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ABOVE THEM ALL, the dragon turned, nearly disappearing against the pitch of the sky. Bold men started running. Some were charging toward the dragon, futile guns in hand. Others were rushing away, throwing down their weapons as they fled.
Rhaegon beat his wings and smoke vented from his jaws and nostrils. The guns began their fateful barrage, the bullets harmlessly bouncing off the steel-like chest of the creature who spat fire, bathing a row of men in flame. His tail lashed sideways and caught another creeping up behind him, slamming him against the wall. Another attacker tried to stab at his eyes with a knife until the dragon caught him in his jaws and flung him aside... without a few limbs though.
Distracted, Thea didn't even concern herself with her own safety until Peter lept in front of her, yanking an assault rifle from a man aiming straight at her and knocking him out with the weapon. The two jumped back as he fell into a torrent of flames, burning away into ashes.
"What's the plan now?" Peter exclaimed as the two watched each other's six, narrowly avoiding a stream of flames that accidentally blasted their way. At least, Thea hoped it was accidental. She could feel the wash of heat thirty feet away.
"Uh, tame the fire-breathing dragon?!" she offered in disbelief, pulling hair out of her face hastily. Every other backup assailant sent after them was either slashed, webbed up but eventually consumed in the fire as Rhaegon and Vissera flew past each other. The female looked like a bolt of bronze and emeralds, a bright flash in the darkness.
It was Rhaegon they were about to piss their pants for.
As they grew larger and larger, a dragon's scales could grow impenetrable and even tougher than vibranium itself. Swords and spears would bounce off, proving the meager might of Valaryen enemies. Thea remembered stories of Maexhor and Lyaxes and the strength of their furious breath. The surrounding heat itself could incinerate flesh but to be in the beacon of pure fire itself... flames of matured dragons could melt the flesh of men and as legends proclaimed, even gods.
Rhaegon and Vissera grew far stronger and faster through her lifeforce but Thea didn't want to wait around to find out just how powerful her toddlers could get.
"Maybe he's pissed 'cause he almost got sold!" Bex shouted, her voice laced with irritation. She stuck with Serafina as close as she could. Though she practiced, her powers hadn't reached their potential or even an endurance for long fights.
"I wasn't actually going to sell you, Bex— look out!" Thea yanked Peter down just as Rhaegon's pitch and scarlet wing zipped past his head. That was when she saw the wooden stick jutting out from his neck.
"He's hurt," she gasped. Scrambling to her feet, she waved her arms wildly in the air to try and grab his attention "Rhaegon! Rhaegon!"
His head turned. Smoke rose between his teeth. He beat his wings again, sending up a choking storm of dust. Without a moment's hesitation, Thea rushed forward much to Peter's bewilderment. He snapped warningly.
