Her Guardian

Prologue - Waiting Game

The landscape was void of light as the moon was new and the area far from civilization. A man with coal-black hair stood in the cold, hugging his coat tight to his body. Every so often he scanned the abandoned farm with keen eyes.

There were few places he could meet with his associate, and each time the location needed to be different from the one before. If those dragon riders caught even the slightest whiff of his location, they would come soaring through the sky on camouflaged wings to wipe him off the face of the earth.

"You look paranoid as usual," observed a woman in red. The man's hand instinctively tightened around his S&W Model 29 Revolver. This woman was a snake, and his trust in her went only as far as their contract.

"I have another assignment for you."

"Aww, but don't you want to catch up first?" She purred, her lips curling into a smile.

"What I want is for you to do your job." The man removed a file from beneath his coat and handed it to the woman.

Silently she scanned through the set of documents, her face expressionless. That is, until her amber eyes settled on the target of her assignment: Gwendolyn R. Torsney. Below the name was a photo of a young girl with vibrant red hair and emerald eyes. She was only seventeen with no unique abilities apart from her apparent aptitude for biology.

"This is child's play." Her eyes narrowed at the man who squirmed just a little. "Why did you call me?"

"It's her dragon that's the problem. He seems very... Capable."

The woman flipped to the next page which was practically empty. She barely glanced at the usual information about means of identification, age, and type. What caught her eyes instead was a single word under ABILITIES.

"Acid?" She looked over at the man, her eyebrows raised.

"It's true, he has the capability to melt through almost any material, organic or not. Though we won't have a full understanding of the acid's properties until we get to analyze it ourselves."

"So that's where I come in?" The woman folded the papers, taking her time to get the creases just right. "You want me to do what you are incapable of, to overpower and capture an acid-spitting beast."

"That is correct," said the man who was becoming twitchier by the second.

"What about the girl? Is she a valuable asset or a welcome casualty?" She pulled out one of her wickedly sharp throwing knives and began twirling it with her fingers.

"We need the girl alive."

"Fine," she muttered, fitting the blade back in its sheath. "Is that all?"

"When should we expect the girl and her dragon?"

"I will bring them to you when I do. You need only worry about providing my payment." The man didn't even get a chance to reply as the woman was already walking away, her chocolate-brown hair becoming one with the dark environment.

The only thing left was to play the waiting game.

A/N: I'm sorry this chapter was a bit short, but don't worry, the next chapters will definitely be longer :)