I couldn’t stay still as the governor ordered the miners to safer ground. I stood with Reese to the side as we waited for Mr. Lockhart to give the final instructions. The governor spotted us and made his way over.  

“Alright, Fin.” He grabbed my wrist and slapped a stick of explosives in my hand. “It’s simple enough. Climb up there, slip through the back passage, plant the stick and get the hell out.” He handed over a long fuse.

I nodded.

“Light the end and run for it. Be careful. This shapeshifter is far more dangerous than the others.”

“Okay,” I breathed.

“Don’t be nervous.” He patted me on the back and pushed me toward the rock face. “You’re a grown man now. Don’t be afraid.”

Afraid, I bit my lip; I was shaking and terrified. So many things could go wrong. I glanced up the sharp incline and turned around. “Do I have to?”

“Now,” ordered the governor.

With a deep breath, I started the climb. The whole village was gathered at the lookout to watch me try and blow up a fire demon as if it was some damn spectacle. All I could do was whisper a prayer to any god willing to listen that everything would happen as ideally as the governor suggested.

I pulled myself onto the top ledge and walked through a narrow passage to the back entrance. Sitting on my heels, I examined the rather small opening. I would have to crawl. Between the cramped space and the fire shapeshifter lurking inside, I really just wanted to go back and tell Lockhart there had been a rock slide. Knowing how stubborn the old man was, he’d send me back up with a shovel and pickaxe to clear the way.

I tied the end of the fuse to a bush and unraveled a couple feet.

Making sure the explosive was tucked into my pants, I dropped to my stomach and shimmied into the tunnel.

“Oh god,” I muttered as I dragged myself through. “Why does it always have to be me?”

The rocks grated against my skin. By the time I reached the end, my shirt was torn and my arms were bleeding. I sucked on a cut along the side of my hand as I carefully maneuvered down the rocks to the main floor.

The shifter didn’t seem to be this far back. Then again, I had never seen a fire one before. It could magically be able to blend into the walls. I laid out the fuse as far into the room as it would go and stuck the end into the explosive. I shoved it under a rock and stood with a little sense of pride.

“Easy enough,” I whispered as I walked back to the tunnel.

A rush of heat engulfed me. I dropped to the ground and covered my head as the flames burned the clothes from my body. It stopped, and my body was shaking with excitement. I ran my fingers over my reddened skin. It felt so good.

I heard a screech and turned over. My moment of pure bliss had ended when I spotted the creature causing all the problems. That was not a shapeshifter. I had snuck a peek at through enough of Hobbs’ books to recognize a dragon.

It cocked its head to the side before letting out a scream and hitting me again with another wave of fire. I practically melted into the ground. This was heaven. I could die now and be at peace. I had waited so long for a chance to feel flames around me. Watching from the sidelines as shapeshifters were burned was a cruel torture. I wanted to be the one up there feeling the heat.

I just laid there on the stones, soaking in the warmth. This was what I’d been searching for ever since the moment I saw the woman burn. I never wanted it to end.

The dragon stood over me and nudged me with its nose. I didn’t move and secretly prayed it would hit me again. It snarled instead.

My eyes went wide, and I was yanked out of my state of bliss. “Oh, no.”

It raised a claw hand and it aimed at my head.