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  I expected him to carry on scrambling up the rocks but he just sat there, trembling. What was I going to do now?

  The best option would be to leave him where he was. He didn’t have my sword. One of the larger dragons would have that somewhere, probably in a nest. I searched the sky, wondering when the dragon’s mother would show up. The mother dragons were the worst. They’d do anything to protect their young and would think nothing of frying a slayer on the spot if it meant safety for their babies.

  I sat down and stroked the small green dragon absent-mindedly whilst I tried to come up with a new plan.

  My touch seemed to calm him a little. Maybe I did have some maternal bones in me after all.

  He began to twitch, which I put down to fear and maybe pain from the broken wing, but as the tremors became more violent, I realized something else was at play here. I stepped back in shock as his whole body went into spasms. Then the familiar but still sickening sound of bones crunching and skin stretching filled the air. What was happening to him? His whole body seemed to be folding in on itself.

  I could hardly bear to watch as his skin shuffled itself around and his body rearranged itself into—

  He was a shifter!

  The small green dragon had gone and a young boy sat quivering and naked in his place. For a moment, I was too shocked to move, but I recovered quickly and pulled my tunic over my head, giving it to the boy. When he slipped into it, I could see that his shoulder was sore on the same side where his wing had been damaged. It looked like he’d dislocated it.

  The shock at finding out he was a shifter was so overwhelming that I didn’t know what to say to him.

  He looked to be about seven years old, although he was small for his age.

  “Thank you,” he said in a small voice.

  “Who are you?”

  “My name is Drake. Who are you?”

  I could hardly tell him I was a dragon slayer. “I’m Morganna. Does your shoulder hurt?”

  “A little,” he replied, and then winced as he tried to move his arm. “I think I can help you. I’ll need to push the top of your arm near the shoulder. It’s going to hurt but only for a second and then the pain will almost be completely gone. Would you like me to do that for you?”

  The poor kid looked terrified, but he nodded his head all the same.

  I walked slowly over to him so as not to scare him.

  As I got closer, I could see that I had been right. A swift push would get his arm back into the right place. I was just worried that he would scream. If he did, that would alert all the other dragons to my presence. The other dragons must be shifters too. What about the ones on the Triad Mountains? Were they shifters too?

  I couldn’t even begin to get the idea through my mind, so I concentrated on the boy instead.

  “Look at me and not your arm, OK? I’m going to talk to you while this is happening. It will hurt for a second and then the pain will disappear, like magic. Can you tell me how old you are, Drake?”

  I popped the shoulder back into place as hard as I could, not giving him time to answer. I was hoping that if I took him by surprise, it would be over before he knew it. He didn’t scream as I’d expected him to, but his mouth formed a perfect O shape. Tears began to form at the corners of his eyes, but to his credit, he kept it together.

  “There, is that better?”

  “You didn’t warn me!” he said, although I could tell by the way he was able to move his arm now that I’d done a good job.

  “I’m sorry. How does it feel?”

  “It feels OK. I can move my arm again. How did you do that? Are you magic?”

  “No,” I smiled. He was a cute kid with a crop of unruly black hair. He looked nothing like his dragon self, apart from the cuteness. “Your bone just needed to pop back into place. How did you hurt yourself?”

  “I fell and when I stood up, I couldn’t move my wing. Are you one of the wolves because you don’t look or smell like them.”

  “I’m not a wolf, no. I’m a human.”

  “What’s a human?”

  How could he not know? He looked just like one.

  “I guess I’m just like you but I can’t turn into a dragon.”

  “Or a wolf?”

  “Or a wolf.”

  “So, what do you change into?”

  “I don’t. Humans stay exactly like this.”

  He considered this for a minute before replying. “That’s boring!”

  I had to laugh. “It sure is kiddo!”

  When I was sure he was OK, I asked him where his family was. For the longest time, I’d thought nothing of killing dragons. It was no worse than swatting a fly, albeit a large, fire-breathing fly, but now I knew they were people, too. I was going to have to be more careful about how I approached them. I couldn’t kill them, that was for sure. Not now, knowing what I did. My mind fleetingly went to all the dragons I’d already killed, but I pushed it away sharply. I didn’t have the time for regrets. I was sure it would haunt me in the coming months.

  “I’ll show you. We live not far from here.”

  I began to follow Drake and as I did, I wondered how the older dragons were going to react to me when I finally got to them.

  Chapter Four

  As we climbed higher, the stench of sulphur intensified, making breathing difficult. The air was thinner up here, too, which didn’t help, and yet Drake seemed unaware of it. I guess he was used to the altitude and had adapted to it. I had to ask him to slow down once or twice, because now he had the use of his arm back, he was practically skipping up the rocks in the way that only kids can do.

  The sky went dark. As it was a cloudless sky and I wasn’t aware of any eclipses due, it could only mean one thing. I looked up to see the underbelly of a huge dragon. I didn’t want to kill it anymore, but at the same time, if it was a choice between its life and mine, I’d go for mine every time. My hand gripped the handle of my knife, but at this distance it would do no good. The crossbow would be my best shot but getting it out would show that I intended to kill them. Either way could spell disaster. The dragon circled closer, flying lower and lower in the sky. It was almost upon us and I still hadn’t figured out what to do when the dragon attacked.

  It opened its jaws and flew straight at me. My hand tightened on the knife and I could feel my pulse racing. My first instinct was to slice its throat as it flew over as I had done hundreds of times, but how could I do that knowing that it could be Drake’s mother or father? I was going to have to kill it. I had no choice. I was just about to bring my knife out when Drake pushed me out of the dragon’s path.

  It flew past as I dusted myself off. The large dragon came to a standstill and perched itself on a nearby rock, staring at me. It looked confused, unsure of itself. I wasn’t surprised. It would have seen Drake saving me. Drake had also tumbled and was wiping the dust from the tunic I’d given to him.

  The sound of bones crunching alerted me to the fact that the large dragon was shifting. I’d already seen it once with Drake, but it didn’t stop the horror I felt at witnessing it all over again.

  I closed my eyes. When the horrible sound stopped, I peeked. A naked man stood before me. He was older than me, maybe in his early fifties, but I could tell by the muscles on his chest that he liked to keep in shape. He picked something up from behind a rock and threw it over himself. It was some kind of cloak. They must have them dotted around the place for times like this. Having to shift without clothes on could lead to some embarrassing episodes, I mused.

  “Who are you?” shouted the man, climbing down the rocks towards us. He sounded menacing.

  “She’s with me,” cried Drake. I was thankful he was with me. I was afraid this man would kill me in a heartbeat otherwise.

  “Drake, get away from her.”

  “She helped me, Papa.”

  Papa? So this was Drake’s father.

  “I fell and hurt my arm and she mended it.”

  The man was almost upon us. I straightene
d up and looked him in the eye, determined not to show how scared I felt.

  “He’d dislocated his shoulder. I just popped the bone back in. He needs to rest it for a few days and be more careful in the future.”

  “Indeed,” replied the man. His tone had softened although there was still an edge to it. At least he didn’t sound like he wanted to push me off the mountain anymore.

  “Drake, go see your mother. She will need to look at that shoulder of yours.”

  “Yes, Papa!” Drake scurried away, leaving only me and his father on the mountain.

  “You can come with me.”

  His words didn’t make it sound like an order, but his tone did. I followed him a little way up the mountain until we got to a small cabin. He opened the door and gestured that I should go inside.

  I was surprised at how nice the house was. It was obviously lived in, with three comfy chairs and a fireplace. Doors led off the main room to other rooms. If I didn’t know otherwise, it could have been any one of the homes in Drionas.

  “I always thought dragons lived in nests,” I remarked. I turned to look at the man and he just scowled. I’d put my foot in it as usual. Still, I didn’t think he was going to kill me. Doing so would mess up his lovely home.

  “Would you like something to drink?”

  OK, so I didn’t think he was planning to kill me but him offering me a drink was not what I expected. It seemed so civilized for a dragon. Had I gotten them wrong this whole time?

  “Yes, please.”

  “We have tea, juice or water.”

  “Water will be fine thank you.” Dragons drank tea?

  “Take a seat and I’ll be right back.” He nodded toward one of the seats.

  I sat in one of the comfy chairs and watched as he disappeared through one of the doors. He came back about ten minutes later with a glass of water for me and some juice for himself. I also noticed that he’d gotten dressed. Instead of the cloak, he now wore trousers and a short-sleeved top, both in cream.

  “It’s not often we get visitors up on the mountain. May I ask what you are doing here?”

  I tried to think of some reason for being here that didn’t sound bad. Nothing came to mind so I went with the truth. “I came to kill dragons.”

  He raised his eyebrows.

  “I’m a dragon slayer. That is all I’ve ever done.”

  “So, how is it that you saved my son? He is a dragon, or did you not know that?”

  “I know he’s a dragon. I saw him in his dragon form. His wing was injured. When he turned back into his human form, it translated into a dislocated shoulder. I couldn’t kill him. He was just a little boy.”

  “I’m a man and a fully-grown dragon, and yet you are here in my house taking drinks with me. Why are you not killing me?”

  He sounded genuinely curious and not the slightest bit mad that I’d just told him I wanted to kill all his people.

  “I didn’t know you were shifters. I’ve been hunting dragons in the Triad Mountains all my life and I never suspected they could turn into humans.”

  “That’s rather arrogant, don’t you think?”

  “I didn’t know. I could hardly call it arrogance.”

  “I wasn’t referring to your knowledge of what we are; I was referring to you saying that we turn into humans. Only a human would say that. I do not consider myself human in any form. I am still a dragon.”

  “But you look and sound and act like a human.”

  “Maybe humans just look and act and sound like dragons when we are in this form? Have you ever thought about it like that?”

  “That’s a bit pedantic, don’t you think?”

  “Not if you are a dragon. It’s just how we think. I take it you’ve changed your mind about killing us all now that you know the truth.”

  “Of course. I never would have if I’d have known the truth.”

  “You are the exception to the rule then. Many humans still try to kill us even when they know the truth.”

  “I’m not one of them.”

  “So, I take it you’ll go home to wherever it is you came from, then, and not disturb us again?”

  I took a sip of the water. It was deliciously cold. I needed to get my sword but how could I tell him that? In doing so, he’d know it was me that blinded one of the dragons. And yet I couldn’t go without it. It was part of me.

  “I came from the wolfren village.”

  He sat forward in his chair.

  “You are with them? You are not one of them!”

  “No. You already know I’m human.”

  “I’m surprised. They like intruders even less than we do.”

  “They asked me to come and kill you in exchange for a place to stay. I have nowhere else to go.”

  “I can think of a million places I’d rather be than with that pack of dogs,” he spat.

  “They have been nice to me.”

  “Hmmm.” He didn’t sound as though he believed me.

  “Why do you fight them?”

  “Why does anybody fight anybody? This war has been going on since way before my time. It was to do with food originally. The wolves and the dragons both eat meat. With two groups of hunters, the forest soon became empty of other animals. If you’ve lived among the wolfren, you’d have seen it yourself.”

  “I have noticed. It’s very eerie.”

  “Not really. Just the other animals have been hunted to extinction in this particular place. It left us with only the wolfren to eat and they were left with only us to eat. It was a case of eat or be eaten.”

  “That sounds bad!”

  “Not so much anymore. We now fly to the other side of the mountains where there are wild deer and farm animals.”

  “The wolfren were eating something that wasn’t dragon.”

  “Yes, there are wild deer in the forest now, too. The wolves only need to travel a short distance deeper into the forest to find food nowadays. There is enough to go around.”

  “So, why are you still fighting?”

  “Much the same reason you still fight dragons. It is all we have ever known. Our feud is so old that I’m sure no one really remembers.”

  “So why don’t you stop?”

  “If it were only that easy. If we stop fighting, the wolfren will take it as a sign of weakness. They will come up here and kill us in our beds.”

  “Not if I told them not to.”

  “I’m surprised you have much sway with them. How long have you known them?”

  “A day.”

  “A day? A whole day.” He started to laugh. “You are either more stupid than you look or have a very strange idea of who the wolfren are.”

  “I’m not stupid. It doesn’t matter how long I’ve known them. They are fighting you for the same reason you are fighting them. That reason is nothing. You both have enough food. There is no reason to fight. It’s this whole war that is stupid, not me.”

  “Aye, perhaps you are right.”

  “I am right. They don’t want any of their people hurt or killed any more than you do.”

  “Maybe that’s so, but if you tell them to stop fighting just because we’ve decided to stop fighting, they will come up here and kill us all the same.”

  He had a point. I sipped my water and tried to come up with a plan that would work. Then it came to me.

  “What if I tell them that I’ve put a spell on you. Something that will stop you from being able to come into the forest. Some kind of force field. That would stop them.”

  “You can do magic?”

  “No, but they don’t know that.”

  He laughed again. My plan meant that I would have to lie to Alpha and the other wolfren, but if it meant saving their lives, I would do it.

  “It’s certainly an interesting concept. It would mean getting my people to agree.”

  “It would also mean that the wolfren would never come up here again and your people and Drake would finally be free as long as you keep to the other side of the mountain.�
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  He mulled it over and then slowly nodded his head. He invited me to meet all the other dragons. His prospect made me nervous after everything I’d told him about being a slayer, but he was nice enough not to mention it.

  The afternoon went by in a whirl, but I knew I had to get back to Alpha and the others. They would be wondering where I was. The last thing I needed was a pack of wolves coming up the mountain to find me.

  I bade farewell and as I was leaving, Drake passed me my sword. I’d not even mentioned it. It was like he just knew it belonged to me. I ruffled his hair and made my way back down the mountain.

  Chapter Five

  The journey down the mountain was much easier than my journey up. It helped that the dragons had given me a bottle filled with water to quench my thirst and keep me going. I’d have to throw it away before I got to the wolfren village because I’d never be able to adequately explain it to Alpha, but that was fine. I only wanted the water anyway.

  With the weight of my sword firmly attached to my belt, I felt much better about everything. The last two days of my life had been quite the adventure and even though I couldn’t help but think of Xander and those I’d left behind, I knew that I needed to get away. Rocco had given me just the push I needed to break away from the village. Security was one thing, but I’d never grow as a person there. It was just too small.

  My thoughts crept to the dragons on the Triad Mountains. They were probably shifters too, locked in the same stupid, pointless war with the slayers, as the dragons and wolfren here. Fighting for the sake of fighting. I knew I’d have to go back and tell the people the truth one day, but with Xander’s young children at risk of being hurt by our indiscretions, that day would be a long way off. I only hoped they would find out themselves and then the ceaseless killing could finally stop. It wasn’t my war anymore. I was too busy ending this one. The shade of the trees was cooling and I was glad to be back amongst them. I drank the last of my water and hid the bottle behind a stone. I could have thrown it away, but a part of me knew it wouldn’t be the last time I’d visit the dragons, and maybe I’d need that bottle again someday. The trail back to the wolfren village was a clear path, probably used by the wolfren to hunt the dragons. I’d only been walking a few minutes before I heard his voice. Alpha was calling my name.