“You must get the amulet to Monterey, the leader of the King's Secret Guard – my old friend. Give it only to him and he will know what to do.”

She nodded, Monterey had been her father’s best friend and confidant, she hoped that was still the case. Her stomach fluttered in excitement, soon she would see her family again.

“I know you want to see your Mother and Father, Ashalan,” Tobalas said as if reading her mind, “But you must do this first or else no one will be safe, not even them.”

“I understand. Which way shall we go? We must get to some sort of shelter before sunrise.” She turned to start walking but Tobalas grabbed her arm.

“Ashalan, you have been like a daughter to me and it pains me to have to ask you this, but I have no choice. The permanence is beginning to take hold. My true self is dying.”

“What can I do to help Tobala/” Ashalan took his hand.

“Please do me this service before you go. You are the chosen one, you have the gift of Dragonsfire. Please use it to end my suffering. I am old and my body can no longer take the transformations we have to endure.” A lone tear ran down his cheek. “Seraphine is evil, she will not let us rest, she will keep rejuvenating our souls forever. Please set my soul free Ashalan, so I can be with Geralah. I beg you.” His face looked pale and grey.

Ashalan let the tears run freely down her face as she realised what he was asking of her.

“I hear you and I will do as you wish. You have been like a father to me. I cannot bear to see you suffering either. You deserve to rest and you will.”

They put their foreheads together, embraced and whispered the words of the ancient ones which put Tobalas into a trance-like state. She then reached up and closed his eyes with her hand and kissed him gently on the forehead.

“Goodbye brave Tobalas. You are honourable and brave. I love you.” As she said the words, she drew back her hand then plunged it through his chest into his ribcage. She grabbed his heart and ripped it from his chest. He fell to his knees and opened his eyes to look up at her. She flicked her fingers together and a spark of light ignited upon her finger tips. She held the heart in the palm of her hand, putting the spark to her lips and blowing gently as she did so.

The heart ignited into flames, sizzling and sparking, it then spun into glittering embers turning into particle dust. It swam around on her palm as she continued to hold her hand open, in the centre an orange light glowed gently. She crushed it with her hand and it burned brighter through her closed fist.

Opening her hand once more, she blew the ash onto Tobalas and it spun around him, lifting him to his feet then into the air. He smiled as he rose and closed his eyes once more. The magic that had consumed every cell of his body left him, Seraphine’s spell on him was broken. The ash encircled him and with each round he turned into particles too until he was just ash as well. As it glowed then rose on the wind disappearing into the night sky, Ashalan watched with tears running down her cheeks.

She heard distant shouting and looked up to see torches glowing on a far away cliff top. She quickly turned in the opposite direction and scoured the dark horizon. She could see what looked like the outline of a forest in the distance. The sky was starting to get lighter, the day would break soon, she would need somewhere to hide while the transformation took place and fast.

Ashalan began to run, reaching the verge of the hill she stopped and looked down at the dense forest in the valley below. She needed to get there before sunrise or else her transformation would happen in the open.

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Inhaling deeply, she let out a large breath. The air felt different to the dusty air in the caves, she took another breath and smiled. The coolness of it felt wonderful on her skin and in her lungs.

As she took another deep breath in, the wound on her shoulder twinged and she winced. Examining it, she found that it was still wet with blood, the potion that Tobalas had given her was working and the poison was slowly seeping out. She ripped some material from her tunic and wiped it away, then rotated her arm to relieve some of the stiffness that was settling in.

She carefully started to climb down the side of the hill towards a cliff face, knocking some rocks accidently, causing them to fall into the grassy valley below. As she slid downwards, she found what looked to be a narrow path and regained her footing. It was hard to see in the dark but she didn't want to light a torch to be seen.

She reached the bottom and saw that she was near the entrance to the caves and Seraphine's guards were outside. One of them was singing and a few others loitered around a makeshift campfire. She looked at the forest and weighed up her options, she couldn't cross the plain without them seeing her and she didn't want to risk it. So she double backed along the bottom of the cliff line and ran quickly along a rocky nook.

Rounding a corner, she was surprised to come upon a guard urinating up against the cliff face. Ashalan could smell the acrid scent of urine and the alcohol on him, the scent made her want to vomit. He looked up in shock. Quickly forgetting what he was doing, he grabbed his sword and lurched towards her with his pants down, spilling urine all over himself and his clothes. She dodged the attack and he opened his mouth to yell out but she roundhouse kicked him in the face before the words could leave his lips.

Swinging her foot up to his face again, she connected with his jaw in a shattering kick, sending him stumbling backwards over his pants. She quickly disarmed him of his sword and plunged it into his chest and then turned and ran into the open. The grasses in the fields were long and wrapped around her ankles and legs slowing her down slightly.

Focusing on the trees ahead, she ran as fast as she could. She had been training in the caverns running with the younger children chasing them around and around the caverns until they all fell into an exhausted heap. Her heart panged at the thought. She had to rescue them all. The amulet thumped heavily against her chest as she ran, reminding her of the burden and responsibility she carried not only for herself but for her people.

Reaching the edge of the forest she made her way forward through the undergrowth. Twigs snapped beneath her feet, her breathing was ragged and heavy. Sweat ran down her back as she ran further and further into its depths until she was sure she hadn’t been followed.

Having spent most of her life in a cave, Ashalan was unaccustomed to nature and its fauna. She stopped and fell to her knees trying to catch her breath. She was suddenly aware that she was not only thirsty but incredibly hungry. Looking around at the plants beside her, she saw that some had small red berries on them. She quickly picked them, her stomach growling at the thought of eating them, she went to place them in her mouth but remembered Tobalas' warnings about how some could be poisonous. She looked at the ones in her hand and couldn't decide if they were safe or not so she threw them down onto the ground.

She grabbed a piece of wood and lit the end of it by flickering her fingertips together then blowing the flame that ignited onto the piece of wood. The end caught alight quickly and the glow of the flames lit up the trees around her. She looked ahead and moved forward. She needed to get as far away as she could from Seraphine and her soldiers before day break. With the light she began to run faster, the trees and bushes scratching her as she went. She felt the sharp branches tear at her arms and scrape her flesh.

Ashalan ran for what seemed like an eternity, then she stopped and doubled over panting. The piece of wood was burning down, she would need to find another piece to help extend the life of her light. Seeing some branches in the distance, she made her way over to them, choosing one that looked easy to carry, she lit the end once more. The flame burned brightly allowing her to navigate her way to a clearing, looking up to get her bearings from the stars, astronomy another skill that Tobalas had taught her. The forest canopy had blocked out much of the light so she hadn't realised how early it had gotten. The watery morning light began to sneak through the leaves in long tendril-like rays. Her heart beat faster. She had never transformed in the open before.

She quickly looked around to find somewhere to hide. To protect herself . To protect others.

It was too late, it had begun.