This scene is for my husband. He’s been begging me forever to write a dragon fight, so I finally did. For those who don’t know, my husband puts quite a bit of input into my stories. I go over every outline with him and he makes suggestions. Some of those suggestions even end up in my book.
He’s also addicted to Dr. Pepper. Go figure.
This scene is a fight between Olive’s dragon stepfather and another dragon named Silvestra, who is hopping mad at Olive because she did something earlier in the book, and she feels Olive tricked her.
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And now, for that snippet!
From Silverwitch, Chapter Fifteen
A group of people had gathered outside the castle walls. We pushed through the crowd, though as we neared the gates, I wasn’t sure what we could do to stop the dragon. She would burn the castle to the ground without a second thought.
My heart raced as we finally made it through the main gates. As we raced for the keep’s entrance, the dragon screamed, and I stopped when I saw another form swoop down and block out the stars.
Fan’twar barreled into the dragon, knocking her back. The light cast from the flaming tower reflected off his gold and her silver scales. As the dragons fought, my heart clenched. Fan’twar hated violence. It had been the norm for his kind for so long, and he’d tried so hard to erase that stigma from their past, but now it looked as if he had no choice but to fight.
The silver dragon snapped her massive jaws, barely missing Fan’twar’s neck. He dodged to the side, then swung his tail and hit her side, knocking her off balance. She struck at him again, but he moved away.
Overhead on the tower, the flames had been doused, leaving large clouds of smoke to replace the flames. The sharp scent of burned wood filled the air and was carried through the valley on the breeze. Bright embers flitted on air currents, drifting away from what remained of the tower.
The crowd of people grew larger as everyone fled the keep to the open courtyard. Kull’s mother and Brodnik were among them. The queen’s cheeks were smudged with soot, and she couldn’t seem to stop coughing as they limped outside.
“Kull,” she said, grabbing his arm.
“Mother, what happened?”
“I… I was in the tower when the witch appeared.” Her coughing fit started again, and she motioned for Brodnik to continue.
“The witch demanded to speak to you and Olive. When we couldn’t find you, she transformed and blasted a hole right through the tower.”
Kull clenched his fists as he stared up at the battling dragons.
“Have you a sword, Brodnik?” he asked.
“Aye.” He pulled a short sword from a scabbard at his waist and handed it to Kull. “I doubt that blade will do anything against a dragon. You don’t mean to go and fight her, do you?”
“I will do what I must.”
I grabbed Kull’s arm. “What are you doing?”
“What does it look like?”
“Kull, no! She wants you back. It would be better to hide.”
“Olive,” he said calmly, though I saw the panic in his eyes, “don’t you see? She’ll never stop until she has me. We never escaped her at all. There is only one way to the end this.”
“But it’s suicide. You’re no match for a dragon.”
“Then you’d best stay here,” he said and entered the castle.
“Brodnik,” Kull’s mother said, “we must go after him. We can’t let him confront the dragon.”
Brodnik stared up at the two battling dragons, his face pensive. “There’s not a word I can say to convince him otherwise.”
“Then let me speak to him.” She choked as she spoke, and I knew her lungs were possibly damaged from inhaling so much smoke. “He can’t do this,” she said. “I’ve already lost his father…” Her voice wavered. “I can’t lose him, too.”
“Nay, it’s too dangerous in there, and you need a physician.”
“But someone has to stop him!”
I spoke up. “I’ll go,” I said, my eyes meeting hers. “I can stop him.”
“You, Olive? But, no, I didn’t mean you. It’s too dangerous for you.”
“It’s all right. I’ve had a little experience dealing with dragons. And with your son—who is more stubborn than the dragons, I assure you. I’ll make sure he doesn’t kill himself up there.”
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“Yes.” I turned to Brodnik, speaking quietly. “Make sure she sees a physician soon.”
He nodded, and then I backed away to enter the castle. Most of the people had cleared out, making the place eerily quiet as I took the stairs up to the topmost tower. The beating of my heart thudded loud in my ears. The acrid scent of smoke grew stronger the higher I climbed.
As I passed one floor and then another, the dragon’s shrieks pierced the stillness. I reached the top of the tower and entered an enormous, circular room, where a few piles of wood still smoldered, casting their flickering lights over Kull’s silhouette. He stood at the center of the room, while above him, through the room’s ruined, open roof, the two dragons fought.
Against the backdrop of stars, the two massive creatures attacked one another. Sounds of ripping flesh echoed through the tower. Occasional bursts of flames blinded me as the dragons shot fireballs at one another.
Fan’twar drove his massive head into Silvestra’s chest. She shrieked as she tumbled from the sky, landing with a thunderous crash on the tower’s floor.
The dragon’s body blurred, and soon we no longer stood over a dragon, but a woman. Silvestra lay before us, bleeding and panting for breath. Her clothing was ripped and tattered in places. Blood dripped down her face, and she wiped it away from her eyes. Sweat slicked her dark skin.
Fan’twar landed beside her. My stomach soured as I took in his injuries. Several gashes looked deep enough to puncture organs.
“Why have you come here, Silvestra?” Fan’twar demanded.
***
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