Steph and Louis watched, wide eyed, as a gout of fire poured from the sky, landing on the next street, setting buildings ablaze, and turning the angry shouts into screams of terror.

“It’s the end of the world,” Steph gasped.

The unseen creature screeched again, bringing Louis to his senses. He spotted men running past the house they were hiding in, headed down the road out of the mountain. Another screech rang out, this one came from almost on top of them, and Louis’ eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen.

“We have to run!” he cried.

Without waiting for Steph to respond, he grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her out of the back door, into the trees that bordered the town.

“What’s going on?” she cried.

Louis spotted something dart across the sky above them and turned to see the massive beast wheel around in the air and fly down the street. It took a deep breath before exhaling flames down onto the fleeing men, who erupted into flames and stumbled around before succumbing and collapsing.

“Is that a dragon?” Steph gasped.

“We need to get to the inn,” Louis gasped. “We can take refuge in the cellar.”

They ran at full tilt through the trees before turning back into town, close to Greg brewer’s house. By now, most of the town was ablaze. Louis looked up and saw the dragon soaring high above the town, searching for signs of movement. He saw its head turn towards them before folding its wings and swooping down.

“Hurry!” Louis cried.

The creature roared as Louis and Steph crashed through the inn’s kitchen door. The flames came a moment later. The heat caused the windows to explode, showering the pair with shards.

“The inn!” Steph cried. “It’ll burn to the ground!”

“There’s no time!” Louis grabbed Steph firmly and all but shoved her down the stairs.

He turned around and saw that the inn’s main room was now on fire. He heard the shriek again and slammed the cellar door shut.

As he descended the stairs to check on Steph, he heard a crash from overhead. Before he could look up, something heavy fell on him, knocking him out cold.

It felt like he was in an oven, when Louis came to, and there was something soft under his head. He creaked an eye open to see Steph staring down at him.

“How do you feel?” she asked.

“Hot,” he replied. He looked around and saw that they were still in the inn’s cellar and could see the glow of red flames from the windows.

“Good, you’re alright,” Steph declared and stood abruptly.

“Ouch,” Louis grunted as his head struck the floor.

“Stop, what have you done?” someone cried from outside.

“Was that Winston?” Louis gasped as he rushed to one of the windows.

He peered out and saw the dragon walking down the street towards the inn. Standing between the inn and the dragon was a wiry figure holding a sword and shield. Beyond them, it looked like the whole town was in flames.

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“Step aside,” the dragon snarled in the familiar melodic voice. “There are heretics in there and I will not permit a single one to leave this mountain alive.”

“Two of the townspeople are missing,” Winston replied defiantly. “You will do no more damage until they are found.”

The dragon reared its head back and took a deep breath. Louis watched in horror as fire erupted from its mouth. Winston held his shield up, and the flames deflected off the shield, and away from what remained of the inn. After what felt like an eternity, the flames ceased.

“Mister Weaver!” Louis cried from the window. “Steph and I are in here!”

However, both the dragon and Winston were too focused on one another to hear him over the roar of the flames around them. The dragon snarled and swiped at Winston with its claws. With remarkable agility, the wiry man sidestepped the massive taloned paw and the red-orange flames reflected off his blade as he swung it towards the creature’s neck. The dragon flapped its wings in an effort to evade the blade which missed by a hairsbreadth.

“Stop!” Louis shouted as loud as he could, as he attempted to climb out of the window but was unable to squeeze his hips through the narrow frame. “We’re over here!”

“So, you have shown your true colours,” the dragon roared as it leapt back with remarkable grace for a creature of its size.

“We’re fine, Mister Weaver.” Louis was surprised to see Steph appear next to Winston. “Louis is back there in the cellar.”

The dragon narrowed its eyes as it looked at where Steph had indicated. Louis felt himself turn red in the face as Winston did the same and saw him wedged in the window frame.

“It seems I have acted rashly,” the dragon admitted as it slowly morphed into the form of the man who had accompanied Carla on her first visit to the inn.

Winston watched the man warily as he made his way over to Louis. “Are you alright?”

“I think so,” Louis replied, now aware that he had a pounding headache, and of the heat that was coming off the burning inn. Winston grabbed him by the arm and Louis cried out in pain as he gave the boy a tug.

“You’re really stuck in there,” Winston observed.

“Perhaps I may be of help,” the man offered.

Winston eyed him for a moment before nodding.

“Do not be afraid,” he said as he crouched down next to Louis.

The man moved a slender hand to the window frame and pressed on it. The solid wood frame splintered under his touch before giving way completely, and Louis was able to scramble out and to safety, away from the heat. He turned around and his heart sank to see that the roof had collapsed, and what remained of the building was a roaring blaze.

“It’s all gone,” he murmured softly as he watched the

“It’s alright,” Winston said. “As long as we’re safe, we can always rebuild.”

The innkeeper turned to the dragon man. “It may have almost ended in tragedy, but I am glad you were here.”

The man raised his eyebrows and nodded. “I stationed myself at the foot of the mountain as soon as I heard of your followers’ first visit.”

“Then why didn’t you intervene sooner?” Steph demanded. “You could have avoided torching the entire town if you’d dealt with them on the way up.”

“I was unsure about your motivations,” the man replied, looking straight at Winston. “I wanted to be sure whose side you were on before taking action.”

The wiry innkeeper smiled wryly. “Have I convinced you now?”

The man nodded. “You feel it, don’t you? Your power waning with the death of your followers.”

“They are no followers of mine,” Winston sighed, and Louis thought that his boss suddenly looked very old. “But yes, I do feel it… as though a great weight has descended upon me.”

“Do you mean to tell me that the torching of the town could have been avoided?” Steph asked incredulously.

The man looked at her sharply. “There are greater things at stake here.”

“Just what are you so afraid of?” Louis blurted.

“It seems that with the departure of the Goddess, our friend here is the one who draws power from the worship of Her followers,” Louis jumped as Nathan appeared in their midst with his eyes levelled on the dragon man. “He and many others are concerned that Winston here could seek to become a God.”

“He would never,” Louis began.

“Oh I know,” Nathan smiled. “I’ve tried explaining this to our friend here until I was blue in the face, but to no avail.”

“What are you talking about?” Steph demanded exasperatedly. “Mister Weaver is a God now?”

While waiting for Nathan to explain, Louis saw Winston sway in the corner of his eye. “Mister Weaver, are you…”

Before he could finish the sentence, Winston collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. However, the dragon man was alert and managed to catch him before he fell. He looked at Winston and for a moment, Louis was worried that he might tear his bosses’ throat out but instead, he laid the innkeeper out gently on the ground.

“What’s wrong with him?” Louis asked.

“His power is fading with the death of his followers,” the dragon man replied.

“What will happen to him now?” Louis choked as he felt tears well up in his eyes.

“I don’t know,” the man replied.