The river appeared on the fourth day.

  It cut through the forest like a wide wound, dark and fast. The water churned over rocks and fallen trees, throwing up spray that almost froze in the air before it could land. On the far bank, the forest continued, dense and glowing with the same strange bioluminescence they'd been traveling through.

  Between here and there: a gap of twenty yards and water cold enough to kill.

  "The bridge." Brute's voice was flat. "It's gone."

  Lavender followed his gaze upstream. What remained of a wooden structure jutted from the near bank, charred beams stretching into nothing. The rest lay scattered in the rapids, broken plank splinters caught amongst the larger boulders.

  "Recently?"

  "Within the week." Brute sniffed the air. "Burned, not collapsed. Someone wanted to prevent crossing."

  Authority. Zemmal's presence was weak, barely more than a whisper. He'd grown worse since the predator attack, the oily darkness spreading daily despite Lavender's attempts to slow it. They are tracking us, blocking paths. Forcing us toward the territory they control. They mean to herd us like animals.

  "Can you fly across?"

  I cannot fly. Even if the corruption were not draining me, my wings are too weak for sustained flight.

  "Then how do we cross?"

  Brute's ears swiveled. His body tensed.

  "Soldiers."

  Lavender dropped to a crouch behind a fallen log. Zemmal pressed himself against the earth, scales shifting to match the forest floor. The camouflage was imperfect, but in the dim light, he might pass for another boulder.

  Across the river, figures moved through the trees.

  Four of them. Black fatigues, black armor, rifles held at ready. One carried a device on his forearm that blinked with familiar light.

  Detection equipment.

  "They're sweeping." Lavender's voice came out barely above a breath. "Looking for us?"

  "Looking for magic." Brute pressed against her side. "The detector picks up signatures. Large flares. Sustained use. They know we came this way."

  "Then we don't take a crossing." Lavender studied the river, the rapids, and the gap between banks. "We go through."

  Brute's head turned. "The water is dangerous. The cold will..."

  "Kill a human in minutes. I know." She touched the fire in her chest, still and waiting. "But I can keep myself warm. And I can keep Zemmal warm too, if I'm close enough."

  The corruption reacts to water. Zemmal's voice carried warning. The wound will spread faster in the current.

  "Then we move fast. And I do my best to keep the flame concentrated and hot as possible."

  The soldiers were working their way downstream, methodical and careful. Their detector hadn't pinged yet. Lavender watched them for a long moment, calculating distances and timing.

  "There." She pointed upstream, where the river bent around a stand of dense trees. "We cross there. The trees will cover us from view. By the time they reach this position, we'll be on the other side."

  Brute considered. "And if they detect the magic?"

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  "Then we fight." The words came out steady. She was surprised to find she meant them.

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  The water hit like a fist.

  Cold exploded through Lavender's body, driving the air from her lungs. Her feet slipped on the rocky bottom. The current caught her, dragging her sideways, and for one horrible moment she was certain she would be swept away.

  The fire roared to life.

  Heat burst through her chest and spread outward, pushing back the cold. Her muscles unfroze. Her legs found purchase. She planted herself against the current and turned back.

  Zemmal was struggling.

  The dragon had made it halfway across, his massive body fighting the rapids. But his wounded leg dragged uselessly, the limb trailing through the water at a wrong angle. Each step cost him. Each step pushed him closer to collapse.

  Lavender waded toward him, fire burning beneath her skin. She pressed her hand against his flank.

  The oily darkness pulsed.

  It was spreading. She could see it moving beneath his scales, tendrils crawling outward like roots seeking water. The river was frigid, laced with ice. Feeding the corruption, accelerating its growth, eating away at the dragon's remaining strength.

  "Move!" She pushed fire into him, warmth against the cold, and felt the darkness recoil. She concentrated the intensity more. "We have to get to the other side. NOW."

  Zemmal surged forward. Brute appeared at his other flank, pressing against him, guiding him toward the shore. The water fought them every step, trying to pull them under, trying to sweep them downstream toward the soldiers.

  They made it.

  Lavender collapsed on the far bank, gasping. Her clothes were soaked, freezing in the air even as the fire tried to keep her warm. Zemmal crumpled beside her, his breathing ragged, his eyes dim.

  The oily darkness had spread across half his hindquarter. The flesh beneath the scales was grey and dead.

  "We need to move." Brute shook water from his fur. "They will have..."

  "Contact!"

  The shout came from downstream. Lavender spun. Two soldiers had broken from the patrol, sprinting along the riverbank toward them. Their rifles were raised. Their detection equipment was screaming.

  The first soldier fired.

  Brute moved.

  He was a blur of fur and teeth, crossing the distance in heartbeats. The soldier didn't have time to adjust his aim. Brute's jaws closed on his throat and tore.

  Blood sprayed. The soldier went down.

  The second soldier pivoted, rifle swinging toward Lavender.

  She didn't think. She reacted.

  The electricity came from somewhere deeper than the fire, a place she hadn't known existed. Lightning arced from her hands, crossing the space between them in an instant. It hit the soldier in the chest and dropped him, convulsing, his weapon clattering to the rocks.

  Two more soldiers were coming. Upstream. Closing fast.

  "Lavender." Brute's voice was urgent. "We need a barrier. Now!"

  She reached this time for the fire. It answered.

  Flame erupted from her hands, but this time she directed it. Shaped it. The fire spilled across the ground between them and the approaching soldiers, spreading, climbing, and forming a wall of heat and light that stretched from the riverbank to the tree line.

  The soldiers skidded to a halt. Their faces twisted with fear behind the dancing flames.

  "Go," Lavender said. "Run."

  She held the wall for a count of thirty. Sixty. Long enough for Brute to haul Zemmal deeper into the trees. Long enough for the flames to mark the soldiers' memories. Long enough to understand what she'd just done.

  Then she let it die. In the confusion, Lavender bolted into the woods after Brute and Zemmal.

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  They made it half a mile before Zemmal collapsed.

  The dragon went down without warning, his legs simply folding beneath him. He hit the ground with a sound that shook the trees, scales scraping against stone.

  Lavender dropped to her knees beside him. The oily darkness covered most of his hindquarter now. It pulsed with filth, spreading visibly, eating him alive.

  "Zemmal." She touched his shoulder. His scales were cold. "Zemmal, stay with me."

  His eyes barely opened. The gold had faded to amber; a spark of life remaining.

  The water... fed it. His voice was a thread. The corruption grew faster than anticipated. It reaches... my spine.

  "What do I do?" Lavender looked to Brute. The dog stood nearby, his expression grave. "How do I stop it?"

  "You can do this, Lav.” Brute's voice was gentle. "You have known since you first touched the wound."

  "I don’t feel ready. I don't have enough control."

  "You created a wall of fire. You electrocuted a soldier with precision. You warmed both yourself and Zemmal against freezing water." Brute stepped closer. "You have more control than you believe, Lav. You simply do not trust yourself."

  Lavender stared at the darkness spreading through Zemmal's body. At the dragon who had given her a chance, even if she was reluctant for it. At the creature who was dying because she hadn't been strong enough to save him sooner.

  "If I fail..."

  Then I die Zemmal's voice carried something almost like peace. Hell, I am dying already, little flame. You cannot make it worse. You can only... try.

  "The rot fears fire." Brute's words brought her back to herself. "Burn it out. Or let him die."

  Lavender placed her hands on the wound.

  The darkness pulsed beneath her palms. Hungry. Waiting.

  She closed her eyes and reached for the fire.

  Thank you for reading my story. I spent a long time working on it and am glad I get to share it with others. Not your speed though? Check out another cool author below to give a try!