destiny.
The horrors of war that I have beheld before in my human life have to take a backseat to the reality of my duty now as a dragon born. I am stronger than I ever imagined I could be. My inner dragon growls in agreement. Trav nods at me, and we both begin our shift, changing almost instantly into massive beasts whose scales gleam in the moonlight. Trav roars, and I roar back at him.
We jump into the night sky on strong wings that fly swiftly over the land. Below I see the cavern that dips far below Skyland Castle. The height no longer scares me. It no longer scares the human within me, for she and I are becoming one.
We fly fast through the night until we make it to Conyac’s land. Below, in the distance, I see the black rock walls of Castle Blackwell, surrounded by the writhing he formed bodies of the legion of Orgs.
The human within me shudders. She fears the fight, but I do not. I long to use my sound waves on these mutant beasts. I wish to see them fall before me, their ears bleeding from their ruptured brains.
We swoop into the inner yard of Castle Blackwell and find Conyac preparing his troops for the defense of his fortress. We land and shift in mid-motion, walking quickly towards Prince Conyac.
“Thank the gods you have arrived,” Conyac says approaching us. “I’m glad you are here, princess. I need you both tonight.”
As Conyac’s men mount the walls and begin firing blazing arrows at the oncoming Org army, Conyac, Trav, and I burst into the air in our dragon forms. We fly above the castle walls, taking in the numbers of enemy below us.
Trav attacks first, unleashing his fiery breath on a squadron a thousand strong. The Orgs burst into flames, screaming, and writhing as they die. Conyac attacks next, swooping above another squadron of Orgs.
He blows his frost breath at the Orgs closest to the castle. Their bodies are frozen solid instantly. He swoops to the ground, in a crash that reverberates through the earth. The shockwaves burst the ice, and the frozen Orgs shatter into a thousand pieces.
There are still many Orgs attacking. I know it is my turn, and I will not hesitate to do my part. I swoop, aiming at the oncoming army. I open my mouth and scream. The sound cracks their skulls and shatters their bones. A thousand Orgs lay broken and bloodied on the ground. I smile, knowing my power is great.
But there are still many Orgs, and I will not have my dragon breath again for some time. Without making the hilock, I do not have the power of the monarchs. I can only use my sound shock once an hour. It cannot wait; the battle must be won now.
I fly to where Conyac and Trav have landed and have transformed into their mortal forms. I land beside them and shift, gripping my sword. Now that I am a woman again, fear rises in my chest and grips my stomach. I think I’m gonna hurl.
“With me,” Conyac shouts lifting his sword. There is no time to think. We dart into the fray along with the rest of Conyac’s troops.
I draw my sword, growling as I hurl myself into battle. Both strength and skill I didn’t know that I had emerge as I move in my deadly dance. The dragon born princes and I fight back to back, hacking through the deformed bodies of the Orgs.
Sticking close to the princes, I slice and kick and punch the enemy, until a pile of bodies lies at my feet. I glance over my shoulder to see Conyac dart into dragon form and fly several hundred yards ahead of us into the battle. He transforms back into a man and begins to fight ferociously, hacking one Org after the next.
A new legion of Orgs sprints over the hill and assaults Conyac all at once. He attacks them, their bloodied forms falling to the ground at his feet. I continue fighting, but when I look up I see several hundred Orgs jumping on Conyac from behind. I scream, and Conyac begins to shift, but an Org stabs him in the gut. Conyac staggers, bleeding from a mortal wound. He slices the Org’s head off before falling to his knees.
I