“Know my fire!” Roared Araminth Goldeneye transformed from human to her natural form, dragon.
“My‑re! You are dying today!” Varick’s muffled voice bellowed from outside.
She felt a heavy, enormous impact against the shield enclosure. It moved in the ground. Varick tried to knock it over. Legs going into a split, she wedged her feet into opposite sides. Her hands and arms wrapped tighter in the shields’ leather straps. Using all of her weight, she dropped low to help secure her base.
Failing to knock it over, My‑re felt Varick’s leg smash into the shields with tremendous force, using all his skill and power, turning it into devastating kicks. My‑re shrieked in panic, holding on.
My‑re heard the sound of a massive creature drawing in breath. Then silence for one heartbeat. Metal rang as Varick used his long sword in a piercingly accurate thrust and cracked the shield. A minuscule beam of light showed through. His blade had pierced it!
“May Undgari’s ravens take you!” Varick spat.
The sounds of a massive furnace ignited. The roar of a thousand-thousand fires thundered to life. The screams of men burning and dying filled the cavern. My‑re slammed her plate-covered hand over the crack in the shield. It immediately burned her through the metal. She slammed her other gauntlet over it and removed her hand. It had little effect. She slammed her shoulder into the mail gauntlets. The heat passed through all. She screamed. Her shoulder burned and blistered, and her skin split. She felt the sand turn to glassy sludge. It melted around the edges of her feet. Unbearable heat caused her to gasp! She couldn’t breathe! Her lungs filled with the last bit of hot air. Within seconds, she fought her body’s desire to exhale. If she breathed in the scorching air, her lungs would burn. Outside, the blast of Araminth’s fire was deafening, with no escaping it! Her ears rang and went into a dull whine. She only had moments before she suffocated. She felt nauseous and lightheaded. Stars filled her vision. The world spun and turned black, and her vision narrowed. She slumped, the shield enclosure her tomb.
***
“I sense you.”
My‑re felt a presence in her mind. An invisible hand pulled her from the deep, dark depths. Her consciousness raced to the surface of her being. She gasped for air. Her eyes snapped open.
“There you are.”
Standing above her, she saw Araminth in dragon form, about thirty feet in length, with folded wings. Her long neck, with a hide of golden and green highlights, lowered to get a better peek at her prone form. Her golden brown eyes now held a softer kindness behind them.
“I thought I died,” My‑re whispered.
“You should be. You are the first human I know to survive a direct dragon blast. However, you should not have been looking for me in the first place,” Araminth said directly into her mind.
“You need to work on your apologies,” My‑re said weakly. She then coughed mucus from her lungs.
“That was not an apology,” Araminth replied. Her clawed hand picked up Kildo’s shield contraption. Blackened and warped, it appeared to have started to melt and collapse in on itself. It would not have survived a second blast. “What a marvelous human devise.”
“Dwarven,” My‑re replied. When she saw the confusion on Araminth’s brow, she clarified, “A dwarf made it back on the Isle of the Eye. Kildo Hammerhand.”
“Dwarven make? I should have known. That race has always been skittish about dragons.”
My‑re began to rise, but her seared shoulder and hands failed her, and she went back to the ground. Agony spread through her body when it started to register its wounds.
“At least you are feeling pain, as opposed to the alternative. Myself, I do not enjoy pain.”
“Is Varick dead?”
Araminth turned her head toward what appeared to be a massive, charred form nearby. She then used her giant clawed foot and stomped on it. Ash scattered into the air. She snorted in a condescending tone, “He did not survive.”
Groaning as she rose, My‑re felt the weight of her plate mail armor, especially on her shoulders. Using her burned hands, she attempted to unhook the side straps, but they shook uncontrollably.
“Let me help. It is the least I can do,” Araminth said.
Looking at the dragon’s oversized, heavy, sharp talons, she wasn’t sure she wanted the aid. Araminth’s form began to contract. Her wings and tail retreated into her body. Claws turned into hands, feet, fingers, and toes while her neck and head shrank, which sprouted tawny hair. A perfectly symmetrical, nude Araminth in human form stood before her. She then started to coil her long, tawny hair into a braid. She returned to her former destroyed cage and picked up the burnt remains of her clothing. “The nine hells. My new calf-high boots.”
Returning, Araminth unhooked the straps, keeping My‑re’s breastplate on. She bent over and let gravity pull it off. Drenched in sweat, her thin, underneath arming coat clung to her body. It left little to the imagination. She consciously thought about covering herself, but only a smattering of soot layered Araminth’s body. She didn’t seem to have any reservations about being nude. My‑re removed her plate boots, which had warped, and pinched her feet and toes. She left her relatively undamaged plate leggings on.
Dusting some soot from her hands, Araminth exclaimed, “Now that is settled. Onward.”
The two women made their way up the mine. They passed more forms, the pit gladiators, as they tried to flee. None had made it far. The outlines of their bodies had turned to ash and started to collapse into themselves. Shortly, they could see daylight in the distance. My‑re saw movement outside and saw Shagornan Elves amongst the Rirorni forming a defensive perimeter with long spears around the opening. In the distance rose the masts of the landed Unsinkable III.
“We need two sets of clothes!” Araminth yelled, which echoed. They were still a ways from the opening.
“Mint?” Westwind called back from outside, which also echoed.
“Preferably women’s clothes!” Araminth replied.
Koma came scampering down the tunnel. Sniffing the two women, the mere dragon nudged My‑re’s legs. Due to her burned hands, she used her forearms to pet it.
Araminth looked puzzled when Koma didn’t come to her. “It seems you made a friend.”
Westwind came running down the tunnel. He lacked any replacement clothing in his hands. “Mint!” he shouted and picked Araminth up in his arms, and they gave each other a lengthy kiss. He then wrapped his cloak around her. After a moment, Westwind glanced to My‑re, who covered her front and said, “Thank the great mother goddess Gheal, you are still alive. We saw the blast all the way from the entrance. I’m assuming Varick is dead?”
“He did not survive,” winking, My‑re mimicked Araminth’s words to her.
“Good,” Westwind spat. “We were fortunate then.”
“No, not so lucky,” Araminth replied.
“Not so lucky? How?” Westwind asked.
“Transforming back to dragon has sent out a beacon. I sense a thunder of dragons is coming. Led by Feriale and Yrioth the Ancient, my parents.”