Chapter 3 A Dragon in My Town

Calista Pov

"What do you mean, you can't?!" I screamed, my voice sharpening with pure panic. "Transform, you arrogant bastard! Breathe fire! Do something, for god's sake! Aren't you a dragon?"

He gripped my arm suddenly, with startling force. "Run, you fool, and stop screaming."

He hauled me behind him with astonishing strength, my feet barely touching the ground. The beasts behind us howled with mounting fury.

He said, still running without pause, "Tell me the right way out, and I'll make sure nothing gets its hands on us."

The short cloak wrapped around his waist kept threatening to slip loose with every stride, and my eyes .. for some reason .. stayed locked on it, until he snapped, voice sharp, "What are you staring at right now?! Tell me the way!"

I tore my eyes off the cloak, flushing with sudden embarrassment, and scanned our surroundings quickly before shouting directions. "Right! Follow the stream!"

The worn cloak kept twisting and flaring with every leap, and every time it nearly slipped free, he'd catch its edge with his free hand, muttering an endless string of curses. And I have no idea .. for the love of god .. why my mind was so fixated on that cloak at a moment like this.

The sounds behind us grew more horrifying by the second. The wolfish snarls closing in faster.

I screamed as I finally spotted the way out. "Yes! There .. the far edge of the cliff, the stone bridge that leads to my family's magic shop!"

We reached the bridge leading out of the forest, and the instant my feet touched its stones, I collapsed onto it in disbelief. "We made it... we actually made it."

All the beasts stopped short at the bridge's edge, unable to cross, and the dragon added, insufferably smug, "You survived thanks to me, obviously. Now .. take me to my palace, out of this place."

I ignored his arrogance completely and pushed myself to my feet. "We're going to my family's shop. They're the ones who'll take you to your palace."

He walked behind me with relative calm, chattering nonstop. "I genuinely don't understand what's happening to me. How did I end up here, in a place I'm seeing for the very first time in my life? And where exactly is this shop of your family's?"

I answered him with deliberate indifference. "You're in the town of Uralis, and.."

He cut me off sharply. "Are you mocking me right now? Uralis is my town. My palace is there."

"Fine, you're right .. I made a mistake. It's just a small town near Uralis, that's all. That's where we live."

He furrowed his brows in confusion. "What did you just say? How is that possible? I'm certain the Falcros family lives in Uralis itself! What exactly are you doing here? You're highly suspicious..."

This man is insane. Completely, utterly out of his mind. I stopped and turned to face him. "Wait here. I'm going to get someone to help. Don't move from this spot .. I'll be right back."

"And how am I supposed to trust you, when you're the suspicious one here?"

I looked at him seriously. "I'm not the one who's been chasing you since the start, then latched onto you like gum, if I recall. You're the one following me, in case you haven't noticed."

He gave me a clearly disapproving look. "Then why can't I just come with you, instead of waiting here?"

I looked him up and down pointedly. "I don't think you can exactly walk among people looking like that."

I headed off toward my shop after that, which stood just a short distance from the bridge into the forest. I have no idea how I'm going to explain any of this to Aunt Mirabel tonight.

I stopped in front of the Falcros shop, glowing with its usual dazzling magic, and took a deep breath, trying to slow my racing heart before pushing open the heavy wooden door. A brass bell overhead chimed sharply.

The shop was crammed with shelves of colored glass jars, spell powders shimmering inside them, rare dried herbs hanging from the ceiling like swaying green ribbons, while the glow of magical lanterns cast a strange warmth over everything.

Behind the main marble counter stood Aunt Mirabel, holding a delicate silver scale, weighing out a shimmering purple powder, adjusting her reading glasses on the tip of her nose with her usual stern expression.

She lifted her head the instant the bell rang. "Calista! Finally, you're back!" she called out sharply, worry and her usual harshness tangled together in her voice.

Out of the whole family, she's the only one who treats me with any real kindness, despite her famously sharp tongue.

I said, visibly on edge, "Aunt Mirabel... we need to talk. It's important. Extremely important."

She looked around at all the customers in the shop, then added seriously, "My apologies to everyone, but we'll be closing for today. We'll continue tomorrow."

Everyone nodded and made their way toward the door, and my aunt called after them with a smile, "Thank you all for understanding! The Falcros shop will be waiting for you tomorrow."

Once everyone had gone...She narrowed her eyes, scanning me head to toe.

"Why do you look like such a mess? Where have you been? Why are you so late?" She clapped a hand over her mouth suddenly. "Don't tell me you were in the enchanted forest until now."

"Actually.."

She cut me off without giving me a single chance to speak. "Did the beasts attack you?"

"Yes, but.."

She cut me off again, closing the distance between us in quick steps. "Oh my god .. did they do something to you?"

"Just listen to me, I.."

She grabbed my shoulders, shaking me. "Did they touch you? Did they curse you?"

"No, it's.."

"Why in god's name did you stay out there until.."

I screamed, completely out of patience, cutting off her flood of questions all at once. "Stop! Damn it .. I made a mistake far, far bigger than that..."

I paused for one single moment, just to catch my breath.

"I woke up the legendary dragon."