’t be aid.”

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“Are you a bad person?”

“Well, bad is a matter of opinion.”

Whoever it was thought like I did. I could tell that this was a conversation that would end up going nowhere.

“Listen to me,” the book wrote once more. “You are up against six different challenges. First is the fight against the eagle to show your intelligence.”

“And what else?” Nothing. “How do you know this?” Still no reply.

As of now, all I knew was I needed to beat the eagle that couldn’t be harmed by Cleanser, passed through my attacks, seemed to be harmed by water, and couldn’t pass through trees or the ground.

Intelligence was what I needed if I was to create a trap for the eagle. Now that it was gone, I could rest and formulate a plan. I was freezing so bad that I thought I would die of hypothermia. I blew fire to dry myself, careful not to set the moss or myself ablaze.

Once dry, I concentrated on beating the eagle. Trees and water are what I had at my disposal and I could be the bait if necessary.

The plan seemed rather simple. Hit the eagle with a few branches and knock it into the water. The problem would be ensuring the eagle ends up in the water so it couldn’t overcome me, since I would have no way to fight back.

“Nezumai is my name,” the woman told Towers as they walked to the edge of the village. “To this village, shaman healer I am.”

Towers chuckled. “So that explains how you know us. As a shaman you can speak with spirits. I’m assuming you have spoken to someone who has followed us around and isn’t among the living anymore.”

“More than one, I have. Many of your departed, observe.”

They were at the outskirts of the village now, looking away from the buildings. Nezumai gave a quick motion of her scepter, and figures began to appear before them.

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“Six close ones, there are.” Nezumai identified them as they came forward. “Zyne and Mai, parents of Ezmer Jouzmon. Madilyn, mother of Kendra Klaymore. Gorresh, grandfather of Slite McClain. Malloe, best friend of Woran Laymack. The last is Darin Blystaff, friend of Dean and Krystall.”

Towers had not seen or heard of these people before and barely reacted to their presence. Instead, he pondered a thought.

“What is it that you are wondering?” Nezumai asked.

“My mother isn’t here.”

Nezumai turned away. “Left this universe with no regrets, she has.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“A promise. Spirits are here to complete unfinished matters they have. Some know of those matters, but for them, it is to know.”

Towers was upset that he couldn’t see his mother again. Distracting himself from the thought, he got to know the spirits. Nezumai translated between Towers and the spirits as the conversation progressed. He found out how each had died and introduced himself, but they already knew him.

Towers had taken notice of Darin and how he kept looking away and let his head hang low. The only thing Darin told him was his name.

Just as he was about to speak to Darin, Nezumai nudged him. “Ready is when he’ll speak. Come, much to discuss we have.”

Nezumai led Towers back through the village but this time some of the villagers, the Hetzus, peered out in curiosity. Many looked through their windows trying to stay out of sight, but only a few were courageous enough to step outside.

It wasn’t until a little boy stood in front of Towers that he took notice of everyone’s presence. The boy stood in wide-eyed wonder of what was before him. Slowly and steadily Towers lowered his heads down to the boy and took a few sniffs. The boy outstretched his arms and carefully touched him. He was shocked and surprised the boy didn’t run away in terror. Even the Warriors ran away from the dragons—of course, then the dragons were trying to kill them. But anyone should at

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least be intimidated by them. The boy didn’t even shy away. Instead, he smiled really big and ran to Towers’ side, pointing at his back.

“A ride, he wants,” Nezumai explained.

“He could very easily get hurt,” Towers warned thinking of what happened to Kendra.

“A blanket I shall fetch.” Nezumai left.

Towers was still concerned considering he had already inadvertently hurt Kendra while she road on his back. He knew that his scales were rough, but he didn’t think that they would cause that much pain.

And if his scales did that much damage to flesh, what was to stop them from tearing right through a blanket? Towers looked down at the boy and anxiously waited for Nezumai to return. The look of joy on his face made him worry that the boy hadn’t thought about the dangers of riding a dragon.

Nezumai returned with a blanket so thick and heavy that she had to use her powers to levitate it instead of carrying it.

The little boy jumped up and down with excitement.

Towers was still unsure about letting the boy ride without anyone else.

“Come along, I shall,” Nezumai said as if she had read his mind.

The blanket was put into place while Nezumai and the boy perched carefully upon Towers’ back.

Starting out slow, Towers took off, making sure that neither Nezumai nor the boy would fall off. These were uncharted skies to him.

It would be very dangerous to go any faster through the snowy, cloudy air, especially with two passengers. There wouldn’t be much warning if a tree or cliff edge was hidden in the clouds.

Towers really cared for the protection of these two. If he had been carrying one of the Warriors, he wouldn’t have worried as much since they could easily save themselves if something were to happen.

A sound of laughter broke Towers’ concentration. The boy was enjoying himself, with his arms up over his head and eyes wide. Even Nezumai had a smile on her face.

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This calmed Towers, so he flew a little faster and away from the village. His wings pressed forcefully against the brisk air, swirling the snow and clouds. Backflips, barrel rolls, and dive-bombs thrilled the boy beyond his wildest dreams. Towers was having fun as well, and the blanket was holding up which gave him even more comfort, knowing they were safe. It was the most fun he had had in a long time.

At that moment something went wrong. Towers could tell there was a danger beneath them. He stopped midflight and smelled something. For the first time, Nezumai and the boy began to worry about what was going to happen.

A distant blowing sound began to grow steadily louder as something large approached. There was no way to tell what the noise was exactly.

Suddenly, an extreme burst of frost shot up through the clouds.

With a swift maneuver, Towers did his best to avoid the shimmering projectile. It nicked his tail which became covered in immensely dense ice. It was so dense that it even darkened the color of his scales.

Towers was unable to move the tip of his tail which disrupted his flight pattern and slowed him down.

More blasts of frost came at them, but they were unable to see their attacker.

The frost was skimming Towers here and there until one collided with him directly in the chest. The boy and Nezumai were knocked off his back and began to plummet as the ice froze around his arms and part of his wings, preventing him from flying.

In a panic for the others’ lives, Towers dove toward Nezumai and the boy and did his best to steer his way to his falling companions.

As he approached them, he could smell blood. It was a distinct smell, so either Nezumai or the boy had been injured. The smell reminded Towers of the fresh meat he craved. He shook the thought away. He had to save them, not eat them.

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Getting clear of some of the clouds, Towers could see the boy clutching his arm in pain. There was a large scrape that could have easily happened from rubbing against Towers’ scales.

Shots of frost were still zipping past as Towers kept getting closer.

Once close enough, he still couldn’t grab them. His arms were frozen stiff, and the blanket had fallen off long ago. It would be suicide now if the two even attempted to ride on his back. As the ground approached, Towers panicked and opened his mouths, cradling them inside. It took all of his willpower not to eat them, despite how delicious they tasted.

A ball of frost hit Towers’ wing, and he began to spiral toward the icy surface. As he accelerated, a surge of panic shot through his mind.

He truly believed that they would die. He knew that this was a bad idea from the start.

How foolish, Towers thought in disbelief. Here we are, on a mission, and I decide to take a kid on a joyride. And now we’re going to shatter like an ice cube crushed under a rock because I’m a childish dimwit.

“Towers!” a voice came from the sky next to him.

Heart was in a nosedive next to him. You’re lucky that another hatchling saw you leave, or we never would have found you.

Take Nezi and the boy. Heart heard his pleading thoughts. Quickly, before they become mangled carcasses in my mouth.

Towers opened both of his mouths and carefully pushed them with his tongues to Heart. She grabbed them and gradually eased off from her decent.

“Oh sure. No ‘what about you, Towers?’” he growled grumpily.

“What about you?” a roaring voice sounded. “You didn’t think I would let the girl come out here by herself.”

“Thiebaut! Making a grand entrance as always.”

“Wah-cha!” Thiebaut proclaimed goofily. “Now be quiet and hold still so I can melt that ice off you.”

Thiebaut’s jaws opened and a large, widespread flame came barreling out. The frost began to thaw away from Towers’ scales. With every

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ounce of energy he could muster, Towers moved the joint that he could to break the ice away.

Only small pieces came off, and not fast enough. The ground was approaching much too quickly.

“Blow faster!” Towers insisted.

“Why don’t you? You’ve always been a blowhard hothead.” Thiebaut snarled back.

Towers turned his heads the best he could and exhaled what amount of fire he could muster. It aided well enough with Thiebaut’s fire and his wriggling that the ice started to crack, causing heavy chunks to crumble away. With an extreme jolt of energy, Towers shattered the remaining ice, spread his wings to catch the air, and decelerated quickly enough to prevent any serious injury. When his feet hit the ground, he tucked and rolled through the thick snow that covered the ground.

about the author Evan was born and raised in a small town in Michigan where there are more cows than people. He favors science fiction and fantasy, and he credits The Hobbit as his biggest writing influence. A graduate of Oakland University, he holds a BFA in theater acting. When not writing, he enjoys RPG video games.