Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
ALINA
As soon as my feet touched the pebbles of the pavement outside of the tavern, my confidence dipped a little.
I was still experiencing the adrenaline rush after my dealings with Tynan.
His shocked face and parted lips almost gave me a smile.
It was so delightful that I was able to trick him.
I didn't even know I was capable of doing something like that.
The feeling was absolutely amazing. He was always so confident and stoic, but a little bit of flirting and he completely bought it.
My heart was racing as I sprinted through the narrow streets.
The light of the moon outlined the tiny, cramped buildings and the surface of the road was still damp after the light mist earlier in the evening.
I kept looking back, paranoid that he somehow managed to escape and was going to catch me.
And the feeling of a wild chase excited me beyond anything I have ever experienced.
I forced my eyes back to the horizon, I was running even faster now.
Somewhere by the edge of the city line, I took a wrong turn and could not figure out which way to go.
Finally, I decided to shapeshift, and hoped that whoever protected the city from flying dragons would not see me in the dark.
I stopped, concentrating on my body. A burning sensation invaded every particle of my being and I welcomed the change, my limbs elongated and I felt the power of the beast that had been a part of me as long as I could remember.
I had always been considered a strange person in the land filled with people who could not shift.
I was the odd one, the pariah. But my brother always made me feel comfortable and safe, his protection meant that no one ever dared to treat me with anything but respect.
Deep down I knew that I was a freak, I was unlike anyone I knew.
In these strange lands, I was not weird.
I was not unique in any way. I was one of them.
I was still thinking about that as I lifted my body up, and started to climb through the air.
My body was weaker than I remembered, but my dragon blood allowed me to heal very fast. Unlike any human, I was almost back to normal after only a couple of days of rest and a few good meals.
As soon as I thought about food and water, my confidence gave way. I was not prepared for a long-distance journey, especially if landing was not an option. I might have been signing my death warrant, but at the same time, it was the only option I had.
My heart almost stopped when I left the security of the buildings and entered the empty sky. I kept looking back, trying to see if I was noticed. Luckily, I was almost on the other side of the channel. When I returned my gaze to the black land below me, other concerns filled my soul.
What now?
I scrutinized the remains of the buildings and roads that no one used anymore. It was too dark to see any crawlers but I was sure they were right below. I sighed and concentrated on the perfect circle of the moon.
The sun was already up, and my muscles were burning with fire.
I could not keep pushing myself, so I continued to ascend and glided with the thermals in the warm sunlight, trying to preserve some of my energy.
I desperately needed to rest, and I needed food, but more importantly, I needed water.
It was incredible that I lasted so long without taking any breaks, I could not keep going any longer.
Almost against my will, I descended even more and surveyed the land below.
The remains of the dragon cities sprawled underneath like scattered board game pieces.
Here and there I could see the city walls and partially destroyed brick buildings.
I also passed several castles that were standing in the midst of overgrown meadows with dull, brown grass reaching almost to the middle of the castle walls.
Everywhere I looked, there were no signs of life, only death and destruction.
I could only imagine how the land looked before the undead, and for the first time, I thought that I would like to see it prosperous and free of the monsters.
I angled my body lower, trying to spot a place where I could safely land. I did not want to stay too close to bigger cities because of all the undead that could be hiding behind every corner. At the same time, rural areas had less resources including food, water, and shelter.
It was long past noon when I found a small village with a church building that stood in the very center of the flat land.
My eyes peered down the broad streets, but there were no crawlers in sight.
I circled down and landed on the roof of the only tall building.
As soon as my body touched the warm ceramic shingles, I groaned.
Despite my best efforts, my dragon transformed and I fell on my hands and knees.
My muscles shook with exhaustion. I knew I would not be able to move, even if I tried.
Forcing myself to sit upright, I searched the rooftop.
The place seemed secure enough, I could not see any way the monsters could get to me here.
Out of the blue, I remembered that Tynan and his group used rooftops when they needed a safe place for landing.
I flipped over onto my back and stretched my arms, looking up.
If only I had some water. There should be some water source, people would never settle far from a well or a natural spring.
I rolled to my side and lifted my knees up to my chest. I needed to get up and search the area. I needed to find a safe way down. My eyelids grew heavy. The sun was so gentle on my cheek. I closed my eyes only for a moment.
Consciousness came back to me slowly. My arm had gotten uncomfortably numb, and that alone, at last, forced me to abandon my deep and dreamless sleep. When I finally opened my eyes, it was already getting dark.
“Oh, gods!” I scrambled up to my feet.
The sun was going down, taking all of its warmth with it. My limbs started to shake, almost paralyzed with cold. I shivered and rubbed my forearms.
I slept so long that I missed the safe window of time to go down and explore the area. It was absolutely impossible with the sun setting now. It would not be safe, it would be suicidal.
I swallowed, noticing how dry my mouth felt.
The best possible solution would be to fly through the night and sleep during the day, when it was warmer.
Except, I could not fly like this, I needed water.
I looked down at the remains of the paved roads, almost fully concealed by sand and dry branches, and noticed how fast the dim light around me was disappearing.
I still could see the buildings below but that would not last for much longer.
I probably had another ten minutes before it would get too dark to see anything around me.
I bit the inside of my cheek and shifted back to my dragon form.
Without wasting any more time, I landed on the rocky pavement and circled the area around the church.
My dragon body was bigger, taller, and less maneuverable, but I could soar up if I needed to.
I walked between the buildings, painfully aware of my tail scraping against the rocks under me.
My patience was rewarded after the very first turn, I saw a round brick structure with a simple bucket and a chain attached to the wooden beam on top.
I resisted the urge to sprint forward and looked around, straining my ears. The wind was moving a squeaky door somewhere behind me. The sound was making me paranoid. I took another step, turning back to examine the area.
When I was close enough to the well, I did not waste any more time and changed to my human form.
My hands were shaking when I gripped the metal handle.
The chain lowered the bucket, producing a sharp, hard clanking.
My heart almost stopped, but I kept moving the handle.
I could hear the wooden bucket hit the water below, then I started bringing it back up.
My eyes kept returning to the silhouettes of the buildings as I fought the waves of panic that threatened to overpower me.
At last, when the bucket was all the way up, I dragged it to the edge of the well, moving it closer.
I could hardly stop myself from placing my lips to the edge and drinking, except, my eyes caught a glimpse of something moving inside of it, and a silent scream died down deep in my throat.
I saw the outline of a bloated human hand floating on the surface.
I dropped the bucket that fell all the way down with a loud splash.
At the same moment, as if responding to a call, multiple screeches came from every direction.
No, no, no, no!
I stood paralyzed as the sounds of multiple feet on the pavement made my blood run cold. I tried to turn, but my heart would not stop beating like mad, and the change would not come no matter how hard I tried.
Panic whirled deep in my stomach, and I ran toward the buildings. I tried the door handle but it would not budge. I banged on the glass door when suddenly the silhouette of a monster appeared on the other side and I screamed, losing my balance. I scrambled up to my feet and ran to another door.
I was in luck, the door swung open, and with my unsteady hands, I locked it behind me.
My breath was so ragged and loud, that I thought the monsters could easily hear me through the walls.
I searched the dark area, deep into the room.
It was a storefront with empty shelves. Trash and broken furniture littered every surface, the counters were mostly bare.
When I spotted a discarded poker on the floor, I immediately snatched it and returned to my spot by the entrance.
My back touched the front door and I slid down, hugging my knees. My eyes kept sweeping across the room that was getting darker by the second.
The sound of unsteady footsteps and guttural growls came from behind the walls.
I clenched my teeth, allowing fear to invade every fiber of my being until I could hear almost nothing but the frantic beating of my heart and the blood rushing up to my head.
I covered my ears, rocking back and forth. My conscience was slipping away.
Somewhere in the farthest reaches of my mind, flashes of me, in what felt like another life, came back all at once. I started seeing the same painful memories that would not leave me for days at a time, reviving every hurtful event that led me to where I was.
It always started the same; I saw myself in our family castle, my hair was loose, and I wore a silk dress in the color of the tender lilacs. Petro was watching me with a lazy smile as we practiced swords together.
Tears rolled down my cheeks, somehow making me weaker, until I felt so brittle that I could break at any moment.
In my dream, I swung my sword and Petro caught my arm, embracing me. I laughed and pushed him away. His face was so close to mine that I could see his golden eyelashes that outlined his soft blue eyes.
That memory gave birth to something darker, and I saw myself on the floor of the church, the flower petals crushed under my feet, my hands shaking. My brother was holding on to his fiancee, who was convulsing on the floor, covered in blood. Blood was everywhere.
“Where’s Petro?” I screamed.
I whimpered, reliving the same scene over and over. My mind was descending into the darkest place I could not come back from.
My conscience made another attempt to return me to the present and I concentrated on the sounds that were coming from the shadows. My eyes focused on the black corner, and I started hearing dull rustling and a quiet, barely recognizable, breathing. In that instance, my senses came back.
Something is here!
Cold sweat beaded my face, as I clenched the poker until my hands went numb from the effort.
Whatever it was, I had to kill it. I stilled, counting the seconds in my head, my eyes glued to the dark edges of the room.
The sounds were growing louder with every passing moment, until I could take it no longer, and when a disfigured shape appeared on the floor, I almost screamed.
Something was crawling right to me. I whimpered, getting up.
The darkness made it almost impossible to see, but the monster was slowly inching closer, with its arm outstretched.
Its head was turned to the wrong angle, and its legs were missing.
I could clearly distinguish its eyes that reflected the dim light coming from the windows.
My back pressed against the door and I froze.
The monster's mouth opened wide, its lower jaw was completely exposed, the black gashes on its face were clearly visible in the moonlight.
Without a hint of hesitation, the corpse was closing in on me, trying to reach me with its misshapen hands and broken fingers.
I gasped, readying my weapon. When the crawler was almost touching the soles of my shoes I swung my poker, hitting it in the head.
The blow did not affect the undead, its eyes looked up at me, the low growl continued coming from its distorted mouth.
Almost in trance, I moved the poker and plunged the sharp edge into its head, its body jerked and stopped moving.
Only then, I released the breath that I did not know I was holding.