Topaz tightened his teeth in the flesh of my forearms and I roared, trying to shake him off. He sought to siphon off my own magic, to drain me of my strength and leave me helpless beforehim. But I would not yield, not when Seranni’s life hung in the balance.
With a mighty roar, I unleashed a torrent of flame, the heat searing through the night as it engulfed Topaz in a blazing inferno. He spun free, and I crashed to the ground, gasping for breath.
Had I driven him off?My hope was unfounded, a moment later Topaz emerged from the flames unscathed, his form glowing with an otherworldly light and his golden scales dotted with blood from the many gashes I had inflicted.
I snarled in frustration, my claws digging into the earth as I prepared to unleash my full fury upon him. But before I could strike, Topaz launched himself at me, his jaws snapping shut with bone-crushing force.
Pain exploded through my body as his teeth sank into my flesh, tearing through muscle and sinew with ruthless efficiency. I roared in agony, my vision swimming as I struggled to break free from his grasp.
But then, through the haze of pain and rage, I caught sight of Seranni, her eyes wide with fear as she watched our deadly dance from a safe distance.
I could not let her down. Topaz would never touch her again. And the mage would burn in hell before he got his hands on her.
My fury ignited anew, a blazing inferno that consumed every rational thought. Summoning every ounce of strength within me, I reared back on my hind legs with a thunderous roar, my claws slashing through the air. Topaz stumbled back, caught off guard by my sudden burst of power. With a bellowing roar, my claws slashed upward and caught his face. He howled, recoiling as blood streamed from the gashes I’d carved across his snout.
But even as I fought with all my might, I could feel my strength waning, my energy draining with each passing moment. Topaz had wounded me deeper than I realized. Blood flowed sluggishly from the slashes and bites across my body, taking my strength with it.
I was tiring, and I could feel the flames of my own life force flickering dangerously low, but I had to keep going. I refused to give up. Not when Seranni’s safety depended on my strength. Not when I knew that I could not live with myself if I let her come to harm.
I leaped into the sky again, circling around in the sky as I hunted for my quarry. Topaz had hidden himself in the flurry of snow, and with the wind blowing the snow into my face, visibility was down. Topaz had taken advantage of it, even now, he could be lying in wait to strike against me when the moment was right.
I had to find him and finish him before my strength ran out.
I screamed out a challenge, one that I knew Topaz wouldn’t be able to ignore. As I swung my head this way and that in search of my enemy, I glimpsed a flash of yellow from the corner of my eye. There he was!
Now, to gather all my strength and attack…
I swooped up, swinging around to dive down at Topaz, falling upon him like a meteor.
Topaz loomed before me, a monstrous silhouette against the backdrop of the night sky, his scales glinting in the moonlight like molten gold. His eyes burned with malevolent fury; his jaws snapping shut with a deafening roar as he prepared to meet my charge head-on.
I braced myself for the impact, tensing in preparation for the collision.
It reverberated through my body, a shockwave of pain that threatened to overwhelm me in its intensity. I felt something crack—a rib, perhaps. It didn’t matter. Pain was irrelevant. I scrambled to my feet, my wings flaring wide as I snarled at my opponent.
I roared, wrenching myself free, the sickening sound of tearing flesh filling the air as I tore his shoulder with my teeth. Blood spattered across the snow, steaming as it fell. The taste of his lifeblood filled my mouth, coppery and thick. It was intoxicating, the primal thrill of dominance.
Topaz retaliated with a swipe of his claws, catching my flank and sending me skidding across the snowy ground. Blood welled from the wounds that marred my flesh, hot and sticky against my scales as I fought to keep myself upright against the onslaught.
But still, I refused to be defeated, refused to let Topaz have the satisfaction of seeing me fall. With a primal roar, I surged forward once more, our claws locking and teeth tearing at each other in an animal frenzy.
And then, just when it seemed that all hope was lost, I felt a surge of warmth radiating through my body, a familiar presence brushing against my mind like a gentle caress. It was Seranni, her magic intertwining with mine, healing me, strengthening me, fueling my resolve to keep fighting.
Her magic was a warm, golden thread weaving through my veins, binding my fraying strength. I could feel her love, her desperation, her unwavering belief in me. It was like a fire rekindled, a spark igniting in the ashes of my resolve.
I swung my neck down to look at her. She was on her feet, bruised and bleeding but still determined. She held her hands out to me, following my flight. With my dragon sight, I could seeher hands glowing with a powerful magic—magic that she was pushing intome.
I couldn’t let her down.
With renewed vigor, I redoubled my efforts, my blows raining down upon Topaz with a ferocity that bordered on madness. He snarled and spat, his own attacks growing weaker as my relentless assault wore him down.
I could feel the magic in me gutter like a lone candle in a fierce wind—this was my last chance—and still Topaz struggled on, slashing and gnashing at any part of me he could reach, becoming more desperate with every passing moment. He knew he had reached the end of the line.
And then, finally, when he reared back to strike at me, I saw an opening. Ducking under his outstretched claws, I struck snake-quick—one final, decisive blow—my claws tearing through his chest, crushing his ribs and piercing his heart with a force that sent him crashing to the ground below. He lay there on the mountains, defeated and broken; his golden scales stained with blood as he gasped for breath.
I gave a triumphant roar, and landed on top of him, crushing him under my claw, as he had tried to do to Seranni. He snarled; and his deadly talons slashed uselessly through the air as he grew weaker by the minute.
I watched until the light left his eyes, and only then did I turn back to Seranni, my heart swelling with love and gratitude. She had saved me.
