Set Free

By Andi Davis

Vahni tightened her grip on the hilt of her dagger and kept following the trail of blood. She was miles into the forest that surrounded their village, and while she could occasionally hear her comrades in arms tromping through the underbrush, she hadn’t seen anyone for hours. She was tired and hungry, and her legs felt leaden as she trudged forward. But she knew that no one was going home until they found and dealt with the threat.

She spotted another broken branch and reached out to touch it. Smeared on the dark wood was a bright, almost phosphorescent, green stain. She trailed her finger through the liquid and brought it to her nose, breathing deeply. Dragon blood smelled like the earth, like growing things.

Had she been one of the spirit trackers, she would be able to sense the animal’s imprint and find it that much faster, but she had different talents. Once again, she questioned her decision to keep the find to herself. Obviously, she was going in the right direction. So why hadn’t she called for backup like she’d been taught?

For as long as her village could remember, dragons had been plaguing them. Buildings had been destroyed, livestock killed—as well as the occasional person. So, whenever they were given a chance to end one of the beasts, they took it. This particular one had foolishly allowed its hunger to lead it astray. It happened. That’s why most of their weapons were trained on the cattle fields.

Vahni slowed her pace. Just ahead, heavy sounds of movement announced that she’d finally found the creature. Drawing her dagger, she circled a bush and emerged into a small clearing. A wave of fire roared towards her, singeing her face and forcing her behind the bush, which wasn’t the greatest defensive position. That point was driven home when the bush erupted in flames and she had to once again dance out of the way. Which, naturally, put her in plain sight of the dragon and its narrowed, yellow eyes.

It wasn’t as incapacitated as she’d thought it would be. Heart thundering at the display of razor-sharp teeth, Vahni lifted her hands in a sign of peace and crooned to the animal. It snorted a puff of smoke and she flinched. It wasn’t buying the gesture. Hastily, she threw down her weapon. As if that would make her less threatening… yeah, right. The dragon eyed the discarded dagger, then refocused on her and cocked its sinuous head. At least it had closed its mouth.

Golden eyes filled with suspicion, the creature examined her, and she did likewise. Its body was covered in shiny copper-colored scales that sparked with each heavy breath. Huge leathery wings were raised as if it intended to take flight at any moment. But she didn’t think it could manage such a maneuver. A large gash ran from one shoulder to the juncture of its wing, bright green blood oozing from the wound. She winced. One of their catapults had done that.

Vahni debated what to do next. She obviously couldn’t take care of the creature on her own, and she didn’t want to. She could yell for the other soldiers, let them make the decision for her. But that thought didn’t sit well with her either.

As the moments ticked by, the dragon’s head slowly sank to the ground until it rested on the earth, a great sigh escaping its nostrils. Vahni sighed too as she made her choice. Making sure her hands were in plain sight, she hummed and talked nonsense to the beast as she cautiously drew nearer. Its eyes were sharp as it followed her halting progress, and she maintained a healthy distance between herself and that dangerous mouth.

Finally, she was close enough to the wound to use her talent. Stretching her arms out, she willed energy into the injury. The dragon’s head jolted off the ground and its lips curled away, revealing those sharp teeth. She froze, but kept sending out her healing light. The creature’s eyes held hers for a few heartbeats, then it relaxed its lips and chuffed at her. Releasing the breath she’d been holding, she returned her gaze to the wound. The injury was repairing itself, the flesh knitting together and that luminous green blood stopping its flow.

Angry shouts sounded nearby, and both their heads jerked towards the source. There was a chance she’d need to heal herself when this was all over. Hurrying, she pushed as much of her energy into the wound as she could and then stepped back, panting.

Rising from the ground, the dragon stretched its wings to their full length and gingerly tested them. Then the wings beat faster and faster, until the wind created by the movement forced the hair back from Vahni’s face and plastered her clothes to the front of her body. Finally, the beast rose into the air, its clawed feet curling close to its underbelly.

Vahni spun around as the first soldier came running into the clearing, wielding a sword. Since they’d been tracking a wounded animal, no one had brought heavy-duty weaponry, for which she was grateful. Another soldier joined the first, nocking an arrow on his bowstring and aiming skyward. She felt a moment of panic as the arrow was released, but the dragon twisted sharply to the side, avoiding the projectile.

And with that, the dragon was gone, soaring over the treetops, and Vahni’s heart soared along with it. Apparently, she could take care of the dragon by herself, in her own way. Her bright smile faltered as she turned to her comrades. Their eyes flashed with a fury that was nearly palpable. Was the archer’s finger itching to release another arrow in her direction?

Straightening her shoulders, she retrieved her dagger and approached the pair resolutely, offering the weapon handle first. “I quit,” she announced. Whatever retribution awaited, she was done with violence. Her talents lay elsewhere.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andi Davis has loved to escape into the extraordinary realm of fiction for as long as she can remember. Now she creates her own exciting worlds as she writes fantasy across different subgenres. In the real world, she lives in California where she spends her time working on her third novel and caring for her husband and two young children.

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