dragons breath 02 - dancing with flames Read Online Free

me like an inferno, and his heavy muscles rubbed against my back. This red dragon wasn’t as large as the green one I’d just fought, but he was fast to have captured me so easily.
    Somewhere in the back of my mind, it registered that he was familiar. Someone I had known for months, but while he was in this form, I couldn’t make sense of it. All I could think of was the need to free myself and shove a blade through his heart. Watch him die, as all dragons should. In the deep recesses of my soul, this bothered me, but I couldn’t clear my head enough to understand why.
    In the distance, I caught sight of another red dragon in the air. I stiffened at the same time as the beast holding me let out a low growl. The other beast flew a course straight for us. I estimated my chances of winning a fight against both of them while up this high in the sky.
    Not good. Not good at all.
    The dragon flared his red, leathery wings to slow down. The one at my back relaxed a fraction and made a throaty, rumbling noise that sounded suspiciously like a greeting. Wonderful—they were friends. I’d kind of hoped they’d do my job for me and kill each other, assuming they took their battle to the ground first.
    The two beasts flew beside each other for the next few minutes as we soared in an easterly direction past the outskirts of Norman and into the countryside. Ranches and farms dotted the land. There were no vehicles on the roads, and aside from a herd of cows, nothing moved below. It was eerily peaceful.
    I clutched the beast’s arms as he dropped lower, almost skimming the tops of the trees. It was getting late, and the sun would be setting soon. How I’d get home without my truck this far from town, I didn’t know, but I’d worry about that later. First, I had to kill the two dragons and hope I survived. A glance at my empty scabbard told me this wasn’t going to be an easy battle without a weapon. Maybe I would die, but I’d take at least one of them down with me.
    A small empty field appeared up ahead. Though I’d never seen it from above, I recognized it and the two-story house sitting at the far end. This was where I’d trained to become a dragon slayer. The one holding me and his flying buddy had been the ones to teach me. They kept a weapons stash inside the house and all I needed to do was get to it. These fools might have been the ones to train me, but that was their mistake.
    I braced myself as the dragon dipped toward the field. To my surprise, he dropped me mid-air. I fell about six feet, hitting the ground hard and rolling several times across the high grass. As soon as I stopped, I scrambled onto my knees and watched as the two dragons continued their flight to the edge of the tree line. It was only then that they landed.
    Pushing off the ground, I dashed toward them. Kill, kill, kill ran through my mind like a mantra. The very sight of them colored my vision with rage. Their snouts billowing steam, their red scaly bodies flexing with hard muscles, and their long tails with spikes on the ends swishing back and forth—all of it grabbed my attention and drove me to attack.
    They tucked in their wings, and their bulky bodies went up in flames. I didn’t worry about that. The fire wouldn’t hurt me, and they were more vulnerable while some kind of metamorphosis altered them. In the midst of the flames, they transformed into what looked like demons. I put in another burst of speed, closing the distance. Just fifty more feet and I’d be on them. I caught sight of a sharp stick on the ground directly on my path and slowed briefly to grab it. Gouging their eyes out would be a good start. They’d still be able to hear and smell, but at least it would give me some kind of advantage.
    Just as I made it to the last dozen feet, the flames covering their bodies subsided. Men who mostly resembled humans—except for having yellow snake eyes—stood in the dragons’ place. Both had short black hair, olive skin, and toned