It was her first time outside of the city. At first, it was strange not being surrounded by the stone walls of the castle. In the castle, as long as the sun was up there was no silence. She had gotten used to ignoring the noises of people from floors below. But once outside the city boundaries, the only noises were the sound of the carriage wheels, the horses’ hooves, and the coachman’s occasional attempts at conversation.

The silence made it hard for her to sleep. Miri’s village was two days from the capital, and they planned to stop at an inn each night to rest. At the beginning of the journey, she thought she would be enamored by the new sights and sounds, but after the first few hours everything grew old. It was the same pattern of trees and roads, an occasional stream, and the rare fellow traveler. The sky overhead was cloudless, and the carriage soon grew warm, and she grew sleepy.

She woke to a jolt. The carriage was stopped, but they were still in the forest. She heard commotion outside and looked outside the carriage window.

“Hand over your valuables, and you can walk away from here unharmed,” a man yelled. “And I do mean walk. These are some fine horses, and an even better carriage.”

Saya poked her head out the window. Ten men surrounded the carriage on all sides. They were all well-built, like boulders wrapped in humble clothing. They carried clubs and axes on their shoulders. The clubs were meant for animals, and the axes were meant for cutting down trees. Their weapons were those which they could find. They were wildly different from the trained soldiers and knights of the castle. Even the patrolmen who roamed the city streets were equipped with specially forged spears.

“Of course,” Miri said. “We just want to leave unhurt.”

She hobbled out of the carriage, being careful not to fall or stumble as she stepped down to the ground. Saya followed her, jumping to the ground and surveyed her surroundings. The coachman was on the ground, knocked unconscious. The bandits’ attention had left the carriage and the horses, and came to land on her.

“Leave behind the girl as well,” the man said. He was the smallest of the bandits, but she could tell he was the one in charge. Saya could only assume that he either made up for his lack of strength with either skill or intelligence.

“No, she’s only a child,” Miri said.

They were at a curve in the road where an ambush would be easy. Too far from nearby towns for anyone to hear if they screamed, and too far to run for help. The trees on either side of the road were thick enough even for the large bandits to hide behind.

“Toss the girl in the carriage and lock the door,” the leader said, ignoring Miri’s pleas. “Let the others go.”

I think it’s high time you discovered the thrill of fire, Netta whispered.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Saya agreed. She let the transformation overtake her. The inky black body of the dragon enveloped her human form, while the bandits stepped back in horror.

“No!” Miri yelled. Her whole life, half of who she was had to be a secret. Saya was never ashamed of being melded together with Netta. She was just as much a dragon as she was a person, and her dragon form was so much more powerful.

“It’s alright, Miri. It does not matter if none of them live to tell this tale,” Saya said. “And that is the plan.”

She saw the bandits prepare to flee. It was true that they knew the surrounding forests better than her, but they did not possess a dragon’s hunting instincts. They would flounder through the trees, desperate and reeking of fear.

It is a good day for a hunt, Netta said.

She had thought it would be fun to burn them alive. If it was only the money they wanted, she would’ve let them be. Their kingdom was not a wealthy one, and people often resorted to desperate methods to fill their stomachs. Criminals born of desperation, she could understand. Those who saw a twelve-year old girl and immediately thought to kidnap her could not be excused. Their motivation was not desperation, but greed.

The leader hung back. Saya could tell he was trying to calculate the danger, and the risk of trying to capture her. As a dragon, she was still not fully grown. She was a dragonlet still, and small. She was only the size of the carriage that they were traveling in, and her fire only burned red. Netta promised her that with practice her fire would burn blue. Blue and hot enough to burn through bone, leaving nothing behind but ash. Now, she would leave behind some bones and roasted flesh for the wild animals.

“Stop!” the leader yelled. “We capture that beast, and we’ll never have to work again in our lives!”

Do they consider this working? Netta asked.

Saya stretched and stretched out her wings. Even when she was in her dragon form, it wasn’t often that she got to fly. She took off into the air and hovered forty feet above the ground. From her vantage point, she could see all of them on the ground, scurrying like rats as they realized the foolishness of their leader’s desire.

Being in the air also enabled her to make sure her fire did not accidentally touch Miri or the coachman. She breathed out a stream of fire, and the first of the bandits caught fire.

I never knew human beings lit up like wicks, Netta commented. He continued to run, a screaming flame, as the fellow bandits quickly lost their courage and their sanity. Miri stood frozen in the clearing. Saya wanted to scream at her to get in the carriage, but she had forgotten how horses spooked. The horses began to run, dragging the carriage behind them.

One of the bandits grabbed onto Miri, using her as a human shield. It was her turn to be afraid. She had been so stupid, so overly confident.

I can save her, Netta said. Just let me control this body for a few minutes. By the time you awake, everything will be as it should be.

It sounded like a trap. Netta had always urged her to violence, and today had been no different. Her hastiness had landed Miri in danger. There was no way she could attack the bandit without harming Miri. Handing control to Netta might have consequences she did not know about. She might end up in Netta’s place, a silent commentator in a body she had no power over. The bandit wrapped his arm around Miri’s throat, pulling the old woman closer in front of himself.

None of the consequences mattered if Miri survived. If Miri died because of her, there would be no point to outsmarting Netta or defeating the bandits.

Alright, Saya said. She felt her consciousness slip away like water through her fingers. The last thing she heard before going to sleep was Netta’s victorious roar.