Page 4

4

Jinn

T he overhead shadow darkened the clearing I had just run through. I scrambled beneath thick bushes. I barely felt the stickers on the thin branches scrape across my body as I crawled beneath them. My breath came in quick bursts and low moans. I quickly quieted myself, already worried that Colt had heard me.

Colt’s dragon, Coltan, roared until the ground shook. I put my arms over my head and curled into a tight ball. Leaves and dirt clung to my hot skin. Rocks dug into my knees.

I squeezed my eyes shut as hot tears swelled. If Colt found me, he would hurt me bad, then take me away where no one would ever find me. Or maybe he would kill me. His rage was no longer predictable.

After a minute, I opened my eyes. The dragon’s shadow had moved away. I took a deep breath, exhaling rapidly as the shadow returned. Coltan had circled.

Could he smell me?

I froze, my skin going cold despite the heat of the air. Another roar shook the ground again. I heard the crackling of the tops of trees as they burned. It was illegal for a dragon to shoot fire onto any landscape or city. Coltan didn’t seem to care.

Would he go so far as to burn me out?

I peeked out from beneath the sharp leaves to assess if the fire had spread. All I could see in the clearing was a thin rain of black ash. Above, smoke clouds floated but there was no flame, only a scent of burnt wood. At least it might diminish my own scent.

After about ten minutes, Coltan flew off. I no longer heard his big wings or his angry cries.

Slowly, I crawled out from under the thicket. I looked down at my body. Dirt stuck to my skin. Leaves fell from my hair. I rubbed the back of my hand over my eyes, no doubt smearing more dirt around. More tears burned along my cheeks.

What to do? I was lost for sure. If I wasn’t being chased, I could shift and fly upward to view my situation. But Coltan would surely see me.

All I could think of to do was stay in my human form, keep low and walk until I found a town. There would be safety among people, and I could call the police.

Slowly, I moved into the trees. I glanced up, trying to figure out which direction the sun was heading so I didn’t walk in circles.

The forest was silent around me. Coltan’s temper had caused all wildlife to hide. If there were birds in the trees, they were frozen silent.

My footfalls seemed to hit every crackling leaf or twig. The sound I made just walking was too loud. If Coltan had slyly perched somewhere, his dragon hearing would soon detect me. I needed a better plan.

My mind whirled with thoughts. Maybe I could find a safer place to hide than a thicket. Coltan might grow tired and go home and then I could fly safely out of the woods.

Or I could shift and take my chances now that Coltan was already far away.

Every plan I came up with was accompanied by a dozen reasons why it was a bad idea. I knew he hadn’t left the area. I could feel his presence waiting. For me.

The claim hadn’t taken. We weren’t bonded. But I had enough intuitive sense to know that if Coltan was crazy enough to kidnap me, he would not give up his search for me. He had me trapped with nowhere to go. I had escaped his car only to become more lost than ever.

I stopped walking, pressing my palms to my eyes to stop the tears. Tears wouldn’t get me anywhere. Now was not the time to let my feelings loose.

My body shook. I gulped, took a huge breath, opened my eyes and moved on.

The forest grew darker. Trees changed. They no longer looked friendly, their trunks taking on shapes of dark and twisted beings. Their leaves flapped, making me think Coltan was flying again and had found me.

The shadows were no longer a reprieve from the heat but creepy with long arms that seemed to reach for me. The grasses grew long and sticky. There was no real path to follow anymore. The rocks were bigger and sharper on the soles of my feet.

I stopped, hunkering down by a misshapen root. By now, even the wood was no longer my friend.

Then I heard it. The echoing roar in the distance. Death stalking me.

Had he scented me?

Panic took over before I had a chance to think. Fight or flight. I couldn’t fight and beat him. Not an alpha dragon. I ran.

Branches snapped at my face and arms. I ran blindly on the only fuel I had left. Adrenaline.

I made so much noise, but I couldn’t stop.

The dragon’s roar was directly overhead now, Coltan’s shadow turning the forest to darker shadows. I tripped and fell. The world spun but I forced myself up and kept running.

The dragon flew closer to the treetops now. I heard the flap of his wings and the swish of his tail. His great breaths were like gusts of wind. They smelled of burning. The dragon was laughing, enjoying his hunt.

I ran faster, leaping over rocks and roots. Pushing myself beyond endurance.

I heard a cry. It sounded forlorn and lost. Then another. It was my own voice. I couldn’t hold back. I would never win against Colt/Coltan. He had me and he would do what he wanted to me when he caught me. I was doomed.

The trees ahead of me bent over almost in half. Coltan’s body appeared through the branches, sparkling green and gray. His armor might scintillate, but he wasn’t beautiful. His outside reflected his inner chaos. He was ugly and mean and big, and I was his prey.

I screamed as his wings flapped. He was stuck in the trees for the moment. I turned and ran the other way.

Coltan roared.

I screamed again and ran faster back the way I’d come.

The air turned too hot and too cold at the same time. I ran through bushes and leaves, tearing at them like I was a dragon and not a naked human.

Shift!

But I was so scared I couldn’t think. I couldn’t stop running. No time to shift.

Shift!

Jinnan wanted his turn to try to get away. But he was half the size of Coltan. He would never make it. And my terror wouldn’t allow me to stop long enough to obey Jinnan’s command.

Blinded by my tears, I rushed straight into a clearing. The perfect dragon prey. Confused. Slow. Vulnerable.

I screamed again, my fists pressed to the sides of my face, my body turning around and around.

Would I see death coming for me? Would I know when I had finally died? Maybe it would be like passing out. Like sleeping. Finally. And never waking up.

As Coltan’s shadow drew over me, wings bringing the dust of the clearing up and around me like a phantom whirlwind, I heard another distant roar.

I watched Coltan rise up just before he landed, turn his head and look in the direction of the sound.

I took that split second to dart away, screaming into the thicker trees.

Maybe, just maybe, I’d live a little while longer.