Mystic

Chapter 8

Neve took the lead, twisting her hand as spikes of ice shot up through the ground, covering the dragon's talons.

Once its feet were stuck in the ice, Taryn raced underneath the wild beast, lifting her sword above her head as she tried to slay the dragon. But one touch to the scales and her sword shattered before her, the carefully crafted metal falling into shards on the floor.

The dragon lifted its foot, breaking free from the ice. The other followed, and then the next. Taryn ran out from beneath the beast until she was back to hiding amongst the books.

Neve was still fighting the thing, trying to use whatever magic she could to keep it in place long for them to get out. Taryn looked at the entrance to the library, if they could just give themselves enough time, they might be able to run away.

As if on cue, the dragon broke free from more of Neve's ice, rearing its head as its tail swung back and forth, knocking bookshelves directly in front of the doorway. Taryn could almost feel her chances of getting out alive slipping away.

Neve ran behind the bookshelves and appeared next to Taryn, out of breath. "Well?"

"What do you want me to do about it?" Taryn whispered.

"I thought maybe you'd have an idea," Neve said, still panting.

"The only way we can get out is through that door, which is currently blocked with heavy bookshelves, what's your plan?"

"Windows?" Neve suggested.

"They're too high up. We'd have to climb the shelves, and they're not steady enough to hold us." Taryn pointed out. "I'll do what I can to distract it, find Andre and Zeph and try to get the bookshelf separated from the door."

Neve nodded and was off.

Taryn crouched beside the bookshelf, readying her knives even though she knew they were useless.

She screamed as she ran into the middle of the room, drawing the dragon's attention towards herself. It moved quickly, one large foot after the other as it came closer to Taryn. She screamed again as she started running away, trying to keep its attention on her. She peered over her shoulder, where she could see Andre and Neve attempting to lift the bookshelves crowding the doorway. Zeph wasn't with them.

In her moment of distraction, large talons had reached forward and ripped Taryn away from the ground. She screamed as the beast tossed her aside, throwing her against one of the library's walls. A pain shot through her back as she laid there, hardly able to move.

The dragon turned around, it's attention now on Andre and Neve.

"Get out of the way," Neve said, stretching out her hands. Small bursts of ice shot up from the ground in an attempt to lift the case. Less than a foot above the ground, the ice started to crack. Neve kept going, but soon enough the shards broke completely.

"Your ice can't even handle a bookshelf?" Andre yelled.

"I've spent most of my magic, okay? I'm sorry I was busy trying to keep that thing from crushing you!" Neve yelled back.

The dragon reached forward towards Andre this time. It stuck his leg, tearing through the leg of his pants as it left a large gash in his leg, the mark of three talons remaining in his wound as blood started to ooze out of his injury.

Taryn had barely gotten to her knees when she saw the sight. Before she could run to him, a book whizzed through the air behind her, hitting the dragon in the back of its leg, enough of a signal to tell it something was there.

Zeph stepped out from behind Taryn, his chest puffed out and his head held tall.

The dragon growled as it moved its head closer to Zeph, its large teeth poking out of the sides of its mouth. Zeph held his ground.