Unvarnished Words 2012-13

she was back at the palace, joking with Draeken instead of falling off the edge of a cliff.

In a sudden swish of wind, large talons clutched around her savagely, dangerously close to skewering her in the swift motion of the moment. Miana’s throat was raw from screaming. She never thought to be grateful for her rescue as the dragon had likely only saved her in order to kill her itself—or eat her alive. She’d heard rumors from Draeken that dragons enjoyed their meals impeccably fresh.

Miana shivered, feeling suddenly cold. The dragon had stopped flying and was carrying her deep inside the mountain through a maze of tunnels. Miana’s eyes shut firmly in complete fear. When it finally stopped and set her down on the solid rock floor, she was afraid to open her eyes for what she might find. She felt the presence of the dragon leave and thought it safe enough to open her eyes. Slowly, she peeked through one eyelid, finding the difference in sight relatively minor. The cave the dragon had taken her to was nearly as dark as the dragon itself. It was hard to tell just where the dragon had disappeared; it could be lurking anywhere in the corners of the dark cave and Miana would not have noticed a single shimmering scale.

After several moments her eyesight adjusted to the darkness, but her skin still crawled from the cold dampness, making her almost miss the drafty halls of the palace. Spotting the hold in the solid stone walls, she began to walk toward the open entrance when a heavy black tail fell in front of her, blocking her way. She jumped back in surprise, only letting out a small screech. Instead she backed away slowly, standing idle in the middle of the cave, wondering what to do next.

If Draeken had been there, he’d have known just what to do.

He would have had a plan to defeat the dragon, or a way to escape at least. Draeken knew all about them, having been fascinated with dragons from a young age, soaking up all the information he could glean from the palace’s extensive libraries. Miana wrapped her arms around herself as another shiver shook her violently.

The cave was suddenly filled with a brilliant light as the dragon breathed fire onto a crude pile of sticks in the corner. The light cast 60