Shouts and curses were heard below, almost covering the mumbled words of spell craft from the mage. Almost, but not quite. The dragon woman put on a second burst of speed, pumping her strong wings for all she was worth. There were only two things that mage could be doing right now, casting a spell on her or on an arrow so it would fly farther and faster. Since this wizard was a novice who had entered her town (she still thought of it as hers despite the fact that its inhabitants were now trying to kill her) only a few weeks before, she would bet on the arrow. Either way, if she could only get far enough away fast enough, neither strategies would work for the same reason: she would be out of range.
The chanting from below her increased in urgency and volume and the mage�s voice rang clear through the woods. All the townspeople had fallen silent, now, listening to the spell with anticipation. Suddenly, a buzzing noise was heard, soft at first, but then louder as it drew nearer. The sound was as loud as a hundred angry hornets buzzing in the mother�s ears and just as familiar. Dodging swiftly to the left, the magicked arrow whizzed past her face, trailing behind it the blue-white aura that meant a spell had been placed on it. Of what kind, the woman couldn�t tell, but she didn�t really care because now she was out of range of both arrows and spells and safely on her way to Shavasta, the city of the dragons. The arrow sailed off into the night sky, its bright wake making it look like a comet sailing through the stars. She bowed her head, kissing the cloth-covered one of her child and breathing a sigh of relief. Now they both were safe.
But this was a false sense of security that didn�t last long. Seemingly by some cruel god�s will, the arrow that she had dodged previously now came hurtling at her from above. This time, she barely managed to barrel roll out of the way, clutching tightly to the child in her arms to keep her from falling. This time, the annoying piece of wood and metal took less time to return and attack the airborne woman. Now aiming for the delicate folds of skin that stretched between the bones of her wings, the besieged woman was forced to drop sharply. The mage was more powerful than she had thought
The small girl-child in the cloak gasped softly at the sudden lurch in her mother�s usually smooth motions and looked upwards. Above her hung the bright silver stars, suspended in the black night like diamonds set in velvet. Accompanying them in their orbit was the luminous moon; dark craters pocking its round surface so that it looked like a benevolent old grandfather who looked down on his grandchildren playing at life with both humor and tolerance. It was a sight Tavia had seen many times lying on the roof of the vine-covered cottage where she had lived with her parents but something wasn�t quite right this night. Tavia could feel it in the tightening of her mother�s muscles as she flew and an eerie feeling that made Tavia�s head pound dully.
The usually peaceful scene was suddenly broken by a streak of blue light that sliced the night sky swift as an executioner�s blade. The girl blinked rapidly to make sure it hadn�t been a figment of her imagination, but her fears were confirmed when the object made its way back across her field of vision. Through the glare of the light surrounding it, Tavia made out the shape of an arrow. A second gasp involuntarily escaped her lips as the deadly weapon slowed and began to turn off its straight path and head for her mother and her.
Meanwhile, the dragon-lady did not notice her daughter�s sounds as she swerved again, dodging the projectile by only a small margin. She paused as she heard the arrow zip past her.
The spell would eventually run out of steam, she knew, the farther it was from its maker and the longer it was required to go without being fed power. However, she didn�t know when that would be and it could be anywhere from hours to days. Even worse, if it followed her far enough, the mage would be able to track its trail. This would not only lead him to her and her daughter but also to the sacred home of their cousins, the dragons. The dragons had spent too much time concealing Shavasta to have it revealed by some blunder on her part.
The other option was the dragon-flame spell she had preformed on the forest canopy during her escape, but it was a long way to Shavasta and there would be no place or time to rest along the way. Some of her energy had already been expended in blasting a hole in the leaves so she could fly through, using more now did not seem beneficial. On the other hand, she was also using a good deal of energy dodging the cursed thing. The only choice now was which would drain her more in the end.
However, before any choice could be made at all, the air borne dragon woman heard the familiar buzzing of the arrow as it whizzed towards her, except this time, it was right on top of her. She tried desperately to move out of its path, but it was close enough that it matched her every swerve. She had no choice but to turn her child out of harm�s way and brace herself for the pain to come.
Sure enough, a sharp, radiating pain shot through her side as the arrow buried its deadly point into her side below her ribs. She felt blood sliding down her side and soaking her shirt, making it cling and stick to her. Doubling over in mid-air, somehow managing to keep a tight grip on the bundle in front of her, she gripped the shaft of the arrow and yanked. The metal arrow head came free in a rush of blood and skin that coated the sides of it in a gory mess. The woman promptly snapped it in two.
Seeing her daughter�s yellow eyes lifted to her pain lined face, the dragon-woman tossed the bloodied arrow away and smiled weakly. Despite the small reassurance, Tavia�s eyes widened further and her face paled three shades beneath her tan. More tears filled her eyes but were quickly blinked away.
I�d forgotten that her empathy had developed early. Tavia�s mother thought, cursing silently that she had let down her mental barriers, allowing her daughter to sense her pain through her empathic powers. Yanking the barriers back up, she focused once again on the most immediate problem of how to get to Shavasta safely. Now that she was injured, that had become a very difficult task. She could, of course, heal the wound, or even have Tavia, who�s healing powers had developed along with her empathy, do it for her. However, in order for the healing to work, she would have to be completely motionless while it was being preformed and she had neither the time nor the safe place for that. But she reasoned that it was only becoming more difficult as she hovered pondering and losing more and more blood in the process. Therefore, she turned once again to the north and the shadows of the mountains that loomed in the distance. Pumping her wings painfully, she propelled herself and her daughter forward into the inky night sky, hoping to find refuge before her strength failed her.