Prelude…

Pillars of red flame shot to the sky as the buildings of the Church of the Predestined burned. The wisps at the top were like fingers reaching to the heavens, only to be quashed by an evil night sky. Their red aura, filled with malice, painted the city of Denver in a hellish glow.
Qira recognized the macabre scene. It was the same one from her continuous nightmare. She let out a sigh as the heat from the flames intensified, “You’re going to have to do a lot better than this, Tar’Mortha. This is the same dream I’ve had for the last fifty years. Do you really think that any of this is going to shock me?”
The painful screams of her victims in the compound forced her to yell. Her voice was barely audible over the chaos.
The Grand Inquisitor, Tyler Allard, crawled towards the fountain at the center of the rear-facing courtyard. His left leg had been injured and could no longer hold him up. Blood dripped from small holes that formed a partial “u” on the back of his leg. He gasped for air as the intense heat choked out any hope of taking a comfortable breath.
His hand grasped the fountain, allowing him to pull himself into a seated position against the small stone structure, “Why do you think you’ve had this endless nightmare? Why do you think it happens to you over and over again?”
“Because Radley died to protect me. Yes, I know I’m responsible for that. It will haunt me until my dying day, but that day isn’t today.”
“You still don’t get it, do you?”
“Get what?”
“It’s more than just your guilt over Radley’s death… you are a cancer, a mongrel. You’re trying to make dragonkind docile, and peaceful. How long before humans turn us into pets, or was that something you were hoping for with Radley?”
Qira clenched her jaw, “That’s never going to happen.”
Tyler shook his head, “Dragons aren’t meant to be peaceful. We do not coexist with other creatures. We tried that on our homeworld, and it failed. We don’t embrace other species. We conquer and subdue them.”
“Yes, and we failed at that too, twice in fact. Your entire council was shattered, have you forgotten that?”
“I have not. Eutherys failed me by using a blunt instrument to the face of humanity. A knife to the back will almost guarantee a kill, where a bash to the face is far easier to block. This time… I will handle things differently. Infecting the minds with propaganda, making them feel as though they should distrust each other… humanity is rife with racial strife and concepts of collective guilt. This will be nothing new to them.”
“Humanity has grown beyond that. They’ve realized that they can’t be consumed by superficial differences and looking backward. It’s time we do the same. You, like the monster you’re impersonating, are a relic of a time long past. You should stay that way. Things will not go as planned. If you attempt to start another war, it won’t be dragons versus humans like last time.”
“Any dragons that decide to join with the humans will meet the same fate. They will be treated as inferiors for years to come.”
Qira shook her head, “I don’t know what’s worse… your plan or that you think it will accomplish anything other than more bloodshed. Regardless of whether or not the world goes the way you want or the way I want, the outcome will be the same. The only difference will be the number of dragons that remain afterward.”
At that moment, Tyler shifted into a new form. Qira watched in horror as Radley appeared. He stood up and looked at her with disdain.
Qira clenched her jaw, “You’re a fool if you think that simply showing him to me will break my spirit.”
Radley frowned, “You’re already over me? You would have given anything to see my face not long ago, even if just for a moment.”
“Not like this… not like this…”
Radley stepped forward, “I’m prepared to make you a deal… give up. Let me have Taryn and kill Ash… and I’ll give you what you want most. You can stay here. You can kill Tyler and keep Radley alive.”
Qira scoffed, “Live in a fantasy world while you destroy what I worked so hard to build… you don’t know who you’re dealing with, do you?”
“I know exactly who I’m dealing with!” Tar’Mortha said as a massive shadow appeared behind Radley.
Qira watched as the shadow grew little by little into a massive creature that even the cathedral couldn’t match. Her expression never changed. She stared down the ancient dragon as it brought its head close to her, “I expected you to refuse… just as I now expect to watch you break!”
Qira shifted to dragon form, “Do your worst, beast. I’m not afraid of you.”
Tar’Mortha laughed, “You are strong for such a runt, but if you think that you have nothing to lose, you’re dead wrong.”
The sound of loud clanking chains entered her ears, followed by a searing pain in her wrists, legs, and sides. She looked down and gasped as purplish-red blood dripped down her body. She’d been impaled by six hooks from her wrists to her feet.
Qira clenched her jaw and attempted to block it out, “It’s… not… real!”
Fire spewed from her lips, striking Tar’Mortha in the chest. The ancient dragon didn’t even react. The moment her attack ended, Qira was hit by a massive flame that engulfed her entire body. As a reflex to absorb the pain, her wings spread as far as they could. It was so hot that the wounds across her body were instantly cauterized.
The moment Tar’Mortha ceased her relentless attack, Qira went limp, panting as steam escaped her body, “Is… that… all… you have?”
Tar’Mortha laughed, “You are the daughter of the Sssvorkacht. I see his strength in you. It is a shame it’s so wasted here.”
Qira geared up to shoot another blast when a chain wrapped around her snout, forcing her mouth to remain closed. Tar’Mortha smiled, “Your powers are infinitesimal compared to even a flick of my claw. That you ever thought you were a threat to me is beyond insulting!”
At that moment, everyone that Qira knew and loved, appeared in front of her. Jagger, Reggie, Ash and Taryn, Loreli, and many others, whom she’d known over the years, joined Radley’s side.
Tar’Mortha looked down on them, “See, the problem with these creatures is that they lack resolve. You threaten them even a little and they’ll run to the strongest source they can find for protection… Regardless of how awful that force is… or they’ll tear one another to pieces just to maintain a status quo.”
Qira watched, unable to move or speak her friends quickly turned on one another. They scratched, bit, and bludgeoned each other. The horrible mess turned macabre when they began to tear at each other’s flesh like a pack of rabid dogs.
Qira tried to look away in disgust as a massive pool of blood began to form, but she was unable to move. The onslaught only ended once each of them was little more than a bloodied husk laying on the ground. The animalistic cries echoed in her mind. It’s not real… It’s not real… It’s… not… real! Get out of my head, you bitch!
Qira’s eyes blinked. The blue fire appeared in her eyes as her ire was raised. She broke free of her restraints and released her jaw. Once the hooks were out, she unleashed a massive flame. The blast not only engulfed the horrific scene on the ground but also spread across Tar’Mortha, “You just made a huge mistake! No one attacks the person I hold dear. No one desecrates that memory, ever!”
The flame was relentless and intensified as Qira continued to spray it, “Get out!”
The scene vanished in a flash of darkness. Qira found herself back in the icy cave, panting. The pain was still there, but it was more manageable, and the injuries were gone. Every sensation was quickly replaced with a relentless chill.
A relentless chuckle echoed through the cave, “You think you’ve won? You are strong… very strong, Qira… but not as strong as you think. You think you can save them? You can’t even save yourself, let alone the people who you love the most.”
Qira clenched her teeth, “There was nothing I could do! There was no way… I couldn’t have known…”
“No? Let me show you the truth.”
“I don’t need you to show me anything. I know the truth. I know what happened…”
“Do you? It’s said that if you bend a single blade of grass, you run the risk of altering history. What if I could help you change it? What if…”
At that moment, Qira’s world faded. Her body shifted to dragon form. She turned quickly, “What… what’s going on?”

“A single blade of grass…”

Like what you’ve read? Please check out my PUBLISHED works!

http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU

Note:
If you have read my books, PLEASE log into Amazon and post a review. I really love to hear everyone’s thoughts and constructive criticisms. Reviews help get my book attention and word of mouth is everything in this business!

Thanks friends!

Catch you on the flip side!

-Jim