Silas POV

The air was frigid. I could sense the enormous amount of magic permeating in the air. The power behind the magic was even grander than I imagined a dragon could be capable of utilizing. The frigid air meant we were about to encounter a frost dragon, but there was a familiar energy mixed in with the frost dragon’s magic. I know I have felt this power before. As the party neared the center of the magic residue, I noticed the scorch marks on the trees and brush. I had seen this somewhere…recently. It wasn’t fire magic.

“Silas, I can smell our friend from yesterday nearby,” Braxton whispered.

Friend? Did he mean the monkey girl from the forest? Wait. Scorch marks…lightning. It’s the wolf with the red lightning! What were they doing with a giant frost dragon? “Do you smell her companion, the red wolf?” I asked him to confirm.

“Sort of. It’s here, but it smells off for some reason. Almost like it’s covered in snow.” Braxton looked perplexed at the thinning forest in front of us.

Beyond the scarred trees, was a battlefield covered in smashed forest and fresh snow. In the middle, a giant sphere of ice towered over the whole field. Magic was emanating from inside the sphere. The wizards began to mumble to themselves in awe of giant ice magic. Master Renaldy stood out in front examining the snowy sphere. No one knew what it was other than it held immense magic inside of it. Master Renaldy called out for options and theories as to what happened here. The only problem is the party was full of battle magic users, not many of them knew any magic or knowledge to help with an explanation.

I have a theory, but I am pretty sure Braxton wouldn’t want me to mention the girl from yesterday. Braxton gave me a look that said he didn’t like the eerie feeling settling over the icy battlefield, or that his cute little monkey friend was in the area. None of this was thrilling for me either. Master Renaldy was sure we knew more than Braxton and I told him, which was getting on my nerves. However, I was more annoyed with the fact we hadn’t seen the dragon yet. It should be right here. All I could see was a sphere full of ice. Dawn finally rolled up over the treetops and higher into the sky, which is when things became complicated and my theory was confirmed. On the ice, I saw the frost dragon at odds with a huge, familiar red wolf.

“Is that a dragon fighting a red wolf?” Polly Wog asked.

“What a discovery!” Master Renaldy cheered. “The dragon has trapped itself for us to capture.”

“How are we going to capture those two, master? They are frozen in a ball of ice,” Analee Himera asked.

“We can kill them,” Polly Wog suggested.

“Now, there’s an idea. We are on a dragon hunt after all!” Master Renaldy smiled at the excited wizards.

Kill them? They wanted to study dead magical beings. You can’t take good samples from dead beings. Killing them this way would be murder. I couldn’t let that happen. “Surely, you jest, Master Renaldy. We can learn much more from these creatures if they are alive.”

“That’s true. But how would we catch them, Silas? We came here to stop a rampaging dragon. We all agreed to stop it by any means necessary,” Analee Himera replied.

Master Renaldy approached the ice block. He seemed lost in thought as the rest of the group began to argue about the fate of these creatures. Honestly, I don’t care what others think. I know the red wolf and white dragon wouldn’t allow themselves to die or be captured. All of this arguing is pointless. A fog was beginning to flow off the ice block as the sun started melting the ice. Another chilly wave of air sank toward us. Master Renaldy seemed to shiver from the cold air. Was he waiting for something? There’s a group of wizards feuding behind him because he won’t lead them one way or another. I question how he got to be so high-ranked, but I am more concerned about what he’s thinking.

Braxton shifted behind me, watching the trees. I felt someone’s eyes on me. It had to be that girl from yesterday. I know Braxton wants to protect this girl on some level, but yesterday she was uncouth. I don’t feel the desire to protect her if she decides to show her face. Although, I might be able to get my answers from her if I do help her. I swear it feels like fate is messing with me with its tempting possibilities. Yet, there is no guarantee that she will come out. Why haven’t the other wizards detected her? She’s been running around in the trees for a while now. It’s like she is trying to hunt us or something. Wait…is she hunting us?

“By my calculations, the ice block should be completely melted by midday with some magical help. Given the thickness of the ice, the dragon has barely become an adult. A fully grown, experienced frost dragon would have created an ice block, so thick it would have taken months to thaw,” Master Renaldy explained. “Still, this young dragon is strong, and the dragon is not afraid of bloodshed. It nearly killed the son of Pine Row’s governor. What’s to stop the dragon from attacking if we keep it alive?”

“What if the dragon doesn’t want anything to do with us?” Braxton challenged. “What if both these creatures mean no harm? You want to capture or kill these creatures without knowing anything about them.”

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“Come now, war general, Surely, you want to do what’s best for the troops,” Master Renaldy started baiting Braxton. “We all know that you specialize in light magic. Couldn’t you just melt all this ice away?”

I watched Braxton’s face change from cautious to annoyed. It's no secret Braxton is proficient in some magic. How else would he have joined a wizard’s guild with me? Still, he uses magic to make weapons or manipulate the battlefield. He doesn’t just make sunlight appear besides fire magic would be more effective. Master Renaldy can see Braxton shifting next to me, trying to hold back. Master Renaldy was becoming a pain in my ass.

"There’s no battle here for our troops, only a score those beasts were trying to settle. I do not see this as war. Have you ever met a dragon, Master Renaldy?" Braxton did his best to keep his voice steady. "They are not monsters like you are making this frost dragon to be. The few I have met are greedy but respectable if given the chance."

Master Renaldy didn't falter at Braxton’s words. "Interesting point of view, Braxton, but I wonder if Silas agrees. See, the young man this dragon attacked is an elf like you, Silas. What's going to stop the dragon from harming you?"

"The red wolf will," I replied. "The frost dragon is already locked in battle with this wolf. How the wolf has survived against a frost dragon is a mystery to me, but the wolf looks determined not to lose. I would wager these two will continue their battle when they are free."

Master Renaldy's smile dimmed. My answer was not what he was hoping for from me. I suppose he was wanting to use me to manipulate Braxton, but I don’t play petty games like that. This man may be a master of magic, but he is quick to betray an ally. I regret agreeing to come on this dragon-hunting quest. It’s all drama and no adventure. The red wolf’s appearance has been the only highlight of this whole thing.

“The red wolf shouldn’t be much of a match against a frost dragon, though,” Polly Wog interjected. “How could a simple wolf do any damage to a frost-powered giant?”

Suddenly, the trees above me rustled from movement as the monkey girl finally made herself known. Everyone’s eyes focused on the amber-furred simian in front of us. The girl looked back at us with a fierce expression. Her hand gripped tightly around her bow and the other held an arrow ready to fire at any of us. “These creatures are none of your concern. Leave,” She gritted her teeth at us.

Master Renaldy looked at the girl curiously. “You must be mistaken, girl. We have been commissioned to capture or kill the dragon in that ice block. I assume your guild received a similar request, right? That’s why you’re here, isn't it?”

“I don’t like you, blabbermouth,” the simian girl answered. Her tail twitched as she zeroed in on Master Renaldy. “Leave.”

“I have a job to do, young lady. Stand down,” Master Renaldy demanded.

Braxton tensed behind me. I knew he wanted to rush toward that little monkey because he had the same face he gets when he plays with puppies. It’s like their cuteness begs him to protect them although I had a feeling this girl could save herself in a fight. I didn’t know much about her, but this seemed to be the perfect opportunity to find out more. Before I could speak, another voice cut in.

“Why do you want us to leave, monkey girl?” Analee Himera asked, crossing her arms. “We can just give you a cut of the reward.”

“Leave,” she commanded, raising her bow to aim at the next person who questioned her.

Braxton seemed to be impressed by the girl’s confidence since she stood up to Master Renaldy and Analee with ease. I needed to figure out a way out of this without anyone getting hurt. The girl would be the only way to keep that damn wolf from attacking me again. The bite on my arm was still fresh from yesterday, and I didn’t need a repeat. “We wil-”

“You have no claim here,” Master Renaldy was irritated.

Time was running out to resolve this conflict, but I was struggling to get word. The girl was impatient. Braxton was gearing for battle behind me to defend his little crush. Polly Wog and Analee were ready to move. We didn’t need to battle here.

“I have asked three times,” her tail snapped, punctuating her words. “You appear to be wizards…then you should respect my claim here. The red wolf is my familiar.”

Could this be an opening? “I thought I had seen this wolf before,” I said. All eyes turned to me. This is good. Now, I controlled the narrative. “You must be the huntress who lives in the Evergreen Forest.”

She raised an eyebrow at me before speaking. “You must be the man that got himself bitten trying to pet my companion. Didn’t anyone teach you not to spook unsuspecting, woodland animals?”

Seriously? That’s what we are going with. Ugh. “Well, Braxton just thought Little Red was adorable, so we had to chance it.” I pulled Braxton forward with my arm on his shoulder. “My buddy is a sucker for cute animals. He just gets this desire to love on them.”

“Wait, you know her?” Analee asked.

“Yes. She’s the cute monkey girl!” Braxton exclaimed, shocking everyone.

Master Renaldy shook his head in disbelief. “So the wolf is this girl’s familiar, and you knew all along?”

“Suspected and confirmed upon her appearance in front of us, Master Renaldy,” I answered.

He rubbed his temple.“What’s your name girl?’

“Emera,” she answered.

Braxton gave a goofy smile to Emera. I could see he wanted to say a lot of things to her that shouldn’t be said here. My poor infatuated friend was losing it. “Emera, we were commissioned to take down the dragon. I am sure that no one here will touch Red once we get Red out of the ice. Will you guys?”

“We are only interested in the dragon but do tell us how your wolf got into it with a dragon. Also, how is the wolf not dead?” Master Renaldy questioned.

Something about his question bothered me. The look in his eyes read greedily to me. I signaled Braxton to watch him. Master of magic, sure, but the man was a rat. Anything Emera says, this man will use against her. I did my best to hint to her to be careful of her answer. The girl blinked twice at me. What that meant, I wasn’t sure.

“The beast landed on us,” she said.

That was a good answer. No weaknesses were revealed in that answer.

“How did you two survive?” Master Renaldy pressed.

“Skill and a desire to live,” she shrugged. Her tail flicked with boredom at his words as if it should have been obvious. “Any more questions?” she yawned.

“I suppose not,” Master Renaldy said unamused.

“Great. You wizards get the fire magic going while the big brute and I prepare to attack,” she commanded. She took Braxton up into the trees without another word, leaving the rest of us to stare at each other.

“Did that just happen?” Analee asked.

Polly Wog turned to me, “You actually know her?”

“Yes and yes. Here’s the bite mark her wolf gave me,” I unwrapped my arm to show them the recent bite. “It’s all true.”

“Is it just me or is Bruting Braxton smitten with the monkey?” Analee asked.

“Uh-”

“Enough. Let’s just get our dragon,” Master Renaldy grumbled.

We watched him walk over to the ice block and start blasting fire magic at it. The three of us chuckled and shrugged. Emera got the better of Master Renaldy, and I was slowly getting answers about Emera. It was all beginning to work out. The dragon and wolf no longer had a death sentence hanging over their heads. They had a chance to live since Emera was in control of the beasts’ fate now.