The dragon’s wing scraped the rooftop of the Mil
ler house, sending shingles flying.
Clara Hayes ducked as one whizzed past her face.
“Report says a flying creature landed near the h
igh school,” said her partner, radio in hand.
She stared at the smoke rising from the culdesac
. “That’s not a creature. That’s a goddamn drago
n.”
A low, guttural growl echoed from behind the hed
ge.
Then came the footsteps — heavy, deliberate, and
definitely not human.
Clara pulled her revolver. “Stay behind me.”
The dragon emerged, scales shimmering like oil o
n asphalt. One eye locked on her, intelligent an
d ancient.
“You can understand me, can’t you?” she said.
The dragon blinked slowly.
“I knew it,” Clara muttered. “This town just got
weird.”
A siren wailed in the distance.
“Too late for backup,” she said. “We talk. Now.”
The dragon snorted, smoke curling from its nostr
ils.
“Talk,” Clara repeated, voice steady. “Or I shoo
t.”
A pause. Then a voice, deep and resonant, rolled
through the air.
“I am not your enemy.”
Clara raised an eyebrow. “Then whose enemy are y
ou?”
The dragon’s gaze flicked toward the high school
. “The ones who shot me down.”
Her stomach dropped. “Who?”
“I was summoned,” it said. “To protect a girl. S
he is the key.”
“To what?”
“The gate.”
Clara holstered her gun. “You’re going to need t
o explain that.”
“Later,” the dragon said. “They’re coming.”
A black sedan turned the corner.
Clara recognized the emblem on the hood. “Govern
ment.”
The dragon vanished into the trees.
“Dammit,” she hissed. “Stay here.”
She sprinted toward the woods.
“Clara!” her partner called after her.
She ignored him.
The dragon waited in a clearing, halfhidden by m
ist.
“You said you were summoned,” she said. “By who?
”
“A student,” it replied. “Lila Park.”
The name clicked. “The girl who transferred last
week?”
“She is fated,” the dragon said. “To open the ga
te. And to close it.”
Clara narrowed her eyes. “You’re talking about a
war.”
“I am talking about a choice.”
Footsteps snapped behind her.
Clara turned, hand on her holster.
It was Lila, breathless and wideeyed.
“You’re… real,” she whispered.
The dragon bowed its head. “And so are you.”
Clara stepped between them. “What’s going on?”
Lila clutched a pendant. “I didn’t mean to call
him. I just…
woke up one day, and I could hear him.”
Clara’s gut twisted. “Hear him?”
“It’s in my dreams,” Lila said. “The gate. The w
ar. The blood.”
The dragon lowered its snout to her palm. “You a
re ready.”
Clara crossed her arms. “Ready for what?”
“To choose,” the dragon said.
Lila looked at Clara, fear and resolve in her ey
es. “I don’t want this.”
“You don’t have to,” the dragon said. “But if yo
u refuse, the gate will open anyway.”
Clara felt the weight of the moment. “Then we st
op it.”
The dragon rumbled. “Together.”
A shadow passed overhead.
Clara looked up. “Not today.”
Gunfire cracked.
Clara tackled Lila to the ground.
The dragon roared, flame erupting from its maw.
The sedan burst into flames.
Clara grabbed Lila’s wrist. “Run.”
They sprinted through the trees.
Behind them, the dragon fought off the agents, s
moke and fire lighting the forest.
Clara spotted a hidden path. “There!”
They ducked into a cave, the entrance masked by
vines.
Inside, glowing runes lined the walls.
Lila gasped. “The gate.”
Clara touched the stone. “This is ancient.”
The dragon appeared behind them, wounded but sta
nding. “It is not the first time it has opened.”
“And it won’t be the last,” Clara said.
Lila stared at the runes. “I can feel it pulling
me.”
Clara gripped her shoulder. “Then don’t let it w
in.”
Lila closed her eyes. “I’ll seal it.”
The dragon nodded. “With your life.”
Clara stiffened. “There’s no other way?”
“There is,” the dragon said. “But it requires sa
crifice.”
Clara stepped forward. “I’ll do it.”
Lila looked at her. “You don’t even know me.”
“But I know what’s at stake.”
The dragon’s eyes glowed. “You are brave, detect
ive.”
Clara smirked. “Just doing my job.”
Lila shook her head. “No. I was chosen. I have t
o finish this.”
Clara nodded. “Then I’ll make sure you survive.”
The dragon bowed. “Then we begin.”
Light flared.
The ground trembled.
Clara drew her weapon. “Let’s end this.”
The runes pulsed, the air thick with magic and d
anger.
Outside, more agents approached.
Inside, the gate shimmered, waiting for a choice
.
Clara stood between the girl and the darkness.
“Let them come.”
