A roar cut through my daydreams, and I jerked upright in my wooden folding chair. Below my watch tower, most of the dragons in the dirt enclosure quietly rested. They stretched and arched muscular backs, or they sharpened their claws on the boulders scattered around the enclosure. None of them were getting into trouble.
Except Leera. Like always, she stood on the tallest flat-topped boulder in the enclosure with her armored chest puffed out. You could see the pride in those catlike eyes. She knew she had the most-desired sunbathing spot, and she was gloating about it.
Her emerald scales shimmered as she flexed leathery wings. She tossed her head, and golden rays of sunlight reflected off ivory horns. I squinted at the resplendent beast and tried to figure out which dragon she'd roared at. From where I sat, one of the watch tower's sagging roof support columns blocked my view.
I stood and edged toward the end of the platform. The splintered boards creaked beneath my feet, and I extended my tail toward one of the sturdier support columns. If the board gave way, I might be able to catch myself. Or I might go plunging into the enclosure and get stepped on by a two-ton dragon. No pressure.
I took steadying breaths as I moved further out on the platform.
"Please hold," I said under my breath. It was the same prayer I whispered every time I climbed up to the rickety watch tower. No matter how much I had nagged Fraitan, the stable manager, after one of the dragons tried to use the watch tower as a toothpick, he hadn't fixed it. I guessed he didn't care too much if a talme like me fell off and got hurt.
When I got to the edge of the platform, I wrapped my tail around the nearest column that didn't look like it might blow over in the wind. The pastel blue scarves covering my tail caught on the splintered wood, and I cringed. Mom would kill me if I tore them, but at least I wouldn't fall to my death.
Peering out over the enclosure, I spotted Leera's unfortunate challenger. Firehorn, a huge male easily five feet taller than Leera, strode up to the boulder. He scraped a claw along one of his four curling horns with a sound like glass on stone. A few other dragons glanced over.
Firehorn bared six-inch-long fangs and raised iridescent neck crests that shone like fire in the afternoon sun. A shiver ran down my tail. He'd nearly killed four sparring partners. Hadn't they muzzled him after the last time?
Leera glanced down at Firehorn from the boulder and raised her snout. She was asking for a fight. When Firehorn was two feet from the rock, he reared on his hind legs and let out a bellowing roar that vibrated in my ears and lungs.
I winced and pressed my hands over my ears as he dropped down to all fours. This didn't look good. They were the two biggest dragons in the enclosure, and I didn't think they'd ever gone head-to-head before. There would definitely be bloodshed.
Leera growled, low enough that I could barely hear her even when I took my hands away from my ears. Her scaly lips twitched, revealing the points of fangs. It was a warning, but Firehorn either didn't notice or didn't care. He hissed and slammed his armored head into her chest, shoving her off the rock.
She hit the ground hard and scrambled to her feet as Firehorn leapt onto the boulder. A roar exploded from her, nearly scaring me off the platform. I patted my belt to make sure I still had my shock stick. I would need it if this fight went south.
Leera jumped and bit one of Firehorn's horns. She dragged his head to the ground and pinned him there with her claws. A startled roar cut off in her throat when Firehorn played dead. She grunted and let go of him, but I knew something was off. Firehorn wouldn't just give up.
As soon as Leera's back was turned, he leapt up and flamed at her rear legs. Her scales cracked, turning black, and she spun to strike with her claws. She cut furrows in his chest plates. Firehorn jerked his horns up under her neck. Red-hot blood dripped from her scales to splatter on the dirt. I wanted to stop them, but I didn't have a wizard's elemental powers.
I could shapeshift and get in the middle of them, but what use would getting clawed to pieces have? My only weapon was the shock stick--a metal rod the length of my hand that was anything but a long-range weapon. As the dragons crashed horns, cold fear crushed my lungs. I couldn't get between them. Could I?
Her legs too badly burned to dart around, Leera stood her ground and slammed her horns against Firehorn's again. He pushed her back with another strike of his armored head. She staggered back, neck bowing under the force of his blows. Her sides heaved, and spittle foamed at her lips. She wouldn't be able to keep this up for long.
Firehorn opened his mouth, sparks flying between his fangs. If he had his way, he would end Leera right here and now. I couldn't watch a majestic animal die because a brute wouldn't fight fair. Taking a quick breath, I uncurled my tail from the column and rushed toward the ladder. I scrambled down it and jumped to the dirt in less than a minute.
Spinning to face the dragons, I knew that if I slowed down for a second, I would convince myself that this was a horrible idea. So I raced toward the center of the enclosure, drawing the shock stick from my belt loop.
Firehorn had Leera pinned pinned beneath his claws. Blackened scales covered her head and neck, flaking off as she scrabbled in the dirt. I hurled the shock stick at Firehorn, and it hit him right in the side of the head. The rod stuck, and blue-white electricity arced off both ends. He collapsed on top of Leera with a dull thump.
She scrambled out from under him and backed away, panting. I breathed deeply, trying to calm my racing heart. It was over. A healing wizard could patch Leera up easily enough, and I might finally be able to convince Fraitan to muzzle Firehorn.
Still struggling to calm down, I walked to Firehorn's still form and bent over to get the shock stick. He jerked his head up and hissed. I scrambled backward, and a jet of flame exploded from the ground between us. My fire-resistant work suit saved me from the worst of the heat. Firehorn lunged through the flames, but a pouncing green figure slammed him back into the ground.
Leera roared in Firehorn's face and jumped on his head again. His eyes flickered closed. Leera looked at me, eyes narrowed. I jumped to my feet and fled toward the enclosure gate. It was already open, and the pudgy Fraitan stood in the gateway. He edged aside to let me sprint past him.
I wanted to keep running, but he caught my arm and yanked me back. Closing the door with one hand, he whipped me around with the other. He leaned so close that his smoky breath hit me like a physical blow.
"What the prip were you doing?"
A bit of spittle hit my cheek, and I quickly wiped it off. "I was just-"
"I saw what you were doing, platank. Compost duty for a week." He pushed me away and wiped his hands on his suit. "You do anything like that again, and I'll throw you out by your tail. That clear?"
"Yes, sir," I said, keeping my gaze on the ground.
"Go home and don't come back until you're ready to do your job right."
"Yes, sir." Not wanting to overstay my welcome, I fled to the stable.
Inside the dim, musty space, I dodged around milling stable hands with pitchforks and wheelbarrows. Most of them were talmes, but a couple were wizards. I flashed back to the jet of flames that had slowed Firehorn's attack. It had seemed to appear out of nowhere, which meant one of the wizards must have summoned it. I couldn't imagine why any of them would go out of their way to do that. Maybe it was an accident and they'd meant to scare me closer to the vicious dragon. That sounded more likely.
Either way, it wasn't something I should worry about now. Knowing Fraitan, he really would throw me out by my tail if I I didn't go home right away. Shaking my head, I rushed down the aisle between stalls. I darted in the supply closet. After grabbing a bag of my casual clothes from the back, I darted back out of the closet. A clock near the front doors told me I was late for dinner. Mom would have my head.
***
I reached the populated part of town soon enough and raced down back alleys in search of the one where I usually hid my work clothes. Seeing as my parents thought I worked with horses, not dragons, I intended to hide the bag there like always. My feet pounded the bricks as I ran. All that had happened today at work kept me there even longer than usual. My mother would kill me if I was a second late for dinner.
A few seconds later, I ducked into the alley I was looking for and hurried to its end. I hadn't had time to change at the stable, so without a second thought, I slipped out of my work clothes in the abandoned alley and pulled on my casual ones, ones that weren't fire proof or covered in scratches. As soon as I'd stowed the bag, I headed towards the main alley again. Before I could even reach the corner, I heard someone talking nearby and jumped back. The fabric covering my tail swished against my pant leg as I moved.
"But she's a talme. Doesn't she smell like animals?" It was a girl, that much I could tell. And she had to be a wizard or a cinem.
"Of course she does," a second person answered. I recognized her voice. It was Ashyr, my adopted sister. She was no-doubt talking about me. "She mucks out horse stalls after school and comes home with dung in her hair," Ashyr continued. That had only happened once.
I peeked around the corner and saw Ashyr walking away from me with two other girls her age. Ashyr was a bit darker skinned than the other two and had her raven-black hair in tight ringlets. I watched them walk all the way up the alley and tried to ignore what they were saying.
"I mean, does she just smell in general? I've heard they stink like animals, but I've never gotten close enough to check. What if one of them touched me?" the red-head asked. I rolled my eyes and snorted softly. If she thought we talmes were so disgusting, why didn't she just go to an all-wizard school?
"They do kind of smell weird," Ashyr admitted, "like dirt."
"Why does the one who lives with you wear that scarf thing around her tail?" the blond asked. Could they possibly walk any slower?
"She's just weird that way. Says it's 'fashionable' or something," Ashyr answered. At least she had enough decency to not tell the truth. Maybe it was just because our parents would lock her in her room for an eternity if she told anyone.
"Well, here we are," the red-head announced as they reached the end of the alley. "I told you I knew my short cuts."
Finally, they were out of sight, leaving me free to race home.
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