The Witch's Dragon

by Melania Tolan

  A soft paw patted my naked shin. I didn’t have to look down to know it was my cat. I closed my eyes and crouched down, gathering her into my arms and burying my face in her silky gray fur.

  “I hope you weren’t going to leave me yet again without saying goodbye.” She purred in my ear.

  “You care that much?”

  “Has immortality killed a few of your brain cells? Of course, I care. I chose you, did I not?” She licked my forehead.

  “Yeah, but you know how cats are.”

  “How are they?”

  The ground shook again.

  “We don’t have time for this.”

  “Fine. Go find your loverboy. We’ll come and get you as soon as lizard boy can fly us off the island. Now go before they destroy us all.”

  I gave her a soft squeeze. “I love your grumpy little fur butt. Take care of the boys.”

  I set her down and pressed my hands together, my fingertips pointing away from my body. Just as if I would part a curtain, I leaned into the barrier, my hands sinking into the invisible wall as if it were made of foam. I imagined an opening forming as I pressed my hands out and slipped through to the other side, letting the portal seal on its own behind me.

  The moment I stepped outside my protective circle, the hissing sound returned in full force. A few explosions echoed on the other side of the ridge, but they weren’t nearly as powerful as they had been the day before.

  I stole one last glance at my little magic family and blew them a kiss. I knew that my protection barrier would keep them safe for a while. Then I turned and raced through the collapsed forest, leaping over fallen trees and rubble from the landslide.

  I followed the source of the hissing. Gray clouds hung low, covering the mountains and tops of the few standing trees that remained. I scanned for wildlife, but only a few rodents hiding in tunnels below the forest’s surface remained.

  All this death because my father wants me back under his control.

  Had I known this would happen, I would have swum out to the witch bitch and let her have her way with me, if that would have spared the beautiful island. What would humans say about the damage? The seismic activity from the explosions and the landslides must have caught their attention.

  I noted that the temperature had gone up as I climbed the foggy mountain. Though it took a lot more to sweat as a strigoi, I could feel beads of perspiration forming on my brows. At first, I thought the clouds covering the mountains was just fog, but as I moved through it, I discovered it was steam. Sulfuric vents opened here and there as I clambered up the ridge.

  The bombs had awoken an ancient volcano. The ring of mountains around the forest valley was actually an old caldera. And my friends were sitting right in the middle.

  Chapter 27

  I paused and leaned against a hot boulder on the side of the mountain, my bare skin burning at the contact. Closing my eyes, I focused my mind on the three life forms at the center of the caldera. This was difficult, as the heat and quaking ground interfered with my ability to track their force, but I found Argo.

  “You’re in the middle of a volcano and it’s about to blow. Get the hell out of there as quickly as you can. I’m dropping the barrier now and will lead them out to the opposite side of the island while you guys escape on the south side.”

  “I suspected this,” Argo replied. “Molten earth does not bother me. I will protect the others. Worry not.”

  I severed the mental connection, dropped the protective wall from around my friends, and then hurried up the rest of the mountain until I reached the peak and descended on the other side. Everything rumbled, sending loose rocks down toward the beach. My skin bubbled from the heat. Had I been human, I would have been dead by now.

  I couldn’t wait to get down to the water to cool off.

  My body felt sluggish and my legs slowed. I stumbled several times, falling on all fours. Eventually, I came out of the steam clouds and could finally see the dark blue sea a few hundred yards down.

  The shoreline looked much different from it had the last time I’d stood here only a couple days before, but the air was cooler here. My skin mended itself from the burns. I scanned the water, searching for the submarines, but dark gray clouds hovered over the surface of the sea.

  I could feel something out there, though. Someone watched me from afar.

  The ground continued to shake at random intervals. If this volcano blew, humans would come crawling. I hoped that Argo and the rest of my friends would get out before they were noticed. The sooner I got off this island and into my enemy’s possession, the sooner my companions could flee to safety.

  I reached the edge of the water and shouted, “I’m here! You’ve taken everything from me, so you might as well take me too.”

  The rippling waves of the sea drowned out my voice. I prepared myself to shout again, when the thick fog parted, revealing three gray military battleships. At first, I thought they belonged to humans—until I caught sight of the rotund, balding man standing on the deck of the ship in the middle. His sparkling blue robes fluttered in the wind, giving him the appearance of importance.

  At least it’s not witch bitch. Although I was sure she wasn’t far behind.

  The side of the ship opened, and a small unmanned boat came out, bobbing over the water. It slowly moved toward the shore as if remote-controlled.

  “Get on the boat and put the cuffs on. If you don’t, I’ll blow up the rest of the island, along with your cat, the dragon, and that devious elf.” Octavian’s words reached my strigoi ears loud and clear.

  To drive his point further, four missile launchers on each of the three ships turned toward the mountains behind me.

  “Very unnecessary, unless you want to blow us all up.” I jabbed my thumb behind me. “In case you haven’t noticed, that’s a volcano, and it’s about to go ‘boom’.”

  Octavian said nothing, but the guns didn’t change their position either.

  The small boat stopped about twenty feet from the shore. I dove into the water and swam to it. When I climbed over the back side where the motor was located, I saw the set of silver handcuffs laying on the bench in the middle of the boat. Reluctantly, I put them on. The moment the silver touched my skin, the device locked into place, blue arcs of light encasing my wrists and blocking my current of energy.

  I closed my eyes and turned my thoughts toward the man I longed to see again.

  I’m coming for you, Traian.

  To be continued…

  Acknowledgments

  Just like how Everly needs her village of gypsies, elves, dragons, cats, and vampires to get her to the next chapter of her journey, so does this author. I would not have gotten to “To Be Continued…” without some pretty amazing people in my life.

  First shout out goes to the Morning Word Warriors (Jeff, Jackson, Nikko, Rob, and Shannon). You guys helped me stay on target and get these words written. Your encouragement, humor, and realness kept me going when I struggled with my injuries, depression, and getting through the holiday madness. That’s why I dedicate this book to you. Thank you.

  Second shout out to my fabulous editor, Jen McDonnell. Oh yeah, I wanted to curse every time when I got edits back from you, but your suggestions and comments helped me get a better version of this story out. Many thanks.

  Third goes to my beta and proof reader, Laura Heilman. You’ve been there since the beginning and you’ve supported me through thick and thin. I wouldn’t be here without your kindness, a sharp eye for detail, and the generous cheering. Thousands of thanks to you.

  Of course, I can’t leave out my husband Eric and our daughter. You guys put up with so much crap when I’m under deadline. Thank you for your patience and love. You inspire me and I love you both to the moon and back.

  And Earl, my wild fourteen-year-old kitten. If you could talk, you’d sound a lot like Storm.

  Lastly and most importantly, to my readers. You guys made this happen and your support helps get the next story out.
I can’t thank you enough and am still rather in shock that people who do not know me are buying my books and reading them. It’s a damn miracle. My heart overflows with gratitude for every one of you.

  About the Author

  Melania is an international-selling author of fantasy and nonfiction. When she’s not spinning stories in her head, you can find her exploring the Pacific Northwest outdoors with her family, sampling the local cider, binging on sci-fi and superhero shows on Netflix, or practicing yoga in her living room. Born in Romania, she draws inspiration from the folklore of her motherland. Before publishing fantasy novels and short stories, she wrote about her battle with postpartum depression in Urban Goddess Mama.

  Also by Melania tolan

  The Witch’s Spark

  The Witch’s Chalice

  The Witch’s Sword (Coming Fall 2019)

  The Legends of Carpatia